1 <!DOCTYPE gamebook SYSTEM "gamebook.dtd" [
2 <!ENTITY % xhtml.characters SYSTEM "htmlchar.mod">
4 <!ENTITY % general.links SYSTEM "genlink.mod">
6 <!ENTITY % xhtml.links SYSTEM "htmllink.mod">
8 <!ENTITY % general.inclusions SYSTEM "geninc.mod">
12 <gamebook xml:lang="en-UK" version="0.11.3">
18 Revision 1.7 2007/05/01 19:07:51 Wibbleboy
19 o Made several changes in response to suggestions in Wiki.
21 Revision 1.6 2006/09/14 14:48:40 Wibbleboy
22 o Made various errata/non errata changes.
23 o Updated errata section to combine all changes for a given page in a single entry.
25 Revision 1.5 2006/09/12 08:50:09 Wibbleboy
26 o Added ammo usage footnotes
27 o Made several changes in response to suggestions in Wiki.
29 Revision 1.4 2006/09/06 09:01:34 Wibbleboy
30 o Fixed a few formatting errors
31 o Implemented series-wide consistency changes
33 Revision 1.3 2006/06/19 08:23:23 Wibbleboy
34 Made errata changes for consistency with other books in series.
36 Revision 1.2 2005/12/07 12:45:05 Wibbleboy
37 Applied misc formatting changes to match manual of style.
39 Revision 1.1 2005/12/06 15:52:18 Wibbleboy
40 Initial Freepository revision
44 <title>California Countdown</title>
45 <creator class="short">Joe Dever</creator>
46 <creator class="medium">Joe Dever<br />Illustrated by Brian Williams</creator>
47 <creator class="long">
48 &inclusion.joe.dever.bio.fw;
49 &inclusion.brian.williams.bio.fw;
51 <publisher>Project Aon</publisher>
52 <date class="publication"><year>2005</year><month>12</month><day>17</day></date>
53 <description class="blurb">
54 <p>You are Cal Phoenix, the Freeway Warrior, champion and protector of Dallas Colony One. The final stage of your life-or-death exodus to the California coast is fraught with extraordinary dangers<ch.emdash/>breakdowns, rockfalls and unexplained deaths. Can you unravel the mystery that surrounds your journey, or will you perish without trace in the wastelands of Arizona?</p>
56 <description class="publication">
57 <p>Internet Edition published by <a href="&link.project.website;">Project Aon</a>. This edition is intended to reflect the complete text of the original version. Where we have made minor corrections, they will be noted in the <a idref="errata">Errata</a>.</p>
59 <rights class="copyrights">Text copyright <ch.copy/> 1989 Joe Dever.<br />Illustrations copyright <ch.copy/> 1989 Brian Williams.</rights>
60 <rights class="license-notification">
61 <p>Text copyright <ch.copy/> 1989 Joe Dever.<br />Illustrations copyright <ch.copy/> 1989 Brian Williams.<br />Distribution of this Internet Edition is restricted under the terms of the <a idref="license">Project Aon License</a>.</p>
72 <title>Title Page</title>
73 <link class="next" idref="dedicate" />
78 <section class="frontmatter" id="dedicate">
80 <title>Dedication</title>
81 <link class="prev" idref="title" />
82 <link class="next" idref="acknwldg" />
86 <p class="dedication">For Tyler Stevenson</p>
90 <section class="frontmatter" id="acknwldg">
92 <title>Acknowledgements</title>
93 <link class="prev" idref="dedicate" />
94 <link class="next" idref="dtd" />
99 &inclusion.joe.dever.endowment;
101 <section class="frontmatter" id="credits">
102 <meta><title>Credits</title></meta>
106 <dt>Transcription</dt>
108 <dt>Illustration Transcription</dt>
111 <dd>Jonathan Blake<br />Jeff Dougan</dd>
112 <dt>Proofreading</dt>
113 <dd>Jennifer Sigman, Iain Smith</dd>
116 <!-- <dt>PDF Layout</dt>
118 <dt>Coordination</dt>
119 <dd>Jonathan Blake</dd>
120 <dt>Special Thanks</dt>
128 <section class="frontmatter" id="dtd">
130 <title>Dateline to Disaster</title>
131 <link class="prev" idref="acknwldg" />
132 <link class="next" idref="tssf" />
136 <p><strong>1990-1998</strong><br />Rise of global terrorism on an unprecedented scale. Political violence funded by organized crime syndicate called HAVOC<ch.emdash/>The Hijack, Assassination and Violent Opposition Consortium.</p>
137 <p><strong>1998-2003</strong><br />The governments of many small and impoverished nations fall into the hands of HAVOC. International terrorists receive arms, training, and shelter in these Badlands.</p>
138 <p><strong>2003-2008</strong><br />Raids on oil and gas installations, assassinations, and the kidnapping of prominent world statesmen become commonplace as HAVOC attempt to terrorize the civilized world into submission. Despite public outrage and growing international tension, the major powers steadfastly refuse to give in to HAVOC's demands.</p>
139 <p><strong>2008</strong><br />President of the United States and General Secretary of Supreme Soviet both assassinated at emergency summit meeting. US, USSR and major European nations create the World Defence League and declare war on HAVOC. The Badlands are invaded, key HAVOC bases destroyed, and thousands of HAVOC agents are captured.</p>
140 <p><strong>2009</strong><br />HAVOC leaders imprisoned for life in `Deep Pens'<ch.emdash/>maximum security gaols located deep underground<ch.emdash/>to prevent their escape or release by HAVOC agents still at large.</p>
141 <p><strong>2010</strong><br />New leadership emerges to unify the scattered remnants of HAVOC and plan revenge.</p>
142 <p><strong>2011</strong><br />A WDL train transporting seventeen 100-kiloton nuclear warheads, destined to be neutralized and dismantled, is attacked by HAVOC agents. The train is destroyed and its deadly cargo stolen.</p>
143 <p><strong>2012 New Year's Day</strong><br />HAVOC hijack a WDL news satellite and broadcast a chilling ultimatum. They have planted the seventeen stolen warheads in major cities throughout the US, USSR and Europe. They call for the immediate release of all HAVOC agents held in Deep Pens, plus the payment of $2 trillion in gold bullion, or they will trigger the warheads one by one until their demands are met in full. A twenty-four-hour deadline is set. WDL leaders declare emergency and request that the deadline be extended. HAVOC refuse.</p>
144 <p><strong>2nd January</strong><br />First warhead detonated at Brie Nuclear Energy Plant, ten miles south of Paris, France. Blast and radioactive fallout claim millions of lives. HAVOC repeat their demand and extend deadline by twenty-four hours.</p>
145 <p><strong>3rd January 'The Day'</strong><br />World Defence League agents discover location of HAVOC command headquarters on an island in the South Pacific Ocean. Immediately orders are given to infiltrate and destroy the HQ and its occupants. The assault is swift and decisive', the complex is quickly overrun and its inhabitants are killed. Yet, ironically, as the news of this victory is being relayed around the world, HAVOC enact their ultimate revenge. A transmitter hidden on the island, fitted with a time-delay mechanism, clicks on, sending its high-frequency radio signal to a communications satellite orbiting the earth. This signal is amplified and returned to earth where, simultaneously, it triggers the remaining nuclear warheads. The initial explosions set off a disastrous chain reaction that feeds on civil and military nuclear installations all across the northern hemisphere. Hundreds of millions of people are killed within days, and many more perish during the years that follow, falling victim to the lingering radioactivity and the severe climatic changes that affect the earth.</p>
146 <p><strong>2012-2019</strong><br />Gale force winds sweep across the world, carrying enormous amounts of dust into the upper atmosphere and preventing much sunlight from reaching the earth's surface. Temperatures plummet, deterring survivors from remaining above ground. Communications are disrupted by gamma radiation, making all radio, cable and satellite contact impossible. Small colonies of survivors develop in total isolation from one another during these years of darkness.</p>
147 <p><strong>2019-2020</strong><br />Gradually, the dust storms die down and the sun penetrates the atmosphere, thawing the earth's frozen surface. Radiation decays to tolerable levels, and survivors emerge to reclaim what little remains of the world they once knew.</p>
151 <section class="frontmatter" id="tssf">
153 <title>The Story So Far</title>
154 <link class="prev" idref="dtd" />
155 <link class="next" idref="gamerulz" />
159 <p>You are Cal Phoenix, a survivor, born in California on Thanksgiving Day in the year AD 2000. In 2012, whilst on winter vacation at your Uncle Jonas and Aunt Betty-Ann's ranch in Texas, you were invited to visit a shale-oil mine near Austin, the first of its kind in Texas. As Chief-of-Construction, your uncle was proud to take you on a guided tour of the whole underground complex, which, for security reasons, was totally self-supporting. It was during this tour on 3rd January 2012, that the holocaust began.</p>
160 <p>You remember how the ground shuddered when the shock waves of the first distant explosions reached the mine and how you thought it was the start of an earthquake, such as you had experienced many times at home in California. But as the levels nearest the surface began to collapse and the central elevator shaft filled with rubble, you realized the awful truth. At first there was no way of telling the extent of the surface devastation. Below ground, the safety generators had automatically switched into operation when the main power supply failed, and the tremors had faded quickly, which encouraged your aunt and uncle to believe that the damage above was superficial. Uncle Jonas was confidant that the military would mount a rescue operation and that you would be brought out within a few days, a week at the most. Aunt Betty-Ann too was optimistic. After all, there were emergency supplies, enough to feed 200 men for a whole month. Little did she know that the three of you would end up consuming all those supplies, or that the mine would become your home, your shelter and your prison for the next eight years of your lives.</p>
162 <illustration class="inline">
164 <creator>Brian Williams</creator>
166 <instance class="html" src="small1.gif" width="386" height="150" />
167 <instance class="pdf" src="small1.pdf" width="386" height="150"/>
170 <p>It was early September in the year 2019 when eventually you broke through to the surface. The landscape surrounding the mine looked like the surface of another planet. Few structures had survived the blizzards and intense cold that had swept around the world in the years following 'The Day', and now, after the dust had settled and the sun returned, the once-fertile plains of Austin resembled little more than a desert of parched and broken rock, littered with the artefacts of an absent civilization. During the first few days, when you set out to explore this wilderness, it was easy to believe that you were the only survivors. But on the morning of the fifth day Uncle Jonas made chance radio contact with a family called Ewell, who were living near the ruins of McKinney, thirty miles north of Dallas. They told him that they had been in touch with a handful of other groups, who had managed somehow to survive the holocaust. Most were isolated, unable to move due to lack of fuel, food, or water. They had urged those who could travel to join them in McKinney, to start a new community there, and some were already on their way. When your uncle and aunt accepted their invitation, the Ewells were enthusiastic but they also warned you to be wary<ch.emdash/>not everyone who had survived wanted to establish a new community. The ruins of some large Texan cities, such as Dallas and Fort Worth, were controlled by gangs of criminals who fought with each other and terrorized anyone seeking to reestablish law and order. They urged you to avoid these gangs at all costs.</p>
171 <p>It took more than a week to discover a vehicle capable of transporting you to McKinney. It was an old school bus parked in an underground lot where it had survived the years of sub-zero blizzards. With fuel and spares salvaged from the mine, you managed to coax it back to life, whereupon you set off on your journey north. When you arrived at the town, it was easy to find where the Ewells lived, for their ranch was the only place that was still standing. It looked more like an old frontier post than a ranch, with its fortified perimeter wall, lookout posts and stake-filled moat. However, after being ambushed and shot at by the city gangs of Fort Worth during the final stages of your journey, you could readily understand the need for these defences.</p>
172 <p>'Pop' Ewell, the seventy-year-old grandfather of the Ewell family, was the leader of this small colony of survivors, and it was he who had urged Uncle Jonas to join them when your uncle had first made radio contact. The colony numbered less than a dozen at the time of your arrival, yet as the airwaves became clearer and new contacts were made, the number had soon more than doubled to twenty-five. It was decided that a name was needed to identify the settlement. The name 'Dallas Colony One' was adopted<ch.emdash/>'DC1' for short<ch.emdash/>and from that day on, everyone worked hard to make DC1 a secure haven for those seeking refuge from the hostile wastelands and marauding city gangs.</p>
173 <p>'Cutter' Jacks was one such refugee. Before 'The Day' he had been chief mechanic at the International Grand Prix Circuit near Lake Dallas, and his incredible skill and knowledge of engines was soon to prove invaluable to the colony. He taught you how to drive, and from a pile of old wrecks that you helped him salvage from the circuit, he built you a powerful, customized car. You used it to patrol the highways north of the city, keeping a lookout for gangs of city punks who frequently mounted raids to steal or destroy DC1's supplies. Cutter also taught you to shoot, and it was your natural prowess with a gun, and your skill behind the wheel, that was to earn you the begrudging respect of your enemies, who took to calling you the 'Freeway Warrior'.</p>
174 <p>Six months after your arrival at DC1, the colony was faced with a major crisis. A heat wave caused a drought that threatened to destroy the food supply. Crops were failing and the colony's artesian well<ch.emdash/>its only source of uncontaminated water<ch.emdash/>was beginning to dry up. The drought was also provoking more attacks from the city punks who were desperate for food and water. Their common need had united them and now they posed a very real threat to the security of DC1. It was the last day of May, 2020, when Pop Ewell made radio contact with another colony, who were based in the city of Big Spring, 300 miles west of McKinney. Their situation was completely the reverse of DC1's: they had food and water in plentiful supply but they were desperately short of fuel. They told of their contact with survivors in Tucson, Arizona, who also were without fuel. The Tucson colony reported that the territories west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains had been spared the worst effects of the radioactive blizzards that had devastated the rest of the country and, miraculously, much of southern California was still widely populated: it had survived the last eight years virtually intact. When you heard the news, you could hardly believe your ears. Perhaps your family as still alive; perhaps there was still a chance that one day you would be reunited.</p>
176 <illustration class="inline">
178 <creator>Brian Williams</creator>
180 <instance class="html" src="small2.gif" width="386" height="150" />
181 <instance class="pdf" src="small2.pdf" width="386" height="150"/>
184 <p>A meeting was held to decide how best to deal with the crisis facing DC1. Everyone agreed that staying at McKinney could lead only to eventual death, either slowly from starvation or suddenly at the hands of the murderous city gangs. The only choice open to DC1 was to try to reach California: only there lay any real hope for the future of the colony. The decision was relayed to the survivors at Big Spring, and a deal was struck to rendezvous with them as soon as possible. DC1 would give them fuel in exchange for food and water, and together they would join up with the Tucson colony for the final stage of the journey to California.</p>
185 <p>Careful preparations were made for the long trek, and three vehicles were chosen to make up the convoy: the school bus, your customized roadster and a gasolene tanker laden with 5,000 gallons of petroleum siphoned from underground storage tanks at the Ewell ranch. Supplies of food and water were adequate but the colony lacked sufficient firearms and ammunition with which to defend itself. On the day before the convoy was due to leave, one of the colonists was sent north to search the town of Sherman for weapons. He radioed back to say that he had found a cache of hunting rifles and ammunition, but that his truck had broken down and he was stranded in the town. He had also found a survivor<ch.emdash/>a beautiful teenage girl<ch.emdash/>and he requested that you go to Sherman to pick them both up. As soon as you arrived you were ambushed by the scouts of a brutal gang of bikers known as the Detroit Lions and, in the ensuing gun battle, you killed Stinger<ch.emdash/>the scouts' leader.</p>
186 <p>Later you learned that the girl, Kate Norton, was the sole survivor of a Kansas City colony that had been attacked and wiped out by the Detroit Lions. The Lions' leader, who calls himself Mad Dog Michigan, had taken a liking to her and spared her life. Mad Dog was once a high-ranking HAVOC agent who had escaped from Pontiac Deep Pen near Detroit, and he and his gang, most of whom were also HAVOC escapees, were heading for the Fort Hood Military Reserve near Killeen, Texas, the largest armoury in the whole of the United States. There he hoped to find enough weapons to equip the other HAVOC clans, who were now in control of cities all along the eastern seaboard. Kate had managed to steal a motorcycle and escape from their camp, but Mad Dog was determined to get her back. He sent his brother<ch.emdash/>Stinger<ch.emdash/>and a handful of his best scouts to track her down, and they had finally caught up with her at Sherman.</p>
187 <p>When Mad Dog learned that you had killed his brother, he vowed to get even with you. He abandoned his plans to loot Fort Hood and embarked instead on a relentless pursuit of your colony as it crossed the sun-scorched wastelands of Texas. The journey to Big Spring was fraught with great danger and yet, in spite of the many perils you faced, or perhaps because of them, you felt yourself falling in love with Kate and you sensed that she was becoming increasingly fond of you. Sadly, the convoy was only a few miles from Big Spring when disaster struck. The land surrounding the settlement was controlled by a gang of bikers, a renegade clan called the 'Mavericks', who had been the bane of the Big Spring colony for many months. As the convoy drew nearer to its destination, the Mavericks launched an attack, and, in the running battle that ensued, they captured and abducted Kate. The convoy entered the fortified gates of Big Spring to a rapturous welcome from the colonists of that settlement, but for you the celebration was soured by the vivid memory of Kate's abduction. You vowed to rescue her, and from that moment on every waking minute of every day at Big Spring was spent thinking about little else.</p>
189 <illustration class="inline">
191 <creator>Brian Williams</creator>
193 <instance class="html" src="small3.gif" width="386" height="150" />
194 <instance class="pdf" src="small3.pdf" width="386" height="150"/>
197 <p>By chance it transpired that the leader of the Mavericks, a blond-haired murderer called Amex Gold, was a former HAVOC agent, who had served under Mad Dog Michigan before 'The Day'. He offered to join forces with the Lions and, as a gesture of his loyalty to his former commander, he returned Kate to him. Together the Lions and the Mavericks launched a hasty attack on Big Spring, yet, although they outnumbered the colony by more than three to one, they were unable to breach the settlement's fortified perimeter wall and were repelled with heavy losses. On the day after the attack, Pop Ewell discovered the radio frequency that the clansmen were using and was able to eavesdrop on their communications. He learned that Mad Dog had ordered another HAVOC clan, the Saints, who were based in New Orleans, to come to reinforce his command; they were expected to arrive within the week. He also overheard Mad Dog arrange a meeting with Mekong Mike, the leader of the Angelinos, a gang who controlled the city of San Angelo. He wanted him as an ally and was prepared to offer guns and ammunition in return for his help in destroying the Big Spring colony. Two days later, Mad Dog Michigan set off for San Angelo at the head of a motorcycle pack 200 riders strong. Those few clansmen who remained with Amex Gold tried all manner of tricks to convince the colony that the Mavericks and the Lions still surrounded Big Spring in strength, but to no avail. The senior members of the newly enlarged colony convened a meeting, at which it was decided that, with the clansmen now at their weakest, and with the appearance of the New Orleans gang expected at any time, a breakout had to be attempted without delay. There was only one way for the colony to reach Tucson overland and that was to follow the remains of Interstate Freeway 10 through the arid, mountainous territory of western Texas. Precisely halfway between Big Spring and Tucson lies the city of El Paso. To reach this city in one piece became the convoy's goal. It lay at the end of a long and tortuous stretch of mountain highway, undoubtedly one of the toughest you would have to face on your journey to California.</p>
