Vanguard ZAP By: ZAP

Storyline:

IN THE TUNNEL

"Whoowhee! If the folks back home could see me now! When I joined the Vanguard expedition I never thought I'd be flying through the tunnels of Aterria looking for a mythical City of Mystery."

"It might not be a myth."

"Captain, do you mean to tell me you really believe there is such a city, paved with silver and ruled by a giant called Gond?"

"Why not? It's right here in the flight log book we found in the Aterria excavations. That's pretty convincing."

"But that book's dated 1983. People believed in all sorts of weird things back then...flying reindeer, egg-laying rabbits..."

"When you've been on as many expeditions as I have, you'll believe anything can exist. This whole planet is pretty unreal. Take these tunnel walls, for instance...every color of the rainbow! I'd swear I was in heaven if it weren't for the rocks...

"Hey! Watch out! You almost speared us on that stalagmite. I know our spaceship has five live, but we still have a long way to go and we're going to need all the lives we've got. If this log book is telling the truth, these tunnels are full of dangerous flying objects: hovering Mist ships, Harley rockets, Helm balloons."

"Yeah. Garimes waiting to tear us with their tentacles and that other cozy customer, the flying Kemlus snake."

"Seriously, what do you think the log book means by 'Watch out for the rain of Romedas in the Bleak Zone'?"

"I think the pilot that kept that log book was out of his mind, that's what I think. Probably bitten in the head by a Kemlus snake."

"Well, if there is anything in this tunnel, we should be sighting it pretty soon. According to our tunnel map, we're entering the Mountain Zone. How's the fuel supply holding out?"

"Getting low. We'd better infuse energy pretty quick or we'll crash."

"I certainly hope the log is right about energy pods growing in the Mountain Zone. Pod energy is supposed to make us indestructible for 10 seconds. Why, if that's true, we won't need to fire out lasers."

"Oh sure, Just run headlong into an enemy ship and POW! down it goes. Listen, I don't believe in pod power any more than I believe in Mist ships. If there is anything like that on Aterria, I'll eat it."

"Well, I hope you have the stomach for it. Look what's coming!"

"Great Gonds! Mists as thick as hornets and twice as mad."

"And they're all yours. Fire at will...and while you're at it, keep an eye out for energy pods."

"Roger! City of Mystery, here we come!"

--From the Atari 2600 Vanguard instruction manual.