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-<gamebook xml:lang="en-UK" version="0.10">
+<gamebook xml:lang="en-UK" version="0.11.3">
<!--
$Id$
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+Revision 1.6 2005/12/19 12:49:28 Wibbleboy
+o Fixed a few minor non-errata typos.
+o Replaced 'Denton county' with 'Denton County', 'Gulley' with 'Gully' and 'key-in' with 'key in'.
+o Updated item lists using capitals, replaced with initial capitals for consistency.
+o Updated errata list, adding missed and new entries as required.
+
+Revision 1.5 2005/12/17 21:36:37 angantyr
+- Fixed some DTD compliance (tiny structural stuff)
+- Updated herader, title and acknowledgement parts (incl. bios and links)
+- Added footnote positions (for well-formedness)
+
Revision 1.4 2005/12/07 12:42:40 Wibbleboy
Applied misc formatting changes to match manual of style.
<meta>
<title>Highway Holocaust</title>
- <creator class="short">Joe Dever and Melvyn Grant</creator>
+ <creator class="short">Joe Dever</creator>
<creator class="medium">Joe Dever<br />Illustrated by Melvyn Grant</creator>
<creator class="long">
- &inclusion.joe.dever.bio.lw;
-<!-- &inclusion.brian.williams.bio.lw;-->
+ &inclusion.joe.dever.bio.fw;
+ &inclusion.melvyn.grant.bio.fw;
</creator>
<publisher>Project Aon</publisher>
- <date class="publication"><year>2005</year><month>11</month><day>25</day></date>
+ <date class="publication"><year>2005</year><month>12</month><day>17</day></date>
<description class="blurb">
<p>You are Cal Phoenix, the freeway warrior, champion and protector of Dallas Colony One. A murderous gang of H.A.V.O.C. clansmen, led by the psychotic Mad Dog Michigan, are bent on destroying your fragile colony as it crosses the wastelands of Texas on the first stage of a life-or-death exodus to the California coast. These bike-riding clansmen are a formidable enemy: armed, cunning, and extremely dangerous, capable of launching a lightning raid at any time, day or night. You will need all your wits about you if you are to defend your people and reach your destination intact!</p>
</description>
<description class="publication">
- <p>Internet Edition published by <a href="
http://www.projectaon.org/">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>
+ <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>
</description>
<rights class="copyrights">Text copyright <ch.copy/> 1988 Joe Dever.<br />Illustrations copyright <ch.copy/> 1988 Melvyn Grant.</rights>
<rights class="license-notification">
</meta>
<data>
- <p><quote>I would be especially pleased if my granting of the rights to distribute my books in this way was seen as my <quote>millennium gift</quote> to all those devoted readers who have kept the Kai flag flying high, through all the good times, and the not-so-good. It would make me very proud indeed if this enterprise laid the foundations of a lasting legacy, securing the longevity of Lone Wolf by making my creation freely and readily accessible to current and future online generations. For them, for us, for Sommerlund and the Kai.<ch.ellips/></quote> <strong>Joe Dever</strong></p>
- <p>Project Aon would first like to thank Joe Dever for making this generous offering of the books that we have all loved from the beginning. We would also like to acknowledge the following members of Project Aon for their diligent work:</p>
+
+ &inclusion.joe.dever.endowment;
<section class="frontmatter" id="credits">
<meta><title>Credits</title></meta>
<data>
<dl>
- <dt>Transcription</dt>
- <dd>Ryan Landek</dd>
- <dt>Illustration Transcription</dt>
- <dd>Jonathan Blake<br />Simon Osborne</dd>
- <dt>XML</dt>
- <dd>Jonathan Blake<br />Jeff Dougan</dd>
- <dt>Alternate Illustrations</dt>
- <dd>JC Alvarez (text illustrations and action charts)<br />Jonathan Blake (extramatter charts and tables)<br />Michael Hahn (map)</dd>
- <dt>Proofreading</dt>
- <dd>Mark Laird (Sections 36<ch.endash/>70 and 281<ch.endash/>315)<br />Christian Leonhard (Sections 106<ch.endash/>140 and 211<ch.endash/>245)<br />Brad Phelps (Sections 176<ch.endash/>210)<br />Michael Richey (Sections 1<ch.endash/>35 and 316<ch.endash/>350)<br />Tyson Torres (Sections 71<ch.endash/>105, 141<ch.endash/>175 and 246<ch.endash/>280)</dd>
- <dt>Editing</dt>
- <dd>Mike Feldman<br />Ingo Kl<ch.ouml/>cker<br />Mark Laird<br />Simon Osborne<br />Thomas Wolmer</dd>
- <dt>PDF Layout</dt>
- <dd>Ingo Kl<ch.ouml/>cker</dd>
- <dt>Coordination</dt>
- <dd>Jonathan Blake</dd>
- <dt>Special Thanks</dt>
- <dd>Pedro Almeida</dd>
+ <dt>Transcription</dt>
+ <dd>Matthew Reynolds</dd>
+ <dt>Illustration Transcription</dt>
+ <dd></dd>
+ <dt>XML</dt>
+ <dd>Jonathan Blake<br />Iain Smith</dd>
+ <dt>Replacement Illustrations</dt>
+ <dd>Iain Smith</dd>
+ <dt>Proofreading</dt>
+ <dd>Iain Smith (frontmatter)<br />Matthew Reynolds (sections 1&endash;105, 246-280)<br />Simon Osborne (sections 106&endash;245, 281-350)</dd>
+ <dt>Editing</dt>
+ <dd>Simon Osborne</dd>
+ <!-- <dt>PDF Layout</dt>
+ <dd></dd> -->
+ <dt>Coordination</dt>
+ <dd>Jonathan Blake<br />Iain Smith</dd>
+ <dt>Special Thanks</dt>
+ <dd></dd>
</dl>
</data>
</section>
</meta>
<data>
- <p>You are Cal Phoenix, a survivor, born on Thanksgiving in the year 2000 AD. When you cast your mind back to the time before 'Tthe Day', you recall your two brothers and your sister, your parents' house in California, and summer vacations spent cruising the blue Pacific off Catalina Island aboard your father's boat. They are your fondest memories, yet your most vivid recollections are of winter vacations, when the family would drive to Dallas to spend Christmas with Uncle Jonas and Aunt Betty-Ann. Of all your Texan Christmases, the 2011 visit was the most memorable. It was also the last time you saw your family alive.</p>
+ <p>You are Cal Phoenix, a survivor, born on Thanksgiving in the year 2000 AD. When you cast your mind back to the time before 'the Day', you recall your two brothers and your sister, your parents' house in California, and summer vacations spent cruising the blue Pacific off Catalina Island aboard your father's boat. They are your fondest memories, yet your most vivid recollections are of winter vacations, when the family would drive to Dallas to spend Christmas with Uncle Jonas and Aunt Betty-Ann. Of all your Texan Christmases, the 2011 visit was the most memorable. It was also the last time you saw your family alive.</p>