198 <p>Under cover of darkness, the convoy escaped from Big Spring and sped westwards. Now your vow to rescue Kate could at last be realized and, at the first opportunity, you told the colony of your plans. Reluctantly they let you leave the convoy and go to San Angelo, where you intended to infiltrate the meeting between the Lions and the Angelinos in the hope of finding Kate there. Your skill and daring were rewarded, for you were able to locate and rescue Kate from under the very noses of the clan leaders. During your escape from their city, you killed Mekong Mike, the Angelinos' leader, and stole a map from Mad Dog Michigan. Later you discovered that this map contained vital details of a HAVOC operation to take over the whole of the United States.</p>
199 <p>As you escaped westwards from San Angelo, you encountered three soldiers, survivors from a world Defence League outpost in southern Texas, who were also heading for El Paso, where the remnants of their command group were stationed. You joined them and together you rendezvoused with the convoy at the entrance to the only passable road through the Apache Mountains. A fierce battle was raging along this pass between the Mavericks and a clan of Mexicans who had crossed the border in search of food and supplies. The convoy was forced to run the gauntlet of their gunfire before finally reaching its goal. Upon entering the city, you received a warm welcome from the WDL command group who were defending the military reserve of Fort Bliss. They celebrated your arrival for several days until the appearance of Mad Dog Michigan and an army of clansmen numbering over 1000 strong brought an abrupt end to the festivities. He had persuaded the Mexicans to join with the Lions, the Mavericks and the Saints, all of whom were now united to his cause. The situation was desperate. Faced with overwhelming odds, the WDL command tried to negotiate with Mad Dog but he rejected their overtures with disdain. He sent a reply to the command leader, Captain Frankland, in which he reaffirmed his vow to avenge his brother's death. His aims were brutally simple: he promised that neither you nor any of the colony would ever leave EL Paso alive. He set up headquarters in Ciudad Juarez, on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, where he directed his clan army to encircle and lay siege to the colony.</p>
200 <p>For two weeks, he launched repeated attacks, calculated to weaken your defences. The colony withstood the assaults, but the constant attrition began to erode your hopes of ever being able to break out of El Paso and reach Tucson in one piece. Then a radio message was intercepted that was to turn this desperate situation into a crisis. A clan convoy of trucks was bound for Mad Dog's headquarters in Ciudad Juarez. On board were enough high explosives to blow Fort Bliss, and everyone in it, to sightless atoms. Something had to be done to prevent Mad Dog from using these explosives. Out of desperation was born a daring plan. The explosives had to be destroyed as soon as they reached Ciudad Juarez. It was a dangerous and potentially suicidal mission, too difficult for one man alone, therefore Captain Frankland chose to lead the mission himself and he called for three volunteers to accompany him. Two WDL soldiers, Haskell and Knott, readily accepted the challenge and, mindful that the future of the colony was dependent on the success of this mission, you summoned up enough courage to volunteer as the fourth member of his team.</p>
202 <illustration class="inline">
204 <creator>Brian Williams</creator>
206 <instance class="html" src="small4.gif" width="386" height="150" />
207 <instance class="pdf" src="small4.pdf" width="386" height="150"/>
210 <p>Armed with contact mines, the four of you infiltrated Mad Dog's base and blew up the explosives shortly after they arrived there. The unexpected destruction of the base threw his clan army into confusion and enabled the colony to break out of Fort Bliss virtually unopposed. As the colony made their escape westwards towards Tucson, your team escaped from Ciudad Juarez in a hijacked truck and made its way along the Mexican border. The plan was for you to rendezvous with the colony the following day, but mechanical breakdowns and skirmishes with Mad Dog's scouts prevented an early reunion. Enraged by the sheer nerve of your attack and the damage inflicted upon his command, Mad Dog Michigan sent for Helmut Varken, the most ruthless of all his HAVOC assassins. Relentlessly Varken shadowed your team as you traversed the mountainous forests of southern Arizona and, one-by-one, he coldly murdered your comrades until only you remained.</p>
211 <p>In a fateful showdown in the town of Tombstone, you faced Varken and avenged your dead companions in the yard of the town's historic courthouse. Using the deceased assassin's motorcycle, you reached Interstate 10 and followed tyre tracks that were made a day before by the convoy vehicles. They led you to the town of Benson, forty miles southeast of Tucson, where unexpectedly you met up with Kate Norton. When your team had failed to make the rendezvous, the colony had come to the reluctant conclusion that you had all perished at Ciudad Juarez. Only Kate clung to the belief that you were still alive and had persuaded the colony leaders, against their better judgment, to allow her to wait for you here.</p>
212 <p>Driving your roadster, the two of you set off confidently on the final leg of your journey to Tucson. However, your confidence was soon shattered by the sudden appearance of another roadster, an armed and armoured racing machine driven by none other than your archenemy, Mad Dog Michigan. A vicious road duel ensued as you raced towards the sanctuary of the Tucson stronghold, a battle that culminated in a high-speed collision that sent your enemy careering off the freeway at over 100 miles per hour. The last you saw of the HAVOC leader was when his roadster plummeted into a deep drainage-way called the Pantona Wash.</p>
213 <p>You and Kate entered the Tucson stronghold to a hero's welcome. The colony was overjoyed, for they feared that they would never see either of you again. They were saddened to hear of the deaths of your comrades, yet all drew some comfort from the knowledge that the memory of their sacrifice would never fade. Had it not been for their bravery, the convoy would never have reached Tucson intact.</p>
218 <section class="frontmatter" id="gamerulz">
220 <title>The Game Rules</title>
221 <link class="prev" idref="tssf" />
222 <link class="next" idref="sskills" />
226 <p>Before embarking on your adventure, you must first determine your personal characteristics and the weapons and provisions with which you are equipped. An <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> has been supplied on which to record and amend these details as the adventure unfolds.</p>
227 <p>Your personal characteristics comprise two basic attributes: <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ> and <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>. To discover your initial <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ>, take a pencil and, with your eyes closed, point the blunt end of it on to the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If you pick a 0 it counts as zero. Add 10 to the number you have picked and write the total in the <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ> section of your Action Chart (for example, if your pencil falls on the number 5 in the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>, you have a CLOSE <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> total of 15). When you fight an enemy in hand-to-hand combat, your <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ> will be measured against that of your enemy, so a high score in this section is desirable.</p>
228 <p>To discover your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> level, repeat the process, but this time add 20 to the number you have picked from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. Write the total in the <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> (for example, if your pencil falls on the number 8 on the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>, you have a total <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> score of 28). If you are wounded in combat, or injured at any other time during your adventure you will lose <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points. If, at any time, your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points total falls to zero, you are dead and the adventure is over. You can regain lost <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points during the course of the adventure, but your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> level can never rise above your initial score.</p>
230 <section class="frontmatter-separate" id="sskills">
232 <title>Survival Skills</title>
233 <link class="prev" idref="gamerulz" />
234 <link class="next" idref="equipmnt" />
239 <p>Ever since the day you returned to the surface, you have endeavoured to develop your skills and natural instincts fully in order to best defend yourself and your colony.</p>
240 <p>Listed on your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> are your five basic Survival Skills:</p>
242 <section class="frontmatter" id="driving">
243 <meta><title>Driving</title></meta>
246 <p>Your ability to control powered vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles and trucks.</p>
250 <section class="frontmatter" id="shooting">
251 <meta><title>Shooting</title></meta>
254 <p>Your familiarity and experience in the use of missile weapons, such as pistols, machine pistols, shotguns and rifles.</p>
258 <section class="frontmatter" id="fldcraft">
259 <meta><title>Field craft</title></meta>
262 <p>Your knowledge and experience of all aspects of outdoor survival.</p>
266 <section class="frontmatter" id="stealth">
267 <meta><title>Stealth</title></meta>
270 <p>Your physical fitness, the speed of your reflexes and your dexterity.</p>
274 <section class="frontmatter" id="perceptn">
275 <meta><title>Perception</title></meta>
278 <p>Your intelligence, your ability to evaluate information, your education and your mental alertness.</p>
282 <p>Your ability in each of these five individual skills is measured in skill points. You begin with 3 points per skill. Before starting the adventure, you may allocate an additional 4 skill points to your list of five Survival Skills. These 4 extra points can be used to improve one or more of your five skills. During your adventure, all five skills will be severely tested, therefore the higher the individual skill level, the better your chances of survival. You may allocate your 4 additional points entirely how you like.</p>
283 <p>When you have decided where to allocate your 4 additional skill points, make a note of the totals in the Survival Skills section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>.</p>
284 <p>(If this is your first Freeway Warrior adventure, your total number of skill points should be 19: five skills x 3 points each = 15, plus 4 additional skill points = 19 points.)</p>
288 <section class="frontmatter-separate" id="equipmnt">
290 <title>Equipment</title>
291 <link class="prev" idref="sskills" />
292 <link class="next" idref="weapons" />
296 <p>Apart from your clothing, a number of useful items form your basic equipment. These comprise a Backpack, and a belt on which hangs your Ammo Pouch, Medi-kit, Water Canteen and Hunting Knife. In addition to these items, you possess a <a idref="map">Map of Southern Arizona/California</a>, which you carry tucked inside your leather jacket.</p>
298 <section class="frontmatter" id="backpack">
299 <meta><title>Backpack</title></meta>
301 <p>Up to ten separate items may be stored and carried in your Backpack at any time. However, if more than three items are carried, your Stealth level will be reduced by 1 point. If more than six items are carried, your Stealth level will be reduced by 2 points; and if you carry a full Backpack (containing ten items) your Stealth level will be reduced by 3 points.</p>
302 <p>In order to equip yourself for the task ahead, you may choose up to four items from the following list:</p>
304 <li><typ class="item">SOLAR TORCH</typ></li>
305 <li><typ class="item">HE (High Explosive) GRENADE</typ></li>
306 <li><typ class="item">BINOCULARS</typ></li>
307 <li><typ class="item">COMPASS</typ></li>
308 <li><typ class="item">CB RADIO</typ></li>
309 <li><typ class="item">ROPE</typ></li>
310 <li><typ class="item">THREE MEALS</typ> (each Meal takes up one space in your Backpack)</li>
311 <li><typ class="item">FLEXIBLE SAW</typ></li>
312 <li><typ class="item">SIGNAL FLARE</typ></li>
314 <p>List the items you have chosen on your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>. If you have picked four items, adjust your current Stealth level accordingly.</p>
315 <p>Opportunities may arise during your adventure for you to pick up useful items. These items will appear in the text in bold print and, unless you are instructed otherwise, they can be stored and carried in your Backpack.</p>
316 <p>You will need to eat regularly. If you do not possess any food when you are instructed to eat a Meal, you will lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
320 <section class="frontmatter" id="ammpouch">
321 <meta><title>Ammo Pouch</title></meta>
323 <p>Your Ammo Pouch is where you store any spare ammunition for firearms. It can hold a maximum of the following:</p>
325 40 rounds of 9mm calibre Pistol/Machine Pistol ammunition<br />
327 20 rounds of 7.62mm calibre Rifle ammunition<br />
329 10 rounds of 12-gauge calibre Shotgun ammunition
331 <p>When carrying mixed calibres of ammunition, use this equation to check how much space you have left in your Ammo Pouch:</p>
332 <p>4 x 9mm rounds = 2 x 7.62 rounds = 1 x 12-gauge round</p>
333 <p>Additional ammunition can be carried in your Backpack. Ammunition occupies one space for each quantity that is equal to (or less than) the maximum that can be carried in one Ammo Pouch.</p>
337 <section class="frontmatter" id="medikit">
338 <meta><title>Medi-kit</title></meta>
340 <p>A well-stocked Medi-kit can make all the difference to your chances of survival should you suffer injury in the field or as a result of combat. It contains useful first aid supplies, such as dressings, antiseptics, antibiotics, water purification tablets, sulfonamides, pain killers, potassium iodide tablets (to delay absorption of radioactivity) and sutures.</p>
341 <p>For convenience, these medical supplies are grouped into units. To find how many units you have in your Medi-kit, pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> (0 equals 10) and add 2. Your total score equals the number of units with which you begin your adventure. To keep a record of them, circle the appropriate number of unit symbols in the Medi-kit section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>. The maximum number of units you can carry in your Medi-kit is twelve.</p>
342 <p>You may use your Medi-kit units to restore lost <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points; each unit used in this way restores 3 points. Units cannot be used to restore <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points in lieu of a Meal or Water when instructed to eat or drink.</p>
346 <section class="frontmatter" id="canteen">
347 <meta><title>Water Canteen</title></meta>
349 <p>Water is essential to life, and your life will depend on having a sufficient, uncontaminated supply. You will need to drink regularly during your adventure. One drink is equivalent to half a pint and your canteen holds exactly two pints of water: enough for one day's needs. When instructed to drink, be sure to tick off one box in the Water section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>.</p>
350 <p>If you do not have any Water when instructed to drink, you must lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
357 <section class="frontmatter-separate" id="weapons">
359 <title>Weapons</title>
360 <link class="prev" idref="equipmnt" />
361 <link class="next" idref="cmbtrulz" />
366 <section class="frontmatter" id="close">
367 <meta><title>Close Combat Weapons</title></meta>
369 <p>These weapons aid you in hand-to-hand fighting. You begin your adventure armed with a Hunting Knife which, when used in close combat, adds 2 points to your <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ>. Note this Hunting Knife in the Close Combat Weapons section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>.</p>
370 <p>If you find a close combat weapon during your adventure, you may pick it up and use it. Close combat weapons appear in the text with a close combat skill number: for example, Machete (3). This number indicates how many points this weapon will add to your <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ> when used in a hand-to-hand fight.</p>
371 <p>The maximum number of close combat weapons you may carry is <em>two</em>.</p>
375 <section class="frontmatter" id="missile">
376 <meta><title>Missile Weapons</title></meta>
378 <p>There are four types of missile weapon:</p>
381 <li>MACHINE PISTOL</li>
385 <p>Unless you are carrying over weapons from a previous Freeway Warrior book, you begin your adventure armed with only one of these weapons. Make your choice and then record the weapon you have chosen, together with its calibre and rate of fire details, in the Missile Weapons section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>.</p>
386 <p>In order to be able to use a missile weapon, you must have sufficient ammunition of the correct calibre. The following list shows the calibre of each weapon, the amount that is used every time the weapon is fired, and the number of rounds that you possess at the start of your adventure:</p>
392 <th>Rate of Fire</th>
393 <th>Initial No. of Rounds</th>
402 <td>MACHINE PISTOL</td>
421 <p>The initial number of rounds should be noted in the Ammo Pouch section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>. Missile weapons cannot be used if you run out of ammunition or possess rounds of the wrong calibre. However, the opportunity may arise for you to replenish your supply of ammunition and/or discover a weapon of the correct calibre.</p>
422 <p>You may carry a maximum of three missile weapons. However, for every missile weapon that you carry (excluding your initial choice), you must reduce your Stealth level by 1 point.</p>
431 <section class="frontmatter-separate" id="cmbtrulz">
433 <title>Rules for Close Combat</title>
434 <link class="prev" idref="weapons" />
435 <link class="next" idref="numbered" />
439 <p>There will be occasions when you will have to fight an enemy in hand-to-hand combat. The enemy's <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ> and <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> level will both be given in the text. Your aim in close combat is to kill the enemy by reducing his <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points to zero while losing as few of your own <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points as possible.</p>
440 <p>At the start of a close combat, enter both your own and your enemy's <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points in the appropriate boxes on the Close Combat Record section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>. The sequence for close combat is as follows:</p>
441 <ol class="paragraphed">
442 <li><p>Add any extra points gained through the use of close combat weapons to your current <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ> total.</p></li>
444 <p>Subtract the <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ> of your enemy from this total. The result is your Combat Ratio. Enter it on the <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>.</p>
