At 7/22/07 05:37 PM, SlashFirestorm wrote: No Waterlollies yet?

C'mon Adam Philips, you genius bastard, don't let us down...

Patience.... we went 10 months without the redesign, I'm sure we can go a few days for this :D

At 7/22/07 05:52 PM, pwroftheseagoat wrote:

Thanks. Took long enough to get there, and what do I get when I finally make it to the last rank. A demotion of 'Elite' status and a funny little tank with wings! >:(

I don't mind the tank, and in fact I like the new designs for the badges, they needed updating. At least they are a bit more unique now, rather than just stars and stripes.

Also there are still no comments on my story >:(. (hint hint)

Story?

*cough*

At 7/22/07 06:55 PM, EagleRock wrote:

Pfft.. I'm so amazingly awesome, a chip off my thunder would be more than you can handle...

Just kidding. I can't even pretend to be a pompous bastard. :-)

Lol, I promise not to steal any more. I wouldn't have posted it now, but the deadline for it was today, so I didn't have a huge amount of choice :)

Nice. I've read about 300 pages so far, and it's FUN. Lots 'o' plot to get hooked to.

Yeah, my sister is getting it finished before I get my hands on it, and she is saying good things. I'm currently avoiding General like the plague though, no doubt there are hundreds of spoilers floating around there.

Got you in. I'm going to post Chapter 1 today, so you had plenty of time. I like your style. Similar to me. Also nice to see a P90 spray-cannon user. :-)

Sweet, had better post then... Oh wait!

Incidentally, I've gotten Chapters 2 and 3 done here, so it's coming along. I might manage a daily chapter. I really like Chapter 1, as it opens up a lot. Chapter 2 SUCKS honestly, but it kinda needs to suck to get the plot going. Please forgive how much it sucks. Chapter 3 will be a lot better, I promise.

Wow, working fast! Sometimes stories need a weaker chapter to get the plot moving, can't have action all the time! Still looking forward to it :D

*salutes*

The Barracks Under Fire

by EagleRock

Note: Something is screwed up in that it is not letting me post it, even though it's under 8,192 characters. So..., it's split up between two posts.

Chapter 1 - Congregation

Andrea364 had woken up from her long, restless sleep. She was on patrol trying to keep malicious Portal entrants at bay, when she was viciously attacked from behind. When she came to, she was in a dark room she had never seen before. Her body was protesting in pain whenever she tried to do anything, so she found it easier to just sleep.

-----

The sleep was no more comforting. Thoughts turned to the Newgrounds redesign and all the trouble it caused. Back then, she was in the Elite Guard. As a Corporal, she was respected as a promising recruit and well-liked. The Barracks Officers were quite happy with her, and her career was making her life in Newgrounds satisfying. Then, all of a sudden, the government changed everything. All of Newgrounds changed. They said it was for the better, but she only saw it become worse. Behind the glitz and glamour of the new look of the place, she saw conspiracy all around her. New levels came about, supposedly raising everyone's status. But did they? Was it all a plot to make people forget about what was happening around them?

That's when she was demoted. She received a letter one particularly dreary morning that the "new" Elite Guard had higher standards. Forget Corporal...she didn't even make the cut for Private. She was kicked out of the Elite Guard. In fact, the letter didn't even have "Elite Guard" written on it at all! It all seemed fishy to her, but she couldn't figure out what was going on. All she knew at that point was that she was discharged and she had nowhere to go.

Luckily, Supreme Commander EagleRock said that he didn't agree with all of the discharging and demoting that was happening, and that those that were discharged still had a home. Still, she had to find work, and it wouldn't be in the Elite Guard. Luckily, she was reinstated to the Newgrounds Police Department as a Captain. She had been discharged as a Captain a while back to join the Elite Guard, and now she was back where she started months ago. While Unit Ops TailsPrower comforted her that she was a gifted officer, she still felt uneasy about the changes made by the higher ups. The only thing she could do was drown herself into her work to make her forget about the Elite Guard. That's what found her working overtime on the Portal that fateful night.

-----

As she woke up, she felt a world better. Pain had left her body for the most part. The intense pain she had all over her body was now a mere annoyance in the back of her mind. As she got up off the cot, she got a look around the Spartan atmosphere she was entrapped in. Nothing was to be seen but a cot with no pillow and a door with no knob. A look around the room gave her shivers, as she was introduced to what looked like a new world that she was abducted into. She tried frantically to sort the whole thing in her head, to no avail.

