The Barracks Under Fire
by EagleRock
Note:
Chapter 4 - Decisions, Decisions
EagleRock and TheThing passed through the teleportation pod.
Their bodies felt as if they were sucked through a rubber hose, as they were contorted and stretched through reality. When their trip finally ended, they were in two other pods and felt as if nothing happened.
What appeared before them outside the pod was an exact replication of the famous de_dust map. As EagleRock carefully stepped into the desert dust, keeping is AUG at the ready. Keeping vigilant, he set aim across wherever he looked, using his 1.5x zoom as a monocular into the distance towards the center of the area.
With that, he waved TheThing out to join. TheThing had already 2x zoom on his SG-552 while he stared down the long pathway from their spawn point. He cautiously stepped out.
Sure enough, it was de_dust. The CT spawn point was exact, with the bombsite nearby. EagleRock whispered, "Let's test the radio and see if this works. I recommend we split up and examine the area."
TheThing used his radio. "Testing...seems fine. I don't know this area, so lead the way."
They headed on down to the center area. TheThing slung his sniper rifle on his back, un-holstered his Desert Eagle, locked, and loaded. "You take the left, down under the bridge and I'll cut right," EagleRock said. Sure enough, the tunnel, dead center of the map, was right there for EagleRock to enter. This was the famous point in the map where the most deaths occurred. EagleRock stilled his breath as he took aim and crept around the corner. It was empty.
It turned out the entire map was empty, just as Wade said it would be. TheThing and EagleRock traversed the entire map and checked every crevice. They radioed their findings back and forth, and EagleRock determined it was an exact replica. The only thing that was fishy to him was a steel door that was under the bridge, which TheThing couldn't open. EagleRock dismissed it, but was still concerned. They eventually met up at the Terrorist spawn site.
"Well, it seems about right," said EagleRock. There's just one thing. Let's test out these guns. EagleRock saw a boot lying on the ground. He took aim through his scope and squeezed the trigger. The AUG let out a satisfying shot that propelled straight into the boot. The boot skipped away a few feet until it thumped itself back down into the dust. He then saw a tire that was propped up nearby, and squeezed about a dozen rounds into it. TheThing did the same to a can that was on the ground, nearly pulverizing it with his Desert Eagle. They then tested all their weaponry, from guns to grenades.
"Well, they work. I've seen enough of the map to be sure this is really de_dust." Now was the task of getting back. They approached the pods and found they were already open and ready for transport back to the base. They kept their weapons at the ready, and stepped back into the pods.
Afterwards, they found themselves back in the base, greeted by their fellow Barracks members. Salutations and sighs of relief told them they were fine. Phantom dashed over, exclaiming, "Excellent! I could see and track both of you every second you were out there. These map computers really do work. However, I had no way of communicating." It was then that the intercom crackled back on and spoke again.
"I hope you found the test satisfying. Surely you can see that the maps are accurate, the guns are real. The only thing we do not allow is for you to communicate from the base to the players in field. That way, there's no way to cheat and let people know where other players are."
EagleRock thought that fair, but then said, "What about the moderators? Do they get to commuicate?"
"Of course not. That just wouldn't be fair. This would be a one-sided bloodbath. Even if I wanted to do that, it'd be bad for publicity."
Phantom stared ahead. "That's all well and good, but that's just one map. What about the others?"
"Well, I'm prepared to let you check all the maps if you want."
EagleRock nodded. "I do. I'll have Phantom check them for me on the map while I go in the field and check them out."
"I'll come too," said TheThing. "I feel like I owe it to you all."
"You owe us nothing," responded EagleRock. "But if you want to, feel free to come along."
"Just one thing," retorted Wade. "You can keep the guns while you check out the maps, but when we're done, you need to return them to the lockers. We clean your guns and refresh your ammo before every match. Plus, we do not allow guns in the base when a match is not going on. If you don't put them back, we will have to take them from you ourselves."