445 <p>Example<br />Cal Phoenix (<typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ> 17) is attacked by a Renegade Clansman (<typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ> 18). He is not given the opportunity to evade close combat, but must stand and fight his adversary. Cal Phoenix is armed with a Hunting Knife, so he adds 2 points to his <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ>, giving a total CLOSE COMBAT SKILL of 19.</p>
446 <p>He subtracts the Renegade Clansman's <typ class="attribute">CLOSE COMBAT SKILL</typ> from his own, giving a Combat Ratio of <ch.plus/>1 (19 <ch.minus/> 18 = <ch.plus/>1). He notes this <ch.plus/>1 on his <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> as the Combat Ratio.</p>
448 <li><p>After working out your Combat Ratio, pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p></li>
450 <p>Turn to the <a idref="crtable">Close Combat Results Table</a>. Along the top of the chart are the Combat Ratio numbers. Find the number that is the same as your Combat Ratio and cross-reference it with the number that you have picked (the random numbers appear down the side of the chart). You now have the <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points lost by both Cal Phoenix and his enemy in this round of close combat. (E represents points lost by the enemy; CP represents points lost by Cal Phoenix.)</p>
451 <p>Example<br />The Combat Ratio between Cal Phoenix and the Renegade Clansman has been established as <ch.plus/>1. If the number picked from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> is a 4, then the result of the first round of close combat is:
453 <li>Cal Phoenix loses 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</li>
454 <li>Renegade Clansman loses 4 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</li>
458 <li><p>On the <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>, mark the changes in <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points to the participants in the close combat.</p></li>
459 <li><p>Unless otherwise instructed, or unless you have an option to evade, start the next round of close combat.</p></li>
460 <li><p>Repeat the sequence from stage 3.</p></li>
462 <p>This procedure continues until the <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points of either the enemy or Cal Phoenix are reduced to zero, at which point the one whose score is zero is declared dead. If Cal Phoenix is dead, the adventure is over. If the enemy is dead, Cal Phoenix proceeds but with a reduced <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> point score.</p>
463 <p>A <a idref="crsumary">summary of the Close Combat Rules</a> appears on the page after the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
465 <section class="frontmatter" id="evasion">
466 <meta><title>Evasion of Combat</title></meta>
468 <p>During your adventure you may be given the chance to evade close combat. If you have already engaged in a round of close combat and decide to evade, calculate the combat for that round in the usual manner. All <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points lost by the enemy as a result of that round are ignored; only Cal Phoenix may lose <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points during that round, but that is the risk of running away! You may evade combat only if the text of that particular section allows you to do so.</p>
478 <section class="numbered" id="numbered">
479 <meta><title>Numbered Sections</title></meta>
483 <section class="numbered" id="sect1">
484 <meta><title>1</title></meta>
487 <p>The day after your arrival sees the withdrawal of Mad Dog Michigan's clan army from the vicinity of the Davis-Monthan air force base, stronghold of the Tucson colony. Scouts are sent to shadow the enemy and, later in the day, they return to report that the clansmen have pulled back to Nogales, a frontier town on the Mexican border. This hurried retreat reinforces the belief that Mad Dog perished when his speedster crashed into the Pantona Wash.</p>
488 <p>Boosted by the arrival of your convoy, the Tucson colony now numbers over 130 men, women and children. Supplies of food and water are adequate and, with the arrival of DC1's gasolene tanker, there is more than enough fuel to get you to California. Mike Gorgas, a former district attorney who is now the appointed leader of the Tucson colony, urges the other colony leaders to make preparations to leave the stronghold and head west without delay. The clan army may have suffered a setback but, sooner or later, prompted by a lack of supplies or a desire for revenge, they are sure to leave Nogales and attack the stronghold in force.</p>
489 <p>There is also the threat of an attack by the Outlaws, an exceptionally vicious clan that controls the city of Phoenix. Among their number are many criminals who have been expelled from California since 'The Day'. Their leader, Shiloh, is one such outcast. He has been exiled into the Omega Zone (the name Californians have given to the ravaged territories east of their state line), for murder, looting and other, lesser, crimes he and his gang perpetrated in Los Angeles. During the past few months he has often crossed swords with the Tucson colony, resulting in deaths on both sides.</p>
490 <p>When the time comes to plan the route to California, the colony agrees that they should try at all costs to avoid contact with Shiloh's clan. Interstate 10 is the only highway out of Tucson capable of carrying the convoy at reasonable speed, yet it passes straight through the centre of Phoenix. The only alternative is to follow this highway as far as Arizona City and then switch to Interstate 8. The colony could then follow the freeway across southern Arizona to Yuma, traverse the Colorado river at this point, and continue, through the desert and mountains of southwest California, until finally reaching its goal<ch.emdash/>the city of San Diego.</p>
491 <p>Much of the territory south of Phoenix is patrolled and controlled by the Outlaws. To avoid the risk of running headlong into a clan patrol, the colony appoints you, and three others, as scouts. Whilst the colonists complete their final preparations to leave the stronghold, you and the other scouts set off along Interstate 10 to check that the road ahead is clear.</p>
492 <choice idref="sect235"><link-text>Turn to 235</link-text>.</choice>
496 <section class="numbered" id="sect2">
497 <meta><title>2</title></meta>
500 <p>Ahead you see a tall observation tower that rises high above the surrounding hills. It once provided sightseers with a magnificent view of the Anza-Borrego Desert Park; now it offers the perfect location for a radio transmission, clear of the surrounding peaks.</p>
501 <p>You leave the freeway and lead the convoy along an access road that is marked with signs pointing to the Desert View Tower. The electric elevator that once serviced the observation platform is beyond repair, so the powerful DC1 radio transmitter has to be carried all the way to the top up a flight of stairs. Once in position, Pop at last makes contact with Pine Valley.</p>
502 <p>At first they believe that the call is an elaborate clan trick, but confidential WDL call codes are given by a handful of Tucson colonists who were league operatives before 'The Day'. When these call codes are checked and discovered to be genuine, the Pine Valley outpost receives special authorization from army control in LA to allow the convoy into Fortress California. But this permission is coupled with certain conditions. A zero hour is given. The colony must reach Pine Valley at 11.00am, exactly one hour from now, if it is to be allowed to pass through the checkpoint. The army also insists that radio silence be maintained until your arrival, for the frequency you have been using is known to the Chargers and is often monitored. Pop agrees to the terms on behalf of the colony and signs off.</p>
503 <p>Excited and eager to leave, the colonists return to their vehicles for the final journey to Pine Valley. You are one of the last to leave the tower and, when you are half-way down the ladder, you suddenly hear Rickenbacker shout a warning from the platform above: 'My God! There's a clan convoy on the freeway!'</p>
504 <choice idref="sect320"><link-text>Turn to 320</link-text>.</choice>
509 <section class="numbered" id="sect3">
510 <meta><title>3</title></meta>
513 <p>'Hey, buddy, put the gun down. We're not clansmen,' you shout.</p>
514 <p>'Sure you're not,' he replies, his voice full of sarcasm, 'But I'm a careful kinda guy who's grown fond o' the idea o' keepin' his head on his shoulders. So why don't you and your friend step out o' the car real easy and show y'selves?'</p>
515 <choice idref="sect263">If you wish to do as he says, <link-text>turn to 263</link-text>.</choice>
516 <choice idref="sect326">If you choose to ignore his request, <link-text>turn to 326</link-text>.</choice>
521 <section class="numbered" id="sect4">
522 <meta><title>4</title></meta>
525 <footnote id="sect4-1-foot" idref="sect4-1">
526 <p>Remember to deduct six rounds of 9mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.</p>
531 <p>Your burst of fire hits the clansman in the chest, killing him instantly.<a id="sect4-1" idref="sect4-1-foot" class="footnote" /> The sight of his body tumbling backwards down the slope sends a shock wave through his confederates, and at once their attack falters. Encouraged by their sudden change of heart, you watch as they fall back towards their trucks, which are parked in the centre of the freeway.</p>
532 <choice idref="sect141"><link-text>Turn to 141</link-text>.</choice>
537 <section class="numbered" id="sect5">
538 <meta><title>5</title></meta>
541 <p>Snatching the front of your T-shirt to your mouth, you manage to control the dizziness long enough to stagger away from the edge of the platform and escape from the cloud of tear gas. As your vision clears you see that you are not the only one who has been affected by the gas. On the other side of the roof, the clansmen are doubled up on the ground, coughing and retching violently. You draw a close combat weapon and move stealthily towards the group, hoping to reach the clansmen before the effects of the gas wear off. The clansman who was seated sees you approaching but, curiously, does nothing to alert his companions.</p>
542 <p>You act quickly in case he has a change of heart. Rushing forward, you get your forearm around the throat of the nearest clansman and pull him up from the ground. He drops his rifle over the edge of the parapet and, as you pull him towards you, his partner picks up his gun and fires in panic. The burst of fire kills the clansman instantly, but you survive, shielded by his body. Shocked by what he has done, the clansman freezes, his watery eyes wide with disbelief as his companion slumps dead at your feet. Before he recovers his senses, you jump forward and kick the assault rifle out of his hands, sending it sailing over the parapet to join the other gun. Before it hits the ground you press home your advantage and attack.</p>
543 <illustration class="float">
545 <creator>Brian Williams</creator>
546 <description>Shocked by what he has done, the clansman freezes, his watery eyes wide with disbelief as his companion slumps dead at your feet.</description>
548 <instance class="html" src="ill1.gif" width="386" height="623" />
549 <instance class="pdf" src="ill1.pdf" width="386" height="623" />
551 <combat><enemy>Cape Cod</enemy><enemy-attribute class="closecombatskill">14</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">18</enemy-attribute></combat>
552 <p>Owing to the surprise of your attack, and the effects of the tear gas, ignore any <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> point losses you may sustain in the first round of combat.</p>
553 <choice idref="sect210">If you win the fight, <link-text>turn to 210</link-text>.</choice>
558 <section class="numbered" id="sect6">
559 <meta><title>6</title></meta>
562 <p>Desperately you swerve out of the line to avoid the falling disc. With a loud crunch, the metal plate cuts into your windshield, but because of your swift action, it strikes the glass at an angle and is deflected away. Both you and Rickenbacker are showered with glass, yet you escape with only minor injuries: lose 2 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
563 <choice idref="sect216"><link-text>Turn to 216</link-text>.</choice>
568 <section class="numbered" id="sect7">
569 <meta><title>7</title></meta>
572 <p>Coolly you muster your strength and direct several well-aimed blows at the padlock. Its corroded metal link soon shatters and the fire exit door bursts open, allowing you to flee the flames. Amid billowing clouds of grey smoke you leap on to a fire escape landing and descend a rusty iron staircase to a parking lot below. As clean air fills your lungs, your strength returns, enabling you to get clear of the area in time to avoid being caught by a massive explosion, which destroys the warehouse completely.</p>
573 <choice idref="sect315"><link-text>Turn to 315</link-text>.</choice>
578 <section class="numbered" id="sect8">
579 <meta><title>8</title></meta>
582 <p>Your weapon strikes Mad Dog's shoulder blade, opening a deep wound. Screaming with pain, he stumbles backwards and, in doing so, raises his right arm towards the ceiling. The blade of his chainsaw rips into the wooden panelling as if it were paper-thin, but, when it cuts through a metal light-fitting, the deadly blade becomes jammed. Frantically, Mad Dog pulls at the handle in an effort to free the chainsaw before you can get back on your feet.</p>
583 <choice idref="sect234">If you wish to look for your gun, <link-text>turn to 234</link-text>.</choice>
584 <choice idref="sect105">If you wish to look for another close combat weapon, <link-text>turn to 105</link-text>.</choice>
585 <choice idref="sect27">If you wish to attack the clan leader with your bare hands before he can free his chainsaw, <link-text>turn to 27</link-text>.</choice>
590 <section class="numbered" id="sect9">
591 <meta><title>9</title></meta>
594 <p>Despite the threat of pursuit by the Outlaws, the convoy covers just fourteen miles before it grinds to a halt at the outskirts of a town called Aztec. Two of the seventeen colony vehicles have broken down due to shrapnel damage sustained during the clan attack, and a further three are on the verge of doing likewise. With night closing in, and the road ahead yet to be scouted, the colony can do little more than draw itself up in a tight, protective circle and wait for dawn to arrive. You must now eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
595 <p>At first light, you, Rickenbacker, Macy and Langdon are sent to scout the freeway and search for food and water. Meanwhile, Cutter oversees the repair of the vehicles. He is aided by Avenal and Rex Tyler, who have both been completely exonerated of Mike Gorgas' murder. Cutter estimates that the repairs will take four hours, giving you enough time to check and search Aztec, Dateland and Mohawk, the next three towns along Interstate 8.</p>
596 <p>Aztec has been so badly ravaged by the post-holocaust storms that you decide not to bother searching its ruins, and instead you press on to Dateland. This town has fared little better, although you do chance across a shopping precinct on the east side of the town that looks promising. You decide between you that one team should stay here and search these stores while the other one continues along the freeway and scouts Mohawk, fourteen miles to the east.</p>
597 <choice idref="sect246">If you wish stay here at Dateland and search for supplies for the colony, <link-text>turn to 246</link-text>.</choice>
598 <choice idref="sect152">If you choose to continue along the freeway to Mohawk and search there, <link-text>turn to 152</link-text>.</choice>
603 <section class="numbered" id="sect10">
604 <meta><title>10</title></meta>
607 <p>If Cutter is disappointed to hear that the freeway ahead is blocked by a landslide, he certainly does not allow it to show. 'Hell, we're jus' gonna have t' break out the brooms 'n' shovels,' he says, with typical Texan bravado, and goes off to break the news to the others.</p>
608 <p>The colonists listen to Cutter, and you watch their faces grow sterner and longer. You are worried that the bad news, coming so quickly after the shock of Mike Gorgas' death, will cause the colony to disintegrate, but, to your surprise, it has completely the opposite effect. It re-focuses attention on the immediate problems and inspires them to pull together.</p>
609 <p>Within minutes the colonists are back aboard their vehicles and the convoy is ready to move out. You and Rickenbacker resume your position at the head of the line, and you lead them out of Smurr. When you reach the pass, you bring the convoy to a halt and go forward with several of the colony's elders to assess the damage. </p>
610 <p>The westbound lanes are blocked by a solid wall of rock that is more than twenty feet high in places, but the eastbound highway has escaped the worst of the landslide and Cutter estimates that it could be made passable with a couple of hours' hard work. He tells the others and immediately they set to clearing a way through.</p>
611 <choice idref="sect85">If you wish to help the colonists clear a way through the landslide, <link-text>turn to 85</link-text>.</choice>
612 <choice idref="sect183">If you choose to help Macy and Langdon keep a lookout for clan scouts, <link-text>turn to 183</link-text>.</choice>
617 <section class="numbered" id="sect11">
618 <meta><title>11</title></meta>
621 <p>You reach the front door and pull it shut behind you to prevent the hornets from following you out into the street. The stings you have sustained to your face, neck and hands throb painfully. If you possess at least three Medi-kit units, you are able to soothe the inflammation with some ointment: restore 1 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> point. (If you wish to do this, remember to erase one Medi-kit unit from your list.)</p>
622 <p>When you have fully recovered from your encounter with the hornets, you check your equipment and return to Rickenbacker.</p>
623 <choice idref="sect300"><link-text>Turn to 300</link-text>.</choice>
628 <section class="numbered" id="sect12">
629 <meta><title>12</title></meta>
632 <p>You force yourself to ignore the deadly hail of lead churning the ground around your feet, and concentrate all your efforts on reaching the safety of the alleyway. Seconds pass like hours until finally you enter the narrow, tunnel-like passage.</p>
633 <p>At the far end you discover a battered pick-up truck, daubed with clan emblems and slogans, parked beside a fire-escape ladder that is lowered all the way to the ground.</p>
634 <choice idref="sect335">If you wish to stop and search the vehicle, <link-text>turn to 335</link-text>.</choice>
635 <choice idref="sect196">If you wish to climb the fire-escape ladder to the roof, <link-text>turn to 196</link-text>.</choice>
640 <section class="numbered" id="sect13">
641 <meta><title>13</title></meta>
644 <p>It is an hour before sunset when you arrive at the town of Gila Bend, although the light is so poor because of the raging dust storm that it seems as though night has already fallen.</p>
645 <p>It comes as a welcome surprise to find that the convoy has made it here before you. Mike Gorgas congratulates you and Rickenbacker on the success of your diversion, which drew away the entire clan encampment and allowed the convoy to pass through the intersection unhindered. As you pass down the line of colony vehicles acknowledging the welcoming faces, you are struck by the absence of one face that you particularly wanted to see.</p>
646 <p>'Where's Kate?' you ask Cutter, who is busy covering the engine of the school bus to keep out the dust. 'She's inside,' he says, but you sense by the tone of his voice that something is wrong.</p>
647 <choice idref="sect250"><link-text>Turn to 250</link-text>.</choice>
652 <section class="numbered" id="sect14">
653 <meta><title>14</title></meta>
656 <p>The sight of the traitor scurrying away like a frightened cockroach stirs feelings of anger and resentment in the pit of your stomach. You keep your eyes fixed on his every move as you get ready to let loose your first burst of fire.</p>
657 <choice idref="sect82">If the gun you are using is a Pistol, <link-text>turn to 82</link-text>.</choice>
658 <choice idref="sect209">If it is a Machine Pistol, <link-text>turn to 209</link-text>.</choice>
659 <choice idref="sect254">If it is a Rifle, <link-text>turn to 254</link-text>.</choice>
660 <choice idref="sect106">If it is a Shotgun, <link-text>turn to 106</link-text>.</choice>
665 <section class="numbered" id="sect15">
666 <meta><title>15</title></meta>
669 <p>Using Rickenbacker's transceiver, Cutter attempts to call up Pop Ewell and anxiously you await the response.</p>
670 <p>At first, nothing but the crackle of static pours from the transceiver's tiny speaker, but then it clears and you hear Pop's voice coming through loud and clear: We've made it <ch.ellips/> we've arrived!'</p>