Just then, a loud beep came over some loudspeaker in the room and an intercom started speaking in a crackly voice:

"Attention! The doors are now unlocking. We suggest that you congregate in your control room at this time. Rations will be served soon in the mess. You can locate the control room by following the red floor markings and the mess by the green floor markings. That is all."

As the crackly voice stopped, another loud beep came from the doorway, not unlike the ones you hear before a crash-test car is set to travel to its uneventful death. The large metal door then proceeded to recede into the wall next to it as she saw the hallway outside.

Immediately, she darted over to the side of the door, keeping watch for anything nearby. She instinctively grabbed for her holster to grab her blam pistol, but it was gone. There wasn't anything she could use as a weapon, either. Even the cot was bolted to the ground.

Fear started to fill her body as she listened intently for anything outside. Down the hallway, she started to hear the echo of boots as they came down the hallway. They sounded rushed, as if they had somewhere to go. Her breathing became hard as the steps approached her door.

-----

"Hello? Anyone there?" The voice sounded familiar to Andrea. She then saw a head peek in. It was Commander Coop83.

"Hey! Am I glad to see you! What the hell is going on here, Commander?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I just came to myself. This is all fucked up. I don't like this one bit. We need to get the hell out of here."

"I'm right behind you, sir. Let's see if we can get some weaponry or something."

"I doubt it. The flawlessness of these people's work would lead me to believe we're not going to find a stock of weapons just hanging around for us to find."

"Well we need to do SOMETHING. You think it's wise to head to that control center they're talking about?"

"I don't know. Somehow I feel like if we try to escape, they'll just kill us. We might as well play along for now. Somehow I feel like there's more of us."

With that, they quickly followed down the corridor to the command center. The floor was marked with different strips of color heading to different areas. The red lines were heading down the corridor to the right, towards a turn up ahead. Rows of these small "cells" lined the hallway, all emptied out as if some exodus occurred here. Once they hit the end of the corridor, it turned to the left and emptied out into a large control center.

The room was huge. On their left, they saw some plush sofas and chairs in a carpeted area to the side. The rest of the room had tons of computer stations and huge giant monitors showing overhead views of areas unknown. To the left, past the lounge area, was another corridor that lead down an area they couldn't see. Before confusion could fully set in, it occurred to these two that a whole group of their fellow Barracks members were there, all gathered near the computer stations trying to figure out what was going on.

As they rushed over, they saw Supreme Commander EagleRock there, in the midst of the raucous of Barracks members distraught about the situation. Andrea felt a bit better knowing he was there, but still felt uneasy.

-----

EagleRock was the Chief Barracks Officer of one of the Barracks in Newgrounds. It was the one Andrea used to be enlisted in, and one of the most popular. EagleRock always was a benevolent kind of leader, the kind you would expect to find in some feel-good movie. At times, it seemed a bit too much, though, as if it was all an act. For months at a time, EagleRock would go away from the Barracks and not mention where he was or what he did. During that time, Phantom, EagleRock's Lieutenant, was running the show.

While EagleRock never did anything for people to suspect, his absences were very strange and always lingered in the back of some people's minds. Also, his return coincided exactly with the redesign of Newgrounds, as if it was intentional. Either way, with the situation at hand, thoughts turned to the now, and not to suspicion.

-----

"Look," EagleRock started, "Phantom and I have talked about this, and we're not sure exactly what's going on. All we know is that we were drugged or operated on or something for us to all have the same strange sicknesses. Either way, for them to take us all down like they did means that they're strong, and they probably won't hesitate to kill."

"Exactly," assisted Phantom. "I'm angry and pissed off as much as any of you. But we need to realize that right now we're unarmed and disoriented. Who knows what they did to us? Right now, we need to cooperate. If we don't, they might just kill us. You know I'm not going down without a fight, but the time to fight is not now."

Just then, the loud beep started again and the intercom boomed throughout the large, cavernous control room.

"Attention. Now that you are all congregated in the control room, it's time for you to learn why you are here."

Phantom growled to himself and said aloud, "I wish I knew who that fucker was."

The intercom paused. "Why, my friend, that's easy. It's Wade Fulp."

End of Chapter 1

Cha CHING!

