Back in the Barracks Story, EagleRock's Sequel to The BUF Story

[EagleRock]

Back in the Barracks
A sequel to The Barracks Under Fire

by EagleRock

Foreword

NOTE: I would like to keep this thread solely for the storyline and not have comments in it. As with the my original story, I am creating another thread (link below) that you can comment in. Thanks!

For those of you that have not read the original Barracks Under Fire story, it is a story based on Counter-Strike and the Barracks that I started writing about two years ago. I recently finished the story, and this story is the direct sequel to it. While the beginning of the story isn't as good as I'd like it to be I'd highly suggest reading this story first if you have not already, as this sequel works directly off the end of BUF.

Handy Links:

Comments Thread for Back in the Barracks: Here
Original Barracks Under Fire Story: Here
Comments Thread for Barracks Under Fire: Here

NOTE: One important thing to note is that this story, unlike the first, has a lot of first-person narration in it. To distinguish the difference between the first person narration and the third-person narration, I am italicizing the first-person narration. While the story won't technically need this, anything italic is really meant to be a noir-like narrative and I wanted to distinguish it from the rest of the dialogue.

If you have any questions about this story, feel free to ask me in the comments thread, IM, PM, whatever. I recommend asking in the comments thread, though, so that everyone reading can benefit from the answers! I hope you enjoy the new story!

[EagleRock]

Back in the Barracks
A sequel to The Barracks Under Fire

by EagleRock

Prologue - Into Obscurity

The name's Coop83…Supreme Commander Coop83 to you. I'm the Lieutenant Chief Barracks Officer of the most prestigious Barrack in Newgrounds. The fact that I had to introduce myself means you probably aren't from around here. It also indicates you probably have no clue what the hell I'm talking about. So, I might as well bring you up to speed.

I arrived at this city about five years ago when I came over to the States from the UK. You'd be compelled to ask why, but I'm compelled to tell you, "Don't ask." Point is, I had a fresh start here and started to make a name for myself. I'd say this city is one of the best places in the world, but it sure as hell is a weird one to live in. I'd definitely say there's no other place like it.

Newgrounds, to put it simply, is the place to be if you're a Flash artist. There are other artists around here too, but Flash is what makes this town tick. Everything about this place revolves around the stuff. In fact, the city even went as far as to create a whole system for people to get their work seen by others, which they call the Flash Portal. Artists submit their work to Newgrounds, which releases their work through the Portal in the form of a robotic device with a screen and voting buttons on it. The robot patrols around the city parading the artist's work. People out on the streets get a view of the work and can cast their vote right on the device. Once enough people view and vote it, the Flash is given a final judgment. If it's well-enough liked, the work gets a spot in Newgrounds' Flash Galleries, but if not, well, it gets blammed, and that's that.

I know robots parading around town with a bunch of computer artwork sounds weird, but trust me…it is one of the best ways for aspiring artists to make a name for themselves. The only problem with this setup are the people that like to waste others' time and cause problems. As you'd probably guess, there are people that figure out how to hack these robots and turn them malicious. Also, there are people that submit hateful and harmful, stuff that normally wouldn't pass or would get flagged as unsuitable for Newgrounds. These people, however, gang up on the submission and "mass-vote" this thing to get it past judgment. Naturally the City Administrators have done what they could to stop crap like this, but it's like a never-ending chess match between them and these spammers, both sides constantly vying for control. That's where I come in.

There's another simple way we keep these damn Flash at bay, and it's an old-fashioned one at that: bring out the big guns. This city has developed special forms of ammo called blammunition which can blam or protect Flash from a distance. While most civilians are content with voting on Flash the normal way, there are those of us that wanted more firepower and the ability to serve the Portal more efficiently. People like that tend to get noticed. I got into the B/P business myself and eventually was accepted into the NGPD for my efforts. It wouldn't take much longer before I was called up to the Elite Guard and really got to play with the best firepower that Newgrounds had to offer. The Elite Guard is the army that is responsible for protecting the Portal and the citizens of Newgrounds day and night. It is this duty that I have taken upon myself some time ago, and still do today.

Anyway, it was about four years ago that my work in the Elite Guard led me into a new Barrack that was started up by a brand new Sergeant called EagleRock. It was unusual for such a low-ranked officer to start up his whole Barrack, but then again, Eagle was not your usual person. Most Elite Guard, especially the commissioned officers, were quite elitist and shunned basically everyone that was a lower rank than them, especially citizens. EagleRock had the opposite mentality. To him, anyone with an interest in protecting the Portal was a friend to the Elite Guard, and was welcome in his Barrack. His open-door policy stirred a lot of controversy in the Elite Guard, but it worked. His Barrack quickly became the largest in the city and was definitely the most popular among citizens. While we quickly formed alliances and friendships, it didn't take long for us to gain a good amount of enemies as well. In fact, we knew it was only a matter of time before the other shoe would drop.

It happened, all right. Two years ago, when our influence was at its highest. EagleRock was already a Supreme Commander, as well the majority of his Barrack. New Elite Guards were recruited by the day, and our allies were strong in will and in numbers. Strange things started to happen around Newgrounds, as the whole city was undergoing redesign. Mentions of the Elite Guard were eliminated, and no answers were given to anyone why these changes were made. Finally, one fateful night, twenty-six members of EagleRock's Barrack were taken hostage and interned in some underground facility. What would happen down there was plain and simple manslaughter.

It turns out some evil doppleganger of one of the Newgrounds Administrators managed to seize control of the city from the top-down, and wanted to systematically destroy his strongest opponents: the Newgrounds Moderation team, and the Elite Guard. The moderators were the Admins' personal team of lawmakers that kept order in the city. Taking out the figureheads of these two important groups would send a strong message to everyone else that they either need to fall in line or be killed. The matches themselves were broadcasted all across Newgrounds as a form of "entertainment," where everyone got to see Elite Guard pitted against Moderator in an armed skirmish based on the video game Counter-Strike. While we managed to defeat the enemy and pull through like we always have done, the results were catastrophic.

While twenty-six of us went into this battle, only five of us came out. Many of those killed were the real firepower and leadership of our Barrack, too…including EagleRock himself. The moderation team suffered worse, though…all of them were killed. Needless to say, losing so many important people would cripple the town. Wade and Tom Fulp, the two brothers that run this place, were quite grateful to be saved by us. Phantom, Eagle's former second-in-command, spoke up for the Barracks and agreed to help them rebuild the city government and recover.

At first, everything was great. EagleRock's Barrack was now considered the place where legends and heroes live. Phantom took over as Chief Barracks Officer and was in close communication with Wade and Tom for a period of time. They promised to reward us for our efforts, and we were indeed rewarded. Since selecting more moderators would take time, Wade gave us the authority to arrest and detain perpetrators on Newgrounds and get them into the hands of Wade and what would eventually be his new Moderation Team. Phantom was consulted personally on a regular basis by Wade and Tom during the town's cleanup. In fact, they went as far as to throw a parade for us on November 29th, 2007, the second year anniversary of the founding of EagleRock's Barrack.

Of course, as life goes, all good things had to come to an end. Newgrounds was still awash in corruption and terror in the streets, the General district being the worst section of them all. In fact, it got so bad that the Newgrounds Police Department eventually stopped going into the General district, as well as the Elite Guard. At this point, you'll scarcely see the moderators head down there. The place is an urban anarchy where your best chance of not getting murdered is by killing yourself instead.

The Barrack hasn't fared that well, either. Eventually our hero status faded into the night as Newgrounds all but forgot about us. The Moderators and Administrators barely deal with us anymore, except when we deliver the occasional criminal to their custody. The losses the Barrack suffered still hung heavy on everyone's heart, especially those that were in the skirmish themselves. Phantom, one of the five survivors, took it particularly bad. He eventually broke down and crawled into a bottle, never to come out. SlashFirestorm, Phantom's second-in-command, took over the Barracks and would do a good job of doing it, too. While he was one of the survivors as well, he didn't seem to take our ordeal as difficult as the others and was able to lead us on. Two other survivors, Andrea364 and PossiblePancakes, eventually quit the Barracks and retreated to some dark corner of this city.

We're still alive, though. We have almost a whole new roster of members and still do our duty, and do it well. I often find myself in charge of everyone as the second-in-command, since SlashFirestorm usually finds himself doing things that take him away from the Barracks. In fact, many of the members we have today weren't around for that skirmish we had and scarcely have any knowledge of it at all. I admit that I lament that the losses we had can so quickly fade into nonexistence in the minds of the new Barracks. However, I know for a fact that this is for the best.

EagleRock and the others that we lost were great people, but their legacy leaves a trail of pain for all that remember them. So far, out of all of the survivors, Slash is the only one that can take it. I'm one of those five, and I can tell you that I'll never get over it. The memories of being down there haunt me to this day, and I still turn over in my head countless ways we could have done things that could have saved a lot of the victims. A simple turn here, a faster reaction there…it all would have added up to a very different ending.

My life, in many ways, is better now than it was before we were thrown into that hellhole. Not only am I now Slash's Lieutenant, but I am also now part of the Moderation Team due to my efforts. However, it's blatantly obvious that all of the survivors left a part of their soul behind when we escaped those two years ago. I do what I do now to keep the spirit of the Barracks alive, as that is the least I can do for those that we lost down there. I can't bring them back. All I can do is make sure everything they stood for stays alive. I know, however, that it will never be enough.

End of the Prologue

[EagleRock]

Back in the Barracks

by EagleRock

Chapter 1 - Into the Night

SlntCobra1 thought to himself as he walked back in the rain after a long night out patrolling.

-----

Joining the Barracks was the most natural thing I could've done. It's in my soul to protect the Portal. Call me a goody-two-shoes if you will, but I'll be damned if some asshole tries to prey on the citizens of this town. It's the really malicious ones that I target. I'm the first one out there night after night ready to shine a light in the faces of those screwing around. My friends in the Barracks call me the "Watchdog of the Portal." It gives me a deep satisfaction that what I do really makes a difference to the millions of citizens that live here.