<p>Your parents had decided to cancel the trip to Dallas that year. The oil shortage had pushed up the price of gasolene to $30 a gallon, and only the rich could afford to drive long distances, even in cars equipped with solar-pacs. You were so disappointed when you heard the news that you decided to walk the 1300 miles to Dallas, and would have done so had your father not caught up with you three miles from home. Then, when Uncle Jonas and Aunt Betty-Ann got to hear of it, they fixed it with your parents so that you at least could spend Christmas with them at their ranch near Denton.</p>
<p>From the moment they met your charter flight at Addison Airport you knew it was going to be a vacation to remember. Uncle Jonas was an oilman. He had been one ever since he graduated from the University of Texas in '95 with a degree in geology. Earlier that summer he had been put in charge of construction at a shale-oil mine near Austin, the very first of its kind in Texas, and as a special Christmas treat he promised to take you on a guided tour of the whole underground complex.</p>
<p>The ground shuddered when the shock waves from the first distant explosions reached the mine, and you remember thinking that it must be the start of an earthquake, the like of which you had experienced many times at home in California. But as the levels nearest the surface began to collapse and the central shaft filled with falling rubble, you realized the awful truth. The unthinkable had happened. </p>
<p>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 faded quickly, encouraging your aunt and uncle to believe that the damage above was superficial. Uncle Jonas was confident 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 was also 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 of those supplies, or that the mine would become your home, your shelter and your prison for the next eight years of your lives.</p>
<p>It was a month after 'the Day' when the three of you accepted that there would never be a rescue operation. Many days had been spent in silence, hoping and praying for the sounds of excavation or a voice on the radio lint to the surface. But all that could be heard was the static crackle of the gamma radiation which was blanketing the earth. Uncle Jonas proposed that an attempt be made to reach the surface by tunnelling through the blocked central shaft. It was an awesomely dangerous feat, to dig vertically through 300 feet of compressed concrete rubble and twisted steel girders, but there was no other way you could ever hope to escape from the mine. Progress was painfully slow but the work gave you all a sense of purpose, a reason to go on, even though you feared what could be awaiting you on the surface.</p>
- <p>Those years spent in the mine taught you invaluable lessons in survival. Uncle Jonas showed you how to refine gasolene from crude oil to keep the generators alive; to coax fresh water from porous rock; to manufacture spare parts in order to maintain vital machinery. Aunt Betty-Ann, who had at one time been a nurse and a high school teacher in Denton county, attended to your education and made sure that you stayed fit and healthy. Their love and support enabled you to grow during those dark days underground despite the enormous sense of loss you felt for your parents, brothers and sister. You vowed then that one day you would repay their kindness by protecting and caring for them.</p>
+ <p>Those years spent in the mine taught you invaluable lessons in survival. Uncle Jonas showed you how to refine gasolene from crude oil to keep the generators alive; to coax fresh water from porous rock; to manufacture spare parts in order to maintain vital machinery. Aunt Betty-Ann, who had at one time been a nurse and a high school teacher in Denton County, attended to your education and made sure that you stayed fit and healthy. Their love and support enabled you to grow during those dark days underground despite the enormous sense of loss you felt for your parents, brothers and sister. You vowed then that one day you would repay their kindness by protecting and caring for them.</p>
<p>It was early September in the year 2019 when finally you broke through to the surface. Aunt Betty-Ann was convinced that radiation levels would still be dangerously high, and at first she was against leaving the mine. But, during the last few months of your incarceration, the static that had always jammed the radio wavelengths had gradually cleared, and Uncle Jonas was able to persuade her that this meant it was now safe to live above ground.</p>
<p>When you first emerged from the mine, you thought you were on the surface of another planet. Surely this could not be Earth? 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 a 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, and some were already on their way. Your uncle and aunt also accepted their invitation. McKinney was not very far from Denton, and they were curious to see if anything remained of their ranch. They planned to return home, salvage whatever they could that might be of use, and then move on to McKinney. The Ewells were enthusiastic, but they warned that not everyone who had survived wanted to establish a new community. The ruins of 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 advised you to avoid them at all costs when travelling north.</p>
<p>Interstate Freeway 35 was the only highway still intact amid the devastation that surrounded the mine. It offered a direct route home to Denton, if only transportation could be found, for Uncle Jonas considered conditions far too dangerous to attempt such a long journey on foot. It took more than a week to discover a vehicle that was still serviceable. It was an old school bus, one that had been parked in an underground lot and had survived the years of subzero blizzards. With a few new parts, a tankful of gas and a lot of hard work it was eventually brought back to life.</p>
<li><p>After working out your Combat Ratio, pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p></li>
<li>
<p>Turn to the Close Combat Results Table on the inside back cover of the book. 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>