The plot thickens.

A fine chapter, EagleRock.

Now I'm off to bed.

Barracks roster - July 23, 2007

Sterockicy's note:

Hi all, this is my first EGB post in a long while. Life is getting in the way a bit I guess. It is currently Monday I know. The update is usually on Tuesday but I have to work so I am doing it now instead of late (like last fortnight)

I have some big news for you all. Shanus and I have decided that we will now be joint Barracks update makers from now on. In even bigger news (and I'm sure your all gonna' love this) the update will now be made every 7 days! I sent Shanus a PM asking whether or not he would like to do the share the update duties. He did and I thought "I don't mind doing the update every 14 days so why not continue to do it and we will just share it around. So now I will do the update one Tuesday and Shanus will do it the next. You will now be able to check up on yours and your competition pace every single week, for your convenience!

Also, the links have all been changed around. I thought it would have been a long and hard process but the new profile links are great!

Top 5 Gainers:

PenguinLink - 969
Seamonky - 876
Sentio - 721
pwroftheseagoat - 711
Shanus - 674

Special Congratulatory list:

Top gainers, repeat offenders: PenguinLink, Sentio!
New to the list: None!
Returning to the list: DaRk!
Top 3 biggest average rises: I-Love-Caitlyn + 39.8, EagleRock + 23.4, Cool-Points + 10.1!
Random word: Floccinaucinihilipilification!

Rank // Total B/P points // Gain // Gain/day // Gain rise/drop // Name

01 // 54118 // 494 // 35.3 // 11.6- // X-Naut
02 // 53992 // 407 // 29.1 // 02.7+ // Phantom
03 // 52389 // 000 // 00.0 // 00.0+ // ADT
04 // 51048 // 211 // 15.1 // 21.8- // BlueHippo
05 // 49603 // 516 // 36.9 // 38.9- // pepeatumi
06 // 47150 // 275 // 19.6 // 17.0- // Major-punk
07 // 40275 // 876 // 62.6 // 06.7+ // Seamonky
08 // 37595 // 721 // 51.5 // 16.6- // Sentio
09 // 32966 // 138 // 09.9 // 09.5+ // SlashFirestorm
10 // 32811 // 328 // 23.4 // 23.4+ // EagleRock
11 // 30752 // 072 // 05.1 // 02.2- // ArtDanVal
12 // 30080 // 711 // 50.8 // 12.9- // pwroftheseagoat +1
13 // 30000 // 000 // 00.0 // 00.0+ // life -1
14 // 29246 // 000 // 00.0 // 00.0+ // Hemlok
15 // 28197 // 313 // 22.4 // 08.9- // MadCow
16 // 28022 // 445 // 31.8 // 07.3- // Coop83
17 // 26213 // 025 // 01.8 // 01.6- // LittleWashu
18 // 24521 // 066 // 04.7 // 05.2- // MetalDart
19 // 22465 // 969 // 69.2 // 03.4- // PenguinLink
20 // 17889 // 245 // 17.5 // 00.4+ // Casualty +1
21 // 17733 // 032 // 02.3 // 05.6- // arianna1 -1
22 // 15201 // 202 // 14.4 // 05.0+ // hongkongexpress
23 // 12909 // 257 // 18.4 // 02.8+ // Sterockicy
24 // 11893 // 674 // 48.1 // 06.0- // Shanus
25 // 10286 // 184 // 13.1 // 01.2- // ever-vigilant
26 // 10283 // 564 // 40.3 // 35.0- // Azentiger
27 // 09809 // 217 // 15.5 // 10.1+ // Cool-Points
28 // 08535 // 360 // 25.7 // 27.3- // K-fox +1
29 // 08418 // 219 // 15.6 // 15.6+ // DarkSoldier 0
30 // 08350 // 071 // 05.1 // 03.2+ // Dela -1
31 // 07509 // 377 // 26.9 // 08.3- // Odyssic
32 // 07031 // 186 // 13.3 // 02.7- // KungFuCow
33 // 05646 // 265 // 18.9 // 03.8+ // DarkLotusJuggalo
34 // 04500 // 243 // 17.4 // 06.3+ // RSQViper
35 // 03917 // 000 // 00.0 // 00.0+ // Snerd
36 // 03864 // 000 // 00.0 // 00.0+ // Solidone
37 // 03790 // 220 // 15.7 // 07.1- // Akatsuki321
38 // 03448 // 638 // 45.6 // 39.8+ // I-Love-Caitlyn +1
39 // 03289 // 053 // 03.8 // 00.9+ // ElementalSoldier -1
40 // 03088 // 302 // 21.6 // 21.6+ // NickScott
41 // 02795 // 265 // 18.9 // 18.9+ // SilentSoldier
42 // 02598 // NEW // NEW // NEW // DaRk
43 // 02508 // 060 // 04.3 // 01.9+ // Dante-Son-Of-Sparda
________________________________________
____