I will admit, though, that a bit more recognition would be nice. I work my ass off tirelessly going after these people, and what do I have to show for it? Sure, I was made a Portal Violations Officer, but what about my whistle status? What about how my fellow soldiers act towards me? I know I'm standing next to some of the greatest Elite Guard that ever lived, but dammit, I'm good at this. People say too much confidence in yourself is a bad thing. I say it's what takes you to greater heights.

-----

It was a night like any other night. It was raining as usual, and it was as cold, dark and dreary as it could get. Fitting for a city as cold as this one. I had just finished a long patrol covering the galleries, and found myself quite a few assholes that were being abusive to people's work. No one gets away with that shit on my watch. Speaking of watches, I checked the time. It was just before midnight.

I ambled up to EagleRock's Barrack and let myself in the front door. Nobody was around in the front lounge, so I walked all the way back into the rec room. The few members that were awake were all back there. It was quiet, though. All you could hear were a few billiard balls clacking together and the sound of the ball game scratching through the old TV in the back. Coop83 was there, lying down on a couch next to the TV, beer in hand, staring into the screen intently as usual. I don't know what the hell the man sees in baseball, but to each his own.

I plopped my tired body down into a particularly squishy couch. It was better than going right to bed. Tired as I was, seeing the shit people are willing to say about others' work gets me riled up. I had to wind down. I find sitting in a comfortable sofa for a half hour does the job quite nicely.

Without bothering to get up and turn around, Coop called out to me, "That you, Cobra?"

"Yeah, it's me. What's up?"

"Get over here. We gotta talk."

Shit. I just sat my ass down on this comfortable couch. "All right, fine." I grudgingly pulled myself off the couch and walked over to where the TV was. It was a sorry-ass 19" CRT that barely displayed images anymore. I wish they'd just get rid of that thing. Coop seemed to still be glued to it, watching the friggin' Yankees play again. The TV was so shitty that I couldn't even tell what team they were playing. I sat myself down in the couch that angled next to Coop's. "What?"

"Let's talk about General. You got any recent intel on it?"

"What's to know? People dying, malicious Flash rampant, the usual hell-hole of a district. What of it?"

"That's the problem. It's really getting bad over there. You have a plan on fixing it?"

"Fixing General? You're out of your fucking mind." He really was out of his fucking mind. Fixing General is like trying to declare world peace.

"Excuse me, soldier? Care to check that tone of yours?" Coop actually bothered to take his eyes off the screen for a few precious seconds to give me a bad look.

It wasn't nice having him stare back at me like that. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. But I can't say I get your drift, though. And why me?"

"Look, you're the Lieutenant Portal Violations Officer. It's your job. Phantomlassuk is out of town, so that means you're up."

"I get that just fine. But what do you mean? Fix ALL of General? The place is a war zone!"

"Yeah, and you're a soldier. Seems like a fit. Point is, if you ever want to be a commissioned officer around here, you better start acting like one. I'm sick and tired of having the soldiers around here shun away from General like the fucking plague is down there. It's time for everyone to start growing a pair and start doing what we're supposed to."

"I see your point. But how do you propose we start?"

"That's where you come in. General is full of goons and thieves. The true malicious citizens of Newgrounds. That's your department, as you seem to be our resident violations expert."

"Yeah, but aren't we understaffed to start patrolling General? We don't have enough soldiers to patrol the other districts as it is."

"This is true. Then why not do a little recon? Get some face time down there and show that General will be protected like any other district of this city."

"Yeah, but who around here has the balls to go into General?"

"Judging by how you talk around here all day and night, I'd say you."

Gulp. "Me? How many soldiers would I have with me?"

"Just you. We need to do recon, not stage a friggin' skirmish."

It was just what I needed. More shit to clean up. Now I get to fuck around in the worst place in America. "When do you want this thing to go down?"

"Tonight. Better head out now."

"Tonight?? Are you fucking SERIOUS?" A couple of people turned their heads at me. I didn't care "What the hell is this all about anyway?"

Coop stood up at that point. He didn't look happy. "Watch your tone, Sergeant. I'm tired of your posturing around here like you own the fucking place. You want to play with the big boys? Now's your chance to prove yourself. I expect some results tonight. Good intel, good reports, and you'd better have a detailed plan on how to start cleaning up General by week's end."

Someone started chuckling behind my back. I spun around to see who the hell it was, but they shut up pretty damn quick. Cowards. "Fine! You'll see. You better go sit back down, though. You might miss the next run the Yankees get."

I stormed off to the locker room to get armed. This would require some serious firepower. Who knows what the hell pissed off Coop. He always did this late at night when he was alone with his thoughts. Maybe the Yankees were losing. I really didn't care. All I know is that he was calling me out, and I would sure as hell put him in his place for embarrassing me like that. I stuffed my damp trench coat full of grenades and extra magazines of blammunition. I'd need it. I'd also need an energy drink. Or three. This was gonna be a long night.

-----

By the time the damn subway got me over to the General district, it was almost one in the morning. I was buzzing on my energy drinks, but I knew it wasn't going to last. Coop had better promote me for this. As I went up the stairs and out to the surface street, I was amazed at how bad the General district actually was. First off, there was not a car in the street. I guess no one was willing to take a chance getting their car jacked, defaced, stolen, or otherwise destroyed. There were tons of vagrants that were taking up residence in the streets. The place was desolate of any action besides the occasional snore or cough in the alleyways. No wonder no one came down here. This place wasn't scary. It was just plain depressing.

I started walking up the street towards what would be the far end of the Flash Portal. The Portal itself was huge. Most of it was in the General district, which comprised the whole Northeastern side of Newgrounds. The Portal basically lined the Northern side of the district. It was about two miles long, and it stretched all the way from the western end of the WI/HT district, into the General district, and all the way east near the city limits. It was no wonder so many malicious Flash got past judgment these days. No honest citizen would dare patrol this part of the Portal. They'd end up dead from a malicious user before they'd get two votes in.

I decided then it was best to try to do some Portal protection. Probably the best way to start cleaning up General, after all. It was time to set a little example that we're not taking their shit anymore and that we're reclaiming the Portal for the sake of the citizens. Time to give stand up and give credit to those that do right and stop these spammers from taking over. It sure as hell won't turn this place into friggin' Pleasantville overnight, but it'd be a start.

By the time I was approaching the Portal, I noticed another person striding down the street. The person was keeping quiet, but walked around like he owned the place. I knew he was up to something. Sure enough, he was headed straight for the Portal as well. I couldn't see him too well as he was wearing a black trench coat and was walking briskly. I started to follow him, as he probably was a mass-voter or a spammer ready to upvote some malicious Flash.

As would inevitably happen, I noticed a malicious Flash right down the street. I wasn't going to let this guy get away with letting it pass. I quietly pulled my rifle out of my coat and loaded a magazine, ready to shoot it into oblivion. However, before I could squeeze off a shot, the Flash was blammed in a blaze of gunfire. The man had a rifle of his own, and from the looks of it, it was some serious firepower. While he didn't upvote the flash like I expected him to, he must've had his reasons for being down here, and with a weapon like that, he was dangerous. I had no choice.

"Stop! This is the Elite Guard!" I trained my weapon on him and started to move toward him. The bastard basically disregarded me as he turned and started to run away, his trench coat bellowing behind him. Shit.

I gave chase as he ran straight for the Portal, and cut right onto the street that paralleled it. We were literally right next to the Portal at this point, running parallel to it. The faint glow of the Portal afforded me some contrasting shadows so I could see this guy in the rainy night. As I was running after him, some asshole spammers decided it was a great idea to release their crap through the Portal. One of them materialized in front of me and immediately turned and started to attack. I instinctively brought up my weapon and emptied a whole magazine of blammunition into it. It didn't drop easily, but at least it dropped. As the device fell to the ground, I continued to chase after the suspect as I reloaded my rifle. He was already outpacing me by half a block. Damn was this fucker fast.

The spam onslaught certainly made things difficult. They kept spawning all around us, making a fun little obstacle course that both of us had to dodge around. It was almost like these spammers knew we were there and specifically tried to stop us. It didn't show signs of stopping either, as all of a sudden five or six malicious Flash came out all at once and blocked the street. Luckily, they came through the Portal ahead of the suspect, so he was trapped. It would be good for me for sure: six flaggings and a criminal in custody. Say "hello" to a Deity Whistle and a nice promotion.

That's when things got weird. Not only did this guy not stop, he sprinted faster. As he dashed towards the malicious Flash, he jumped, did a flip over the Flash and landed behind them, barely breaking his sprint. Whoever this guy was, he was good. I had to stop myself when I realized I was about to slam into an army of malicious Flash that were now aiming for me. I lobbed a grenade at them, but I didn't bother to see the results of it. I turned right and ducked into a nearby alley, heading South and away from the Portal.

The alley was dark and it was hard to see. The buildings I was squeezed between were quite tall and didn't afford much breathing room. I shuffled down the alley as I noticed a few dark characters congregating towards the exit. I held up my rifle as I realized they weren't the welcome wagon.

"Step aside!" I shouted as they started to come closer. It was obvious they were armed as well, and were looking for trouble.

"You have a lot of balls coming down here, rookie. I thought you Elite Guard bastards learned it wasn't your place down here."

I was quick to reply in kind. "You'd better step aside before a bullet gets lobbed in your skull."

"If I were you I'd be worrying about your epitaph, not my skull." One of them lobbed a grenade towards me. I had to duck back behind a dumpster before the blast went off. Sure enough, the blast shook up the entire alley as it pushed the dumpster back on its wheels and knocked me back. Hearing shuffles down the alleyway, I scrambled to get up and rushed down an alley that branched out behind me, towards the east. As I was halfway down the alley, I realized I left my rifle behind. I rushed out the side of the alley, turned South and ran further away from the Portal. I noticed an entrance to the subway and made a mad dash for it.