- <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:
+ <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:</p>
+ <ul>
<li>Cal Phoenix loses 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</li>
<li>Renegade Clansman loses 4 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</li>
</ul>
- </p>
</li>
<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>
<li><p>Unless otherwise instructed, or unless you have an option to evade, start the next round of close combat.</p></li>
<meta><title>12</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>The climb is steep and tortuous but you manage to reach the top of the gulley in one piece. Carefully, you pick your way around the edge until you happen upon a narrow path that ascends towards the flickering light on the mountainside above. As you draw closer, you see that the light is being cast by a small fire burning at the entrance to a cave. You approach with caution. As you draw level with the cave, you are greeted by a strange and curious sight.</p>
+ <p>The climb is steep and tortuous but you manage to reach the top of the gully in one piece. Carefully, you pick your way around the edge until you happen upon a narrow path that ascends towards the flickering light on the mountainside above. As you draw closer, you see that the light is being cast by a small fire burning at the entrance to a cave. You approach with caution. As you draw level with the cave, you are greeted by a strange and curious sight.</p>
<choice idref="sect305"><link-text>Turn to 305</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>A gnawing pain, brought on by the exertion of opening your backpack, stiffens your right hand. You grit your teeth and persist until your aching fingers locate the tip of your survival flare. With care you remove it from the pack and position it between the ropes that bind your body in such a way as to avoid burning yourself when you set it off.</p>
<p>Less than a dozen clanswomen and children are on the street when you decide to fire the flare. There is a flash of red light at your side as it erupts into life, then you are engulfed by a huge cloud of choking crimson smoke. The flare alerts the clanswomen who immediately raise the alarm while you struggle against your smouldering bonds.</p>
- <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a></p>.
+ <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
<choice idref="sect91">If the number you have picked is 0-4, <link-text>turn to 91</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect30">If the number is 5-9, <link-text>turn to 30</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</footnotes>
<data>
- <p>The instant you tap the number 20 on the keypad, there is a sharp click and the steel door swings inwards to reveal the shelved walls of a strongroom beyond. You smile with satisfaction at having cracked the university's door code: the number in the last column of each row is the sum of the numbers in the first two columns, minus the number in the third column.</p>
+ <p>The instant you tap the number 20 on the keypad,<a id="sect20-1" idref="sect20-1-foot" class="footnote" /> there is a sharp click and the steel door swings inwards to reveal the shelved walls of a strongroom beyond. You smile with satisfaction at having cracked the university's door code: the number in the last column of each row is the sum of the numbers in the first two columns, minus the number in the third column.</p>
<p>Curious as to what lies within, you enter the strongroom and inspect its dusty shelves. This concrete vault contains the documentation of experiments and small quantities of what were once considered precious metals - gold, platinum, silver and titanium. After a thorough search you find three items that you may be able to put to practical use:</p>
<ul>
- <li><typ class="item">GEIGER COUNTER</typ></li>
- <li><typ class="item">ALTIMETER</typ></li>
- <li><typ class="item">RADIATION SUIT</typ> (occupies two item spaces in the Backpack)</li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Geiger Counter</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Altimeter</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Radiation Suit</typ> (occupies two item spaces in the Backpack)</li>
</ul>
<p>If you wish to keep any of these items, amend your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
<choice idref="sect29">To leave the strongroom and return to the convoy, <link-text>turn to 29</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>24</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You thumb back the switch and point the narrow beam of light at the ground. To your surprise you are standing on the edge of a deep gulley, the remains of a dried-out stream that once gushed and tumbled down this rocky mountainside.</p>
- <p>Carefully, you pick your way around the gulley and follow a narrow path that ascends towards the flickering light. As you draw closer, you see that the light is being cast by a small fire burning at the entrance to a cave. You switch off your torch and approach with caution. As you draw level with the cave, you are greeted by a strange and curious sight.</p>
+ <p>You thumb back the switch and point the narrow beam of light at the ground. To your surprise you are standing on the edge of a deep gully, the remains of a dried-out stream that once gushed and tumbled down this rocky mountainside.</p>
+ <p>Carefully, you pick your way around the gully and follow a narrow path that ascends towards the flickering light. As you draw closer, you see that the light is being cast by a small fire burning at the entrance to a cave. You switch off your torch and approach with caution. As you draw level with the cave, you are greeted by a strange and curious sight.</p>
<choice idref="sect305"><link-text>Turn to 305</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>We'll be here forever if we have to search the shelves,' you whisper.</p>
<p>'I guess you're right,' replies Cutter, 'but I think I know a quicker way of finding what we need. Follow me.'</p>
<p>Intrigued by Cutter's reply, you follow him out of the stores building, across a parking lot, and into another section of the depot that is marked:</p>
