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May 2, 2012 15:34 Hours
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"Hahahahah-ARGHH!"
"Get wrecked, Noob!"
“Agh! You bastard!!”
Over two weeks had passed since the release of Halo and by now, most people, outside of those who stuck to Legendary at least, had completed the Campaigns and entered Multiplayer.
"Fuck! That asshole’s t-bagging me!" an enraged player shouted from his respawn delay. He re-entered the game shortly after, mounting a Mongoose and vowing revenge.
"On your six, Captain!" another shouted from the other side of the canyon. "The Blues 're flanking us!"
*Pra-Pra-Pra*
*Pra-Pra-Pra*
*Zing! Woosh! Pwhip!*
Gunshots and laser fire arced through the sky as the two sides exchanged blows. The fight was getting more and more intense as the two sides converged in the middle of the map, fighting over the right to acquire the Rocket Launcher.
"TRIPLE KILL!"
However, what most on the Red team failed to notice, was a lone figure atop the cliffside, peering down upon them through the scope of a Sniper Rifle. The game’s announcement rang through Steve's ears, over the sound of Clint's BR, as he took down the lone two Red Spartans charging their position.
"We need to change locations!" the man out of time called out to his companion over his shoulder. "It won't take long for them to respawn and by then, they'll have a whole team at their back!"
He looked back, only to see his partner repeatedly crouching over a Blue corpse, and gave Clint a scathing look. The man only shrugged however, kicking the body off the edge and into the canyon below, before readying his weapon and moving out.
"Don't look at me like that- *Pra-Pra-Pra* -he's got far more than that coming," the agent shrugged.
Steve sighed before flicking his Sniper to the left and picking off two more.
"OVERKILL!"
"KILLING FRENZY!"
The announcer rang through Steve's ears once more, except this time, the second one was heard by Clint and all of Blue Team as well. The archer spared his partner a brief glance of acknowledgement, before sliding down the slope in the direction of the enemy's base.
Steve charged after him while switching to his Magnum and taking pop-shots at the crimson figures emerging from their bunker. He ran over a Blue corpse on the way, abandoning his sidearm and picking up a half-full DMR.
"KILLTACULAR!"
"KILLTROCITY!"
Two more Red's fell and were followed by more declarations, though they blended together in his mind as he was just dropping bodies far too quickly for it to keep up.
Clint ducked behind a rocky outcropping as he evaded incoming fire from atop the enemy's base, his shields flickering briefly before they recharged. He glanced over at the Captain, sighing in awe as he took down three more Red's with headshots before ditching the now-empty DMR for a Shotgun.
Even when all players were put on equal grounds, Captain America somehow remained a head above the rest.
"KILLAMANJARO!"
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"KILL-POCALYPSE!"
"KILLIONAIRE~"
Steve joined Clint behind cover as he reloaded his shotgun, the announcer's epic voice echoing through his mind as it faded away. However, it wasn't even a second before it came back, this time for the whole team.
"RUNNING RIOT!"
“If only there were bows in this game…” Clint mumbled under his breath at the declaration.
Unfortunately, the sound of gunshots ceased at that exact moment and his grumbling was overheard. A loud and mocking laughter came from the enemy base in response, “Hahahaha! Clint, you couldn’t match me on your best day, let alone the Captain!”
“”Ahahaha!”” the rest of the Red’s mockingly laughed.
The spy gritted his teeth in anger as he yelled back, “Fuck you Rumlow! You didn’t sound so cocky when my balls were scraping across your face!”
“You bastard!” the crimson-plated SHIELD agent roared back. “Come out from behind there and say that to my face!”
“Nooo,” Clint taunted in a sing-song like voice, “I don’t think I will~.”
Steve looked down at his crouching companion and rolled his eyes but didn’t add to the back-and-forth. He’d tried making the agents get along but for some reason, ever since a few months ago the two were just like Fire and Water, they couldn’t coexist no matter what.
Knowing that, unlike their enemy, both Clint and himself couldn’t afford to remain in their present position for long, he cocked his gun and motioned towards his partner to get ready to move. After receiving a nod in return, the Captain tossed two frag grenades over their cover and sprinted out after hearing their enemy’s cries of surprise.