By the time I reached the subway entrance, I flew down the stairs and took out my sidearm, loading it. I noticed a train was sitting at the station ready to depart, so I hopped the turnstile and rushed for one of the doors before it closed. As I hopped into the subway car, my heart was beating like a race horse and I was frantic. I quickly searched the car and noticed it empty, except for someone covered-up in a blanket in one of the seats. I immediately cocked my blam pistol, pointed it at him, and screamed "FREEZE!"

The person jumped up and screamed himself, throwing their hands in the air. He was speechless as he started at my pistol trained on his forehead. The person was obviously a vagrant that was sleeping in the subway car overnight, and probably scared to death by my entrance. I stood there several seconds staring at him, as my brain was trying to catch up to my body. The only sounds you could hear were my panting and the noise of the subway train clanking away from the station. I eventually uncocked my weapon, dropped it, and panted out a "sorry" to the person.

My heart slowing down, I limped over to a seat on the far end of the car and plopped down. The humming along of the subway car was a welcomed silence over the action that took place by the Portal, and it was obvious General wasn't the place to take your constitutional walk. It made my mind turn to think about that guy I was chasing. Who the hell was he, and why the hell was he going around blowing up malicious Flash like that? It didn't make sense to me. He sure didn't act like he was a malicious person, but what citizen gets ahold of a rifle like that? I didn't get a good look at it, but it was obviously contraband. Only the serious gangs down there had the ability to pull that kind of firepower, and as I learned pretty damn quickly, anyone going around protecting the Portal was a target for half the friggin' population down there. All I know is that I was getting a headache trying to wrap my head around it.

I checked my watch again. It was 2:03 AM. What a night. Here I could be sleeping by now, but instead I'm in some dingy subway car waiting for it to take me all the way back to the C&C section back in the middle of town. I rested my head back on the glass behind me as I stared up at the ads that lined the car. Stupid shit, too. There were ads for the latest work from illwillpress, like people didn't know about Neurotically Yours already. There was also a nice banner for Time Fcuk, which was apparently the latest adopted work by the NG Admins. Not to mention some ad for Billy Mays' Portal-Clean, whatever the hell that was. Stupid shit that kept the masses complacent, I guess. What a city to live in.

It was encroaching 3AM by the time I dragged myself back to the Barracks. When I got inside, it was dark and quiet. I headed back to the rec room to see if anyone was there. The only light left on in that room was the light of that shitty TV crackling in the back. Sure enough, Coop was still lying on his couch dead asleep, beer still in hand. I headed to the locker room to stash what was left of my gear, and headed upstairs to my bunk. What a night.

End of Chapter 1

[EagleRock]

Back in the Barracks

by EagleRock

Chapter 2 - Reinstatement

Inside the Barracks Records room, ismael92 was alone, going over the latest roster update.

Good thing Lizzardis did this last update…I didn't have the energy to do it yesterday. I spent the day going over previous rosters and managing the archives, only to come across rosters from the start of the Barracks…all the way back from 2005. This Barrack was a lot different back then. As a matter of fact, it was weird seeing all of the old members back in their heyday. I even saw SlashFirestorm's first roster appearance as a new Elite Guard Private. He didn't Private for long, though. The abilities of these people back in the day were crazy. I wish I could've seen Slash in action back then.

It got to me, you know. Looking back at these rosters, and all the people that died. The original Barrack roster was full of superstars by today's standards. Most of them were Supreme Commander by the time that Battle Royale started. It's unfortunately that by now this story, despite the fact the 47 people died and the fact that all of Newgrounds was hijacked, is ancient history. It's amazing what people will not think about to keep themselves complacent with life. Only people like Lizz, Coop, and myself are the ones that think about this stuff nowadays: the ones that keep our noses in the records all day long.

I will say this about being the Records Officer: I love it, but man is it a thankless job. People sure do appreciate having a nice updated roster all the time with as much info you'd care to know, but it doesn't do you well to keep your head stuffed into a bunch of books and spreadsheets all day long. I don't go out on the Portal as much as I'd like since I'm so busy in the Records Room all the time. As such, I haven't really advanced as much as I'd like to. I'm still just a Staff Sergeant, and advancing is hard for me. I do get a lot of respect around here, which is nice, but I'll be damned if I'll ever make Supreme Commander like this.

-----

I was just finishing up checking over Lizz's work for the month. Damn good job, actually. As I was archiving the roster, I heard a bit of a commotion outside. I filed away the latest entry and headed out of the Records Room into the front lounge of the Barracks. When I entered the main lounge, I found Lieutenant CBO Coop talking on the phone. He sure sounded happy to be talking to whoever he was talking to. I only started listening in on the middle of the conversation, though:

"Okay, okay, calm down. Tell me what you saw. … What? … Who? … You're talking crazy, you know that? … That's impossible! … Look, you're talking about ancient history here. You know for a fact you couldn't have-- … Whatever. So what else did you need to tell me? … Really? … Both of them? … Well, whatever the hell you saw really knocked some sense into you people. I sure can be glad for that. But I don't think-- … Look, I don't have time for this. Just get your ass back here and we'll talk then. But I don't want to hear about that anymore! And don't you dare bring it up around here. You know what that would-- … God dammit, stop this! You KNOW it was not him, and nothing will bring them back. You're smarter than that, dammit! … Look, you really need to lay off the sauce, man. It's screwing you in the head. … Just get back here, all right? … Yeah, your setup is still here. … Yes, I'll get them set up too. … All right, great. See you then."

Coop just sat down for a second with his head in his hands. He then lifted his head up and stared at me. He then got up and started walking towards me and the Records Room entrance.

"Ismael, I need you in the Records Room." Ugh, this couldn't be good. I walked into the room with him and sat down at the table in the center of the room with him. Coop immediately started the conversation. "Well, obviously you heard part of that conversation, so let me fill you in a bit better. That was Phantom that called.”

“Wow, really? What'd he want?”

“He called to tell me about some revelation he just had. He was acting all happy and glee about it, too.”

“Wow, that's not like him at all. Was he drunk or something?"

"No, actually. He sure sounded sober to me. But he said that because of this revelation of his, he is coming back to the Barracks full-time."

"Really? Wow, that's great! He's a hell of a soldier. Having him on active duty again will boost our power considerably. It'll probably give morale a nice kick, too."

"I agree. The man is a B/P machine. He deserves the utmost respect around here, too, even if he does have a drinking problem."

"Well, I guess I can understand that. From what I've read about what you guys dealt with, it must really have been brutal."

I think I hit a nerve with Coop at that point. He looked downtrodden all of a sudden and started staring down at the ground. "You'll never know what we go through from day to day. I'm not happy that Phantom took refuge in a whisky bottle over it, but I can't say I blame the man. He took the weight of the Barracks on his shoulder with a heavy heart the very day we got out."

This begged a question I probably shouldn't have asked, but I did it anyway. "Sir, I don't mean to ask stupid questions, but why did it affect the survivors so much? I've seen my fellow soldiers fall and it never really affected me....not to that degree, anyway. Obviously I mourn for those lost, but this whole thing practically destroyed you all."

Coop sighed as he rested back in his chair, letting the front legs come off the ground as he looked up at the ceiling. "You'd have to have been there and been a part of it to understand, ismael. It wasn't like we walked on out to a random battlefield somewhere and decided to fight these people. We were trapped.” Coop let out another large sigh as he continued. Talking about it was obviously difficult for him. “In all honesty, Wadolf really had the opportunity to kill us at any second if he so chose. It was only due to his sadistic nature of wanting to play around and torture us that we're alive today.”

“Say no more, Coop. I understand completely, and I'm sorry to have brought it up. I know it's tough to talk about, sir.” I understood at that point exactly what they went through. I'd never feel the pain, but I understand why they were all hurt as bad as they were...they were toys. They were basically tossed around by Wadolf like a cat bats around a mouse before the inevitable kill. No wonder everyone eventually broke down because of it. Hell, even I couldn't help getting depressed just thinking about it...I can only imagine how Coop really felt.

“It's okay, ismael. I understand your curiosity. I'd rather people know about the story, as long as it won't be a terminal buzzkill for them. Anyway, Phantom said that this big revelation of his was that he met someone out on the street in the General district, and apparently this guy talked some sense into him.”

“Huh? Just some random guy out on the street? That makes no sense.”

“That's the funny part. This guy had an Elite Guard issued rifle with Phantom's tag on it. He gave it to him right there on the street.”

“Really? How the hell did he manage to get a hold of that?”

“That's what bothers me. I was here when he turned in that weapon, and I saw him give it to Slash.”

“I dunno, sir. That sounds kinda fishy to me. Slash isn't the kind of guy that just lets random Elite Guard weaponry leak out on the street.”

“I know, ismael. I don't know what to make of it either. But I believe Phantom for sure. Or at least if it's made up, he believes it himself.”

I gotta admit I'm wondering to myself what Slash is doing all the time outside of the Barracks. I'd dare not say anything to Coop, though. “Well, however he got Phantom's rifle, who was this guy?”

“I—I'd rather not say. It sounded like Phantom was confused about it, and I'd rather not stir up controversy over it.”

“As you wish, sir. So I should update the records and indicate Phantom is back on active duty?”

“Yes, ismael.” Just then, Lizzardis walked into the room with papers in his hand. He stopped when he saw the two of us conversing and saluted.

“Sorry, sirs. I didn't know you were having a conversation in here.”

“No, it's okay, Lizz. Ismael and myself were just talking about some soldiers that are returning to active duty. We were working out the details.”

“Great news, sir! Who is returning?”

Lizzardis sat down at the table and plopped some papers down. Looked like copies of his latest roster. I replied to him, “Supreme Commander Phantom is returning to active duty, Lizz.”

“Wow! It'll be great seeing him around again!”

Coop chimed in as well. “That's right, Lizz. However, there's something else. Apparently Phantom ran into two old Barracks members in General that night and they're coming back with him.”

Lizz looked like he was in shock. “Really? Two more members as well? Who?”