- <p><signpost>ZONE 3: MUNICIPAL VEHICLE SERVICING</signpost></p>
+ <signpost>ZONE 3: MUNICIPAL VEHICLE SERVICING</signpost>
<p>After searching four of the dozen service bays, finally he discovers what he is looking for: a school bus. 'Cal, you keep y'eyes open while I strip the linkage out o' this baby. Give me an hour an' we'll be on our way.'</p>
<p>Nervously you stand guard at the door to the service bay while Cutter works. All is quiet until, forty minutes later, you see something moving among the vehicles on the far side of the parking lot: it is a drunken clansman. Slowly he staggers nearer, taking alternate gulps from bottles clutched in either hand. He is about to pass by when Cutter drops a spanner. The ringing noise pierces his drunken stupor and prompts him to investigate.</p>
<p>'Trouble on its way!' you whisper to Cutter, but your warning is too late. The clansman comes lumbering through the open door, brandishing his bottles like clubs. He sees you and screams an oath as he gets ready to launch his attack.</p>
<meta><title>80</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You are within a few feet of the top when suddenly you lose your footing and plummet once more into the gulley. This time the fall proves fatal; you crash head first into the rocky base and shatter your skull. Death is instantaneous.</p>
+ <p>You are within a few feet of the top when suddenly you lose your footing and plummet once more into the gully. This time the fall proves fatal; you crash head first into the rocky base and shatter your skull. Death is instantaneous.</p>
<p>Your life and your journey end here.</p>
</data>
</section>
<p>It takes you a few minutes to clear the rubble away from the engine compartment, but your efforts are not in vain. Some of the engine components are still serviceable and could prove useful as spares for the colony's bus.</p>
<p>Below are listed the items worth salvaging from the wreck. You may take two from the list, all of which are Backpack items:</p>
<ul>
- <li><typ class="item">DISTRIBUTOR CAP</typ></li>
- <li><typ class="item">CONDENSER</typ></li>
- <li><typ class="item">GAS MODIFIER</typ></li>
- <li><typ class="item">OIL PLUG</typ></li>
- <li><typ class="item">FAN BELT</typ></li>
- <li><typ class="item">SPARK PLUGS</typ></li>
- <li><typ class="item">SOLAR REGULATOR</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Distributor Cap</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Condenser</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Gas Modifier</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Oil Plug</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Fan Belt</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Spark Plugs</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Solar Regulator</typ></li>
</ul>
<p>If you decide to keep any of these spares, remember to adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
<choice idref="sect224">To return to the convoy, <link-text>turn to 224</link-text>.</choice>
</footnotes>
<data>
- <p>The moment you tap the correct number on the keypad, there is loud click and the steel door creaks inwards to reveal the shelved walls of a strongroom beyond. You smile with satisfaction at having cracked the university's door code: the number of the last column of each row is the sum of the number of the first two columns, minus the number in the third column.</p>
+ <p>The moment you tap the correct number on the keypad,<a id="sect98-1" idref="sect98-1-foot" class="footnote" /> there is loud click and the steel door creaks inwards to reveal the shelved walls of a strongroom beyond. You smile with satisfaction at having cracked the university's door code: the number of the last column of each row is the sum of the number of the first two columns, minus the number in the third column.</p>
<p>Intrigued by what lies within, you enter the strongroom and peer along the dusty shelves. The vault contains the documentation of experiments and quantities of what were once considered precious metals - gold, platinum, silver and titanium. After a thorough search, you find three items that may be put to practical use:</p>
<ul>
- <li><typ class="item">GEIGER COUNTER</typ></li>
- <li><typ class="item">ALTIMETER</typ></li>
- <li><typ class="item">RADIATION SUIT</typ> (occupies two item spaces in the Backpack)</li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Geiger Counter</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Altimeter</typ></li>
+ <li><typ class="item">Radiation Suit</typ> (occupies two item spaces in the Backpack)</li>
</ul>
<p>If you wish to keep any of these items, amend your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
<choice idref="sect315">To leave the strongroom and return to the convoy, <link-text>turn to 315</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>105</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You bury the bodies of the three dead bikers - along with their motorcycles - in the gulley, and then take stock of your surroundings. Traces of a paved road that disappears towards the west are found, and Cutter Jacks, who lived only a few miles from Lake Lewisville before 'the Day', identifies it as the remains of State Highway 407.</p>
+ <p>You bury the bodies of the three dead bikers - along with their motorcycles - in the gully, and then take stock of your surroundings. Traces of a paved road that disappears towards the west are found, and Cutter Jacks, who lived only a few miles from Lake Lewisville before 'the Day', identifies it as the remains of State Highway 407.</p>
<p>'This'll get us back on course,' he says, confidently. 'Follow this baby and we'll make Freeway 35 in under an hour.'</p>
<p>Twenty minutes later, you can make out Freeway 35 in the distance, its long, concrete body bleached and quaking beneath the fiery sun. The road you are following passes beneath it but, as you draw closer, you notice a ramp coiling away to your right giving access to the freeway.</p>
<p>A few hundred yards beyond the ramp you see another. It leads to the ruins of a once prestigious group of buildings - the North Texas State University.</p>