44 // 02435 // 112 // 08.0 // 08.8- // Andrea364
45 // 02104 // 034 // 02.4 // 03.8- // TheThing
46 // 02002 // 021 // 01.5 // 00.7+ // Imacow
47 // 01755 // 011 // 00.8 // 00.6- // Ursiruss
48 // 01624 // 071 // 05.1 // 05.1+ // TheBlueNeck

The users below the separating line are EGB members who no longer meet the requirements to join. Instead of simply removing these users which is unfair, they will be below this line from now on. It's to stop confusion.

*Salutes*

At 7/23/07 03:15 AM, Sterockicy wrote: 01 // 54118 // 494 // 35.3 // 11.6- // X-Naut
02 // 53992 // 407 // 29.1 // 02.7+ // Phantom
03 // 52389 // 000 // 00.0 // 00.0+ // ADT

Hmm X-Naut isn't so far ahead of me and if I took some concentrated B/P days I could pass him again but I hardly feel the new NG is worth me spending 20 hours a day on it. That and the fact I must be one of the very few that still have the intergrity not to vote protection on spam entries...

:40 // 03088 // 302 // 21.6 // 21.6+ // NickScott
:41 // 02795 // 265 // 18.9 // 18.9+ // SilentSoldier

Yay I moved up in the rankings (I think), and it's great that now there is going to be an update every week. Thank you Shanus and Sterockicy!!! In other news, I just read the first chapter of EagleRock's Barracks Story and it's pretty good, can't wait to read the rest of it when it gets posted on the EGB Forums..!

At 7/23/07 03:15 AM, Sterockicy wrote: Barracks roster - July 23, 2007

Ooo.. early update!

Sterockicy's note:

Hi all, this is my first EGB post in a long while. Life is getting in the way a bit I guess. It is currently Monday I know. The update is usually on Tuesday but I have to work so I am doing it now instead of late (like last fortnight)

Ah, and here was me thinking I was just drunk and had missed a day...

Also thanks for this update, and awesome that it will be a weekly thing now!

Top 5 Gainers:

PenguinLink - 969
Seamonky - 876
Sentio - 721
pwroftheseagoat - 711
Shanus - 674

Congrats to all. Still clinging on, but this will be my last appearance for a while :(

Top gainers, repeat offenders: PenguinLink, Sentio!

Yay, I've been pretty consistent the last 7 months or so :). Congrats to PenguinLink as well!

Random word: Floccinaucinihilipilification!

Ok, that really is random!

07 // 40275 // 876 // 62.6 // 06.7+ // Seamonky

Pulling away again :(. You're safe for now, but one day, when you least expect it, I'll be back...

08 // 37595 // 721 // 51.5 // 16.6- // Sentio

Slower and slower and slower... that was my last free couple of weeks. In fact it would have been a little better, but I got just 10 points yesterday :S. It's been fun while it lasted though- a year ago I was barely on the top 300 list, now I am very nearly in the top 50!

09 // 32966 // 138 // 09.9 // 09.5+ // SlashFirestorm

The watch starts now- you have 2 months...

*salutes*

Thanks for the update Sterockicy!

Well 29th place isn't that bad considering i stop going on NewGrounds and would only pop-in once in a while not b/p...

At 7/22/07 11:39 PM, RSQViper wrote: Cha CHING!

The plot thickens.

A fine chapter, EagleRock.

Now I'm off to bed.

Thanks! I try.

At 7/23/07 03:15 AM, Sterockicy wrote: Barracks roster - July 23, 2007

An EXCELLENT roster update! I am always impressed (and always have been impressed) by our Records Officers, as they always do an excellent job. I am in favor of having two do the updates, so that the work is split between two people. That way, less people complain about updates being sporadic, and you get a break from the monotony. :-)

10 // 32811 // 328 // 23.4 // 23.4+ // EagleRock

I'm a-comin back! Still 23.4 points per day is crap, but hey...I'll never be what I used to be, as I'm too busy nowadays.