“PossiblePancakes and Andrea364.”

Holy shit. Three survivors coming back to the Barracks. As good as this was to hear, I had pangs of doubt as to whether this would be good for the Barracks or bad. I mean, after all, these people were royally scarred. Either way, I wouldn't bring it up to Coop again. Instead, I just replied, “Great news, sir! I'll prepare bunks and update the records as well. Am I just bringing them back into active duty?”

“Yep. Same ranks and all. Phantom mentioned they've been B/Ping all night in General and are ready to return. He said expect them in an hour or so.”

Lizz was elated. “This is great news! Best news for the Barracks in a while!”

“Wow...tough bastards they are,” I added.

“Nah...General isn't that bad. Everyone just thinks it is. That reminds me...I sent out Cobra to check out General last night. Time to get a report from him.” Coop got picked up the phone on the nearby desk and activated the PA system.”

“This is LCBO Coop83 speaking. Sergeant Cobra, please report to the Records Room immediately. Coop out.” The PA System crackled off as Coop hung up the phone. “We'll see what he came up with last night.”

That sounded a bit crazy to me. “Sir, you sent Cobra into General by himself? Isn't that suicide?”

“Quite the contrary, ismael. He's an Elite Guard. He can hold himself in a skirmish. So can all of you, you know. The problem with the soldiers around here are that you're all too scared of General to even step foot near it. We need to change this.”

Just then, SlntCobra1 knocked on the door and entered. He looked embarrassed and not too happy to be here. “Sit down, Cobra,” Coop said sternly. Cobra did so. “So tell me what you found out there, huh? How'd it go?”

Cobra didn't look like he wanted to speak at all. “Nothing much, sir. Just what I expected. Malicious Flash are rampant out there, and there are people that want to kill you left and right.”

“How'd you hold up down there? Catch any perpetrators?”

“No, sir.”

“I heard you came running back to C&C with your tail between your legs and less one NCO-grade blam rifle.”

Cobra hung his head in shame. Lizzardis chuckled quietly to himself. Coop immediately turned towards him and said, “You think this is funny, Sergeant?”

Lizz's face went from giddy to pale. “N—no, sir. I was just laughing at how you described it. I mean--”

“You can laugh at all you want, Lizzardis, but it takes balls to go into General all by yourself and come back alive.” Cobra raised his head up at hearing this. Coop turned toward him. “Cobra, know that I sent you there for a reason. I knew it would be rough, but knew you'd make it out no problem.”

“But sir, I lost my--”

“There are other rifles in the armory you can take, Cobra. Issue yourself one later. The point is, you made it back in one piece, and shook things up a bit over there.”

“Shook things up, sir? But I barely lasted out there without needing to turn and run.”

“Yeah, but put yourself in their shoes. Things are going great, they scare off the NG Police, they scare off the Elite Guard, and they even scare off the NG Moderators. Now, all of a sudden, you show your face alone, with no backup, with nothing but a rifle in your hands. What do you think is going through their minds right now?”

Coop's ideas were becoming very clear to me. I had to chime in at this point. “They're going to expect more of us. And they are worried we're going to come back in larger numbers.”

“Exactly, ismael. You stole the words out of my mouth. Don't you see what you did just by showing face, Cobra? You're stirring the pot.” Cobra managed a weak smile. “However, I did send you down there for another reason. I don't think it's a secret that you've been acting real cocky around here and it's been getting to people. Now, there is something to be said about having confidence in yourself, but there is also something to be said about overconfidence. One of these can take you far in this life. The other can get you killed. Get my drift?”

It became a bit clearer to me why Coop sent Cobra out like he did. He was killing two birds with one stone. It looks as though Cobra figured it out, too, as his face sobered. He looked back up at Coop and said, “I understand, sir. You've made your point.”

“Good, Cobra. I knew you would get it. However,” continued Coop, “There is still the business of figuring out where to go next. Now, tell me about what you did down there, Cobra. What came to mind once you entered the district?”

“Well, the first thing I thought of was going to the Portal itself and giving the Flash down there some fair votes. I figured the only people voting down there were malicious and that tossing in some fair votes might send a message.”

Coop rested back in his chair again and popped a big smile. “Damn good idea, Cobra! See? This is why I sent you down there. So what happened when you did that?”

“Well, to be honest, when I was running along the Portal, malicious Flash were popping up left and right around me. It was almost like the authors knew I was there and knew where to strike.”

Why would he be running along the edge of the Portal? Something must've happened for him to be doing that. I chimed it to get some clarification. “Wait, running along the Portal? What do you mean?”

“Oh yeah. The guy that I was chasing. Some guy I saw down there that was attacking malicious Flash himself. I dunno who he was, but he had this black trenchcoat on and was sporting some weaponry I've scarcely seen before, even around here. I tried to stop him, but he was too fast for me. I ended up getting bogged down by the Flash and had to run off in the process.”

Coop just stared back at Cobra. He looked like he just got hit by a bus. “That's enough Cobra. I want you back down there tonight. I need you to find this person now.” It was obvious this guy was bothering Coop quite a bit. I wonder if it has to do with Phantom?

Cobra sunk down in his chair. “Again, sir? It was quite exhausting and took a lot out of me, sir.”

“I know, Sergeant. Don't worry, I have full faith in your abilities. Besides, you'll have support this time.”

“That's good, sir. Who will come with me?”

Coop sported a little smile out of the side of his face. “How about chuckles over here? Lizz, you're going with him.”

Lizz's jaw dropped. “M—me, sir?”

“Oh, yes. You two have fought side-by-side for a while. You'd make a great team out there. Just stay near by each other, keep in communication via radio, and keep yourselves safe.” Coop stood up as he walked towards the door. “And if you see that person down there again, I want him under military arrest and brought back here immediately.”

Coop walked out of the door and slammed it. I don't know what the hell got into him, but obviously that guy from General was pissing him off. He must have been the same person Phantom saw down there, which is why he didn't want to talk about it. I know Phantom has been a drunkard as of late, but it's not like him to get confused about stuff like that. Coop dismissed it like it was nothing, but there has to be more to it than that. Oh well. If anyone in this Barrack has a knack for having trouble come to them, Lizz and Cobra were the men for job.

...Shit. I just realized that Lizz would be out all night. Looks like I'll need to handle all the roster changes myself. Another night holed up in the Records Room for me...
End of Chapter 2

[EagleRock]

Back in the Barracks

by EagleRock

Chapter 3 – Remembrance

Coop83 was upstairs in his quarters, thinking over the events of the day.

I don't know why Phantom had to do this...he knows better than this, dammit! The man is level headed, yet when he gets that damn booze in him, he could see anyone or do anything. What a waste. Now he's going around drudging up the past as if he can change it. Nothing can change the past. Nobody can do it over. No one will come back from the dead. That's it, and that's final. There are few inevitabilities in this life. Trying to go against them is the last refuge of the weak and pitiful.

I had enough of this. I had to clear my head and center myself. If there's one thing I'll never do in this life, it is let the Barracks down. Others might crack under the pressure or abandon their post, but I'll be here, leading this place day in and day out. That's what I do. I'm sure Slash has is reasons for being out of the Barracks so often, and I'm sure there's a good reason that he won't tell us anything about it. However, I have no excuse to leave my post, and I won't crack under the pressure, either.

Some time out of the Barracks would help, though. Get some fresh air and clear my head. I know what I'll do. It's time to pay my respects to the dead. I haven't been to the cemetery in a while, and the trip would probably help me think things over. Even though it's 1800 hours already, I don't mind going out at night. An hour or two out there will hopefully give me some focus on what to do next.

And hell, the Yanks don't start until 9.

-----

Lizzardis was downstairs getting ready to head out to the General district with SlntCobra1. He took time to collect his own thoughts.

I know I shouldn't have laughed like that. It was a knee-jerk reaction from all the times we joked around. It was just the four of us: Krev, Cobra, Chop, and Lizz. We were comrades in the Newgrounds Police Department and we all eventually moved up to the Elite Guard. Unfortunately, Krev eventually left for her own reasons, and PorkChop left recently as well. Now it's just the two of us left. I mean, there are others in the Barracks we pal around with, like Supreme Commander ByteSlinger, but it's not the same. I mean, the soldiers in the Barracks are great and are our friends, but it's not the same as a tight-knit group that you've been a part of for so long.

I find that my own image in the Barracks seems to be one of a light-hearted guy, which unfortunately leads people to believe I'm not to be taken seriously. I've been referred to at one point as a guy that was “like a puppy dog.” Well, personally I think that's bullshit. Young I may be, and light hearted I am as well, but that doesn't make me weak and powerless. Even though Krev always called me “Tiny Lizz,” I'm still not to be underestimated. I can handle a rifle, and I've taken a serious oath to this Barrack. I will defend it and Newgrounds with my life, no matter what gets in my way.

-----

“You ready to go, Lizz?” Cobra finished arming himself. If he wanted to try to fit any more weaponry underneath that trenchcoat, it'd probably require the assistance of the space-time continuum.

“Jeez, Cobra, did you bring enough guns? You're not Neo, you know.”

“I'm not taking any chances. It was rough out there yesterday, and I don't see why it won't be today.”

“Right, right. Can you even move under there?”

“I'm fine, Lizz. Let's just get the hell out of here. It's already past six. It'll be dark by the time we get over there.”

“Fair enough.” We exited the Barracks, stocked to the brim with blammunition. Cobra got ballsy and decided it was wise to take 2 rifles and no less than 5 pistols with him, but I'm satisfied with my own rifle. It may be standard issue and the same one the new recruits get, but damn if it isn't reliable. When I made it to Sergeant, they offered me the standard-issue NCO rifle, but I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

We headed on down to the subway, ready to take the train over to General. The usual people were down in the train station checking tickets and whatnot, giving us a wave as we passed. Cobra and I were usuals for taking the subway around Newgrounds, and it gave people a good feeling to see us around. The Barracks might not have a great amount of face-time around here, but anyone that sees us around knows we're here to protect the Portal. As such, most citizens are always happy to see us walking around. The honest ones, anyway.