<meta><title>116</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You pull the transceiver out of your Backpack, flick the power switch on and key-in the frequency that Pop Ewell monitors aboard the bus. 'Red Phoenix to DC1,' you say, using your emergency call sign. 'I'm pinned down by sniper fire. It's coming from the diner across the street. Suspect two clansmen. Request assistance.'</p>
+ <p>You pull the transceiver out of your Backpack, flick the power switch on and key in the frequency that Pop Ewell monitors aboard the bus. 'Red Phoenix to DC1,' you say, using your emergency call sign. 'I'm pinned down by sniper fire. It's coming from the diner across the street. Suspect two clansmen. Request assistance.'</p>
<p>The tiny speaker crackles into life and you hear Cutter's voice reply: 'Hang in there, Cal. I'll circle 'round the back and flush 'em out.'</p>
<p>A minute later you see Cutter jump down from the bus and scurry across the rock-strewn ground behind the diner, cradling a shotgun, which he loads as he runs. He disappears behind the building, then a few moments later you hear a burst of gunfire and see a swarthy-faced man, dressed in western clothes, come running out of the front door with a pistol in his hand.</p>
<choice idref="sect143">If you possess a missile weapon, <link-text>turn to 143</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>117</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You have taken fewer than a dozen steps when suddenly the ground disappears beneath your feet. With a yelp of horror, you scrabble at the air as you fall head first into a steep-sided gulley.</p>
+ <p>You have taken fewer than a dozen steps when suddenly the ground disappears beneath your feet. With a yelp of horror, you scrabble at the air as you fall head first into a steep-sided gully.</p>
<p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> (0 equals 10). The number you pick is equal to the number of <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points you lose as a result of your fall.</p>
<choice idref="sect242">If you are still alive, adjust your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points total and <link-text>turn to 242</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<p>Once the convoy is clear of the bridge, Cutter pulls over to the side of the highway and you stop in line behind him and the tanker. Uncle Jonas jumps down from his cab and together you run forward to check the damage to the bus. The front and sides are riddled with bullet holes, many of which have penetrated the engine and passenger compartments, yet, miraculously, no one has been killed or seriously injured. Aunt Betty-Ann appears at a window and reports that four members of the colony have been hit. She says not to worry - they have minor wounds and she is sure they will pull through.</p>
<p>The radiator is leaking coolant but Cutter is confident that he can have it fixed within an hour. 'It's a real shame we've got so few guns aboard,' grumbles Cutter, as he sets to work sealing the perforated radiator mesh. 'It ain't no fun being the target for them punks when you don't get a chance to shoot back.'</p>
<p>A hundred yards along the highway you see a sign that points to a road leading off to the east. It says:</p>
- <p><signpost>CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE</signpost></p>
+ <signpost>CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE</signpost>
<choice idref="sect342">If you wish to investigate the base while Cutter finishes his repairs, <link-text>turn to 342</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect295">If you decide to stay with the convoy, <link-text>turn to 295</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</tr>
</table>
<p>You study the rows of numbers carefully, looking for a pattern. By tapping on the keypad the number that is missing from the last row, you will release the lock and open the door.</p>
- <p>When you think you know the missing number, turn to the entry that bears that number.</p>
+ <p>When you think you know the missing number, turn to the entry that bears that number.<a id="sect152-1" idref="sect152-1-foot" class="footnote" /></p>
<choice idref="sect171">If you cannot work out the correct answer, <link-text>turn to 171</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>177</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>'Let's go!' says Cutter, and simultaneously you leap into action. Your sudden appearance draws a volley of shots from a shallow gulley situated twenty yards ahead, and a wave of fear knots your stomach as the bullets whistle past your head. Then Kate and the others open fire and force the bikers to duck behind their parapet of earth.</p>
- <p>On the far side, Cutter races across the rocky ground as fast as his skinny legs will carry him. A biker pops out of the gulley like a jack-in-the-box and fires his pistol at your friend's lanky form, missing him by inches. Cutter fires back, a snap shot from the hip that hits the biker full in the chest, sending him spinning backwards into the trench. Three more bikers appear, panicked by the death of their confederate. One falls victim to covering fire; the second is felled by Cutter's second barrel; but the third escapes the crossfire and comes running out of the gulley straight at you. He yelps with horror as he sees you, skids to a halt, and levels his pistol at your face.</p>
+ <p>'Let's go!' says Cutter, and simultaneously you leap into action. Your sudden appearance draws a volley of shots from a shallow gully situated twenty yards ahead, and a wave of fear knots your stomach as the bullets whistle past your head. Then Kate and the others open fire and force the bikers to duck behind their parapet of earth.</p>
+ <p>On the far side, Cutter races across the rocky ground as fast as his skinny legs will carry him. A biker pops out of the gully like a jack-in-the-box and fires his pistol at your friend's lanky form, missing him by inches. Cutter fires back, a snap shot from the hip that hits the biker full in the chest, sending him spinning backwards into the trench. Three more bikers appear, panicked by the death of their confederate. One falls victim to covering fire; the second is felled by Cutter's second barrel; but the third escapes the crossfire and comes running out of the gully straight at you. He yelps with horror as he sees you, skids to a halt, and levels his pistol at your face.</p>