The users below the separating line are EGB members who no longer meet the requirements to join. Instead of simply removing these users which is unfair, they will be below this line from now on. It's to stop confusion.

Good call. I should note that this does not make our grandfathered members any less important. From the looks of it, most of you will have officially made it back into the Elite Guard soon enough, anyway.

*Salutes*

*salutes*

At 7/23/07 10:59 AM, SilentSoldier wrote: In other news, I just read the first chapter of EagleRock's Barracks Story and it's pretty good, can't wait to read the rest of it when it gets posted on the EGB Forums..!

Thanks! I'll be posting Chapter 2 tonight when I get home. Please note that it will be a bad chapter, as it is poorly written and the plot is hard to believe and is quite choppy. However, I want to get to the action, so I decided to leave it as it is and live with it.

Hey everybody! It looks like i am finally moving up in the world and i guess i should not stop there and i shall not. But how is everybody else doing around here b/p and otherwise?

At 7/23/07 01:48 PM, I-Love-Caitlyn wrote: Hey everybody! It looks like i am finally moving up in the world and i guess i should not stop there and i shall not. But how is everybody else doing around here b/p and otherwise?

I have been so busy at work today, I have barely had time to think about B/Ping. However, once I'm home, I'll get out Chapter 2. This is everyone's last change to join the story if you want.

Talk to everyone soon!

Great update Sterockicy!
Im kinda low on that list, gotta get to some b/p'ing. Try to get to 3000 b/p's soon, my new personal goal for the month of august.

Also, a great chapter by EagleRock, loving the suspense. Cant wait to read more. One chapter and Im already intrigued, great job!

Great update! Awesome to see we'll be getting them once a week now and the duty will be shared.

I can't believe how little B/P I get a week. barely over 200. Bleh. But, screw it. I have almost no free time to just B/P. Most of my free time is working on Flash, going out with my girlfriend or playing with my dog. But, at least I am still making some progress. =)

And I'll definitely keep my eyes open for Chapter 2, EagleRock.

Hmmm...

Ah, yes. The Flash I'm working on (You Love This Movie). I was working on an action scene today and for any of you who have ever watched my Flash before, you may know that I have never done an all-out action scene, so this one has been challenging. Just the pure logistics of it is a challenge as I'm going to kill 15 things in seccession in about... oh, 30 seconds. But, so far, so good. I'm interested to see how it turns out.

Well, RSQ out for now. (Oh, look for another RSQ Poll sometime later today or tomorrow)

At 7/23/07 03:15 AM, Sterockicy wrote: Barracks roster - July 23, 2007

Thanks Stero

Hi all, this is my first EGB post in a long while. Life is getting in the way a bit I guess. It is currently Monday I know. The update is usually on Tuesday but I have to work so I am doing it now instead of late (like last fortnight)

Yeah sure you do.... I'm the same :(

I have some big news for you all.......

Eh what now? I didn't agree to this, he's lying everyone. Ah no seriously guys it's an honour to do it.

Also, the links have all been changed around. I thought it would have been a long and hard process but the new profile links are great!

I could've done it twice as fast.

Top 5 Gainers:

PenguinLink - 969
Seamonky - 876
Sentio - 721
pwroftheseagoat - 711
Shanus - 674

Eh WTF???? How'd that happen. Anyway, told ya I'd do it :D

Top gainers, repeat offenders: PenguinLink, Sentio!

Congrats guys

Returning to the list: DaRk!

Welcome back :D

Top 3 biggest average rises: I-Love-Caitlyn + 39.8, EagleRock + 23.4, Cool-Points + 10.1!

Nice rises this week

Random word: Floccinaucinihilipilification!

Random Response: Hifugi!

23 // 12909 // 257 // 18.4 // 02.8+ // Sterockicy
24 // 11893 // 674 // 48.1 // 06.0- // Shanus

Soon my friend, soon :D
Only 1000 points to go

*SALUTES*

Sir, Corporal Alanoink reporting, sir!

Wuts going awn in heyur?