Cobra and I talked a bit about our marching orders as the train went by, keeping to ourselves of course to prevent anyone from hearing us. Not that what we were doing was strictly confidential, but it isn't wise to telecast your intentions for any convenient ear to pick up on. Time bled on as the train slowly crept across the city, eventually bringing us deep into the General district.

By the time we exited the train, we were back on the far end of Newgrounds again. You could tell, too. While none of these train stations in this city could be called anything close to “clean,” this place was obviously stretching the definition of “dirty” to new heights. Or lows, I should say. We stepped out to find only a handful of people walking around, all rushing around, scared as usual. As we were ready to exit out of the turnstiles, a Portal Security officer guarding the station saw us. While we had our long coats on, our weapons weren't exactly hidden. The officer immediately grabbed his radio and reached for his weapon. Cobra and I almost instinctively flashed our badges to the officer, who immediately relaxed and saluted us.

Man, was he relieved as ever. I can't imagine being a Portal Security officer trying to guard this place. That'd be like trying to stop a freight train with a rubber band. I mean, not that the Portal Security officers can't do their job, but who'd expect such a rookie to last down there? I can't imagine how many of these people end up dead down there. What a sordid state of affairs this is.

Anyway, as we passed the turnstiles, we slowly ascended to the street level. Sure enough, it was close to 1900 hours already, and the setting sun afforded little illumination to the area. The large, smoked out buildings that surrounded us didn't help, either. It may not have been sunset yet, but it might as well have been midnight.

-----

Coop83 had made it to the Newgrounds Cemetery which was located on the Southeastern side of Newgrounds, down in the eastern section of the Flash Gallery district.

Man is this place just plain depressing. I mean, not that cemeteries are meant to be happy and jovial attractions, but I'm surprised people can even walk through here without breaking down. Here I am a Supreme Commander who has been in worse spots than most, and I still can't get through this place without driving myself crazy. It really starts to hit me as I come up to the section reserved for the Elite Guards fallen in battle. Seeing the rows of fallen soldiers is hard to stomach, especially when I reach my destination at the edge of the cemetery.

There they were. Seven stones across, three stones deep. The twenty-one graves of the Elite Guard soldiers that fell. They were stuck all the way in the back, but it was a special spot, I admit. The graves had their own small hill that they rested on, with two white oak trees on either side. Still, I feel like no amount of special care will ever make up for what these people went through. I still wish I could've done more to this day.

There was EagleRock's grave, right in the middle of the first row. His gravestone was simple, but told the story:

Supreme Commander EagleRock
Died: 20 August 2007

“For the Protection of the Portal”

By now, the sun was completely set and the cemetery was washed in darkness. Yet another night had come upon this city. I stood there, ready to speak to EagleRock and the rest, as if they could hear me. I didn't care if they couldn't. I had to say it anyway.

“Sirs, I'm so sorry for what happened. I still feel like we could've done more. It bothers me to this day that I feel like there might have been away to get you out of this, and yet here you all rest. I am at a loss at what to do at this point in my life. I try to move on day to day, but it gets harder as they go by. I wish I could have some form of guidance to move me forward. I wish I could run this place as easy as you seemed to be able to. If you hear me now, please, please, give me some kind of sign.”

I knelt down and touched the two graves which were closest to me, EagleRock, and Sentio's. I bowed my head in reverence, closed my eyes, and proceeded to say a small prayer. As I finished, I kept my head bowed. I then heard someone walking up to me break a twig under their feet. I quickly shot up and spun around to see someone lurking behind, staring at me and the graves around me. I couldn't see the person at all, but the second they saw me spin around, they took off and ran.

I immediately gave chase. I had no clue who he was, or if he was the same guy Cobra and Phantom saw the other day. Either way, there was no way in hell this guy was getting away from me.

-----

Lizzardis started patrolling the General district along with SlntCobra1.

“Okay, just like we said, Cobra. Let's get to the Portal and start from there. If we stick together and watch our backs, we'll be able to hold our own for the night.”

“Right. Follow me. I'll take you down where I met that guy and got that flood of malicious Flash.”

Cobra started walking North towards the Portal. The streets around here were surprisingly barren, and even at 7PM, when late rush hour usually kicks around the area, the place was deserted. I'm sure it wasn't that much busier during the day, either. You really wouldn't believe how shitty it was down here.

Anyway, by the time we reached the Portal, there was no sign of any Flash or anyone in the nearby area, save for the standard group of stray vagrants living in the alleyways. Both Cobra and I locked and loaded our weapons as we stared at the huge Portal that stood in front of us.

“So, now what?” I asked Cobra.

“To be honest, I really don't know...I mean, when I came here last, I barely got near this thing without getting bombarded by Flash left and right. Maybe we should patrol around for a bit.”

“Good idea. Did you want to split up a bit? We can stay on this street, just head a block away on each side. Either one of us should have decent range to support the other in case something serious happens.”

Cobra kind of gulped at what I said. “I guess we can do that. Just stay in sight. I don't want to lose you out here.”

“All right. You take the right, I'll take the left.” I started patrolling down the street as Cobra slowly slunk away in the other direction. We were both quiet and barely making a sound. Having full city combat gear and boots with soft rubber soles kept us damn near invisible out here, even to each other. The last gloaming bit of twilight had already put itself away over the horizon as I scoped around the area. The Portal was to my right, glowing in the darkness, barely illuminating the street which had no benefit of street lights. Good.

Cobra started radioing me. “Hear anything over there?”

“Nothing yet.”

“Just keep me posted Lizz. Holler if you need me. Cobra out.”

I had to squint to try to acclimatize my eyes to how dark it was out here. Staring at the Portal, despite the fact that its glow is subtle, can kill your night vision rather quickly. I kept going forward, not seeing sight or sound of a Flash. That's when I heard some distant shooting noises a block or two ahead of me.

Immediately, I took to a quiet run, following the source of the noises. My heart beat loudly as I carried myself carefully down the street towards the source of the noise. By the time I reached the street it was coming from, I crept up to the corner ahead and stopped just before the intersection opened up.

As I peeked around, I saw no less than 5 malicious Flash attacking a person wrapped up in a trenchcoat. He was moving very quickly and was forced to constantly dodge all forms of attacks from these Flash: body blows, electrical shocks, you name it. Anything that a robot could conceivably do to attack a human being was being done here, and it was quite obvious it was personal.

This person moved quick, though. Quick enough that these robots couldn't get a single blow on him. He kept up the dance, sporting nothing but a .50 caliper blam pistol, which he used to systematically take down the Flash one by one. I think he even punched his hand through one of the screens of the Flash. Either way, this guy wasn't to be trifled with. Whoever he was, he knew what he was doing. This had to be the one that Cobra met up with yesterday. I still couldn't understand why Coop was so interested in arresting this guy, as he seems to be doing good for the Portal, not bad. May Coop wanted to scout him. Maybe he knew him. Either way, I had to bring this guy in. I caught myself starting at him in awe as he skillfully handled all of the flash singlehandedly, with not a scratch. Once all the Flash were destroyed, he took to reloading his pistol, holstering it, and starting towards the Portal.

As he approached the corner I was hiding behind, I carefully positioned my rifle in prime position for attack. When the timing was right, I jumped out from around the corner, gun in hand, screaming out, “FREEZE! HANDS IN THE AIR, DAMMIT!” As if guided by instinct, the person grabbed inside of his trenchcoat and flung his arm forward. As the side of his trenchcoat artistically bellowed away from him and behind him like a cape, it revealed a rather large rifle, locked and loaded. With only one hand, he held out this weapon and pointed it straight at my head. The street lamp behind him showed off exactly how powerful the rifle was, complete with scope, laser sight, extended clip, and just about anything you could conceivably snap on a rifle.

Gulp. Now I see what they meant back when I made Sergeant. I really would've appreciated the more powerful rifle right now.

-----

Coop83 started to give chase after the person that was lurking behind him in the cemetery.

There was no way in hell I was letting this mope get away. I've been through too damn much in this life to let someone get the best of me. It happened two years ago, and I'll be damned if it will ever happen again. I don't care if it costs me my life, I'm going to find out who that fucker was.

As I darted through the rows of headstones around me, I made sure never to lose track of the guy. I slowly but surely was gaining on him, as he tried to twist and turn around the graves. He wasn't as fast as Cobra described him, but he sure didn't want to be seen, I can tell you that. I've seen people run when their lives were in the balance, and this one was doing just that.

I have no clue why he was lurking around the graves he was, but this person made a big mistake. Wrong place, wrong time. His ass was mine, no doubt about it. The cemetery was too large and he was in too open of an area to escape. Besides, if necessary, I had my sidearm ready to shoot. There was no way in hell he was getting away.

We were running for a good five minutes. Muscle fatigue was setting in, but there was no way I was stopping. He didn't seem to show signs of stopping either, but I was still gaining on him. By now I was a mere five feet away, which seemed miles away considering the pace of the chase. He wasn't wearing a trenchcoat like Cobra said, but he was someone with something to hide. If he wasn't our man, he sure is someone that doesn't want to be found.

Eventually, he made a mistake. Not looking at the ground, he managed to stumble on a low grave. Tripping forward, he had the agility to stay on his feet, but it was too late, I doubled my speed and tackled him to the ground as hard as I could. Sidearm out, I cocked it and put it to the back of his head, screaming in his ear. He dare not budge as I barked orders for him to put his hands behind his back . After I cuffed him and he was sufficiently secured, I pulled him up and spun him around, all the while still at gunpoint. Since there were no lights around, it was too dark for me to see his face.

It was time to find out who this fucker was once and for all. I reached behind me on my belt and released the flashlight I kept with me. I switched it on and shone it in his face.

When I saw who it was, I took a step back. I couldn't believe my eyes.

End of Chapter 3

[EagleRock]

Back in the Barracks

by EagleRock

Chapter 4 – Recognition

Coop83 stared at the person he was chasing through the cemetery.

