"A-alex, you should see what's happening to your computer..." Soldier suddenly said. "What? You blasted off the monitor with your rocket launcher didn't you? I'll kill you if that really-" I was interrupted by the monitor's screen. "Did you open the computer? Answer me truthfully." I asked Soldier. "Negatory, I just came back from my daily jogging." He answered. I believed him. Suddenly the speakers whispered my name. "Alex...". Soldier and the three others were downright terrified and hid behind somewhere, except me, because I know who is the person saying my name. "Stop saying my name. It's irritating me... Merasmus." I said. "HEY THAT'S NO FUN, SINGLING ME OUT VERY QUICKLY, I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME." Merasmus said through the speakers.
Engineer came charging toward the computer again. "SO THERE YOU ARE YOU LITTLE BITCH. I'LL KILL YOU WHEN I GET BACK THERE, WAIT, I'LL KILL YOU NOW!" Engineer shouted. Me and Medic tried holding Engineer back, but he's too strong this time. "Oh no, Alex. I advise you'd get help because Engineer is in Mental mode now." Medic said. So that's how Engineer lost his right hand, his mental mode. "Heavy I need help!" I said. Heavy came and carried Engineer. "HEAVY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? THERE'S THE GUY WHO PUT US HERE! LET'S GET OUR REVENGE WITH BLOOD." Engineer said. I stepped up and said "Engineer, if you destroy my PC there will be two things happening to you. I'll kill you the most horrible way nobody can imagine, and your comrades will never get home. So if I told Heavy to let go, will you go the bad path or the good?". I gave the sign to Heavy and he let go of him. It seems like my explanation hit Engineer hard, because he slowly went out by the guide of Medic.
"OK, Merasmus. What do you want from me?" I said. "Well, it's very simple, do you have any spare time to listen though...?" Merasmus asked. "Well yeah.. A LOT." I answered sarcastically. "Well let me begin.."
"I want to play a game..." Merasmus started.
"Are you Saw?" I said.
"Well no, but let's play a game in which you can't back out. I'll give you a timer window in your desktop, and this called an "Adobe" or whatever download in your E-mail. The download is about a code to get your friends back here for a surprise, which I will tell if you get to break the meaning of it. You only have 10 days, get it? 10 days. No extensions. If you got the answer, just type t in the command prompt window. If you don't break it in 10 days, Team Fortress 2, Valve and your mercenary friends are doomed. So everything about the stupid company that made me is in your hands. Fail, and they will blame you. Good luck..."
The voice of Merasmus faded away in static. "I'm... going to save a whole company, a game, and the whole STEAM community..? I don't get it..." I said. But when I tuned in STEAM, people were like chatting me crazy, telling me the same thing; "Alex, you gotta do something!", "You got to save Valve, dude!", "If you don't do anything our precious TF2 is gone!" and some other stuff.
"Goodness, Merasmus went too far and broke the 4th Dimensional wall!" Medic said. I was too surprised. I was going to save a whole company just for a single game!? Well, people claim that TF2 is second to the first in the best Valve game ever created. I guess I just have to do what Merasmus said, or everything will doom down to me.
I opened my Email to get the download. As I clicked the link, I found that Valve sent me an E-mail too. It went like: "We're counting on you to help us get rid of Merasmus and get back your friends and our charatcers to the game."
They also told me that if I did it, I would get 5 free games from the STEAM shop. I really wanted to refuse that offer, but who can turn back an offer of 5 FREE GAMES. Anyways, we printed the code and it was named to every one of the mercenary and me. It had a bunch of letters and numbers. "OK! Let's get to it so we can go near to our goal!" Soldier said and sat down reviewing his code. Everyone was reviewing their code papers. Me myself, who can break codes in my childhood, can't break a simple code like this. Even Engineer took of his goggles and hard hat, and folded his sleeves higher. He was just concentrating THAT much. As for the others, they took it nice and steady. We reviewed the papers until night. We had such straining pain in our heads after we took our eyes off the paper, we even needed to drink some head-ache relievers to take it up. Ugh, extra-work. But this is for the good of my friends, and no one not even Merasmus can stop me. If he's going to kill me, so be it. If he's going to try stop me, so be it. If he tries to destroy my world, so be it. As long as I have supporters, I will try getting some from Merasmus, you'll see about that soon.
Chapter 12: "Pathway to victory"