*Salutes*

At 7/23/07 05:51 PM, DaRk wrote:

\: Also, a great chapter by EagleRock, loving the suspense. Cant wait to read more. One chapter and Im already intrigued, great job!

Much thanks! Like I said, be prepared to be disappointed. However, I can promise improvements from Chapter 3 onward.

At 7/23/07 07:42 PM, alanoink wrote: Sir, Corporal Alanoink reporting, sir!

Wuts going awn in heyur?

*Salutes*

I just checked your record, and I seem to see that you are a civilian, not a Corporal. If you are interested in joining the Barracks, you should get out on the Portal and start to protect Newgrounds. It won't be easy, as it requires 2,500 B/P to be in the Elite Guard. Since you seem to know how to B/P already, I'll leave you to it. Good luck!

At 7/22/07 06:55 PM, EagleRock wrote: Nice. I've read about 300 pages so far, and it's FUN. Lots 'o' plot to get hooked to.

Is it like a kill frenzy? Lots of deaths, left and right?

At 7/22/07 08:46 PM, EagleRock wrote: Chapter 1 - Congregation

So many twists and turns. So I see I nor any other members in the story yet. Saving the best for last, I'm guessing?

*wink wink*

At 7/23/07 03:15 AM, Sterockicy wrote: Barracks roster - July 23, 2007

Thanks again.

Top 5 Gainers:

PenguinLink - 969
Seamonky - 876
Sentio - 721
pwroftheseagoat - 711
Shanus - 674

Grats to them.

Random word: Floccinaucinihilipilification!

Counter random word: Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.

01 // 54118 // 494 // 35.3 // 11.6- // X-Naut

My b/p rate seems to have fallen a little. Still managing to stay at the top.

02 // 53992 // 407 // 29.1 // 02.7+ // Phantom

And still managing to stay alive, I see.

The Barracks Under Fire

by EagleRock

Note: Still won't fit in one post. Stupid post limit not working properly...

Chapter 2 - Orientation

The speaker continued to crackle its message.

"There's no need for alarm, soldiers. I must apologize for how you all were handled on your way here, but I'm afraid my moderators got a bit...overzealous...in summoning you all."

Anger was stewing in Phantom that had to be released. "OVERZEALOUS??? You almost fucking killed us!!! What happened to us, and what the hell is going on?"

"You know," said Supreme Commander SlashFirestorm, "There isn't exactly a microphone nearby."

The speaker responded, "Don't worry. I can hear you fine. I understand that you're all upset right now, but don't worry. You will not be harmed. After all, what reason would I have to hurt my own Elite Guard?"

Phantom was livid. "This absolutely makes no FUCKING SENSE!!! YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO FUCKING-"

"STOP!!!" EagleRock's voice echoed through the hall. "Calm the fuck down. This is not helping." He directed his attention to the speaker in the corner of the room. "If you really needed to summon us, why the hell didn't you just ASK us? You really expect me to believe this bullshit?"

"Listen," said Wade. "I know. I didn't really want to take a chance, because I know your Barrack has shouldered most of the Portal activity and has been running ragged. That's why you're here. You're going to be part of a celebration of the Newgrounds' renovation."

"This makes no sense," said Supreme Commander Sentio. "How the hell do we even know it's you? And if we're not going to be harmed, why not come down here yourself and have a chat?"

"The reason you are down there is simple: you are going to be part of a competition for all of Newgrounds to see. We have left you in this area for you during the competition, so that you are not disturbed. You'll actually find the amenities down here quite well. The mess produces nice food, and your living quarters are furnished nicely."

"Oh yeah? You call that board of a cot 'furnished nicely?'" said Sentio.

"Oh no. That was your recovery station. After the procedure."

EagleRock paused for a second before he spoke. "Did that have to do with the sickness we all experienced?"

"Yes, of course. You see, you're going to be in a competition based on the popular game Counter-Strike. We are attempting to get as many new people to join Newgrounds as possible, and what a better way then to have a little competition? The treatment you received was actually a form of adrenaline that will stay in your body and protect you from all pain and harm. This way, you can be an inch from death, and you will still feel great, and will still be able to fight. We can't, after all, have our best soldiers dying all over the place, now can we?"

"Huh." EagleRock's face showed disgust and hatred at the same time. "What happens if we pass that last inch of death, huh?"

