Disclaimer (Author appears in business suit): I don't own anything from the
Command & Conquer line, or anything else I mention. (Rips open shirt to
reveal an undershirt that has "Ha! Now you can't sue me!" printed on it.)
This is supposed to come after C&C Tiberian Sun, it takes from a mix of wins and losses of both sides, the final battle going to GDI. Also, where I say I live is not really where I live.
***
"Will all applicants for the commander exam please report to the simulation deck." A more or less smooth male voice sounded through the PA system.
I stood, along with about ten other people, and made my way to a holographic simulation suite. As I walked along, I looked back on how I got here.
I had heard rumors that there was a Nod supporter in my school, and one day I found him out. He pulled a gun on me before I had the chance to say that I was hoping to join the Nod cause. The guy set me up with several contacts, and I signed up for a possible commanding gig. Now I was being tested on my abilities as a commander.
It was kinda funny. If Cain hadn't been killed at the end of the last major struggle, I wouldn't be here. If he had lived, then I would be waiting to sign up as a GDI pilot. When Slavick took over the Brotherhood, he still followed the technology of peace, but he dropped the whole divination bull.
I looked at the others around me. I stood around the same height as the others at 5' 11", my hair was a fair chestnut, while the others had blonde and black hair, I couldn't see their eyes but I knew mine were a steel gray.
The room was dark, then the voice from before spoke. "Welcome to the commander's exam," it said. "I am Cabal zero-zero-one. Each of you will fight in the same scenario, to keep the exam fair; you will be sealed in sound and visual-proof suites. Each of you will use an older Cabal unit than the one issued to those that pass. If you pass, you will be given your own Cabal unit embedded in an item of your choice."
Cabal then directed each person to his or her respective suite. I was landed with Cabal zero-four-nine. The pod closed around me, and booted up. I soon found myself in command of an MCV, several Attack Buggies, a Tick Tank, and a couple of Cyborgs.
Soon I had a thriving base, defended with multiple SAM sites, and Artillery units. I had paved the entire area of my base for speed of movement of my units from one place to another. First I had my Banshees destroy the GDI construction yard, then the three or so SAM's, the war factory, the barracks, and defensive structures, and sent in four Artillery units to remove the troops that remained.
The whole action of mine lasted for about an hour and a half. I stepped out of the pod, and saw only one other person waiting. Then Cabal pointed out that we could see the others' progress on monitors above the individual pods.
One was using Stealth Tanks, and Devils Tongues to stop troop movements while his Banshees and Harpies pounded the enemy base. Another was sending in mass charges of Light Infantry and Attack Buggies, racking up huge casualties.
"He's not going to make it." I stated quite matter-of-factly to Cabal.
"At least he doesn't have to write letters to the holograms' wives." the other guy said with a grin.
I chuckled, and held out my hand, "Hi, I'm Michael, some know me as Cinn."
"George, or just Geo." he said, shaking my hand.
I looked to one screen to see one applicant's harvester run into an enemy base, stop next to the MCV, and promptly explode from the defensive fire. An added explosion took out the MCV, and the computer's War Factory, and a Helipad. I grinned; the commander had loaded the harvester with blue tiberium, kind of like filling a truck with dynamite.
***
By now it had been about two hours since the testing had begun and the ten of us stood near the hologram pods. Cabal gave the results; Geo and I had passed, while the others had failed to varying degrees.
Geo and I walked down a hall that Cabal had indicated to a room where a pair of identical equipment sets, and several handguns were set up on tables. Cabal indicated we could use the equipment to design what the cover for our field equipment was. We had to disguise a pair of holographic projectors, the projectors' transmitter/receiver, an audio send/receive transmitter, and our personal Cabal unit.
I hid my Cabal in a sport watch, along with his command link ups, and even had room left over in it so a minute camera could give Cabal a visual of the area around him. The audio transmitter I hid in a working Zippo lighter, removing fuel space in the bottom. The projectors and their transmitter I cleverly hid in a CD player and a pair of headphones.
Then we were directed by Cabal to choose a handgun or two from the ones on the tables. I took a 10-round .45-caliber pistol, and a 7-round .50-caliber pistol for magnum rounds, and several clips for both guns. We both received checks of 50 grand. The two of us were then ushered out to get back to our homes. I stood out in the light drizzle, my guns concealed in a backpack, for an hour for the city bus.