671 <p>The message puts a smile back on all your faces. Cutter is about to reply when there is a terrific flash and a loud explosion. All of you are hurled backwards to the floor as the door of the lodge is blown open by the blast of a grenade.</p>
672 <choice idref="sect283"><link-text>Turn to 283</link-text>.</choice>
677 <section class="numbered" id="sect16">
678 <meta><title>16</title></meta>
681 <p>Avidly you keep your eyes on the clansman, praying that he will fail to see your roadster parked among the wrecks. He stops and takes shelter in the lee of a panel truck. After foraging around in his pockets for a cigarette lighter, he attempts to light the handmade cigarette which hangs as if glued to his bottom lip. Once it is alight, he continues his walk, this time in a direction that takes him away from your roadster.</p>
682 <p>The dust storm is still raging fiercely as you climb into your roadster and head back on to Highway 84. Your return to the intersection with Interstate 8 passes without incident and soon you are driving west once more towards Gila Bend. It is a difficult and frustrating drive, for you cannot shake the fear that Kate will have lapsed into a coma before you return with the Atropine, and you dare not increase your speed for fear of crashing off the freeway. The strain takes its toll lose 2 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
683 <p>During your return drive you must take a Drink or lose a further 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
684 <choice idref="sect160">To continue, <link-text>turn to 160</link-text>.</choice>
689 <section class="numbered" id="sect17">
690 <meta><title>17</title></meta>
693 <p>Cautiously you approach the hut. You have taken only a few steps when a burst of automatic gunfire rings out from the other side of the site.</p>
694 <p>'Rickenbacker's found him!' you whisper to yourself, and turn to run back towards the central parking lot.</p>
695 <choice idref="sect259"><link-text>Go to 259</link-text>.</choice>
700 <section class="numbered" id="sect18">
701 <meta><title>18</title></meta>
704 <p>The darkness makes it difficult to take accurate aim, but as soon as the shadowy clan group appears at the other end of your barrel, you squeeze the trigger.</p>
705 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Shooting skill score.</p>
706 <choice idref="sect98">If your total score is 5 or less, <link-text>turn to 98</link-text>.</choice>
707 <choice idref="sect285">If your total score is 6 or more, <link-text>turn to 285</link-text>.</choice>
712 <section class="numbered" id="sect19">
713 <meta><title>19</title></meta>
716 <p>Following your hastily scribbled directions, you drive around the empty streets of Ajo for nearly an hour before you find the town's Memorial Hospital. Once inside, you search the reception area and uncover a plan that reveals the location of the medicine storage facility. It lies at the end of a maze of corridors which are signposted but unlit.</p>
717 <choice idref="sect190">If you possess a <typ class="item">Solar Torch</typ>, a <typ class="item">Box of Matches</typ>, or a <typ class="item">Cigarette Lighter</typ>, <link-text>turn to 190</link-text>.</choice>
718 <choice idref="sect44">If you do not possess any of these items, <link-text>turn to 44</link-text>.</choice>
723 <section class="numbered" id="sect20">
724 <meta><title>20</title></meta>
727 <p>By the time you reach the roadster, Rickenbacker is already there. He has found a few cans of food and some dried milk, which you place in your cardboard case before stowing it away in the trunk of your car. You are telling him about your lucky escape when Macy and Langdon return. As they pull to a halt nearby, you see that they are not alone. They have with them a bearded man.</p>
728 <choice idref="sect319"><link-text>Turn to 319</link-text>.</choice>
733 <section class="numbered" id="sect21">
734 <meta><title>21</title></meta>
737 <p>A splash of sparks lights up the lodge as your weapon is chewed up by the chainsaw's spinning toothed blade. Mad Dog's laugh becomes a malevolent snigger as he launches a wild, sweeping slice at your head. You avoid instant decapitation by rolling across the debris-strewn floor, but as you rise to your feet, a wave of dizziness robs you momentarily of your sight and you stumble backwards against the wall. Your vision clears, and as Mad Dog approaches, you duck below his wild sweeps and thrust your weapon at his chest. You draw first blood. The clan leader squeals like a stuck pig and pulls away, but quickly he recovers and attacks like a man possessed.</p>
738 <combat><enemy>Mad Dog Michigan</enemy><enemy-attribute class="closecombatskill">21</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">26</enemy-attribute></combat>
739 <choice idref="sect350">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 350</link-text>.</choice>
744 <section class="numbered" id="sect22">
745 <meta><title>22</title></meta>
748 <p>A close examination of the keyhole reveals that the doors are held by a five-lever Matthews deadlock: picking this lock will not be easy.</p>
749 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Field Craft skill score.</p>
750 <p>If you possess a Dagger (2), a <typ class="item">Tool Kit</typ>, or <typ class="item">Screwdriver</typ>, add 3 points to your total.</p>
751 <choice idref="sect130">If your total score is 9 or less, <link-text>turn to 130</link-text>.</choice>
752 <choice idref="sect277">If your total score is 10 or more, <link-text>turn to 277</link-text>.</choice>
757 <section class="numbered" id="sect23">
758 <meta><title>23</title></meta>
761 <p>The news comes as a devastating shock to the colonists. The Detroit Lions are little more than two miles away and closing fast. If they catch up with you they could easily wipe you out and leave no trace. Then, if they could reach Pine Valley at zero hour, they would breach the checkpoint defences and open the door for a clan invasion of southern California.</p>
762 <p>'The situation is desperate,' says Cutter to the hastily gathered group of colony elders. 'And it calls for desperate action!'</p>
763 <choice idref="sect262"><link-text>Turn to 262</link-text>.</choice>
768 <section class="numbered" id="sect24">
769 <meta><title>24</title></meta>
772 <p>Quietly you inform your fellow judges of your decision and, after a brief consultation, Cutter Jacks announces the verdict.</p>
773 <p>'By the majority decision of this tribunal, we find John Barlow guilty of the murder of Michael Gorgas in the first degree. This crime is a capital offence punishable by death by firing squad. The sentence is to be carried out immediately.'</p>
774 <p>Upon hearing the verdict, the surrounding colonists utter a sound that is full of shocked disbelief. Barlow's face contorts into a mask of hatred and he reaches, like a striking cobra, for the pistol he has tucked into his belt. However, the Tucson escorts are already moving forward to grab his arms, and swiftly they wrestle the gun from his hand. A lone voice in the crowd demands a re-trial, but it is ignored. Then another voice rings out, but this time it captures everyone's attention. It is Macy, the convoy's lookout, and he is screaming words that make your blood run cold.</p>
775 <p>'The Outlaws are attacking!'</p>
776 <p>Without warning, two grenades explode simultaneously in the town square and the chatter of machine gun fire echoes along the empty side-streets. Screams of panic mingle with the dull booms of more explosions as the colonists rush to the vehicles to try to retrieve their weapons before it is too late. A burst of gunfire from a rooftop stitches a line of holes across the table and sends you, and the other judges, diving for cover. Suddenly everything is chaos; it's every man for himself. You grab your gun and scurry towards a garbage cart that lies overturned on the plaza. As you skid to a halt behind the cart, you find yourself face to face with Barlow, the man you have just sentenced to death. The confrontation is shocking, but it is the sight of the screwdriver that he is holding poised in his hand that really strikes terror in your heart.</p>
777 <p>With a cry of pure hatred he lunges with the screwdriver and tries to drive it into your chest.</p>
778 <illustration class="float">
780 <creator>Brian Williams</creator>
781 <description>With a cry of pure hatred he lunges with the screwdriver and tries to drive it into your chest.</description>
783 <instance class="html" src="ill2.gif" width="386" height="541" />
784 <instance class="pdf" src="ill2.pdf" width="386" height="541" />
786 <combat><enemy>Barlow</enemy><enemy-attribute class="closecombatskill">16</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">21</enemy-attribute></combat>
787 <p>Owing to the surprise of his attack, you are unable to make use of a close combat weapon until the start of the second round of the fight.</p>
788 <choice idref="sect331">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 331</link-text>.</choice>
793 <section class="numbered" id="sect25">
794 <meta><title>25</title></meta>
797 <footnote id="sect25-1-foot" idref="sect25-1">
798 <p>Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.</p>
803 <p>You raise your gun and squeeze the trigger just as the clansman looses off a second burst of fire.<a id="sect25-1" idref="sect25-1-foot" class="footnote" /> Bullets thud into the side of the car, dangerously close, but you fight the urge to dive for cover. The firing stops, and your adversary clutches at his chest and crumples in a heap in the doorway. Rickenbacker, having finally lost his patience, slams his gun angrily against the front of the car. To his surprise, the sudden impact is just what is needed to dislodge the faulty shell.</p>
804 <p>Then you hear running footsteps somewhere above and behind you. You turn in time to see two clansmen rushing to take up firing positions on the roof of a nearby bank. You shout a warning and immediately Rickenbacker spins around to face the threat. With no time to take proper aim, the two of you trust to your luck as you spray the parapet of the roof with gunfire (remember to erase an additional round of fire from your Ammo Pouch). Your swift action is rewarded: the clansmen are caught in your crossfire before they have you fixed in their sights. With gurgling screams they tumble from the roof of the bank and crash on to the street below.</p>
805 <p>'You OK?' asks Rickenbacker.</p>
806 <p>'Sure, jus' fine,' you reply, confidently. 'I guess we'd better check out the bodies, 'n' make sure they're Outlaws.'</p>
807 <p>He nods in agreement and follows as you walk across the street towards the fallen clansmen.</p>
808 <choice idref="sect215"><link-text>Turn to 215</link-text>.</choice>
813 <section class="numbered" id="sect26">
814 <meta><title>26</title></meta>
817 <p>You dive behind the truck to avoid getting cut down by the hail of bullets that are spewing from the barrel of the clansman's machine pistol. Unfortunately, several of the slugs penetrate the side of the pick-up truck and tear into a metal container full of industrial blasting powder that is standing in the back. A spark, caused by one of the slugs, ignites the powder with devastating effect. There is a brilliant flash and you are consumed by a searing blast of heat as the truck and its contents are blown to pieces.</p>
818 <p>Tragically, your journey and your life end here at the Gila River.</p>
823 <section class="numbered" id="sect27">
824 <meta><title>27</title></meta>
827 <p>You leap up and launch a two-footed kick to Mad Dog's chest that sends him sprawling. He drops the chainsaw and, as it crashes to the floor, the motor stalls and the buzzing stops. The clan leader reaches for a diver's knife, which is sheathed in a scabbard strapped to his thigh. The mirror-bright blade flashes in the gloom as he draws it and lunges at your chest.</p>
828 <combat><enemy>Mad Dog Michigan</enemy><enemy-attribute class="closecombatskill">17</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">20</enemy-attribute></combat>
829 <choice idref="sect350">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 350</link-text>.</choice>
834 <section class="numbered" id="sect28">
835 <meta><title>28</title></meta>
838 <footnote id="sect28-1-foot" idref="sect28-1">
839 <p>This is the correct answer to the keypad puzzle in <a idref="sect337">Section 337</a>.</p>
844 <p>The moment you input the correct number, there is a faint click and the whirr of a hydraulic lock as it disengages. The vault door opens easily and inside you find what you have come here for: Atropine.</p>
845 <p>You take the tub of Atropine tablets and check that its seal is intact; then you slip the tub into your pocket as you hurry out of the store and retrace your steps all the way back to the hospital exit. (You need not make a record of the Atropine on your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>.)</p>
846 <p>As you leave the hospital and make your way back to your car, an armed clansman with a solar torch comes walking across the lot. You freeze in your tracks, then hide behind one of the wrecked autos. Judging from the direction in which he is walking, there is a strong possibility that he will catch sight of your roadster before you reach it.</p>
847 <choice idref="sect284">If you wish to sneak up and ambush the clansman before he reaches the roadster, <link-text>turn to 284</link-text>.</choice>
848 <choice idref="sect16">If you choose to stay where you are and observe his movements, <link-text>turn to 16</link-text>.</choice>
853 <section class="numbered" id="sect29">
854 <meta><title>29</title></meta>
857 <p>Quickly you drive back to the convoy, where a meeting is called to discuss the situation. It is decided that the convoy vehicles will be drawn up into break-out formation, ready to follow the highway south to Brawley. Once you reach this town you will keep going at speed until you return to Interstate 8 near El Centro. Cookie reminds everyone that the Chargers clan are in control of that city, but his warning is all but ignored. Most of the colony still distrust him, and those who do believe what he says feel that there is really no alternative route.</p>
858 <p>'If we move fast,' says Cutter, 'and keep on moving, we'll be through El Centro and long gone before these Chargers know what's happened.'</p>
859 <p>Within half an hour the convoy is drawn up into its break-out formation, with the Tyler tow truck taking the lead. You squeeze your pick-up into the line, between the DC1 school bus and the Landcruiser, and wait impatiently for Pete Tyler to give the signal to roll.</p>
860 <choice idref="sect50"><link-text>Turn to 50</link-text>.</choice>
865 <section class="numbered" id="sect30">
866 <meta><title>30</title></meta>
869 <p>Carefully you listen to Cookie's plan. He suggests that you approach the bridge on foot, using the sagebrush as cover. Once you are in position, as near to the bridge as you can get, Cookie and Rickenbacker will approach in the truck, with Cookie driving. They will stop before they reach the bridge, whereupon Cookie will jump out and attract the clansmen's attention by shouting. Once they have taken a good look at him, he will run into the scrub. Hopefully, this will be enough to provoke the Pumas into giving chase, leaving the bridge unguarded. The moment they leave the bridge, Rickenbacker will open fire on them from the truck. Your task is to prevent any of the clansmen from reaching their pick-up and using the radio.</p>
870 <p>You are not sure that the plan will succeed, but you can think of no alternative. 'It's risky,' says Rickenbacker, 'but I reckon it can work, so let's give it our best shot.'</p>
871 <p>A swirling nest of butterflies that have suddenly taken refuge in your stomach prevent you from answering. The best you can manage is a weak smile as you set off towards the bridge.</p>
872 <choice idref="sect218"><link-text>Turn to 218</link-text>.</choice>
877 <section class="numbered" id="sect31">
878 <meta><title>31</title></meta>
881 <p>The windows of this store are so caked with dirt that it is impossible to see inside. You imagine an Aladdin's cave full of food just waiting to be scooped off the shelves, but your hopes are dashed when you force open one of the Supermart's electric doors and gain entry.</p>
882 <p>The first thing you notice is the sunlight streaming in where part of the rear wall has collapsed. Over the past year this gap has allowed foraging clansmen and packs of hungry mountain wolves to take nearly everything worth taking from the store. Only when you search the store rooms on the basement level do you find a case of canned foodstuffs that are still edible. You are pulling it down off the shelf when suddenly you discover why the clansmen and the wolves left this case untouched.</p>
883 <p>Behind the case is a nesting rattlesnake. Until now it has been sleeping, but the sudden, unexpected movement of the case has awoken it and, in fear and surprise, it lashes out and attempts to sink its venomous fangs into your throat.</p>
884 <illustration class="float">
886 <creator>Brian Williams</creator>
887 <description>In fear and surprise, the rattlesnake lashes out and attempts to sink its venomous fangs into your throat.</description>
889 <instance class="html" src="ill3.gif" width="386" height="616" />
890 <instance class="pdf" src="ill3.pdf" width="386" height="616" />
892 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. Now add together your Stealth and Field Craft skill scores and add this total to the number you have picked.</p>
893 <choice idref="sect348">If your total score is now 12 or less, <link-text>turn to 348</link-text>.</choice>
894 <choice idref="sect258">If your total score is now 13 or more, <link-text>turn to 258</link-text>.</choice>
899 <section class="numbered" id="sect32">
900 <meta><title>32</title></meta>
903 <p>The first you see of Ajo is a battered city-limits sign looming out of the dusty darkness. Night has now fallen, although visibility was already so poor that you hardly notice the transition from day to night. Buildings appear as grey silhouettes, featureless and indistinguishable from one another. Suddenly the fear strikes you that you may never find the Ajo hospital, and therefore the vital Atropine, in time to save Kate's life.</p>
904 <p>You have no idea where the hospital is located, so you decide to try to find a town map. You bring your car around and point it at the nearest building so that the headlights illuminate a sign that is fixed to the wall. It reads:</p>
905 <signpost>AJO RANGER STATION</signpost>
906 <choice idref="sect228">If you wish to enter this building, <link-text>turn to 228</link-text>.</choice>
907 <choice idref="sect327">If you decide to continue along the highway, <link-text>turn to 327</link-text>.</choice>
912 <section class="numbered" id="sect33">
913 <meta><title>33</title></meta>
916 <footnote id="sect33-1-foot" idref="sect33-1">
917 <p>Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.</p>
922 <p>You fire first, easily beating your adversary to the draw, but to your horror your gunfire goes awry, missing its target by several feet.<a id="sect33-1" idref="sect33-1-foot" class="footnote" /> Undaunted by how near he has come to death, your enemy fixes you grimly in his sights and squeezes the trigger of his machine pistol.</p>
923 <choice idref="sect245">If you wish to dive to the ground to avoid being hit, <link-text>turn to 245</link-text>.</choice>
924 <choice idref="sect158">If you wish to fire a second time, and are able to do so, <link-text>turn to 158</link-text>.</choice>
929 <section class="numbered" id="sect34">
930 <meta><title>34</title></meta>
933 <p>You raise your gun and track the clansman as he runs across the bridge, but you do not get a clear view of him until he emerges from behind the bridge's supporting girders and sprints towards the pick-up truck. He is more than thirty yards away when you let loose your first round of fire.</p>
934 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Shooting skill score.</p>
935 <choice idref="sect186">If your total score is 9 or less, <link-text>turn to 186</link-text>.</choice>
936 <choice idref="sect233">If it is 10 or more, <link-text>turn to 233</link-text>.</choice>
941 <section class="numbered" id="sect35">
942 <meta><title>35</title></meta>
945 <p>You accelerate the roadster at the grinning Avenal, forcing him to jump aside to avoid being hit. You hear his coarse laughter as you pass and it grates on your nerves, but you do not allow it to weaken your resolve. You are determined to save Kate's life, and with this aim uppermost in your mind, you speed towards the centre of Gila Bend.</p>
946 <choice idref="sect342"><link-text>Turn to 342</link-text>.</choice>
951 <section class="numbered" id="sect36">
952 <meta><title>36</title></meta>
