WhatTF? Part 1: The Arrival
"We'll-a be there soon!"
I continued to stare out the plane side-window. Being at such a great height into the atmosphere, the only visible objects were the high-rise mountains that we were passing over.
"Is-a…something the matter?", asked the pilot.
"Ehhh…", I replied, my eyes unmoved as I shrugged at his question. I wasn't much in the mood for talking, especially to someone whose breath smelled strongly of pasta. Apparently, neither was the man seated in the back, who had remained silent for the entire flight.
Likely seeing that I was not going to speak any further of it, the pilot went quiet as well, turning his attention back to flying the agonizingly small airplane.
To be completely honest, though, I was a bit nervous about something…well, despite the fact that we were flying in an old, tin-can machine that felt more confining than a pack of sardines.
No, what truly was making me nervous was my new assignment, for I had been told I would be going straight onto the battlefield…a place that I had never thought I'd be.
What really surprised me, though, was the fact that I was being sent to this…"2Fort" location in the first place. Why would they send me? I have very little combat experience…I mean, yeah, I was a fairly skilled leader, or at the very least capable of managing a small group of well-train men, but army soldiers? This was a new thing for me…I had never been in anything close to this kind of situation.
In fact…why were they sending me to this location in the first place? The fighting seems to have been at a stalemate for months, now…had I done something wrong? It is true, I may have come across an…interesting discovery, but was that really the reason for my being sent here?
"Hmmm," I thought, "Knowing the RED organization's intentions…it very well may be."
"*Sigh*…so, how much longer?", I finally spoke aloud. The pilot chuckled, apparently having noticed my lack of communication as well.
"So," he said somewhat sarcastically, "now you are-a wanting to talk, eh?"
I finally turned in his direction, a disdain look across my face.
"Uh…heh, erm…uh, about-a one more minute."
I rose from my seat. It was time to suit up.
"Uh…will you-a be needing any help?", he asked.
"Naw, I can do this myself," I said as I walked towards the back of the plane. I looked over towards the pilot's silent helper as I stepped in front of him, who gave me a funny look. Next to the large sliding door was my equipment, including the necessary outfit for my little "stunt." I quickly donned the suit so I could exit the plane as soon as I was given the word.
Once I was ready, I told the pilot, "Just tell me when."
"Okie-dokie," he stated, reassuring me with a thumbs up.
I leaned over the remainder of my equipment, all placed into small metal crates so the objects inside would withstand the fall. Personal belongings, data on the fighting, profiles of the men I was about to lead…all of it was there.
However, despite all of the plans that were made, all the preparations for after the landing, all the painstaking, well thought out strategies for fighting this supposed "war"…nothing could have prepared for me what lied ahead. I was about to be in for a very big surprise once I made my landing…and I don't like surprises as it is.
I was told once I left the base, and I am quoting here, that "You will be dealing with the most well-trained, put together group of men the RED organization has ever seen."
…If that is really the case, then I can only imagine just how pathetic the remainder of the RED organization really is.
"Get-a ready!", the pilot suddenly announced. I strapped myself to my backpack, then after taking a long, deep breath, I convinced myself to open the airlock. The door flew open, and as I looked down upon the earth, a certain fear gripped me. I could feel my heart pounding as I placed my hand against my chest, having realized just how many miles I was above the earth. Down below, I could see a tiny spec, which just barely stuck out from the rest of the tan-looking land.
"Well…*gulp*…time to jump," I told myself. But before I leapt from the plane, I decided that I would at least provide the pilot with a quick thank-you for not having crashed us into a mountainside.
"Hey! Thanks for the ride!", giving him a thumbs up of my own as I slowly lowered myself towards the opening.
But before I could exit the plane, he cast a reply right back: "Heh, you-a won't be thanking me once-a you land!"
I was about to say something back to him asking about what he had meant, but then I felt a large kick against my backside, sending me careening out of the plane! Before the wind could cloud my hearing as it swept loudly against my face, I could have sworn I heard another voice shouting, "So long-a, sucker!"
After the exuberant freefall, I found myself heading straight for what appeared to be two nearly identical buildings: a wooden one in the west, and a concrete one directly east of it.
Feeling more and more nervous at the rapidly approaching Earth, I reached for the string on my pack and waited as a parachute was deployed, quickly slowing down the speed of my fall. Considering how the wind was blowing east, I had aimed myself slightly west of my landing spot: the backside of the wooden base. This is the first time that I realized just how ignorant the RED organization was of planning out their war strategies. Had they not considered just how much of a disadvantage they had, even when solely basing an argument on their choice of construction-material?
"Hm…it's becoming much easier to tell that RED is not in the construction business," I pondered aloud.
It was then that I had forgotten something…my gear!
"Oh, crap…I forgot it on the plane!" And that was when had I realized something else was going wrong…I had undershot the strength of the wind! I was going to hit the wooden building!
"Ohhh no…ohhh no-oh no-oh no!" I tried to swing myself further to the east, feeling that I had a chance of recovering from my mistake…but of course, luck was not (as if it ever was) in my favor.