I am Michael Hardy; I live near the edge of the Arizona desert. I am 18, and just out of my parent's house. I have a car to buy.
***
Author: Read, review, laugh out loud.
This is supposed to come after C&C Tiberian Sun, it takes from a mix of wins and losses of both sides, the final battle going to GDI. Also, where I say I live is not really where I live.
***
"Will all applicants for the commander exam please report to the simulation deck." A more or less smooth male voice sounded through the PA system.
I stood, along with about ten other people, and made my way to a holographic simulation suite. As I walked along, I looked back on how I got here.
I had heard rumors that there was a Nod supporter in my school, and one day I found him out. He pulled a gun on me before I had the chance to say that I was hoping to join the Nod cause. The guy set me up with several contacts, and I signed up for a possible commanding gig. Now I was being tested on my abilities as a commander.
It was kinda funny. If Cain hadn't been killed at the end of the last major struggle, I wouldn't be here. If he had lived, then I would be waiting to sign up as a GDI pilot. When Slavick took over the Brotherhood, he still followed the technology of peace, but he dropped the whole divination bull.
I looked at the others around me. I stood around the same height as the others at 5' 11", my hair was a fair chestnut, while the others had blonde and black hair, I couldn't see their eyes but I knew mine were a steel gray.
The room was dark, then the voice from before spoke. "Welcome to the commander's exam," it said. "I am Cabal zero-zero-one. Each of you will fight in the same scenario, to keep the exam fair; you will be sealed in sound and visual-proof suites. Each of you will use an older Cabal unit than the one issued to those that pass. If you pass, you will be given your own Cabal unit embedded in an item of your choice."
Cabal then directed each person to his or her respective suite. I was landed with Cabal zero-four-nine. The pod closed around me, and booted up. I soon found myself in command of an MCV, several Attack Buggies, a Tick Tank, and a couple of Cyborgs.
Soon I had a thriving base, defended with multiple SAM sites, and Artillery units. I had paved the entire area of my base for speed of movement of my units from one place to another. First I had my Banshees destroy the GDI construction yard, then the three or so SAM's, the war factory, the barracks, and defensive structures, and sent in four Artillery units to remove the troops that remained.
The whole action of mine lasted for about an hour and a half. I stepped out of the pod, and saw only one other person waiting. Then Cabal pointed out that we could see the others' progress on monitors above the individual pods.
One was using Stealth Tanks, and Devils Tongues to stop troop movements while his Banshees and Harpies pounded the enemy base. Another was sending in mass charges of Light Infantry and Attack Buggies, racking up huge casualties.
"He's not going to make it." I stated quite matter-of-factly to Cabal.
"At least he doesn't have to write letters to the holograms' wives." the other guy said with a grin.
I chuckled, and held out my hand, "Hi, I'm Michael, some know me as Cinn."
"George, or just Geo." he said, shaking my hand.
I looked to one screen to see one applicant's harvester run into an enemy base, stop next to the MCV, and promptly explode from the defensive fire. An added explosion took out the MCV, and the computer's War Factory, and a Helipad. I grinned; the commander had loaded the harvester with blue tiberium, kind of like filling a truck with dynamite.
***
By now it had been about two hours since the testing had begun and the ten of us stood near the hologram pods. Cabal gave the results; Geo and I had passed, while the others had failed to varying degrees.
Geo and I walked down a hall that Cabal had indicated to a room where a pair of identical equipment sets, and several handguns were set up on tables. Cabal indicated we could use the equipment to design what the cover for our field equipment was. We had to disguise a pair of holographic projectors, the projectors' transmitter/receiver, an audio send/receive transmitter, and our personal Cabal unit.
I hid my Cabal in a sport watch, along with his command link ups, and even had room left over in it so a minute camera could give Cabal a visual of the area around him. The audio transmitter I hid in a working Zippo lighter, removing fuel space in the bottom. The projectors and their transmitter I cleverly hid in a CD player and a pair of headphones.
Then we were directed by Cabal to choose a handgun or two from the ones on the tables. I took a 10-round .45-caliber pistol, and a 7-round .50-caliber pistol for magnum rounds, and several clips for both guns. We both received checks of 50 grand. The two of us were then ushered out to get back to our homes. I stood out in the light drizzle, my guns concealed in a backpack, for an hour for the city bus.
I am Michael Hardy; I live near the edge of the Arizona desert. I am 18, and just out of my parent's house. I have a car to buy.
***
Author: Read, review, laugh out loud.