955 <p>Mad Dog is over 200 yards away, but using your rifle it would be possible to hit him from where you are.</p>
956 <choice idref="sect95">If you wish to try to shoot Mad Dog Michigan, <link-text>turn to 95</link-text>.</choice>
957 <choice idref="sect154">If you do not wish to try to shoot your old enemy, or are unable to do so, <link-text>turn to 154</link-text>.</choice>
962 <section class="numbered" id="sect37">
963 <meta><title>37</title></meta>
966 <footnote id="sect37-1-foot" idref="sect37-1">
967 <p>Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.</p>
972 <p>Barlow throws his hands in the air as the force of your gunfire pitches him forwards.<a id="sect37-1" idref="sect37-1-foot" class="footnote" /> He crashes to the ground and immediately tries to rise, but it is a futile effort: he has sustained a fatal wound and death is but seconds away. The clan biker moves as if he is going to dismount and help his confederate. Then, realizing that he is beyond help, he quickly changes his mind and makes a hasty escape from the plaza.</p>
973 <p>Rickenbacker and Cutter come running across the plaza and take cover with you behind the garbage cart. You tell them how you dispatched Barlow, and how you are now absolutely convinced that he was guilty.</p>
974 <p>'You're right,' says Cutter, glancing across at his motionless body. 'He must have been a clan infiltrator. I'd hazard a guess that this whole attack was an effort by the Outlaws t' get him out o' here.'</p>
975 <p>'Well now they're too late,' you reply. 'His sentence has already been served in full.'</p>
976 <p>From behind the metal lip of the garbage cart you survey the battle that is raging around the plaza. Most of the colonists have now armed themselves and taken cover, and they are putting up a valiant defence of the vehicles. The few clansmen you do see are either dead or attempting to escape from the town. All, that is, apart from one. He is a blond-haired thug, dressed in a studded leather vest and striped pants, who is busy hammering in the glass door panels of the DC1 school bus with the stock of his machine pistol. The sight of him senselessly attacking the door of the empty bus does not bother you unduly until you remember that there is one person who is still on board the bus<ch.emdash/>Kate<ch.emdash/>and your heart nearly stops with shock.</p>
977 <choice idref="sect270">If you wish to open fire at the clansman before he gains entry to the bus, and are able to do so, <link-text>turn to 270</link-text>.</choice>
978 <choice idref="sect181">If you do not wish to open fire at the clansman, or are unable to do so, <link-text>turn to 181</link-text>.</choice>
983 <section class="numbered" id="sect38">
984 <meta><title>38</title></meta>
987 <p>You dive away from the oncoming clan car, but your reactions are too slow to save you. It impacts into the side of your roadster and you are caught and crushed beneath the trunk of your own vehicle as it is rammed aside.</p>
988 <p>Sadly, your journey and your life end here in Red Rock.</p>
993 <section class="numbered" id="sect39">
994 <meta><title>39</title></meta>
997 <p>You scan the town, using several of the viewing spectrums that your sophisticated lenses possess. The infra-red and enhanced background light options show no signs of movement or unusual heat sources, such as auto exhausts, engine blocks or chimneys which would indicate that the town is occupied.</p>
998 <p>Encouraged by the scan, you decide to investigate. Rickenbacker radios the convoy to inform them of your decision, and they request that you call in every five minutes. If you fail to call, they will assume you are in trouble and send a group to come to your rescue.</p>
999 <p>'Ten-four,' replies your partner. 'Over and out.'</p>
1000 <choice idref="sect278"><link-text>Turn to 278</link-text>.</choice>
1005 <section class="numbered" id="sect40">
1006 <meta><title>40</title></meta>
1009 <p>Cookie informs you that the convoy could make a successful crossing at the Imperial Reservoir, located on the Colorado River ten miles to the northeast of Dome. Your <a idref="map">map</a> confirms its location, but no highways are shown and you doubt that the convoy's heavy vehicles would be able to cross there safely, if at all.</p>
1010 <p>Cookie is insistent that it is possible, and, after much deliberation, the colony leaders agree to try. The convoy sets off immediately for Ligurta, a town on Interstate 8 that you checked thoroughly on your return from Yuma earlier this morning. The town is still empty, so the convoy halts here. Driving the clan pick-up truck that you discovered parked behind the cinema last night, Rickenbacker, Cookie and yourself leave Ligurta to scout the tiny town of Dome. It is empty, but two miles beyond it you find that the bridge across the Gila River is guarded by a Puma patrol.</p>
1011 <choice idref="sect109"><link-text>Turn to 109</link-text>.</choice>
1016 <section class="numbered" id="sect41">
1017 <meta><title>41</title></meta>
1020 <p>Beyond the X-ray department, the corridor leads to another flight of stairs, which ascends to a pair of heavy doors, inset with circular windows. You look through the windows and see a small reception lobby, with couches, desks and a counter. A detailed floor plan of the hospital is hanging behind the reception counter and it occurs to you that this must show where the medicine storage facility is located. You push against the doors but, to your frustration, both of them are locked.</p>
1021 <choice idref="sect153">If you wish to try to barge open the doors to gain access to the lobby, <link-text>turn to 153</link-text>.</choice>
1022 <choice idref="sect22">If you wish to try to pick the lock that secures the doors, <link-text>turn to 22</link-text>.</choice>
1023 <choice idref="sect90">If you choose to shoot open the lock, <link-text>turn to 90</link-text>.</choice>
1024 <choice idref="sect107">If you possess a <typ class="item">HE Grenade</typ>, and wish to use it to blow open the doors, <link-text>turn to 107</link-text>.</choice>
1029 <section class="numbered" id="sect42">
1030 <meta><title>42</title></meta>
1033 <p>A swarthy Lion's scout, dressed in a leather riding suit that is adorned with a necklace of bears' teeth strung around his throat, comes rushing up the slope towards you, his machine pistol spitting fire. Coolly you raise your pistol and take aim at his heart as his bullets whistle and whine about your ears.</p>
1034 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Shooting skill score.</p>
1035 <choice idref="sect328">If your total score is 9 or less, <link-text>turn to 328</link-text>.</choice>
1036 <choice idref="sect271">If your total score is 10 or more, <link-text>turn to 271</link-text>.</choice>
1041 <section class="numbered" id="sect43">
1042 <meta><title>43</title></meta>
1045 <p>You tug the transceiver from your backpack, only to discover that its power-pac has been smashed by a ricochet. (Delete the <typ class="item">CB Radio</typ> from your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>.) The unit, having stopped a rifle bullet, has probably saved your life, but without a serviceable radio you are now unable to warn the convoy about the ambush.</p>
1046 <p>Rickenbacker glances at the broken transceiver and shakes his head. 'They'll be here in less than five minutes,' he says, cocking his machine pistol. 'Let's see what we can do to make their welcome a little more friendly, shall we?'</p>
1047 <p>With that he rises from his knees and empties an entire magazine at the clansmen's position. While he is firing, you chance a glance over the wing of the Roadster and see an alley lying directly opposite. It runs beside the cinema on which the clansmen are positioned. A black, perspex awning covers most of its length, hiding it from view of the surrounding rooftops.</p>
1048 <p>When you look back, Rickenbacker is busy reloading. You tap his arm and point to the alley, saying, 'I'm goin' t' try an' get around the back. Cover me.'</p>
1049 <p>He grunts approvingly. The moment he reopens fire, you break cover and sprint towards the alley as fast as your legs and your lungs will allow. You are ten yards from its welcoming darkness when bullets start to thud into the ground around your feet.</p>
1050 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Stealth skill score.</p>
1051 <choice idref="sect162">If your total score is 5 or less, <link-text>turn to 162</link-text>.</choice>
1052 <choice idref="sect292">If your total score is 6-9, <link-text>turn to 292</link-text>.</choice>
1053 <choice idref="sect12">If your total score is 10 or more, <link-text>turn to 12</link-text>.</choice>
1058 <section class="numbered" id="sect44">
1059 <meta><title>44</title></meta>
1062 <p>You have no choice but to try to find your way to the medical storage facility in total darkness. With one hand on the corridor wall, you progress slowly, feeling your way along the route you memorized from the hospital plan.</p>
1063 <p>At length you reach a door that you feel certain is the entrance to the storage facility, and a twist of the handle reveals that it is unlocked.</p>
1064 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. Add to this number your Perception skill score and your current <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points total.</p>
1065 <choice idref="sect140">If the total score is 29 or less, <link-text>turn to 140</link-text>.</choice>
1066 <choice idref="sect279">If the total score is 30 or more, <link-text>turn to 279</link-text>.</choice>
1071 <section class="numbered" id="sect45">
1072 <meta><title>45</title></meta>
1075 <p>You resume your position at the head of the convoy, scouting two miles ahead of the column as it trundles west along Interstate 8. The sun is low on the horizon and the temperature is cooling to a comfortable 70 degrees as you approach the small town to Tacna. You slow down and check for evidence of clan activity but, like all the towns you have passed through since Gila Bend, this one is derelict and deserted.</p>
1076 <p>You continue and, a short while later, you see the outline of Wellton in the distance, its buildings dark against the orange glow of the setting sun. The town looks empty and you approach without slowing. Fatigue, coupled with the ease with which you have passed through the previous towns, has filled you with a false sense of security. Unfortunately, your carelessness is punished when, within seconds of entering the town's main street, your roadster comes under fire from someone positioned on the roof of a large building to your right.</p>
1077 <p>Bullets ricochet off the hood and strike sparks in a line along the armoured plating that protects your door. Then there is a sharp bang and the steering suddenly feels heavy, warning you at once that one of your front tyres has been shot out.</p>
1078 <p>Add together your Driving skill score and your current <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points score.</p>
1079 <choice idref="sect187">If your total is 24 or less, <link-text>turn to 187</link-text>.</choice>
1080 <choice idref="sect165">If it is 25-30, <link-text>turn to 165</link-text>.</choice>
1081 <choice idref="sect274">If it is 31 or more, <link-text>turn to 274</link-text>.</choice>
1086 <section class="numbered" id="sect46">
1087 <meta><title>46</title></meta>
1090 <footnote id="sect46-1-foot" idref="sect46-1">
1091 <p>Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.</p>
1096 <p>Your gunfire hits the clansman in the chest, sending him flying backwards to crash heavily against one of the barbecue ranges.<a id="sect46-1" idref="sect46-1-foot" class="footnote" /> As he slides to the ground, his limbs move jerkily, then his whole body relaxes, resigned to its fate.</p>
1097 <p>Rickenbacker appears at the edge of the barbecue area, drawn by the sound of gunfire. His face is lined with worry until he sees that you are still standing.</p>
1098 <choice idref="sect305"><link-text>Turn to 305</link-text>.</choice>
1103 <section class="numbered" id="sect47">
1104 <meta><title>47</title></meta>
1107 <p>Inside the workshop, the service bay and stores areas have been stripped bare of all tools and other useful items. You can tell that the looting was the handiwork of the Outlaws, for they have left their clan mark, a crude skull-and-crossbones motif, sprayed six-feet high across one of the workshop's walls.</p>
1108 <p>You search through the debris, but it is not until you prise open the trunk of a derelict auto that you discover some items that may be of practical value:</p>
1110 <li><typ class="item">Tool Kit</typ></li>
1111 <li><typ class="item">Tow Chain</typ> (10ft length)</li>
1112 <li><typ class="item">Bolt Cutters</typ></li>
1114 <p>If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
1115 <choice idref="sect155">To leave the workshop and return to your roadster to await the arrival of the convoy, <link-text>turn to 155</link-text>.</choice>
1120 <section class="numbered" id="sect48">
1121 <meta><title>48</title></meta>
1124 <p>The convoy manoeuvres into line and gets ready to cross the dam. Rex and Pete Tyler's tow truck leads the column, followed by the Landcruiser and the DC1 gasolene tanker, the heaviest of all the colony's vehicles. You help Rickenbacker, Macy and Langdon to steward the crossing, making sure that the vehicles stay in line and do not get too close to each other. With the passing of the larger vehicles, you notice that the road surface rapidly deteriorates, Cracks appear in the concrete, some more than a foot wide, exposing the rusty steel rods embedded within, which were placed there to strengthen the structure. Near the centre of the dam, the concrete is powdery,, and when the time comes for you to cross, large chunks of the road are simply no longer there.</p>
1125 <p>With difficulty, Macy and Langdon make the crossing in their Trans-sol, leaving you with the unenviable task of bringing the roadster, the last colony vehicle, across a rapidly disintegrating surface. Rickenbacker advises you to leave the vehicle and cross with him on foot, but you are loath to abandon your car.</p>
1126 <p>'It's OK,' you say, waving away his protests. 'I'm sure I can make it.'</p>
1127 <p>'You'd better hurry then, Cal,' he replies, 'before the whole centre slips away.</p>
1128 <p>With your stomach churning, you climb into the driving seat and reach for the ignition.</p>
1129 <choice idref="sect224"><link-text>Turn to 224</link-text>.</choice>
1134 <section class="numbered" id="sect49">
1135 <meta><title>49</title></meta>
1138 <p>You focus your lenses on the top of the outcrop, and at first you see nothing untoward. Then, about a minute later, a puff of smoke issues from the rock, as if a bullet has smacked into its surface. Patiently you watch the outcrop, half-expecting something else to happen. You do not have to wait very long: within a few minutes there is a rumbling noise, like the sound of distant thunder, and several giant cracks appear in the outcrop. Suddenly a whole section gives way and hundreds of tons of rock come tumbling down the mountainside.</p>
1139 <p>You watch open-mouthed as the landslide spills out across the freeway, blocking the lanes in both directions. Rickenbacker tugs at your sleeve and suggests that you turn around and drive back to the colony as fast as you can. Numbly you nod your head and reach out to restart the engine.</p>
1140 <choice idref="sect112"><link-text>Turn to 112</link-text>.</choice>
1145 <section class="numbered" id="sect50">
1146 <meta><title>50</title></meta>
1149 <p>The discordant blare of an air horn tells every driver to start his engine. Then the convoy moves off like a giant, disjointed metal snake, gradually gathering speed as it approaches the highway junction. Ahead you see the line of vehicles veer to the south and, as you approach the Crazies' tented encampment, you hear the shrill cackle of their laughter.</p>
1150 <p>Some of the more daring clansmen are hurling stones and old auto parts at the speeding convoy. Most fall short or do minimal damage, but one missile<ch.emdash/>a frisbee-like auto disc<ch.emdash/>travels further than the rest. It arcs in the air above the DC1 school bus and comes falling straight towards your windshield.</p>
1151 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Driving skill score.</p>
1152 <choice idref="sect137">If your total score is 5 or less, <link-text>turn to 137</link-text>.</choice>
1153 <choice idref="sect6">If your total score is 6-8, <link-text>turn to 6</link-text>.</choice>
1154 <choice idref="sect240">If your total score is 9 or more, <link-text>turn to 240</link-text>.</choice>
1159 <section class="numbered" id="sect51">
1160 <meta><title>51</title></meta>
1163 <p>You push the dead clansman away from you and turn to see Rickenbacker grappling with his partner. He looks like he has the upper hand until a blow to the side of his head sends him reeling to the ground. The Outlaw cackles and reaches for a knife sheathed at his belt, but Rickenbacker is too quick for him. He draws the blade he carries concealed in his boot, and hurls it at the grinning clansman, catching him in the throat. With a thin, bubbling scream, the Outlaw grasps the hilt and tries to wrench it free. But his strength, like his life's blood, is deserting him. With a shudder, his limbs stiffen, then he goes limp and drops in a heap to the ground.</p>
1164 <p>That was a close call,' says Rickenbacker, as he bends over the Outlaw and retrieves his blade. 'Damn close call.'</p>
1165 <p>You search the clansmen's bodies before hiding them, together with their bikes, beneath the Santa Rosa bridge. Your search uncovers the following items:</p>
1167 <li><typ class="item">Binoculars</typ></li>
1168 <li>Water Canteen</li>
1169 <li>Enough water for two Drinks</li>
1172 <li>Two Machine Pistols</li>
1173 <li>Twenty-eight rounds of 9mm ammunition</li>
1175 <li><typ class="item">HE Grenade</typ></li>
1176 <li><typ class="item">Tool Kit</typ></li>
1177 <li>Enough food for one Meal</li>
1179 <p>If you choose to keep any of these items, adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
1180 <p>After checking that the two Outlaws were alone, you leave the bridge and go north in search of a suitable place to cross the Santa Rosa Wash.</p>
1181 <choice idref="sect339"><link-text>Turn to 339</link-text>.</choice>
1186 <section class="numbered" id="sect52">
1187 <meta><title>52</title></meta>
1190 <p>Breathless from the exertion of combat, you step over the clansman's body and move to the rear of the bus to check that Kate and your aunt are all right. Both look badly shaken but appear to be otherwise unharmed.</p>
1191 <p>You have only just helped them to their feet when Rickenbacker appears at the doorway. 'C'mon Cal, we've gotta get back to the roadster. Macy reports more Outlaws at the edge of town. We've got to lead the convoy outta here.'</p>
1192 <p>Kate and Aunt Betty-Ann insist that they are all right, and urge you to do as your partner says. The colonists are beginning to return to their vehicles and, as you follow Rickenbacker across the plaza towards your roadster, it worries you to note that several of them are nursing wounds.</p>
1193 <p>When you are back behind the wheel once more, you signal to Cutter and the others follow your lead. Then you power your car out of Sentinel and head east along Interstate 8.</p>
1194 <choice idref="sect9"><link-text>Turn to 9</link-text>.</choice>
1199 <section class="numbered" id="sect53">
1200 <meta><title>53</title></meta>
1203 <p>Fears that your encounter with the Outlaws will alert others from the clan to your presence haunt you as you leave Stanfield and follow the highway east. Fifteen minutes later you come to a bridge that crosses the Santa Cruz River, and you see a signpost that marks the city limits of Casa Grande. You try to identify the passing buildings but the storm and the darkness consume all detail. Suddenly a new fear strikes you that you may never find the Casa Grande hospital, and therefore the vital Atropine, in time to save Kate's life.</p>
1204 <p>You have no idea where the hospital is located, so you decide to try to find a town map. Three blocks from the bridge you spot the oval-shaped sign of an Exxon gas station standing less than twenty yards ahead on your right.</p>
1205 <choice idref="sect344">If you wish to pull into the gas station, <link-text>turn to 344</link-text>.</choice>
1206 <choice idref="sect249">If you decide to ignore it and continue along the highway, <link-text>turn to 249</link-text>.</choice>
1211 <section class="numbered" id="sect54">
1212 <meta><title>54</title></meta>
1215 <p>More than twenty colonists step forward with you and volunteer themselves in the defence of the convoy, even though you all know that the action could cost you your lives. Among the volunteers, you see many familiar faces: Rickenbacker, Macy, Langdon, Avenal and the Tyler brothers. Also, to your surprise, you see Kate. She has not completely recovered from her illness, but she is determined not to let that stop her. She comes and stands by your side, and you feel her warm hand squeezing yours reassuringly.</p>