<p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your current Shooting and Stealth skill totals.</p>
<choice idref="sect49">If the total is now 0-9, <link-text>turn to 49</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect348">If it is 10 or more, <link-text>turn to 348</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>222</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Despite your anxiety you manage to get a few hours sleep before dawn. As the sky brightens, Uncle Jonas voices his fear that the vehicles are far too exposed out on the highway, where they can easily be spotted and will be sure to attract another raid like the one you endured last night at Santo. Cutter agrees, so before you set off for Strawn he fixes a line to the back of the tanker and tows the bus into a nearby gulley.</p>
+ <p>Despite your anxiety you manage to get a few hours sleep before dawn. As the sky brightens, Uncle Jonas voices his fear that the vehicles are far too exposed out on the highway, where they can easily be spotted and will be sure to attract another raid like the one you endured last night at Santo. Cutter agrees, so before you set off for Strawn he fixes a line to the back of the tanker and tows the bus into a nearby gully.</p>
<p>There, Uncle Jonas and the others set to work dismantling the broken steering linkage, while Mountain Goat draws a map of Strawn, showing the location of the truck depot. He hands the sketch to Cutter, and you and he check your equipment and bid farewell to the others before setting off.</p>
<p>Two hours later you catch sight of the fortified town. It is perched on a ridge of high ground and enjoys an unobstructed view over the surrounding land. You note its perimeter wall, constructed of rubble and old cars, and the crudely built watchtowers that command its freeway approaches. It seems to you that it would be impossible for a large group, or even a single vehicle to approach this town undetected, yet the rocky terrain that surrounds it enables you and Cutter to crawl to within a few hundred yards of the perimeter wall without being seen.</p>
<p>Patiently you observe the inhabitants of Strawn while waiting for night to fall. During your long vigil you must eat a Meal (or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points) and take two Drinks (or lose 6 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points). You identify two weak links in the defensive wall: one is an alley that services an old shopping mall; the other is a chain-link fence that surrounds a derelict amusement park at the edge of town. Cutter suggests that you enter Strawn separately in order to minimize the risk of being seen, then meet at the depot itself. He offers you first choice of approach.</p>
<data>
<p>You are winded by your fall and lie for several minutes staring helplessly at the starry sky. Gradually you recover your senses and manage to pull yourself unsteadily to your feet. A cursory check of your equipment reveals that your <typ class="item">C.B. Radio</typ> is smashed to pieces, together with the second Backpack item listed on your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> (erase both of these items from your list).</p>
- <p>As your strength returns, you resolve to climb out of the gulley as quickly as you can.</p>
+ <p>As your strength returns, you resolve to climb out of the gully as quickly as you can.</p>
<p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> and add to it your current Stealth and Field Craft skill totals.</p>
<choice idref="sect80">If your total score is now 10 or less, <link-text>turn to 80</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect12">If your total score is now 11 or more, <link-text>turn to 12</link-text>.</choice>
</table>
<p>You study the rows of numbers carefully, looking for a pattern. By tapping on the keypad the number that is missing from the last row, you will release the lock and open the door.</p>
- <p>When you think you know the missing number turn to the entry that bears that number.</p>
+ <p>When you think you know the missing number turn to the entry that bears that number.<a id="sect255-1" idref="sect255-1-foot" class="footnote" /></p>
<choice idref="sect194">If you cannot work out the correct answer, <link-text>turn to 194</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>'Where is this depot?' asks Cutter.</p>
<p>'It's six miles west o' here,' pipes Mountain Goat, eager to appear helpful.</p>
<p>'Good. At first light, Cal can drive us there and you can help locate the part we need.'</p>
- <p>'Mrnmm<ch.ellips/> OK,' replies Mountain Goat, hesitantly, 'but first I think there's something y'all should know.'</p>
+ <p>'Mmmm<ch.ellips/> OK,' replies Mountain Goat, hesitantly, 'but first I think there's something y'all should know.'</p>
<choice idref="sect189"><link-text>Turn to 189</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>You manage to avoid two more patrols before escaping from the mall and meeting up with Cutter at the truck depot. You are both relieved to discover the place empty and unguarded, and quickly you make your way to the stores building. You find the records office, but without electricity you cannot access the computer files to pinpoint the exact location of the spare you need. With mounting fear you realize that in order to find a new steering linkage you will have to search every one of the 1,600 storage bays that occupy the building.</p>
<p>'We'll be here forever if we have to search the shelves,' you whisper. 'I guess you're right,' replies Cutter, 'but I think I know a quicker way of finding what we need. Follow me.'</p>
<p>Intrigued by Cutter's reply, you follow him out of the stores building, across a parking lot and into another section of the depot that is marked:</p>
- <p><signpost>ZONE 3: MUNICIPAL VEHICLE SERVICING</signpost></p>
+ <signpost>ZONE 3: MUNICIPAL VEHICLE SERVICING</signpost>
<p>After searching four of the dozen service bays, finally he discovers what he is looking for: a school bus. 'Cal, you keep y'eyes open while I strip the linkage out o' this baby. Give me an hour an' we'll be on our way.</p>