"Yes, you will die. Hopefully, however, that won't happen. I trust you all, though, as you are all handpicked for your skills and abilities. You will be fighting as Counter-Terrorists in replica maps that we have constructed in the area. You'll get to them using teleportation pods found down the corridor."

EagleRock pauses. "Okay then...who are we fighting?"

"My moderators will fight you, taking the terrorist side. Look, again, I know why you are angry and upset about this and I'm sorry that it had to start this way."

"Then," said EagleRock, "why should we trust you now?"

"Well let me ask you this. Do you see all the computers and monitors all around the area? Those are surveillance stations for all the different maps you'll be fighting in. They show maps of all the arenas for this competition, as there are cameras all over the place. If I really wanted to just kill you, why would I spend the millions of dollars it took to build these?"

There was a slight pause, but no one responded.

"Listen. I think what's best right now is for you to get some food and relax. Think it over, as you have a day or two before we start the matches. That way you can feel better about the whole thing. I'm signing off for now." The monitor then crackled off and the transmission was over.

-----

The room stayed silent, as everyone appeared to be thinking about the situation. "So," started Slash, "what now?"

Phantom replied, "I don't believe this bullshit one bit."

"Neither do I, guys." EagleRock looked like his head was buzzing a million miles a minute. "But we need to think about something. Why would Wade betray us? He's never done it before. After all, we've done nothing but help out the Portal and his Forum."

Sentio replied, "Yeah, but how the hell do you know that's even him?"

"Dude, that had to have been him," replied EagleRock. "There's no way I could have mistaken that voice. Either way, I think we need to look around this place more and consider the mess hall."

Phantom got a bit pissed at that point. "So you're just going to trust these assholes? Since when have you trusted the mods? I think you just trust way to easily."

EagleRock was going to respond, but Phantom's last sentence stopped him in his tracks. He then closed his eyes for a second, then responded, "We are weaponless right now. They can hear us talking. They will kill us if we try to fight right now. What makes you think we should move now?"

Phantom stalled. Supreme Command Major-punk then commented, "I think he's right. I know I'm not around as much anymore, but I always knew Eagle to make a move at the right time. Why do it now when we're weaponless? Don't they need to give us GUNS for their stupid show?"

"Also," added EagleRock, "We don't know if this whole adrenaline thing is on the line. Yeah, the pain from when they ambushed us is gone, but how do we know that they didn't stick something else in us? For all we know, they can press a magic button and blow us all up!"

Sentio then added, "Okay, okay, point taken. But before we just go and eat their food, I think we need to take roll call and figure out who is down here."

"Great idea, Sentio." EagleRock then found a pad and started to scribe everyone's name as they called in. All the bigwigs were there from the Barracks, including the former officers were present. There were also new recruits and a few that were demoted back to the Police Department. Even Dream-of-Duke was there, which got a few groans from the other Barracks members. After closing his eyes, EagleRock then had to say, "OKAY, let's keep moving." Soon after, his sheet was full with members.

Phantom inquired, "How many we got?"

EagleRock said, "Twenty-Five. All of them from our Barrack. We have enough skill here to stage a small war. But I personally am starving after all of this. I say we check out the place a bit better and see what kind of food they have."

They all proceeded down the hallway across from the computer stations. On their left they saw the bunks that Wade was talking about, all of them well furnished. On the right, they saw the teleportation pods. Further down, past the pods, were big storage lockers. As they came near the end of the hallway, they saw showers and locker rooms. As the hallway bent to the left, they came down to the mess hall on their right, with the hallway lined with the recovery pods they all woke up in.

Phantom couldn't help but ponder what kind of a set up this was. It was obvious something was wrong. While EagleRock was right that Wade never betrayed us, things did not add up. It was a situation he couldn't stomach well. As his stomach gurgled with hunger, he pondered whether he should stomach something else.

"Well, here's the mess hall. Wanna take a look and see if it's poison?" he said.

They then entered the hall. It was brightly lit and had several tables. On the far wall was plenty of hot-steaming food in front of what looked like a closed kitchen.

"How do we find out if it's safe?" said Sentio. "Should someone try it out?"

"I'll do it," said Private DaRk. He then stepped up, grabbed a piece of bread, and took a bite.

After a second or two, he spit it out and started choking.

End of Chapter 1

Ah, another chapter.

It wasn't bad like you said it was. It was quite interesting. Starting to see some new members that are there and get some personality into the mix.