1216 <choice idref="sect341"><link-text>Turn to 341</link-text>.</choice>
1221 <section class="numbered" id="sect55">
1222 <meta><title>55</title></meta>
1225 <p>The route Jaeger took yesterday, when he hiked from the well in the mountains to Interstate 8, followed the course of the San Christobal Wash. For him it was a difficult trail to follow on foot, and you soon discover that it is an even harder one to negotiate in a pick-up truck. The broken ground is deeply rutted and littered with boulders, and it takes more than an hour to make the fifteen-mile climb to the well.</p>
1226 <p>The well itself is located at the bottom of a bowl-shaped gully, shaded from the sun by two peaks of the Mohawk mountains. A pump house stands beside the bore-hole, to which is affixed a sign that reads:</p>
1227 <signpost>LUKE AIR FORGE RANGE</signpost>
1228 <signpost>GARCIA WELL</signpost>
1229 <signpost>US. GOVT. PROPERTY<ch.emdash/>KEEP OUT!</signpost>
1230 <p>You park the pick-up beside the pump house and Jaeger helps you unload the containers. 'I had to draw the water up by hand yesterday,' he says, nodding towards the bore-hole, "cause I couldn't get the pump to work. I reckon it's OK<ch.emdash/>jus' needs some gasolene that's all. Maybe if we could siphon some fuel from the truck we could get its engine running. It'd save us a whole lotta hard work.'</p>
1231 <choice idref="sect211">If you possess some Plastic Tube, <link-text>turn to 211</link-text>.</choice>
1232 <choice idref="sect76">If you do not possess this item, <link-text>turn to 76</link-text>.</choice>
1237 <section class="numbered" id="sect56">
1238 <meta><title>56</title></meta>
1241 <p>You pull off the freeway and follow the service road towards a diner, the largest building in the rest-stop complex, and park your roadster as near to the entrance as possible. The diner has been vandalized by clansmen, and broken furniture and shattered glass litter its tiled floor. The strong smell of liquor wafts from the kitchen area and Rickenbacker says it warrants a closer look. He leads the way, his footfalls crunching loudly on the glass-strewn floor as he heads optimistically towards the kitchen's double doors.</p>
1242 <p>'I feel kinda thirsty all of a sudden,' he says, as he pushes open the doors and strides into the darkened kitchen area. You are about to reply when a bottle comes flying through the air and smashes against the wall, missing your head by inches.</p>
1243 <p>'What the <ch.ellips/> !' shouts your partner. He reaches for his machine pistol, but before he can unsling it from his shoulder, a dark shape leaps out from the shadows and pulls him roughly to the floor. Instinctively, you rush forward to help him, only to find yourself confronted by a drunken clansman wielding a broken bottle. He lets out a scream and a fetid gust of liquor-soaked breath assails your nostrils. You recoil in disgust and avoid being hit as viciously he stabs the bottle at your face.</p>
1244 <combat><enemy>Daytona</enemy><enemy-attribute class="closecombatskill">13</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">22</enemy-attribute></combat>
1245 <choice idref="sect148">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 148</link-text>.</choice>
1250 <section class="numbered" id="sect57">
1251 <meta><title>57</title></meta>
1254 <p>A firefight erupts on the far side of the bridge between Rickenbacker and the five remaining clansmen. Swiftly he puts paid to four of them, but the fifth escapes and comes running back across the bridge in your direction. He is a hard-faced thug dressed in a patched, silver, air-con riding suit, and he is armed with a machine pistol. His muscular legs propel him effortlessly up the gradient that leads to the truck, and, the moment he sees you, he levels his gun and begins firing at you from the hip.</p>
1255 <illustration class="float">
1257 <creator>Brian Williams</creator>
1258 <description>The moment he sees you, he levels his gun and begins firing at you from the hip.</description>
1260 <instance class="html" src="ill4.gif" width="386" height="629" />
1261 <instance class="pdf" src="ill4.pdf" width="386" height="629" />
1263 <choice idref="sect26">If you wish to take cover behind the truck, <link-text>turn to 26</link-text>.</choice>
1264 <choice idref="sect156">If you choose to dive for cover amongst the scrub, <link-text>turn to 156</link-text>.</choice>
1269 <section class="numbered" id="sect58">
1270 <meta><title>58</title></meta>
1273 <p>You brake heavily to avoid the rocks that are spilling across the highway ahead, and manage to stop before you crash into them. However, braking so severely stalls the engine and leaves you stranded on the freeway amidst a rain of boulders. One rock hits the top of your door and explodes, driving several jagged stone splinters deep into your arm and neck: lose 5 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
1274 <p>Gritting your teeth against the pain of your wounds, you manage to restart the engine and turn the roadster around before you are hit again.</p>
1275 <choice idref="sect112"><link-text>Turn to 112</link-text>.</choice>
1280 <section class="numbered" id="sect59">
1281 <meta><title>59</title></meta>
1284 <p>From such close range the pistol shots are deafening. You shake as each one explodes in your ears, and you scarcely dare to hope that you will survive being hit at point-blank range. So resigned are you to your doom that it takes you several seconds to realize that you have not been shot at all.</p>
1285 <p>Tentatively you open your eyes to see Tyler kneeling in front of you, still holding the pistol, a coil of smoke rising lazily from its barrel. You pat your chest just to confirm that you have not been drilled full of holes, then you glance over your shoulder to see where the bullets have gone. A T-shirted clansman lies face-up on the plaza, unmoving, his chest and stomach stained bright red. A dagger is clenched in one of his pudgy hands, and an iron bar is gripped tightly in the other.</p>
1286 <p>'Despite what you think o' me Cal,' shouts Tyler, 'I'm no traitor. If it's a traitor you're after, then look over there.' And with that he points towards a street that borders on the plaza. There you see John Barlow running half-crouched towards a clan scout, who is sitting astride a motorcycle. The clansman is shouting encouragement, and as Barlow scurries nearer, he shuffles himself forward to make room for the traitor on the back of his riding seat.</p>
1287 <choice idref="sect14">If you possess a missile weapon and wish to fire at Barlow, <link-text>turn to 14</link-text>.</choice>
1288 <choice idref="sect157">If you do not have a missile weapon, or choose not to fire at Barlow, <link-text>turn to 157</link-text>.</choice>
1293 <section class="numbered" id="sect60">
1294 <meta><title>60</title></meta>
1297 <p>Beyond the door you discover an old locker room that served as a changing area and equipment store for the fire department officers and paramedics who were once stationed here. A quick search uncovers a Fire Extinguisher, a Fire Axe (3), and enough medical supplies for three Medi-kit units.</p>
1298 <p>If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
1299 <choice idref="sect19">To leave the fire station and continue, <link-text>turn to 19</link-text>.</choice>
1304 <section class="numbered" id="sect61">
1305 <meta><title>61</title></meta>
1308 <p>As you drive nearer, Rickenbacker takes up his machine pistol in expectation of trouble. The clansman appears to be alone, and you notice that there is only one motorcycle parked beside the cabin from which he emerged. This cabin stands at the entrance to what was once a state-run campsite.</p>
1309 <p>After only a few seconds, the clansman's smile wears thin, to be replaced by a look of horror the moment he realizes that you are not what you seem. With a cry of anguish he turns and runs through the campsite entrance.</p>
1310 <p>'He's seen us,' hisses Rickenbacker. 'Quick Cal, let's get him before he gets away!' Hurriedly you put your foot down and drive through the entrance way. Beyond lies a cluster of log cabins, grouped in a horseshoe formation around a central parking area. As you squeal to a halt, the clansman is nowhere to be seen.</p>
1311 <p>'We've gotta find him <ch.ellips/> and quick!' says Rickenbacker, leaping from the passenger door. 'You search one side of the camp and I'll search the other.'</p>
1312 <choice idref="sect120">If you wish to search the cabins on the south side of the campsite, <link-text>turn to 120</link-text>.</choice>
1313 <choice idref="sect323">If you wish to search the cabins on the north side of the campsite, <link-text>turn to 323</link-text>.</choice>
1318 <section class="numbered" id="sect62">
1319 <meta><title>62</title></meta>
1322 <p>Jaeger is talking to Rickenbacker when he mentions that, only the previous day, he found a fresh-water well in the mountains, approximately fifteen miles southeast of the town of Mohawk. He offers to lead the convoy scouts to it, and assures everyone that the source is pure and uncontaminated. 'An' the best part is that the clansmen don't know about it, either,' he says, enthusiastically.</p>
1323 <p>The promise of fresh, clean water lifts the convoy's flagging spirits and renews their hopes of completing the long exodus to California. You set off at once and soon cover the twenty miles of open road that lead to the derelict town of Mohawk. Once there, you and Jaeger are chosen to go and find the well. A dozen empty, five-gallon water containers are loaded on to the back of a pick-up, enough for sixty gallons of water, the minimum the colony will need in order to reach California alive.</p>
1324 <p>The thought of driving a pick-up truck into the mountains without roads or four-wheel drive fills you with dread. But you know that it is the only way you have of transporting such a weighty load. Once preparations are complete, you climb aboard and head out into the desert towards the Mohawk Mountains.</p>
1325 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
1326 <choice idref="sect55">If the number you have picked is 0-2, <link-text>turn to 55</link-text>.</choice>
1327 <choice idref="sect238">If the number is 3-9, <link-text>turn to 238</link-text>.</choice>
1332 <section class="numbered" id="sect63">
1333 <meta><title>63</title></meta>
1336 <p>You enter the pass and find yourselves approaching a section where rocky outcrops overhang the westbound lanes of the freeway. Then a rumbling, like the sound of distant thunder, draws your eyes away from the road ahead, and you look up in horror to see hundreds of tons of rock tumbling down the mountainside. One of the outcrops has collapsed and you are now driving into the path of a massive landslide.</p>
1337 <p>Huge boulders come smashing down on to the highway, as desperately you fight to turn your roadster around and escape before you are crushed to death.</p>
1338 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Driving skill score.</p>
1339 <choice idref="sect58">If your total is 7 or less, <link-text>turn to 58</link-text>.</choice>
1340 <choice idref="sect201">If your total is 8-10, <link-text>turn to 201</link-text>.</choice>
1341 <choice idref="sect329">If your total is 11 or more, <link-text>turn to 329</link-text>.</choice>
1346 <section class="numbered" id="sect64">
1347 <meta><title>64</title></meta>
1350 <p>Rickenbacker volunteers to approach the truck and sabotage the radio, while you move nearer to the bridge and prepare to give him covering fire. You take up a position in a dry ditch running parallel to the dirt road, where you can observe the clansmen without being seen.</p>
1351 <p>After a few tense minutes, Rickenbacker gives a thumbs-up signal to show that he has accomplished his task, but before he can move away from the truck, one of the six clansmen leaves the group and comes walking back across the bridge towards the vehicle.</p>
1352 <choice idref="sect325">If you wish to open fire at the approaching clansman, <link-text>turn to 325</link-text>.</choice>
1353 <choice idref="sect247">If you decide to crouch down in the ditch, to avoid being seen when he passes, <link-text>turn to 247</link-text>.</choice>
1358 <section class="numbered" id="sect65">
1359 <meta><title>65</title></meta>
1362 <p>The throaty roar of the engine and the crackle of the clansman's gunfire fills your ears as they speed nearer and nearer. Clearly they intend to ram you out of their path. For a moment, as the car mounts the ramp, the dust clears and you glimpse the tyre: it is the moment you have been waiting for.</p>
1363 <p>'Make it count!' you cry, as you open fire.</p>
1364 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Shooting skill score.</p>
1365 <choice idref="sect194">If your total score is 9 or less, <link-text>turn to 194</link-text>.</choice>
1366 <choice idref="sect264">If it is 10 or more, <link-text>turn to 264</link-text>.</choice>
1371 <section class="numbered" id="sect66">
1372 <meta><title>66</title></meta>
1375 <p>You drop behind the edge of the hollow moments before the clansman's bullets tear into the earth. Then you hear the chatter of Kate's gun, and suddenly there is silence. Cautiously you raise your head and see the clansman's body tumbling backwards down the slope. The sight of his death sends a shock wave through his confederates, and at once their attack falters. Encouraged by their sudden change of heart, you watch as they fall back towards their trucks, which are parked in the centre of the freeway.</p>
1376 <choice idref="sect141"><link-text>Turn to 141</link-text>.</choice>
1381 <section class="numbered" id="sect67">
1382 <meta><title>67</title></meta>
1385 <p>Taking up the viewer, you set the controls to scan in the infra-red spectrum and then raise it to your eyes. At once the effects of the storm disappear and you see a detailed heat picture of the surrounding urban landscape. The light is radiating from a shop doorway, which shows up as a vivid red glow. You also notice two other sources of heat. They are clansmen and they are crossing the street less than thirty yards ahead. They move slowly, their heads bowed against the storm, and you can make out the distinct shape of rifles, which show up as cooler zones superimposed upon their backs.</p>
1386 <p>Patiently you wait for the clansmen to enter the glowing doorway, then you restart your roadster and continue along the street.</p>
1387 <choice idref="sect53"><link-text>Turn to 53</link-text>.</choice>
1392 <section class="numbered" id="sect68">
1393 <meta><title>68</title></meta>
1396 <p>You bring your 12-gauge Brushmaster up to your shoulder and peer along the barrel. The blond-haired clansman is already half-way up the short flight of steps that ascend into the bus. Immediately you pull the trigger, hoping to stop him before he disappears from sight.</p>
1397 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Shooting skill score.</p>
1398 <choice idref="sect313">If your total score is 9 or less, <link-text>turn to 313</link-text>.</choice>
1399 <choice idref="sect192">If your total score is 10 or more, <link-text>turn to 192</link-text>.</choice>
1404 <section class="numbered" id="sect69">
1405 <meta><title>69</title></meta>
1408 <p>You kick the shop door and it creaks open unwillingly. Inside you find that the store is virtually empty, having already been looted by clansmen eager to get their hands on its stock of off-road motorbikes.</p>
1409 <p>A brief search of a workshop at the back of the premises yields just two items which may be of use:</p>
1414 <p>If you decide to keep either or both of these items, remember to adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
1415 <choice idref="sect300">To leave the shop and rejoin Rickenbacker, <link-text>turn to 300</link-text>.</choice>
1420 <section class="numbered" id="sect70">
1421 <meta><title>70</title></meta>
1424 <p>The darkness makes it difficult to pinpoint the shadowy clan group with any accuracy, so you trust to your skill with a machine pistol and fire a burst from the hip.</p>
1425 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Shooting and Perception skill scores.</p>
1426 <choice idref="sect205">If your total score is 9 or less, <link-text>turn to 205</link-text>.</choice>
1427 <choice idref="sect132">If your total score is 10 or more, <link-text>turn to 132</link-text>.</choice>
1432 <section class="numbered" id="sect71">
1433 <meta><title>71</title></meta>
1436 <p>A group of six Detroit Lions is trying to circle around behind your position by way of a gravel road that runs alongside the railroad line. You call out to Macy and two Tucson colonists, Cleaver and Zay, who are occupying a shallow trench nearby, and point out the danger. You ask them to help you to stop the Lions. and they agree to follow you.</p>
1437 <p>'Stay here, Kate,' you say urgently, in reply to her worried protests. I'll be back, I promise.' </p>
1438 <choice idref="sect316"><link-text>Turn to 316</link-text>.</choice>
1443 <section class="numbered" id="sect72">
1444 <meta><title>72</title></meta>
1447 <p>Consciously you fight the rising panic that threatens to overwhelm you, and redirect your blows at the window frame. Your efforts are soon rewarded: the frame splinters and collapses, allowing you to kick out the glass panel and escape into the parking lot beyond. As clean air fills your lungs, your strength returns. Without looking back, you sprint away from the are a before one last massive explosion destroys the warehouse completely.</p>
1448 <choice idref="sect315"><link-text>Turn to 315</link-text>.</choice>
1453 <section class="numbered" id="sect73">
1454 <meta><title>73</title></meta>
1457 <p>The grenade explodes with a dull boom, and you are struck by chunks of earth and stone. A sharp pain lances through your forearm, and when you clasp your hand around it, warm blood oozes between your fingers. A shrapnel splinter has embedded itself in your flesh: lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
1458 <p>As you shake the dirt out of your hair and look up, you see that Rickenbacker is back on his feet and running straight towards the cabin. With an unnerving disregard for his own safety, he leaps through the doorway and disappears from view. A few seconds later you hear a burst of gunfire, then another silence. You are beginning to fear the worst, when suddenly he reappears, gun in hand, and signals an all clear.</p>
1459 <choice idref="sect305"><link-text>Turn to 305</link-text>.</choice>
1464 <section class="numbered" id="sect74">
1465 <meta><title>74</title></meta>
1468 <p>You approach the milling throng of colonists who are gathered around the scene of the crime, and push your way through them towards Rex Tyler. His hands are being tied and, before you can reach him and question him about what has happened, he is taken away and locked in the cab of one of the Tucson vehicles.</p>
1469 <p>Some of the Tucson colonists are preparing to bury Gorgas' body, which they have wrapped in blankets. You get the distinct feeling that they would not look favourably on a request to examine the body, so you decide to investigate the cab of his truck instead.</p>
1470 <p>Apart from some bloodstains on the driver's seat, you see nothing unusual until you search beneath the seat itself. There you discover a <typ class="item">Cigarette Lighter</typ>, and immediately your suspicions are aroused. Mike Gorgas did not smoke, and neither, come to think of it, does Rex Tyler.</p>
1471 <p>'What are you lookin' for, Phoenix. Souvenirs?' growls an angry voice. Immediately you turn around and find yourself staring at Avenal's sneering face. Before you can reply, Cutter appears.</p>
1472 <p>'You're the driver of this truck now, Avenal,' he says. 'Cal, you and Rickenbacker better get back to your roadster. We've gotta get moving.'</p>
1473 <p>With a growl of contempt, Avenal barges his way past you and climbs into the truck's cab. Cutter slams the door shut, and, as he starts to walk away, you decide that now would be the best time to tell him about the rockfall.</p>
1474 <choice idref="sect10"><link-text>Turn to 10</link-text>.</choice>
1479 <section class="numbered" id="sect75">
1480 <meta><title>75</title></meta>
1483 <p>The coarse stammer of the clansman's machine pistol is the last sound you hear. Sharp, stinging cores of pain punch you repeatedly in the stomach and fearfully you clasp your hands to your midriff as you tumble backwards into the hollow. Warm blood oozes between your fingers, but although you are incapable of moving, you no longer feel pain. Aware that you have been shot, and that the shock of your wounds has numbed your senses, you close your eyes and slip away into the timeless embrace of death.</p>