I couldn't believe who I was standing in front of. I couldn't even think. All I could do was speak.

“T...T...TheThing?”

TheThing sighed at me and lowered his head. “Yes, sir. It's me.”

I still was barely able to comprehend what just happened here. “Why in the hell were you running away from me? Don't you know how relieved I am to see you alive?”

“I—I know, sir. But I had to run.”

“But why? I don't get it, Thing. You die in one of those skirmishes, yet now I see you've been alive this whole time? How is that even possible?

“To be honest, sir, I never died in that match. I was wounded pretty badly, but I faked death. I knew I wasn't going to be of any help in the skirmish, so I figured I could try to stage something afterwards to save us.”

My heart was pumping even more from this news than it was from the running we just did. “Go on. Tell me what else happened! How did you escape?”

“Well, I waiting until nightfall when I assumed everyone would leave the map. I figured I could do something to get out of there, but I was caught by a moderator that was cleaning up all the dead bodies.”

“And?”

“Well, I lucked out. It was Denvish. He didn't seem too keen on the whole thing, so he wanted to help me out.”

“Really? What'd he do?”

“He took me out to the dumpster trucks that carried out the 'leftovers' and told me when and where to jump out. The driver never even saw me. I was back in the city, and I was free. Denvish instructed me to lay low and assume a pseudonym if I wanted to stay alive.”

“Interesting...but still...why still hide yourself from the Barracks at this point? The Battle Royale has been over for two years!”

“Well, I was ordered to, sir.”

“Ordered to stay away from us?”

“Precisely. I can't go into details, either. In fact, I shouldn't have even let you catch me.”

“It's kind of late for that now. But regardless, this is still great news. I mean, if you're alive, there must be other survivors!”

“Well, sir, I wouldn't bother to go looking.”

“Why? If you made it through, there could conceivably be more that are still alive. Not all of the bodies were recovered, you know.”

“I know, sir. But...trust me. Don't go looking.”

-----

Lizzardis had his rifle trained at the head of the mystery man at point blank range. The man had his own considerably larger rifle pointed right back at Lizzardis.

“T—This is Elite Guard! I demand you drop your rifle immediately!” This guy was intimidating as hell. How he managed to keep that monster of a rifle trained at me with one hand was a mystery to me. I just hoped he was all show and no go.

“Is that supposed to impress me? You seem a bit jumpy at this, newbie. How long are they training you nowadays before putting you out to the slaughter?”

Man this guy was making me pissed. “I am Sergeant First Class Lizzardis, and I don't care whether you're impressed or not. I care about you dropping that rifle and putting your hands in the air.”

“An SFC using a pea-shooter like that? Don't make me laugh. Do you really go around the Portal protecting it with that thing?”

“Don't laugh. It only takes one shot to the head to kill you, you know. This gun is like an extension to my hand.”

“That's all well and good, Elite Guard Sergeant First Class Lizzardis. Now turn around and leave me alone.”

Now he's mocking me. “Negative. I need to bring you in.”

“I love your undying optimism here, but you're not in the position to be barking orders, Sergeant. Besides, even if you were, would you mind telling me the charge?”

“That weapon is restricted from citizens and I'm required to bring you in for using it.”

“First off, I'd like to see you try. Second off, how do you know I'm not authorized to use it?”

“You'd have a hard time convincing me you're permitted to use that rifle. Guns of that stature are only allowed to be used by Generals of the Elite Guard. Now I tire of this back and forth. Show me your hands!”

I heard him sigh audibly. I couldn't see his face, as he conveniently had a hood on. The street lamp behind him was bright enough, but his hood framed his face just right to cover it in shadow. His voice seemed to turn apologetic at this point. “I don't want to kill you. That's not why I am here. I suggest you leave me alone.”

“I am an Elite Guard of EagleRock's Barrack. I will protect this Portal and Newgrounds with my dying breath. If you want to stop me, you'll need to kill me.”

“Don't tempt me. I just might.” The man then quickly drew a sidearm with his other hand and shot a round of blammunition about 1 inch away from my right foot.

I probably jumped about a foot in the air when he did that. It took me completely by surprise. You'd think I could've reacted in a better way. I mean, here I am, an Elite Guard, gun in hand. This guy, however, was just plain fast. I knew for a fact that I couldn't beat him in a firefight. He was accurate, too. My rifle started to visibly shake at this point. “L—look. You say you are qualified to use that rifle. Simple. Just prove it, and all this will go away.”

“No.” His answer was quick and emotionless. I had to think quick. Thoughts rushed through my head as I tried to formulate a plan. I processed every single tactic, strategy, and scenario that my brain could manifest. It eventually came to one feasible result: an ultimatum. I knew what I had to do, but my brain gave pause to consider the choice.

There comes a time in a man's life when he might be presented with a situation that results in a life-or-death decision. It is something that is indescribable. The emotions that run through your mind turn the sands of time into molasses, as every millisecond crawls by waiting for the inevitable to occur. As the situation pans out, there are only two outcomes that will be a result of it. One points to life, one to death. I knew that making an ultimatum would bring me to that crossroad.

I am a member of the Elite Guard. I have sworn to protect the Portal with my life. I will not falter from that duty. If that duty results in my death, so be it. I re-trained my aim with my rifle and steadied my hand. It was time. “Last chance to drop that gun and show some ID. I'm counting to three. I WILL pull the trigger.”

No response from the guy. My heart was pumping adrenaline like it was no tomorrow. Time was almost at a stop. “One.”

I started at the person in front of me whose face was still covered by shadow. I couldn't read his thoughts or do a damn thing to figure out how he was responding. I was normally used as a specialist when it came to psychological tactics, but without a face to read, I was lost. “Two.”

Time just wasn't ticking at all. The person wasn't budging. There was nowhere else to go. Life or death. “Th--”

“All right, fine.” He lowered his weapon. My heart dropped into my stomach. What a relief.

“Let's see some ID, then, shall we?” The person lazily reached into his back pocket and tossed a wallet at me. I let go of the rifle with my left hand to catch the wallet in mid-air. Keeping my gun trained on him, I inspected the wallet from the light down the street. This wallet has seen better days for sure.

I flipped it open to see what was inside. Shocked as I was, it was a Supreme Commander badge shining back at me. In stark contrast to the state of the wallet, it was obvious that this badge was cared for quite a bit. It looked as new as the day it was minted. I saw the badge number stamped on the front: badge number 69. This had to be a hoax. I flipped the wallet around to see the ID card behind. I actually dropped my rifle when I saw the name: “Elite Guard Supreme Commander EagleRock.”

As soon as I realized I had dropped my rifle, I immediately drew for my pistol, which I managed to cock and point at the person's head before they had a chance to lift their rifle back up. “Thought I was a fool, did you? I'm FROM EagleRock's Barrack, and I know for a fact he's dead. I don't know how the hell you got this badge, but I want some answers now. SHOW YOUR FACE YOU COWARD!”

My echo boomed across the burnt out factories that lined the streets. The person's shoulders slumped slightly at my words. I had him where I wanted him. Gripping my pistol with my life, I watched him slowly as he cast back the hood that enshrouded his head. As soon as the light from the nearby street lamp illuminated his face, it was clear to me.

It was him.

I had never met him before in my life, but you get to learn your history as a Barracks Records Officer. Late nights in the Barracks Records Room actually did me a favor tonight, as I happened to always sit opposite the large portrait of EagleRock that was in the room. I'd never mistake that face for another. Granted, the face staring back at me now had an unkempt beard, tired eyes, and what appeared to a war-torn complexion, but it was sure as hell was him. I couldn't believe my eyes.

“S—sir? I—it's you! I mean...this...it's you! This is amazing!” I almost jumped in glee.

EagleRock didn't seem too pleased. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Congratulations. Good for you. Can I have my badge back now?”

“Oh, r-right.” I tossed him back his wallet. “But sir! This is an amazing thing! We need to get you back to the Barracks!”

As he pocketed his wallet, he gave me a raised eyebrow. “Get me back to the Barracks?”

“Sure! I mean, finding you after we thought you were dead for two years! This is unheard of! It's time to get you back there! Everyone will be so happy to see you alive! I can't believe this!”

“Will you stop acting like an idiot? I don't get what you're so happy about.” My elation stopped as it was obvious he was not happy about this. “Do I look like I'm fucking senile here? Sure, I might be twice your age, but I didn't exactly forget where the hell my Barrack was.”

“But—I don't get it, sir. Why wouldn't you want to go back?”

“I have my reasons. But I don't feel like explaining them to you. Suffice it to say this is how I operate now.”

“But, but sir! I mean—I must tell the CBO about this!”

Just then, EagleRock did what I didn't expect him to. He raised his rifle again at me. The laser sight was beaming out of his rifle and was pointed right to my forehead. “You will do nothing of the sort. I've lived like this for two years, and you're not going to come around and screw it all up.”

I didn't know what to say. I just closed my eyes out of fear. All of the things I heard about EagleRock...his valour, courage, and leadership, seemed to be lies. I had no clue I'd be meeting him tonight, but if I told you I'd be meeting EagleRock tonight, I would've expected to meet a very different person. It made me wonder how much of what was written about him was the truth. I also started to wonder what the Barracks really was all about.

As my thoughts turned in my head, my radio started crackling. “Lizz, come in! Come in! I need help over here now! They've got me surrounded!”

“Oh, shit,” I said aloud. I wanted to answer him, but I dare not move with Eagle's rifle in my face.

Eagle looked at me for a second before he responded. “Well? What kind of an Elite Guard are you? Aren't you going to save him? Where is he?”

“He's back there, sir, right down the street.”

“Well let's go, dammit!” Eagle then took off down the street, rifle in hand. It took a split second for my brain catch up to the situation, but I grabbed my rifle and started to follow him as fast as I could. Both of us flew down the street, the Portal faintly glowing to our left. As fast as I was running, Eagle was breaking away from me at a pretty good clip. For someone that was supposed to be dead for two years, he sure could move fast.