Nicely done yet again.

And now....

RSQ POLL
Q. What's your favorite song in the audio portal? Please link it.

You have been polled.

Hawt chapter. You must have more confidence in your abilities, EagleRock-san.

At 7/23/07 10:22 PM, RSQViper wrote: RSQ POLL
Q. What's your favorite song in the audio portal? Please link it.

You have been polled.

Dimrain47's "Jetstream". Fucking awesome.

Hey, I'm posting for Andrea364, who's offline right now, she pm'ed me and told me to notify you that she'll need someone to deposit for her for atleast a week. She might be back later this night, but so far I haven't managed to catch her. Please do not inform me that I'm lower than the Barrack's requirements, I already knew that!

At 7/23/07 10:22 PM, RSQViper wrote: Ah, another chapter.

It wasn't bad like you said it was. It was quite interesting. Starting to see some new members that are there and get some personality into the mix.

At 7/23/07 10:38 PM, SlashFirestorm wrote: Hawt chapter. You must have more confidence in your abilities, EagleRock-san.

Thanks, guys! The biggest problem I had with this chapter is that they start to believe Wade too easily. It elt a bit...unnatural. Barring that, I like the cliffhanger that i set up.

Incidentally, I have two typos:

- Twenty-Five people should be Twenty-Six
- End of Chapter One should be End of Chapter Two

I'm surprised those got through too, lol.

Other than that, time to sit down to another episode of Lost and read more Harry Potter. Waaaay too many addicting things to deal with.

At 7/23/07 10:42 PM, Soul-Eating-Reaper07 wrote: Hey, I'm posting for Andrea364, who's offline right now, she pm'ed me and told me to notify you that she'll need someone to deposit for her for atleast a week.

I can handle that. I'll PM her about it.

At 7/23/07 10:56 PM, SlashFirestorm wrote: I can handle that. I'll PM her about it.

Thanks in advance like she always says, anyways, I was a little late so she may be back sooner than expected today (should be around 10, 20 minutes tops). :-O I'm her third apprentice, that's why I know this. I'm a review writing and posting apprentice, so as far as she's concerned, as long as I review and post well, she fine with everything else.

I didn't actually plan on this long post, but if I posted one line shorter, I'd catch some serious hell. :(

Well, I'm -100 b/p from hitting EGP again, *sigh* if only this damned redesign hadn't happened I wouldn't be in this position! * goes on and on until someone says "WE GET THE POINT ALREADY, MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE!" *

At 7/23/07 10:09 PM, EagleRock wrote: After a second or two, he spit it out and started choking.

Wonder what caused that... Seems like the mess's food is rather unsatifacory or a new 'grade D' type of food. Either that or Dark is faking it to scare us...

End of Chapter 2

Can't wait 'til the next chapter, which I won't be here to see, but I'll read up on it when I get back.

At 7/23/07 11:06 PM, Soul-Eating-Reaper07 wrote: I didn't actually plan on this long post, but if I posted one line shorter, I'd catch some serious hell. :(

Damn right you will, now get reviewing and posting or else!

Chapter 2 was quite good as well, but I'm wondering, how many chapters does the Story have?

My favorite piece from the Audio portal would have to be Blaze by cornandbeans, gotta love that Techno.

Can't wait for the next Chapter!!!

Sir. Reporting for duty Sir.! Ive been trained for sniper training, hand to hand, weapon emplacements, medic, and squad leader Sir.! honored to be in the elite guard barracks Sir.! im getting tired of saying Sir., Sir.!

At 7/23/07 11:43 PM, Andrea364 wrote:

At 7/23/07 10:09 PM, EagleRock wrote: After a second or two, he spit it out and started choking.

Wonder what caused that... Seems like the mess's food is rather unsatifacory or a new 'grade D' type of food. Either that or Dark is faking it to scare us...

That's for me to know and you to find out. :-) Don't worry, it'll be posted, as always, in the forums.

At 7/23/07 11:47 PM, SilentSoldier wrote: Chapter 2 was quite good as well, but I'm wondering, how many chapters does the Story have?

Good question. I honestly don't know myself. I have the plot planned in general, but I haven't paced out each chapter. For example, I didn't expect Chapter 2 to end where it did. If I had to give a guess, we're looking to see at least 16 chapters. Though there could be quite a few more. And, for the record, none of it will be filler.