1484 <p>Tragically, your journey and your life end here at Round Mountain.</p>
1489 <section class="numbered" id="sect76">
1490 <meta><title>76</title></meta>
1493 <p>You search the pick-up and the pump house for some tubing with which to siphon some fuel, but your search proves fruitless. Resignedly you set to work drawing water the hard way, pumping it up from the well by means of a small hand crank. The crank was originally designed for obtaining small samples for scientific analysis, and it takes you nearly two hours of exhausting labour to extract the sixty gallons you require, and then load the heavy containers on to the truck.</p>
1494 <p>Despite several rests and drinks of water, you lose 4 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points owing to fatigue. (If you wish, you may take this opportunity to refill your water canteen.)</p>
1495 <choice idref="sect243"><link-text>Turn to 243</link-text>.</choice>
1500 <section class="numbered" id="sect77">
1501 <meta><title>77</title></meta>
1504 <p>Gritting your teeth against the pain that is coursing through your arms, you stretch out and grasp the rope with your right hand. Then you take hold of it with your left, and slowly you are hoisted away from the crumbling edge. As your companions lift you eagerly to your feet, you notice an expanding circle of ripples in the river below. They mark the final resting place of your Roadster.</p>
1505 <choice idref="sect293"><link-text>Turn to 293</link-text>.</choice>
1510 <section class="numbered" id="sect78">
1511 <meta><title>78</title></meta>
1514 <footnote id="sect78-1-foot" idref="sect78-1">
1515 <p>Remember to deduct a round of 9mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.</p>
1520 <p>You pull the trigger, and see the clansman hesitate in mid-step as your bullet punctures his chest.<a id="sect78-1" idref="sect78-1-foot" class="footnote" /> A moment later he returns fire, but the impact of your slug has been enough to divert his aim, and his bullet passes harmlessly over your head. He staggers, then falls, yet no sooner has his body hit the dirt than one of his screaming comrades leaps over him and dives headlong into the ditch. Growling like an angry dog, he knocks the pistol from your hand and lunges forwards to fasten his steely fingers around your throat.</p>
1521 <combat><enemy>Stonewall</enemy><enemy-attribute class="closecombatskill">16</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">26</enemy-attribute></combat>
1522 <choice idref="sect311">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 311</link-text>.</choice>
1527 <section class="numbered" id="sect79">
1528 <meta><title>79</title></meta>
1531 <p>Having dealt successfully with the locked doors, and eager to waste as little time as possible, you rush into the lobby and run straight towards the reception counter. But you have taken only a few strides when a group of clansmen appear in a corridor opposite. They command you to stop as they advance towards the counter. Expecting trouble, all of them are armed and extremely nervous.</p>
1532 <p>You raise your hands in surrender, but when the leading clansmen see that you are not an Outlaw, and that you are armed, they panic and immediately open fire. Pain explodes in your chest as a dozen bullets knock you backwards off your feet. For a moment you see an intense white light, then it dissolves into a darkness from which you will never emerge.</p>
1533 <p>Sadly, your life and your journey end here in the lobby of the Casa Grande General Hospital.</p>
1538 <section class="numbered" id="sect80">
1539 <meta><title>80</title></meta>
1542 <p>The elation you feel at having found the medicine store is dampened when you take stock of your surroundings. Tens of thousands of bottles and containers line the shelves, not only in this room but in several other adjoining storage areas as well. And to make matters worse, there seems to be no logical order to the way the medicines have been stored. It could take you a week or more to inspect them individually.</p>
1543 <p>Hoping to get lucky, you search the shelves for the better part of an hour until you notice, by chance, that the base of each container carries an index number. Now you concentrate your efforts on finding the catalogue, or file, that is the key to this storage system. Ironically, you discover it<ch.emdash/>a weighty computer print-out<ch.emdash/>lying in a drawer of the table on which you took refuge from the cockroaches.</p>
1544 <p>Within minutes of finding the print-out, you locate a tub of Atropine tablets. You check that its seal is intact, then slip the tub into your pocket as you hurry back to the roadster. (You need not make a record of the Atropine on your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>.)</p>
1545 <choice idref="sect232"><link-text>Turn to 232</link-text>.</choice>
1550 <section class="numbered" id="sect81">
1551 <meta><title>81</title></meta>
1554 <p>The steepness of the embankment is making it difficult for the clansman to maintain his balance. Before he can steady himself to take an aimed shot, you raise your Brushmaster and fire a round at his chest.</p>
1555 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Shooting skill score. </p>
1556 <choice idref="sect275">If your total score is 6 or less, <link-text>turn to 275</link-text>.</choice>
1557 <choice idref="sect191">If your total score is 7 or more, <link-text>turn to 191</link-text>.</choice>
1562 <section class="numbered" id="sect82">
1563 <meta><title>82</title></meta>
1566 <p>The moment you have him in your sights, you thumb down the safety-catch and squeeze off a round aimed at his upper torso. The Beretta kicks in your hand and, for a brief moment, you lose sight of your target as the muzzle rises with the recoil.</p>
1567 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it you Shooting skill score.</p>
1568 <choice idref="sect94">If your total score is 9 or less, <link-text>turn to 94</link-text>.</choice>
1569 <choice idref="sect37">If your total score is 10 or more, <link-text>turn to 37</link-text>.</choice>
1574 <section class="numbered" id="sect83">
1575 <meta><title>83</title></meta>
1578 <p>Mad Dog launches a wild, sweeping slice at your head. You avoid instant decapitation by rolling across the debris-strewn floor, but, as you rise to your feet, a wave of dizziness robs you momentarily of your sight, and you stumble backwards against the wall. Your vision clears, and as Mad Dog approaches, you duck below his wild sweeps and thrust your weapon at his chest. You draw first blood. The clan leader squeals like a stuck pig and pulls away, but quickly recovers and attacks like a man possessed.</p>
1579 <combat><enemy>Mad Dog Michigan</enemy><enemy-attribute class="closecombatskill">21</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">26</enemy-attribute></combat>
1580 <choice idref="sect350">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 350</link-text>.</choice>
1585 <section class="numbered" id="sect84">
1586 <meta><title>84</title></meta>
1589 <p>To reduce the risk of running unexpectedly into a clan patrol, you leave Interstate 10 at the first opportunity and follow the turgid waters of the Santa Cruz River north towards Arizona City. The river takes you through the heart of the town's suburban neighbourhoods, now little more than a vast, featureless sprawl of derelict homes and ruined factories. You head for Santa Vaya, the highest of the town's districts, for it is from here that you will best be able to see Macy and Langdon's signal.</p>
1590 <p>It takes you the better part of two hours to discover the ideal place to set your fire. Built next to one another on a small industrial unit, you find a paint factory and a tyre dump. A fire at either of these places would be seen for miles, but fires at both, and at the same time, promises to be nothing short of spectacular.</p>
1591 <p>The flip of a coin decides that Rickenbacker will set fire to the tyre dump, leaving you with the task of firing the paint factory. Having parked the roadster a safe distance away, you approach the unit with gasolene cans in hand. You enter the factory through a hole in the fence and gain access to a storage warehouse filled with drums of inflammable polyurethane resins. The smell of burning rubber tells you that Rickenbacker has already set light to the dump, and prompts you to hurry as you douse the resin drums with gasolene. In your haste you inadvertently knock the barrel of your gun against a metal stair rail and cause a spark that ignites the gasolene prematurely. Within seconds, you find yourself having to run for your life.</p>
1592 <illustration class="float">
1594 <creator>Brian Williams</creator>
1595 <description>With a roar, the drums start to explode, showering the warehouse with liquid fire that triggers yet more explosions.</description>
1597 <instance class="html" src="ill5.gif" width="386" height="618" />
1598 <instance class="pdf" src="ill5.pdf" width="386" height="618" />
1600 <p>With a roar, the drums start to explode, showering the warehouse with liquid fire that triggers yet more explosions. With terror in your heart you look for a way to escape from the raging inferno. All you can see, through the billowing smoke and flame, is a staircase leading to an office on the first floor and a corridor marked by a sign that says:</p>
1601 <signpost>TEST LABORATORIES THIS WAY</signpost>
1602 <choice idref="sect343">If you wish to climb the stairs to the office, <link-text>turn to 343</link-text>.</choice>
1603 <choice idref="sect111">If you wish to follow the corridor to the test laboratories, <link-text>turn to 111</link-text>.</choice>
1608 <section class="numbered" id="sect85">
1609 <meta><title>85</title></meta>
1612 <p>You unstrap a pair of shovels from the side of the fuel tanker and hand one of them to Rickenbacker. Together you set to work helping the others clear a way through the landslide that is wide enough to allow the convoy to pass in line. With the temperature nudging 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the work soon becomes exhausting.</p>
1613 <p>You must now take two Drinks or lose 6 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
1614 <choice idref="sect213"><link-text>Turn to 213</link-text>.</choice>
1619 <section class="numbered" id="sect86">
1620 <meta><title>86</title></meta>
1623 <p>With your eyes fixed on the fleeing clansman, you weave your way through the barbecue ranges and set off after him. Rickenbacker, having reloaded a fresh magazine, gets up and begins to follow.</p>
1624 <p>The clansman reaches the restaurant cabin just as you emerge on to a track on the far side of the barbecue area. Then an unexpected burst of gunfire from the cabin doorway makes you dive for cover, and, moments later, you see something round and black fly out from the doorway and land on the path just a few yards away to your right.</p>
1625 <p>'Grenade!' shouts Rickenbacker, and he dives to the ground with his hands over his head.</p>
1626 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
1627 <choice idref="sect197">If the number you have picked is even (2, 4, 6, 8, 0), <link-text>turn to 197</link-text>.</choice>
1628 <choice idref="sect73">If the number you have picked is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), <link-text>turn to 73</link-text>.</choice>
1633 <section class="numbered" id="sect87">
1634 <meta><title>87</title></meta>
1637 <p>The brakes lock and the truck no longer responds to your steering. There is a shudder as both the off-side wheels slide over the edge, and your stomach churns as the vehicle tilts sideways. Jaeger screams and hopelessly he tries to open the door and jump out, but it is already too late. The last thing you see as you plummet over the edge is the rocky floor of the ravine rushing towards the windshield.</p>
1638 <p>Sadly, your journey and your life end here in the Mowhawk Mountains of Arizona.</p>
1643 <section class="numbered" id="sect88">
1644 <meta><title>88</title></meta>
1647 <p>You cast your eye across the landscape and, to your left, about 150 yards away, you spot an old cattle barn standing close to the banks of the Santa Rosa Wash.</p>
1648 <p>'Let's try over there,' you say, motioning to the north as you slump back into your seat.</p>
1649 <p>Driving as slowly as you dare in order not to stir up any dust and give away your position, you reach the old cattle barn and find it deserted. Rickenbacker pulls open its huge double doors and you park inside.</p>
1650 <p>Once you have switched off the engine, you join Rickenbacker at the knot-holed timber wall in time to see the two clan bikers stopping at the approach to the bridge.</p>
1651 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
1652 <choice idref="sect117">If the number you have picked is 0-3, <link-text>turn to 117</link-text>.</choice>
1653 <choice idref="sect180">If the number is 4-9, <link-text>turn to 180</link-text>.</choice>
1658 <section class="numbered" id="sect89">
1659 <meta><title>89</title></meta>
1662 <p>You draw a close combat weapon and steel yourself to cross the roof. It is a daring attack, but at least you have the benefit of darkness and surprise.</p>
1663 <p>As you move stealthily towards the group, the clansman who is sitting with his back to the parapet sees you approaching. A wave of fear knots your stomach as expectantly you wait for him to shout out in alarm, but he does nothing to alert his companions.</p>
1664 <p>Instinct prompts you to act quickly in case he has a change of heart. Rushing forward, you get your forearm around the throat of the nearest shooter, and then wrench him away from the parapet. He drops his rifle over the edge and, as you pull him towards you, his partner turns and fires in panic. The burst of fire kills the clansman instantly, but you survive, shielded by his body. Shocked by what he has done, the clansman freezes, his eyes wide with disbelief, as his companion slumps dead at your feet. Before he recovers his senses, you jump forward and kick the assault rifle out of his hands, sending it sailing over the parapet. Before it hits the ground, you press home your advantage and attack.</p>
1665 <combat><enemy>Cape Cod</enemy><enemy-attribute class="closecombatskill">15</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">23</enemy-attribute></combat>
1666 <p>Owing to the surprise of the attack, ignore any <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> point losses that you sustain in the first two rounds of combat.</p>
1667 <choice idref="sect210">If you win the fight, <link-text>turn to 210</link-text>.</choice>
1672 <section class="numbered" id="sect90">
1673 <meta><title>90</title></meta>
1676 <p>You cock your gun and stand to the side of the lock to reduce the risk of being hit by a ricochet. Then you take aim at the keyhole and squeeze the trigger.</p>
1677 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
1678 <choice idref="sect178">If the number you have picked is 0-6, <link-text>turn to 178</link-text>.</choice>
1679 <choice idref="sect79">If the number you have picked is 7-9, <link-text>turn to 79</link-text>.</choice>
1684 <section class="numbered" id="sect91">
1685 <meta><title>91</title></meta>
1688 <p>In the dust that covers the ground you notice a set of footprints leading to one of the brick barbecue ranges situated fifteen yards away to your left. At once you reach for your gun and level it at the range, approaching it slowly. You have taken only a couple of steps when you hear the click of a firing bolt being cocked. In the next instant, the clansman rises up from behind the barbecue stand with a machine pistol held before him at waist level.</p>
1689 <choice idref="sect236">If you wish to fire at the clansman, and are able to do so, <link-text>turn to 236</link-text>.</choice>
1690 <choice idref="sect208">If you do not wish to fire at him, or are unable to do so, <link-text>turn to 208</link-text>.</choice>
1695 <section class="numbered" id="sect92">
1696 <meta><title>92</title></meta>
1699 <p>The grenade passes over the truck and explodes, throwing little but dust and shrapnel into the air. The dull boom alerts the other clansmen and suddenly all hell breaks loose. They leap to their feet and come running across the bridge, cursing and fumbling for their weapons as they do so. You hobble to the truck and take cover as Rickenbacker, hoping to buy you the precious seconds you need in order to destroy the radio transceiver, opens fire at the approaching clansmen.</p>
1700 <p>As you move along the side of the truck, you notice a keg of blasting powder resting in the back with a self-lighting fuse attached to its top. Rather than attempting to batter the radio to pieces, you decide to blow it up instead. A sharp tug is all that is required to set off the fuse, then you run towards Rickenbacker as fast as your aching foot will allow. As you jump into the ditch, there is a jarring boom and a brilliant flash of bright orange flame as the truck explodes.</p>
1701 <p>'What the heck<ch.ellips/> !' gasps Rickenbacker, stunned by the unexpected force of the second explosion. </p>
1702 <p>'They had a keg of blasting powder in the back,' you cry, shouting to make yourself heard above the rumbling echo of the explosion. 'So I pulled the fuse"</p>
1703 <p>As the dust clears, the clansmen struggle to their feet and run towards the blazing remains of their truck. As they get nearer, you take up your gun and prepare to open fire.</p>
1704 <choice idref="sect138"><link-text>Turn to 138</link-text>.</choice>
1709 <section class="numbered" id="sect93">
1710 <meta><title>93</title></meta>
1713 <p>Tensely you watch as the two clansmen come to within 100 yards of your hiding place and stop their machines. One of them, a thin-limbed punk with a shaved head, takes up a pair of binoculars and focuses on the bridge, while the other, dressed in a blue denim boiler-suit, takes a long swig from a water canteen that is strapped to his chest. They exchange words, then the one with the field glasses points towards the east and together they turn their bikes around and go back the way they came.</p>
1714 <p>You watch as they slowly disappear. When you can no longer see them, you and Rickenbacker get back into the roadster and go north in search of a suitable place to cross Santa Rosa Wash.</p>
1715 <choice idref="sect339"><link-text>Turn to 339</link-text>.</choice>
1720 <section class="numbered" id="sect94">
1721 <meta><title>94</title></meta>
1724 <footnote id="sect94-1-foot" idref="sect94-1">
1725 <p>Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.</p>
1730 <p>Your gunfire misses the fleeing traitor by a hand's breadth.<a id="sect94-1" idref="sect94-1-foot" class="footnote" /> The sheer closeness of it makes him dive to the ground, but when a second burst does not materialize, he scrambles quickly to his feet and runs head-up towards the waiting clan biker. The moment he is astride the pillion, the clansman winds back the throttle and the two of them make their getaway along a side street bordering the plaza.</p>
1731 <p>As the traitor and his confederate disappear, Rickenbacker and Cutter come running across the plaza and take cover with you behind the garbage cart. Quickly you tell them that Barlow has escaped and that you are now absolutely convinced he was guilty.</p>
1732 <p>'You're right,' says Cutter. 'He must have been a clan infiltrator. I'd hazard a guess that this whole attack was staged t' get him out o' here.'</p>
1733 <p>From behind the metal lip of the garbage cart you survey the battle that is raging around the plaza. Most of the colonists have now armed themselves and taken cover, and they are putting up a worthy defence of the vehicles. The few clansmen you do see are either dead or attempting to escape from the town now that they have achieved their objective. All of them, that is, apart from one. He is a blond-haired thug, dressed in a studded leather vest and striped pants, who is busy hammering at the glass door panels of the DC1 school bus with the stock of his machine pistol. The sight of him senselessly attacking the door of the empty bus does not bother you unduly until you remember that there is one person still on board the bus<ch.emdash/>Kate<ch.emdash/>and your heart nearly stops with shock.</p>
1734 <choice idref="sect270">If you wish to open fire at the clansman before he gains entry to the bus, and are able to do so, <link-text>turn to 270</link-text>.</choice>
1735 <choice idref="sect181">If you do not wish to open fire at the clansman, or are unable to do so, <link-text>turn to 181</link-text>.</choice>
1740 <section class="numbered" id="sect95">
1741 <meta><title>95</title></meta>
1744 <footnote id="sect95-1-foot" idref="sect95-1">
1745 <p>Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.</p>