<p>Nervously you stand guard at the door to the service bay while Cutter works. All is quiet until, forty minutes later, you see something moving among the vehicles on the far side of the parking, lot: it is a drunken clansman. Slowly he staggers nearer, taking alternating gulps from the bottles clutched in either hand. He is about to pass on his way when Cutter drops a spanner. The ringing noise pierces his drunken stupor and prompts him to investigate.</p>
<p>'Trouble on its way!' you whisper to Cutter, but your warning is too late. A moment later, the clansman comes lurching through the open door, brandishing his bottles like clubs. He sees you and screams an oath as he gets ready to launch his attack.</p>
<data>
<p>Two shots are fired almost simultaneously, filling the bar with a deafening explosion of noise. They rip open the front of the counter less than five feet from where you are crouching, bringing down most of the rickety shelves that line the back wall. Amid a cascade of bottles and glasses, you scurry towards the end of the counter, your eyes fixed on a door situated beneath the staircase. Above it, an unlit sign reads:</p>
- <p><signpost>EXIT - FIRE ESCAPE USE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY</signpost></p>
+ <signpost>EXIT - FIRE ESCAPE USE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY</signpost>
<p>'I reckon this constitutes an emergency,' you mutter, as you get ready to break cover and run towards the door. Just as you are about to leave your hand brushes against the stock of a sawn-off shotgun that is lying on a shelf beneath the counter. Both hammers are cocked and the chamber tags show that both barrels are loaded.</p>
<choice idref="sect176">If you wish to take this weapon, <link-text>turn to 176</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect84">If you decide to ignore it, <link-text>turn to 84</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>296</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Bullets whistle across the open ground, hitting the side of the bus with a ringing whine. Silhouetted against the skyline, the convoy makes an easy target for whoever is firing at you from the town. Anxious for the safety of the colony, you search for cover and see a shallow gulley away to your right. Immediately you steer the convoy towards it. The sides of the depression hide the vehicles from view and enable you to bypass Westbrook safely and continue along the freeway.</p>
+ <p>Bullets whistle across the open ground, hitting the side of the bus with a ringing whine. Silhouetted against the skyline, the convoy makes an easy target for whoever is firing at you from the town. Anxious for the safety of the colony, you search for cover and see a shallow gully away to your right. Immediately you steer the convoy towards it. The sides of the depression hide the vehicles from view and enable you to bypass Westbrook safely and continue along the freeway.</p>
<choice idref="sect347"><link-text>Turn to 347</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>The evil-sounding laughter is cut short by a deafening roar as both barrels of a Browning Citori are discharged at the counter. The heavy loads rip through the front, bringing down most of the rickety shelves that line the back wall. A cascade of bottles and glasses rains down on your head, causing you further injury as you scurry towards the end of the counter: lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>Ahead, beneath the staircase, you see a door with an unlit sign above it that reads:</p>
- <p><signpost>EXIT - FIRE ESCAPE</signpost></p>
- <p><signpost>USE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ONLY</signpost></p>
+ <signpost>EXIT - FIRE ESCAPE</signpost>
+ <signpost>USE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ONLY</signpost>
<p>'I reckon this constitutes an emergency,' you mutter, as you get ready to break cover and run towards the door. Just as you are about to leave your hand brushes against the stock of a sawn-off shotgun that is lying on a shelf beneath the counter. Both hammers are cocked and the chamber tags show that both barrels are loaded.</p>
<choice idref="sect176">If you wish to take the weapon, <link-text>turn to 176</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect84">If you decide to ignore it, <link-text>turn to 84</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>In the distance you see the sun resting on the peak of Signal Mountain, and you estimate that no more than an hour of daylight remains. Then a freeway mileage sign looms into view, its paint blistered and barely legible. You slow down and read:</p>
- <p><signpost>BIG SPRING 16 MLS</signpost></p>
+ <signpost>BIG SPRING 16 MLS</signpost>
<p>The sign coaxes a cheer from those aboard the bus and renews your hopes of completing the first stage of your long journey west. A few miles further on you see another sign. This announces that you are approaching the town of Coahoma. With the memory of what happened at Westbrook still fresh in your mind, you decide to bring the convoy to a halt.</p>
<choice idref="sect11">If you possess <typ class="item">Binoculars</typ> or a <typ class="item">Telescope</typ>, <link-text>turn to 11</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect33">If you possess neither of these items, <link-text>turn to 33</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>You raise your arm and fire your shotgun without aiming. The speed of your reflexes and the spread of the Double-A target load guarantee that your enemy will never point his pistol at anyone again.</p>
- <p>As the smoke clears, you see Cutter approach the gulley and reload his gun as he stares over the edge at the lifeless bodies of your ambushers. You are soon joined by the others and together you search their bodies for useful items.</p>
+ <p>As the smoke clears, you see Cutter approach the gully and reload his gun as he stares over the edge at the lifeless bodies of your ambushers. You are soon joined by the others and together you search their bodies for useful items.</p>