As we ran down the street, we saw commotion in the distance. It was good that Cobra stayed on the same street, as it made it easy for us to find him. Only problem was that he was a good 5 blocks away. By the time we reached him, it looked like the Flash were already besting him. There were a good 4 or 5 surrounding him, and he was just knocked back against the wall of a building.

EagleRock let out a primal scream and shot his blam rifle up in the air. Immediately, the Flash bots charged at him and left Cobra for dead. EagleRock was soon in a skirmish with the Flash, doing the same “flight of the bumblebee” thing he was doing earlier. I tried to take aim and shoot at the Flash, but everything was moving around too fast for me to take a proper aim. I dared not hit Eagle.

Instead, I ran over to where Cobra was and helped him off the ground. After he quickly acknowledged he was okay, he and I went to assist against the Flash. Man, these bots were vicious. It was almost like the mere presence of us put these things into complete death-and-destruction mode. I've seen my share of malicious Flash, but man, this was a different league altogether.

By the time Cobra and I joined the fray, Eagle had already downed two of the Flash, leaving us three to finish off. Eagle, Cobra, and I had managed to corral the Flash together. We surrounded them in a circle-the-wagons formation, keeping them in one place. It was time to do them in for good.

Just before we could strike, though, all three Flash took their final gambits. They all lunged out at us, each one taking one of us. While I wasn't expecting them to do this, I was prepared. I pulled my trigger and landed every round into the bot. It exploded in front of me and ended its tenure as a malicious Flash. I looked to the right and saw that Cobra managed to down his Flash bot as well. I looked to the left and saw Eagle was having a bit of trouble. It looked like the Flash managed to knock him back off his feet and caused him to stumble and fall on his back. EagleRock hit the ground hard, as the Flash quickly closed in on him. The Flash was poised to kill, too.

BLAM. Between my gunfire and Cobra's, that Flash was pulverized in a hurry. Eagle laid back on the ground for a second with his eyes closed. He didn't look hurt, but he sure looked exhausted. Before either one of us could go to help him up, he windmill-kicked his way off the ground. He dusted himself off and picked up his rifle. “Jesus Christ, these Flash are out in droves, tonight. I'm getting too old for this shit.”

Cobra was calming himself down as well. As he took a deep breath and started to calm himself down, he stared at EagleRock. “Hey, wait, you're that sonofabitch that I was chasing last night!” The fast action of the fight didn't give either of them time for proper introductions. Cobra immediately drew his rifle on EagleRock. Eagle was quick to bring his weapon up as well. Ugh. Not this shit again.

“God dammit, Cobra, put your gun down! This is not how you act in front of a superior officer.”

Cobra turned towards me. “Now is not the time for jokes, Lizz. And I don't care if you're a higher rank than me, I am NOT saluting you. Now let's bring this guy in!”

“This 'guy' is Supreme Commander EagleRock. He also just saved your life. Care to show a little respect?”

Cobra's eyes went wide. He immediately turned towards Eagle, lowered his rifle, and saluted him smartly. Eagle rolled his eyes as he lowered his own weapon and walked past him. He started to walk away from the Portal, down the street running South from it.

Cobra and I just stood there, wide-eyed for a second. “Wait, sir!” I eventually called out. “Where are you going?”

He turned around briefly. “I'm going to get a drink. I've had a hell of a day.” Cobra and I just stood there as we saw him walk away. I still couldn't wrap my head around why he was doing this. I knew I had to find out, but it wasn't easy trying to do so. When the guy points a rifle at your face every time you say something he doesn't like, it tends to dry up the conversation a bit. By the time he was halfway down the block, he stopped and turned around to us. “Well, are you coming or not?”

“Y—yessir,” I stammered. Cobra and I followed him into the night.

End of Chapter 4

[EagleRock]

Back in the Barracks

by EagleRock

Chapter 5 – Hot Tip

Lizzardis followed EagleRock up to the bar along with SlntCobra1.

We walked a good 5 or 6 blocks to where Eagle was taking us. We didn't say anything along the way. I didn't feel like getting threatened to get shot again, to be honest. By the time we reached this place, I was throughly underwhelmed. The bar was about as seedy as they come, and the inside was full of hopeless people. Why the hell was EagleRock taking us here?

When we first walked inside, I figured we'd stick out like sore thumbs. Between the three of us, we had enough weaponry to stage a war down here. However, everyone just basically kept to themselves and thoroughly ignored the three of us walking up to the bar and sitting down. Now I see why Eagle likes this place.

The bartender walked up to us. “Drinks, gentlemen?”

“Nothing for me, pal,” said Cobra.

“I'm on duty,” I replied.

“Double scotch. Single malt. Neat,” said EagleRock.

“Ah, a scotch man. Shame you weren't in here the other day. We had a thirty-year single malt in stock, but someone pinched it last night. All we got of the single malts now is a twelve-year old from Speyside. That work for you pal?”

EagleRock smirked. “That's fine.” EagleRock seemed to know his liquor. Why am I not surprised? The bartender placed a glass of whisky in front of Eagle. He picked it up and started sniffing it lightly, staring ahead at the bar.

“So,” I said to him, “I don't think we ever formally introduced ourselves, sir. I'm Sergeant First Class Lizzardis, the Lieutenant Records Officer, and this here is Staff Sergeant SlntCobra1, the Lieutenant Portal Violations Officer.”

EagleRock didn't bother to turn toward us. “Charmed, I'm sure.”

“Sssooooo...” I continued, “What did you bring us here for?”

“This,” he said as he took a sip out of his glass. He looked to enjoy it greatly. I don't know much about hard liquor, so I didn't really get the appeal.

“Sir, I'd really like to know why you've been running from us.”

“Yeah,” Cobra added. “I damn near got killed chasing you.”

EagleRock continued to sip his scotch. “That much is my fault. Those Flash you ran into yesterday weren't after you, by the way. They were after me.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Got myself a pretty big reputation down here. I'm a particularly large thorn in the sides of these spammers, so they've been trying to off me for months. Unfortunately, you showed your face down here, Cobra. What makes it worse is that you seem to have been spotted around me. So, naturally, they've tagged you as well.”

Cobra didn't look too happy. “Well, that explains that. But you didn't explain why you ran.”

“Isn't it obvious? I didn't want you to find me. I would've gotten away, too, if it wasn't for Sergeant Persistence over here sticking to his guns.”

I guess he was talking about me. “Really? You had a rifle in my face and didn't exactly looked scared. I thought you were gonna kill me for sure.”

EagleRock sighed. “I don't kill Elite Guards. Especially ones from my own Barrack. Trust me...it was an empty threat.”

Jeez...I can tell he's pretty bummed over this whole thing. You can tell by his body language, too. He wasn't a man of small stature, yet here he was slumped over a bar basically tucking himself in. “Well, you don't blame me for what I did, do you sir?”

He took another sip of his drink. “No. You were just doing your job. I'll tell you, though, I thought I'd never see Elite Guards in General again. And I'll give you some credit, Sergeant. I've been in countless confrontations over the past two years, even with Phantom himself. I was able to elude, trick, or coerce anyone that tried to stop me out here...until you came along.”

Holy shit...it just clicked for me. THAT is what was bothering Coop before. I'll bet you that's why Phantom is returning to active duty, too. It all makes sense now. “I guess you ran into Phantom yesterday, huh?”

“Yep. Knowing him, he's probably telling it to the hills already. Unlike most of the confrontations I deal with, though, I actually came up to him. He was too boozed up to see who the hell I was, but I gave him a good talking. Shook some sense into the bastard. I can't stand people that drink themselves to death.”

Cobra jumped in. “Yet you're sitting at a bar here drinking hard liquor.”

“I know how to drink, okay? Unlike some other Supreme Commanders that frequent this place, I can control myself and leave myself sober. Why do you think I'm sipping scotch out of a rocks glass? If I really wanted to get hammered, I'd be doing tequila shots from here all the way to the floor.”

Somehow, this conversation quickly turned towards alcohol. I had a feeling EagleRock was trying to shift the conversation away. I'd be damned if I was gonna let that happen. I didn't come here for a meet-and-greet...I came here for answers. “All right, all right. That's enough, Cobra. There's still questions I had for you, sir. Like, how the hell are you alive, anyway? You were killed in the Newgrounds Battle Royale.”

“Do I look dead to you? I never died.”

“I remember the exact recounts of that match from the Barracks records. You were shot in the head by Wadolf at point blank range with a Desert Eagle. That sounds like you were killed to me.”

“I'm sure it did. Did the records also say I had a kevlar helmet on?”

“Well, no--”

“And did the records note that the bullet actually skimmed the side of the helmet, and not actually hit me square? Wadolf may have been a great shot and a hell of a madman, but he wasn't one to control rage well. He was royally pissed that day, so much that he never even noticed that I was barely winged.”

“Holy shit,” I replied. “Do you know the guilt that SlashFirestorm has about that day? He'll be so happy to find this out!”

“Somehow, I greatly doubt that he's be surprised. Slash already knows.”

My mouth hit the floor. “WHAT??? Slash is the one that goes on and on about your death and the deaths of the others! You'd need to be deaf and dumb to miss his speeches about our ideals and how we need to live up to them for those that fell!”

“Slash beats himself up for everything that happened down there, but he sure as hell knows I'm alive. Actually, he's the one that helped me escape. If you remember the story well, you'll note Slash had disappointed Wadolf by not shooting at me. What you don't know is that he was sent down to the map after dark to clean it up and dispose of the dead bodies. I was wise enough to stay put until I had a chance to make an escape, but Slash knew I was faking death the whole time. He approached me and helped me out of the map in the middle of the night.”

This was too much to take in at once. I felt like my head was going to explode. “I don't know what to think about it, sir. It's amazing...but unbelievable.”

“You can stop calling me 'sir,' Lizzardis. I'm not your superior. I'm not even in the Elite Guard anymore.”