1750 <p>Carefully you wind the strap of your rifle around your left forearm for extra stability, then settle against the lip of the hollow and take aim at the distant figure. When you are sure that you are on target, you fire, but at that precise moment a cloud of oily smoke wafts up from the burning barricade and obscures your view.<a id="sect95-1" idref="sect95-1-foot" class="footnote" /> The smoke clears quickly, but when it does there is no trace of Mad Dog Michigan.</p>
1751 <choice idref="sect154"><link-text>Turn to 154</link-text>.</choice>
1756 <section class="numbered" id="sect96">
1757 <meta><title>96</title></meta>
1760 <p>You stop the vehicle and tell Rickenbacker what you have seen up ahead. Together you stare at the outcrop for more than a minute but notice nothing unusual.</p>
1761 <choice idref="sect49">If you possess <typ class="item">Binoculars</typ>, a <typ class="item">Telescope</typ>, or a <typ class="item">Combat Viewer</typ>, <link-text>turn to 49</link-text>.</choice>
1762 <choice idref="sect223">If you do not possess any of these items, <link-text>turn to 223</link-text>.</choice>
1767 <section class="numbered" id="sect97">
1768 <meta><title>97</title></meta>
1771 <p>Another broken note from the tow truck warns everyone that you are approaching downtown El Centro. The ruined buildings, which rush past on either side, seem empty at first. Then you notice an occasional group of clansmen and women standing on the derelict street corners, and sporadic gunfire soon follows. Stray bullets strafe the convoy, but the damage is slight and you manage to reach Interstate 8 without sustaining any casualties.</p>
1772 <p>The convoy maintains its fast pace, which has undoubtedly saved you from a serious encounter with the Chargers clan. Not until at least ten miles have been put between you and the city of El Centro does the convoy abandon its break-out formation and stop briefly to make a damage check. </p>
1773 <p>You must now take a Drink or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
1774 <choice idref="sect296"><link-text>Turn to 296</link-text>.</choice>
1779 <section class="numbered" id="sect98">
1780 <meta><title>98</title></meta>
1783 <footnote id="sect98-1-foot" idref="sect98-1">
1784 <p>Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.</p>
1789 <p>Your shot goes wide, tearing a chunk of masonry from the parapet of the roof to the left of the clan group.<a id="sect98-1" idref="sect98-1-foot" class="footnote" /> Alerted by the noise and the muzzle flash, the two riflemen swing around and pour a withering hail of automatic fire at you. You try to duck back, but an agonizing pain erupts in the centre of your forehead and you are lifted off your feet by the force of the high-velocity bullet that has penetrated your skull.</p>
1790 <p>Blinded and numbed by the shock of impact, you fail to stop yourself from tumbling over the edge of the fire escape platform. Mercifully, death claims you before you crash head-first through the roof of the clan truck that is parked in the alley below.</p>
1791 <p>Your journey and your life terminate here at Wellton, Arizona.</p>
1796 <section class="numbered" id="sect99">
1797 <meta><title>99</title></meta>
1800 <p>Those responsible for looting Eloy did a very thorough job of cleaning out the gun store. Virtually every item of stock has been taken, including a collection of animal trophies that were once displayed around the walls. The only thing displayed there now are crude skull-and-crossbones motifs, daubed on with shiny black paint.</p>
1801 <p>You sift through the debris-covered floor, but it is not until you look in the basement that you discover some items of practical value:</p>
1803 <li>Two rounds of 9mm ammunition</li>
1804 <li>Four rounds of 12-gauge ammunition</li>
1805 <li>Five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition</li>
1806 <li>Hunting Knife (2)</li>
1808 <p>If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
1809 <choice idref="sect155">To leave the gun store and return to your roadster, <link-text>turn to 155</link-text>.</choice>
1814 <section class="numbered" id="sect100">
1815 <meta><title>100</title></meta>
1818 <p>'My name's Brent Jaeger,' he says, and tentatively offers his hand in friendship. Rickenbacker hesitates, then shakes it, and at once the man seems to relax, as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.</p>
1819 <illustration class="float">
1821 <creator>Brian Williams</creator>
1822 <description>'My name's Brent Jaeger,' he says, and tentatively offers his hand in friendship. </description>
1824 <instance class="html" src="ill6.gif" width="386" height="551" />
1825 <instance class="pdf" src="ill6.pdf" width="386" height="551" />
1827 <p>'For a minute there I thought you two were clansmen,' he says. 'You can't be too careful in these parts.'</p>
1828 <p>'Where you from?' you ask.</p>
1829 <p>'I've made my way up from Panama, mostly on foot. I've got the blisters to prove it, too. I was working on the canal when HAVOC pulled the plug. I was lucky, I found a safe zone in the jungle and waited there for spring to come around again. It's sure been a long time comin'. Since things have settled I've been making my way north. I'm lookin' to get back home to San Francisco.'</p>
1830 <p>'You're lucky you've got this far on your own,' you say.</p>
1831 <p>'There were three of us when we started out, but the heat and the clans did for my friends and now I'm the only one left. I'm gonna make it, if only for their sakes.'</p>
1832 <p>To avoid the sun, you and Rickenbacker accept Jaeger's offer to share the shade of his makeshift tent while he continues his story. 'I heard about the scene in California from some survivalists I stayed with for a while, down in Alamos. Sounds like they've gone an' turned the state into one big fortress. The army's in charge and they've got things locked down tight. They've kicked all the troublemakers out into the desert and slammed the door. In the south, I hear they've drawn up a new state line, from Pine Valley to Banning. All the old roads in and out are guarded and I hear they've got real picky 'bout who they let in.'</p>
1833 <p>He reaches over to a tattered denim jacket lying on the ground, and takes an equally tattered map from an inside pocket. 'I plan on going in here,' he says, pointing to a part of the map that is so worn that it has become almost illegible. 'It's a place in the mountains, north of Lake Henshaw. I figure that the army can't have enough men to patrol that area too well. If you two'd take my advice, you'd think 'bout doin' the same.'</p>
1834 <p>You tell Jaeger how you survived the post-holocaust years. You also tell him that you are acting as scouts for a convoy that is equally determined to reach California, only they are now so short of food and water that unless fresh supplies are found soon, few of them are likely to survive the 400 miles that separate you from the Pacific.</p>
1835 <p>'Man, you guys have got problems,' he says, shaking his head slowly from side to side. 'And you're headin' slap-bang into even more. Ain't you heard<ch.emdash/>Yuma is a clan base. And believe me, the guys that are holding that city are heavy-duty bad news. If you're thinkin' of crossing the Colorado River there, forget it. You'll never make it. They'll blow you off the road.'</p>
1836 <p>Concerned by what Jaeger has said, and anxious that he tell everything he knows about the clan base at Yuma, you ask him to return to the convoy with you. After some thought he decides that at least there is safety in numbers, and agrees to join the colony. When you get back to Dateland, Macy and Langdon are shocked to see three people squeezed into your roadster, but you soon explain Jaeger's background, and they offer to transport him in their Trans-sol, which at least has the luxury of rear passenger seats. During your absence they have managed to forage some food, which you divide between you before you return to the convoy at Aztec.</p>
1837 <choice idref="sect204"><link-text>Turn to 204</link-text>.</choice>
1842 <section class="numbered" id="sect101">
1843 <meta><title>101</title></meta>
1846 <p>The steep slope and loose earth is causing the clansman difficulty as he tries to steady himself to take aim. You see his hesitation as you raise your rifle to your shoulder, fix the sights on his chest, and quickly pull the trigger.</p>
1847 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Shooting skill score.</p>
1848 <choice idref="sect275">If your total score is 7 or less, <link-text>turn to 275</link-text>.</choice>
1849 <choice idref="sect191">If your total score is 8 or more, <link-text>turn to 191</link-text>.</choice>
1854 <section class="numbered" id="sect102">
1855 <meta><title>102</title></meta>
1858 <p>You crash down on the broken roadway with your arms outstretched and your hands scrabbling to find something to cling to. An exposed steel rod falls beneath your grasp and you grab at it with bloodied fingers. Below, you hear a loud splash as your roadster crashes into the Colorado River; above, there is the rumble of falling debris. Then a shower of dust and loose stones hits your head. They graze your scalp and make you cough violently: lose 2 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
1859 <p>Bravely you hang on to the corroded steel rod, praying all the while for Rickenbacker and the others to come to your aid. When they do arrive they throw you the end of a rope, which lands close to your right shoulder, and urge you to take hold of it so that they can pull you to safety.</p>
1860 <p>With difficulty, you grasp the rope and slowly you are hoisted away from the crumbling edge. As eager hands lift you to your feet, you notice an expanding circle of ripples in the river below. They mark the final resting place of your roadster.</p>
1861 <choice idref="sect293"><link-text>Turn to 293</link-text>.</choice>
1866 <section class="numbered" id="sect103">
1867 <meta><title>103</title></meta>
1870 <p>You take aim and fire at a point waist-high in the centre of the hut's wooden panelling, to the left of the open door. Your gunfire blasts a large hole in the rotten timbers, and you can now see that the hut is empty. (Remember to erase this round of fire from your Ammo Pouch.)</p>
1871 <p>Cursing your luck you turn to look elsewhere for clues to his whereabouts. Then, as you move away from the playground, a burst of automatic gunfire rings out from the other side of the site.</p>
1872 <p>'Rickenbacker,' you whisper to yourself, as you turn to run back towards the truck and the parking lot.</p>
1873 <choice idref="sect259"><link-text>Turn to 259</link-text>.</choice>
1878 <section class="numbered" id="sect104">
1879 <meta><title>104</title></meta>
1882 <p>Before leaving Red Rock, a call comes through on the transceiver in Macy and Langdon's car. It is Pop Ewell radioing to tell you that the convoy is now ready to leave Tucson. You report that the freeway is clear as far as Red Rock, and that you will continue ahead and scout Eloy, the next major town on Interstate 10.</p>
1883 <p>North of Red Rock, the freeway climbs towards a mountain pass called the Picacho, and the surrounding craggy peaks strike you as ideal sniper territory. Rather than run the risk of being ambushed, you decide to pull over, and signal to Macy and Langdon to do likewise. You point out the risk but they are not convinced: they have scouted this territory many times in the past few months and they feel you are being too careful. So confident are they that the pass is deserted, they volunteer to check it out on their own. Reluctantly you agree to their request.</p>
1884 <p>While you wait for them to return, you must take a Drink or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
1885 <choice idref="sect163"><link-text>Turn to 163</link-text>.</choice>
1890 <section class="numbered" id="sect105">
1891 <meta><title>105</title></meta>
1894 <p>You notice a Hunting Knife (2) lying nearby, on top of an office cabinet, and quickly grab it as Mad Dog launches a wild, sweeping slice at your head. You avoid instant decapitation by rolling across the debris-strewn floor, but, as you rise to your feet, a wave of dizziness robs you momentarily of your sight, and you stumble backwards against the wall. Your vision clears, and, as Mad Dog approaches, you duck below his wild sweeps and thrust your weapon at his chest. You draw first blood. The clan leader squeals like a stuck pig and pulls away, but quickly recovers and attacks like a man possessed.</p>
1895 <combat><enemy>Mad Dog Michigan</enemy><enemy-attribute class="closecombatskill">18</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">20</enemy-attribute></combat>
1896 <choice idref="sect350">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 350</link-text>.</choice>
1901 <section class="numbered" id="sect106">
1902 <meta><title>106</title></meta>
1905 <p>You pump a double-A target load into the breech of your Brushmaster as you bring the gun up to your shoulder. The instant the traitor appears in front of your foresight, you track him for a few steps then pull the trigger.</p>
1906 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Shooting skill score.</p>
1907 <choice idref="sect94">If your total score is 8 or less, <link-text>turn to 94</link-text>.</choice>
1908 <choice idref="sect37">If your total score is 9 or more, <link-text>turn to 37</link-text>.</choice>
1913 <section class="numbered" id="sect107">
1914 <meta><title>107</title></meta>
1917 <p>You take the grenade from your pack and set its variable timer to detonate ten seconds after the pin is pulled. Then you wedge it between the door handles, ease out the pin, and run for cover at the end of the corridor. The grenade explodes with a flash and a dull boom that rips both doors clean off their hinges and fills the corridor with acrid, grey smoke. You rise to your feet and wait for the smoke to thin out before you head back towards the smouldering remains of the doors.</p>
1918 <choice idref="sect79"><link-text>Turn to 79</link-text>.</choice>
1923 <section class="numbered" id="sect108">
1924 <meta><title>108</title></meta>
1927 <p>Bullets hit the ground in a line that follows your dive. In your desperation to avoid being hit, you have launched yourself on a collision course with one of the barbecue stands. You smash your forehead against the brick stack and knock yourself unconscious. You rebound from the stack and fall flat on your back, helpless to prevent the clansman from shooting you through the heart.</p>
1928 <p>Tragically, your journey and your life end here in Picacho, California.</p>
1933 <section class="numbered" id="sect109">
1934 <meta><title>109</title></meta>
1937 <p>'I count six of them <ch.ellips/> and a truck,' says Rickenbacker, as he peers through the dirty windshield at the distant bridge: 'They're from Yuma,' offers Cookie. 'Puma scouts. Probably part of the group that came lookin' for me.'</p>
1938 <p>Carefully you assess the situation. A frontal attack on the bridge could prove costly, and the long whiplash aerial that you see fixed to the clansmen's pick-up can only mean that they are in contact with their base at Yuma. It would not take very long for their leader, Pentagon, to send reinforcements if the scouts radioed that they were under attack. The foul, black waters of the Gila River may look uninviting, but at least they are shallow and fordable, and it would be easy for you to circle around this bridge in the pick-up and cross further upstream, where you could not be seen. However, no matter how shallow the water, the convoy's buses would never make it. No, the only way the convoy is going to reach the Imperial Reservoir is by crossing here at this bridge.</p>
1939 <p>Rickenbacker, who has been given a transceiver by Pop Ewell, radios the convoy to inform them of the situation. At once they suspect that Cookie is trying to lead you into a trap. He denies the charge, and in order to prove his good intent, he offers to try to lure the clansmen away from the bridge.</p>
1940 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
1941 <choice idref="sect252">If the number you have picked is 0-4, <link-text>turn to 252</link-text>.</choice>
1942 <choice idref="sect114">If the number is 5-9, <link-text>turn to 114</link-text>.</choice>
1947 <section class="numbered" id="sect110">
1948 <meta><title>110</title></meta>
1951 <p>Thankfully you have an ampoule of snake bite serum in your Medi-kit pouch. With trembling hands, you inject the life-saving serum into your forearm and gradually the pain and the trembling subsides (remember to erase this Medi-kit unit from your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>). Unfortunately, as the serum eradicates the toxins in your blood, it causes you to be violently sick: lose 2 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
1952 <p>After a few minutes, the sickness disappears, but the side-effects of the serum leave you weak and dehydrated. You must now take two Drinks or lose 6 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
1953 <p>As soon as you are able, you take your hard-earned case of food and return with it to your roadster.</p>
1954 <choice idref="sect20"><link-text>Turn to 20</link-text>.</choice>
1959 <section class="numbered" id="sect111">
1960 <meta><title>111</title></meta>
1963 <p>A wave of burning heat lashes your back and tightens the skin on your face and hands as you sprint towards the test laboratories. The explosions are growing louder and more frequent, and the floor shudders violently beneath your feet. You are only a few feet from the door to the first laboratory when a sudden gush of scorching air makes you cry out in pain. It shrivels your eyelashes and blisters the lining of your nose and throat: lose 2 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
1964 <p>Beyond the door you discover a room filled with electrical test equipment. There is no other door from the room and the corridor is now so full of toxic smoke that it would be suicidal to go back that way. Only the windows offer any chance of escape from the inferno, but when you take a closer look at them your heart sinks. They are armoured panels: a criss-cross of wire netting sandwiched between two sheets of plate glass, each 25mm thick!</p>
1965 <p>As the paint on the inside of the laboratory door blisters and ignites, you hammer frantically at the window with the butt of your gun.</p>
1966 <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your Stealth skill score. If you possess a Monkey Wrench, a Hammer, or a Baseball Bat, add 2 points to your score. If you possess a Fire Axe, add 4 points.</p>
1967 <choice idref="sect273">If your total score is 9 or less, <link-text>turn to 273</link-text>.</choice>
1968 <choice idref="sect72">If your total score is 10 or more, <link-text>turn to 72</link-text>.</choice>
1973 <section class="numbered" id="sect112">
1974 <meta><title>112</title></meta>
1977 <p>As you speed away from the pass, Rickenbacker glances over his shoulder at the settling mound of rock. 'That's one mess that's gonna take a while to clear up,' he says, trying to make light of your close escape.</p>
1978 <p>'Yeah,' you mumble in reply, thinking about the unenviable task that lies ahead. Minutes later, as you approach the town where the convoy is waiting, you begin to dread breaking the bad news to the colonists. Unfortunately, there is far worse news awaiting you and Rickenbacker on your return to Smurr.</p>
1979 <choice idref="sect"><link-text>Turn to 295</link-text>.</choice>
1984 <section class="numbered" id="sect113">
1985 <meta><title>113</title></meta>
1988 <footnote id="sect113-1-foot" idref="sect113-1">
1989 <p>Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.</p>
1994 <p>You raise your gun and fire at the first enemy clansman you see, but your gunfire is rushed and poorly aimed and misses him by a wide mark.<a id="sect113-1" idref="sect113-1-foot" class="footnote" /></p>
1995 <p>One of the raiding party singles you out as a target. His burst of fire rips up the ground around your feet, and you are knocked down by a ricocheting slug: lose 4 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
1996 <choice idref="sect171">To continue, <link-text>turn to 171</link-text>.</choice>
2001 <section class="numbered" id="sect114">
2002 <meta><title>114</title></meta>
2005 <p>The colony agrees to let Cookie attempt his plan, but they also warn you and Rickenbacker to watch him closely. Still they do not trust him and they are afraid that he will try to betray the convoy's presence in the area. Before they sign off, they tell you to maintain radio silence until the bridge is clear, just in case the clansmen are monitoring the frequencies.</p>
2006 <choice idref="sect30"><link-text>Turn to 30</link-text>.</choice>
2011 <section class="numbered" id="sect115">
2012 <meta><title>115</title></meta>
Project Aon Git Repositories / project-aon.git / blob