<choice idref="sect216"><link-text>Turn to 216</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>(<a idref="cmbtrulz">Combat Rules</a>) Replaced <quote>CLOSECOMBAT</quote> with <quote>CLOSE COMBAT</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="cmbtrulz">Combat Rules</a>) Replaced <quote>cross-refer</quote> with <quote>cross-reference</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="cmbtrulz">Combat Rules</a>) Replaced <quote>as <ch.plus/>1 If </quote> with <quote>as <ch.plus/>1. If </quote>.</p>
- <p>(<a idref="calstory">Cal's Story</a>) Replaced <quote>re-establish</quote> with <quote>reestablish</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="calstory">Cal's Story</a>) Replaced <quote>re-establish</quote> with <quote>reestablish</quote> and <quote>Denton county</quote> with <quote>Denton County</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect13">13</a>) Added missing period after <quote>Random Number Table</quote>.</p>
- <p>(<a idref="sect48">48</a>) Replaced <quote>dislodgng</quote> with <quote>dislodging</quote>.</p>
- <p>(<a idref="sect48">48</a>) Replaced <quote>Skull,'</quote> with <quote>Skull?'</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect20">20</a>) Replaced <quote>GEIGER COUNTER</quote>, <quote>ALTIMETER</quote> and <quote>RADIATION SUIT</quote> with initial capitals.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect48">48</a>) Replaced <quote>dislodgng</quote> with <quote>dislodging</quote> and <quote>Skull,'</quote> with <quote>Skull?'</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect55">55</a>) Replaced <quote>thunderbird</quote> with <quote>Thunderbird</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect72">72</a>) Replaced <quote>shooting skill</quote> with <quote>Shooting skill</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect82">82</a>) Replaced <quote>needin</quote> with <quote>needin'</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect85">85</a>) Replaced <quote>DISTRIBUTOR CAP</quote>, <quote>CONDENSER</quote>, <quote>GAS MODIFIER</quote>, <quote>OIL PLUG</quote>, <quote>FAN BELT</quote> with initial capitals.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect94">94</a>) Replaced <quote>shouting :</quote> with <quote>shouting: </quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect98">98</a>) Replaced <quote>GEIGER COUNTER</quote>, <quote>ALTIMETER</quote> and <quote>RADIATION SUIT</quote> with initial capitals.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect116">116</a>) Replaced <quote>key-in</quote> with <quote>key in</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect117">117</a>) Added missing period after <quote>(0 equals 10)</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect122">122</a>) Replaced <quote>gutteral</quote> with <quote>guttural</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect143">143</a>) Replaced <quote>( with</quote> with <quote>(with</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect149">149</a>) Replaced <quote>assess</quote> with <quote>assesses</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect156">156</a>) Replaced <quote>take its toll of those</quote> with <quote>take its toll on those</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect171">171</a>) Replaced <quote>de-activates</quote> with <quote>deactivates</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect175">175</a>) Replaced <quote>anti-biotics</quote> with <quote>antibiotics</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect182">182</a>) Replaced <quote>Erath country</quote> with <quote>Erath County</quote>.</p>
- <p>(<a idref="sect189">189</a>) Replaced <quote>womped</quote> with <quote>whomped</quote>.</p>
- <p>(<a idref="sect189">189</a>) Replaced <quote>come 'an pay</quote> with <quote>come an' pay</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect189">189</a>) Replaced <quote>womped</quote> with <quote>whomped</quote> and <quote>come 'an pay</quote> with <quote>come an' pay</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect194">194</a>) Replaced <quote>de-activates</quote> with <quote>deactivates</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect229">229</a>) Replaced <quote>breathlessly:'Set </quote> with <quote>breathlessly: 'Set </quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect248">248</a>) Replaced <quote>C.B. radio</quote> with <quote>C.B. Radio</quote>.</p>
- <p>(<a idref="sect260">260</a>) Replaced <quote>Cmon</quote> with <quote>C'mon</quote>.</p>
- <p>(<a idref="sect270">270</a>) Replaced <quote>Comanche county</quote> with <quote>Comanche County</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect260">260</a>) Replaced <quote>Cmon</quote> with <quote>C'mon</quote> and <quote>Comanche county</quote> with <quote>Comanche County</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect288">288</a>) Replaced <quote>auto-wreck</quote> with <quote>auto wreck</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect305">305</a>) Replaced <quote>fininshed</quote> with <quote>finished</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="sect336">336</a>) Replaced <quote>letters,</quote> with <quote>letters:</quote>.</p>
- <p>(<a idref="sect338">338</a>) Replaced <quote>bushwacked</quote> with <quote>bushwhacked</quote>.</p>
- <p>(<a idref="sect338">338</a>) Replaced <quote>Rickenbaker</quote> with <quote>Rickenbacker</quote>.</p>
- <p>(<a idref="sect342">338</a>) Replaced <quote>fusilage</quote> with <quote>fuselage</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect338">338</a>) Replaced <quote>bushwacked</quote> with <quote>bushwhacked</quote>, <quote>Rickenbaker</quote> with <quote>Rickenbacker</quote> and <quote>fusilage</quote> with <quote>fuselage</quote>.</p>
+ <p>(<a idref="sect12">12</a>,<a idref="sect24">24</a>,<a idref="sect80">80</a>,<a idref="sect105">105</a>,<a idref="sect117">117</a>,<a idref="sect177">177</a>,<a idref="sect222">222</a>,<a idref="sect242">242</a>,<a idref="sect296">296</a>,<a idref="sect348">348</a>) Replaced <quote>gulley</quote> with <quote>gully</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="crsumary">Combat Rules Summary</a>) Added missing period after <quote>from your total</quote>.</p>
<p>(<a idref="crsumary">Combat Rules Summary</a>) Replaced <quote>cross-refer</quote> with <quote>cross-reference</quote>.</p>
</data>
Project Aon Git Repositories / project-aon.git / blobdiff