“Yet you go around General all night blamming malicious Flash. Sounds like an Elite Guard to me. How do you stay armed, anyway? You can't find weaponry like that around here. Even the worst groups inside of General can't get ahold of munitions like that.”

“Slash keeps me stocked up. He'll meet me some nights and drop off payloads of blammunition, rations, and anything else I need. Keeps me going down here.”

“Speaking of Slash, why hasn't he told us about you? Why would he lie to us?”

“I told him to lie. He didn't want to lie to the Barracks, I assure you of that. The man begged me for forgiveness. I told him the only way I'd forgive him is by making sure my death was known to all, and that he made sure the Barracks never came looking for me. Naturally, after that whole ordeal, he was quick to comply.”

“I still don't get it, sir. There is no reason on this planet that you shouldn't be in the Barracks right now!”

He turned towards Cobra and me. It was the first time he turned and looked at us since we entered the bar. Now that I think about it, I don't think he was being rude. He probably has made a habit of keeping his eyes away from people to keep from being recognized. Seeing his face was awkward, as the portrait I know of him was made only 3 years ago, yet he easily looked 20 years older. The General district was not good to him.

“Look at me, Sergeant. I'm old. I'm past my time. I'm probably twice your age. I can't even hold my own in General anymore. Hell, I'd be dead if you didn't keep me alive tonight.”

“Are you fucking KIDDING ME? You basically handled that whole skirmish singlehandedly! You only got tripped up at the last second!” I couldn't believe what EagleRock was saying. If this he thinks he did poorly out there, I can only imagine what these old-school soldiers are really capable of.

“Three years ago that would have never happened. I would've had them all down before they had a chance to strike. Point is, I'm not fit to do this anymore. I've done my service. I've led the Barracks. I'm washed up and I don't belong here anymore. That's all I'm doing down here...running out the clock. These spam groups are getting stronger and stronger by the day, and it's only a matter of time before they get me for good. Why delay the inevitable?”

“But sir, you're still one of the strongest soldiers I've seen out there! The Barracks needs you...as a soldier, and a leader. Morale isn't the highest right now, and Slash barely shows up anymore! Having you back would turn things around for sure!”

EagleRock turned back towards his drink, staring down at the bar. “That's where you're wrong. I'm not fit to run the Barracks.”

“I'm sure many people would disagree with you, sir.”

“And if they were alive, I'm sure the 19 that died down there would agree with me wholeheartedly.”

“Yes, but sir, I read the accounts of that story very well. Nobody down there could have done any better than you! If it was anyone else, I don't think there'd be any survivors! It wouldn't be 19 dead, it'd be--” I just realize what EagleRock had said. “Wait a minute...19 dead? That means there's another alive!”

Cobra looked wide-eyed at the two of us talking. I don't think anyone ever really told him about the whole Battle Royale thing. I'm sure this whole conversation is shocker after shocker for him. EagleRock stared down at his drink for a second longer. “You're a quick one, soldier. You sure remember your Barracks history, too. You are right. There's one other survivor: Sergeant TheThing.”

Why did I feel like every sentence this guy uttered was basically throwing a monkey wrench into everything I know about this city? “Okay, first off, how do you know he's alive, and second off, why haven't we heard from him? Wouldn't he have come back to the Barracks?”

“I coerced him to stay in hiding. I'm not stupid. The second he'd have gone back there, they'd have been out searching for me. Even Slash couldn't stop them from doing so, I didn't want that. So, I swore him to secrecy.”

“Are you sure the rest are dead?”

“Absolutely. I didn't get 19 people killed and not do my homework to see if any survived. That's how I found TheThing in the first place.”

“Sir, you keep saying you got them killed. Wadolf killed them, not you. You can just be thankful that there were as many survivors as they were. It appears that there were seven...including you.”

“Imagine how that makes me feel. I'm alive, they're not. Some leader. I sometimes wish I let Wadolf off me right then and there.” He gulped the rest of his drink.

“Sir, being a good leader doesn't mean you automatically need to die whenever any of your soldiers die.”

EagleRock turned to stare at me again. “I know you're trying to help and all, and I don't mean to come off as an asshole here, but I really am not in the mood to get a leadership seminar from a guy that's half my age. Catch my drift, rookie?”

“Sorry, sir.” Wow this guy's words bit down hard. He was also the poster-child for being hard on yourself. “Look, we can talk more at the Barracks, sir. You...are coming back, right?”

“Hell no. And you're not telling a damn soul about me, either of you. I don't want any part of the Barracks anymore. I've done enough damage to it already.”

Talking to EagleRock was like trying to convince a brick wall to move. I wasn't going to give up, though. “I'm not convinced, sir. I believe you want to return and I will get you to come back.”

“You're wasting your breath. You did good even just getting me to show my face to you. Consider yourself lucky for getting that far. And don't make me regret it, either. I--” EagleRock cut his words off, as he showed signs of urgency and quickly glanced at a nearby table. He quickly turned away and looked down at his now empty glass.

“Sir?”

“SHH! Those two in the booth over there. Cover your faces, too.” Cobra and I immediately complied as I strained to hear the conversation coming from the booth:

“You sure this is safe? You know, this is the second time we came in here. I dunno about this place.”

“Absolutely. Nobody important ever comes in here. Just a bunch of lowlifes and drunks.”

“Fine. So, you down tonight?”

“Maybe. Depends on if you make it worth my while.”

“Oh trust me, my friend. You want to be a part of this organization. We're poised to dominate, and we'd appreciate your talents on our side.”

“I'll swing by and check it out, but I'm not making any promises, you know. I don't trust you people yet.”

“Meet us in 30 minutes at the factory. The big one. Same one I told you about earlier.”

“Yeah. I'll stop by for a bit of a meet-n-greet. Better make it interesting, though. I don't need any wannabes wasting my time.”

“You can rest assured that once you see what we have going down there, you will be begging us to let you in. The meeting of the minds is tonight, and you'll see just exactly how much firepower we have at our disposal.”

“Whatever. I'd better get the red carpet treatment. Both of us know that you need my abilities to survive.”

The conversation was over that quickly. I dare not look, but I heard the two people stand up and shuffle out of the bar in a hurry. Once they closed the door. I looked at Eagle. “What was that about, sir?”

“We don't have much time. We need to get down to that warehouse now. I'll fill you in on the way. Let's go.” Eagle dropped 5 Grounds Gold on the table and got up to leave. I could already tell this was gonna be a long night.

Eagle, Cobra, and I quickly moved out to the subway to get over to the warehouse. We quickly headed down into the subway station nearby, carefully making sure we weren't drawing attention to ourselves. People tended to carry guns around here, but the weaponry we had on our persons was about as conspicuous as it could get. It was bad enough coming down here earlier with Cobra and his two rifles...now we have EagleRock with that big-ass rifle that could take out half a building.

As we dashed down the stairs, we came across another Portal Security officer guarding the turnstiles. All three of us instinctively flashed our badges at the officer, who basically gave us a look of amazement, wonder, and confusion. We ran into the front subway car and waited for the train to depart from the station.

EagleRock paced down and up the subway car checking for anyone hiding around. The car we were in was vacant, and there was only a handful of people in the car behind us. Still, EagleRock insisted on checking. Perhaps he was looking to see if the train was bugged, who knows.

We sat down in the middle of the car, away from the train behind us and the conductor up front. EagleRock leaned into us and started to explain the situation. “Look, I've been following a lead for weeks on a new spam group that is forming. I had these two pegged as looking for trouble the second they walked in. I know something is going down tonight.”

“Really?” said Cobra. “Nothing like this at all came across the Portal Violations Desk. Are you sure about your lead?”

“Positive. Don't you realize how much shit you people miss by staying away from General? Anyway, I think I know where this place is. It's all the way on the Southeastern side of the district. There's a huge factory that used to be owned by the Armor Games corporation. They moved out of it years ago to a bigger location outside of Newgrounds. But this place is huge and has been abandoned since. I can't think of anywhere else they'd meet.”

“Sounds plausible,” I added. “How far away are we?”

“At this time of night, the subway can get us there in just about 30 minutes. That's why we needed to hurry down here. At least the warehouse is closely positioned to the station.”

Knowing it would be a little while before we would be in action, I rested my head back against the glass window behind me and closed my eyes. My body responded to the soothing rattling of the subway's wheels against the track with a feeling of sleepiness. I felt the strength of my body dissipate as the effects of sleep started to envelop my senses and dull them. I all of a sudden wished I was asleep in my bunk. My body had been through a good amount of stress tonight, and it was obvious it was asking for some recharge time. However, I knew I couldn't acquiesce to this, because we'd be involved in something serious not too long from now. My body seemed to insist, though, so I eventually drifted off to sleep.

-----

I woke up to a smack in the face.

“Hey! HEY! Tiny Lizz! Come on man, you better get bright...we're approaching the station!”

I shook my head to clear out my listlessness and looked back at Cobra. “I'm up, I'm up...” I sat up and gave a quick look around to see where I was, and sure enough, nothing changed. EagleRock was still sitting across from me in the subway car.

Eagle had a smirk on his face. “Tiny Lizz?”

“Oh shush. I didn't make up that nickname, okay? I know it's a bad one for an Elite Guard.”

“Most people don't make up their own nicknames. Though I wouldn't be ashamed of yours. In my experience, you don't want to mess around with a guy named 'Tiny' that is holding a rifle.”

The man had a point, I'll give him that. By now I was back to my alert self and ready to go. The train was slowing down and inching forward to the station. The three of us stood up and waited at the door for it to open. EagleRock looked like a track runner waiting for the pistol to go off. He looked back at us and said, “No turning back, soldiers. The warehouse is a block away from the station. They'll probably see us the minute we hit the surface.”

I gritted my teeth as the doors flew open. The three of us ran like bullets out of the train and made a bee-line for the stairs. As we dashed upward step-by-step, I couldn't imagine what was coming up ahead of us. All I knew is it wouldn't be pretty. At least I was in good company.

End of Chapter 5