I was heading straight for the large, pointy end of the base's front tower. I narrowly missed the top end of tower, sliding down its side until the parachute grabbed hold of the point, causing me to hang from it like a baby on a playground swing. In fact, if I had been only a few more inches to the right, it would have likely…uh, never mind.
"Uh…hello?", I shouted. "Is anyone there...?"
I waited a good minute or two, hanging from the backpack for someone to come around and provide me assistance. I was hanging above what appeared to be an entirely open, second floor, but I was uncertain of if whether it was safe enough for me to land without causing self injury.
I began to look around, trying to take in the scenery as I tried to think of a safe way down. It was then that I realized just how similar the two buildings appeared to be…the thin layer of earth in front of each, both having a second floor overlooking the ground level…they were almost identical!
At my high position, I could also see a thin wooden bridge connected between the two buildings, which stood above what appeared to be a small moat. Was this…a battlefield? No, I thought, it couldn't be. Surely the fighting went on just outside the fences that surrounded both buildings…for if it was the battlefield, then it was likely the most professional-looking fighting arena I had ever seen.
From what I could tell, there didn't seem to be anyone around…not a single person in sight. No gun shots, no sounds of fighting, not even general movement. All was quiet…that is, until…
*WRRRRREEEEEEEEE!* Sirens suddenly went ablaze, sounding high into the air. I covered my ears in pain at their sheer loudness until they quieted back down, after which I could hear something else…and it sounded like…
Movement! There were people moving nearby! I sighed in relief at the thought of others being close by, but this relief soon turned to grief as I saw something in the distance…
I squinted my eyes as I tried to see what was going on over at the concrete building. There, I could see a fairly large man walking across the second floor, carrying a very large, cylindrical object in his hands. He seemed to have a helmet covering the top of his head…and he was wearing one of the most unoriginal army attires I had ever seen. Well…except for the fact that it was light blue.
It was then that he turned to face me…
"…Oh no."
By the looks of it, the man pointed towards my direction, and immediately shouted towards me, "MAAAAAGGOOOOOT!"
…Maggot? Why was he calling me a maggot? What did I ever do to him?
He then threw the object onto his shoulder, and seemed to be pointing it straight towards me…
"Ohhhhh no."
It was then that I found out firsthand just what exactly he had been carrying. A fairly loud blast sounded from across the chasm, and once I saw a round object screaming straight towards me with flames shooting out of its back, that's when I knew: it was a rocket launcher! An honest to god rocket launcher!
"Ohhhh no no no no no!"
I began struggling, shaking back and forth from the roof…no, I don't know what I was thinking either. Perhaps I thought the parachute could somehow rip and tear slightly, magically causing me to lower myself slowly to the floor? Like I said…I'm exactly not sure of what I stunt I was trying to pull.
But as the object started looking larger and larger, I began to realize that I had a choice to make: either I could stay safely in the air and have a rocket crash into my face, or I could make a fairly long jump to the ground and possibly break my legs.
Hmmm…choices, choices….
"I choose life!" I released myself from the backpack's grip, the rocket narrowly missing as it exploded against where my body once was hanging. I fell to the wooden floor, landing facedown onto my stomach. Every part of my body hit the floor at the same speed…and therefore, stopped abruptly just as quickly.
"Ugh…" I moaned, my face lying sideways against the wooden planks. "Should have thought that one through…"
I turned my head to face the concrete building, and within a short moment, suddenly all of that pain had seemed to be of little significance. There was another rocket coming straight at me! No, two!
"Ahhhhh!" I screamed, rising quickly to my feet as I leapt behind the nearby wooden wall.
As I hit the ground, I suddenly felt the urge to shout, "God DANG it! Who uses a freaking ROCKET launcher for fighting in a war?"
"On average? 'Bout one in nine army men," claimed a nearby voice.
I jumped, not expecting anyone to be nearby me. As I looked up, I saw a man clothed in a pair of overalls, who reached his hand down to me.
"Need a hand, partner?" He helped me get back on my feet, and then after I regained my balance, he signaled me to follow him.
"Over here." I followed directly behind him, and as we turned the corner, I saw them.
Nine army men, all wearing red attire. All incredibly unique in both physique and personality. All specialized in their own field of battle…
"Give sandvich back, Sniper! Must use for eating between fighting with enemy!"
…and none of them real fighters in the slightest.
"Hey boys! Guess who just showed up?"
"Is it the new boss-man?"
"Yeee-ep…and he just barely made it, too! That BLU Soldier almost blew him up!"
"Heh, I guess he must've really…had a blast!"
"Ha ha ha! That one really blew me away, mate!"
All of the men started laughing uncontrollably. I, for one, was unsure what exactly was so funny about me nearly dying, but I supposed that it was simply humor they were making to get over the fact that they could die at any time.
"Heh, stop it mates! You're aboot to make me explode from laughin'!"
"Well, I can take it, maggot! Rocket to me!"
"Ha ha, these things are all just boomin' outta us!"
Or…maybe not. I tried to interrupt their childish jokes in order to make way with more serious business.
"Um…excuse me, I don't mean to butt in-"
"Heh, don't worry mate, yer not! But yer butt ain't helpin' ya look like less of an ass!"
"Bah ha ha ha ha!"
…Why couldn't that rocket just have killed me?