“Shit! They’re coming!” Rumlow’s voice echoed throughout the Red team’s comms, orders swiftly being sent out soon after.
Steve stormed the base with a Shotgun in hand and a near-empty Sniper slung across his back, his shield flickering as it took damage from all sides. He sprinted up the ramp to the roof and readied his weapon, firing twice and picking off a lone guard at the top.
His blood was pumping furiously beneath his armor and a slight smile graced his lips as he breached the rooftop. Steve would never admit it, but this game truly made him feel alive.
He’d always knew he’d had an unfair advantage back in WWII, but this game allowed him to showcase his skills while on an even playing field. It proved to everyone that Steve Rodgers was more than just the Super Soldier Serum and could hold his own against the best fighters in the world with just his skills alone. After all, at the end of the day he was human like everyone else. He desired recognition for his efforts, even if said desires were buried deep within himself.
“Steve! Hurry it up up there!” Clint’s voice came through his helmet’s comms, breaking the Captain out of his temporary loss of focus. “The Red’s are just three kills away from winning this thing and we’re down by five! You’ve got to- Shit! DAM- ARGHH!”
The line went dead and Steve grimaced as his partner was sent to respawn. He’d died a few times before in this game and, while not nearly as painful as real life, it was definitely not a pleasant experience.
He steeled his gaze and flicked his Shotgun to the left, taking out one of the two Red’s atop the roof before swiftly switching to his Sniper and headshotting the one on the far side. They were down by four now, with red needing only two more kills to win.
With him being inside the core of their base, the Red’s were almost guaranteed to start spawning closer to the middle of the map. It was not the best for his team, as it was mostly filled with randoms apart from Clint and himself. Safe to say, it was all on him to see them to victory.
‘Just like old times,’ he thought with a smirk.
Steve raised the Sniper in his arms and set his sights out towards the center of the canyon, zooming in twice on an enemy Warthog.
‘Just a few shots left…’ the Captain said to himself as he focused in on the Red Spartan mounting the rear machine gun. Holding his breath, he steadied his crosshairs and fired, dropping the Spartan with a single headshot while leaving the driver oblivious to his actions.
Not letting this chance slip by, he flicked over to the one in front and fired again, taking him out as well.
“RAMPAGE!”
“Good shit, Captain!” Clint’s voice came in over the comms as he respawned. “We’re all tied up now!”
Steve didn’t respond however, as the sound of footsteps came from his rear, forcing him to turn and face them. He spun on his heel and crouched down on a knee while flicking his Sniper up. Forgoing the zoom function, he relied on his VISR to aim and position led his circular reticle atop the intruder’s head.
*click*
*click*
Sadly, his luck had run out and his weapon’s magazine had gone dry. If that wasn’t bad enough, the roaring of a nearby diesel engine entered his ears, causing him to grimace as a Scorpion tank swiveled its cannon in his direction.
“Shit…” the Red score in the bottom right of his screen ticked up once more and, involuntarily, the Captain let out a curse.
“Ah, ah, ah. Lang~uage,” Rumlow said teasingly while wagging his finger in the air. He’d briefly flinched upon arrival after seeing the Sniper pointed in his direction, but swiftly recovered upon hearing the distinct sounds of an empty mag.
“I have to say Captain, you really gave us a run for our money. Sadly, your teammate was reeally~ holding you back,” the STRIKE commander taunted while maintaining his distance. He wasn’t foolish enough to approach the Blue Spartan while victory was assured elsewhere.
Steve grit his teeth in frustration as he pictured the smug smirk behind that Red helmet. There was nothing he could do and his enemy knew it.
Nevertheless, with unparalleled speed, he dropped his Sniper and flicked out his Shotgun, ready to go down fighting.
Alas, this only caused Rumlow’s grin to widen beneath his helmet as he voiced out his final words, “Tell Clint I’ll be seeing him later to collect on that debt I’m owed from the last tournament. Rollins, do it.”
Despite Steve getting off a shot at the cocky agent, it wasn’t enough to take him down at that distance and he was met with a tank shell to the face before he could fire another.
“Game Over.”
His world faded to black as the announcer called the match and the scoreboard was displayed for all to see. They had lost by a single kill and despite that, it was somehow far more infuriating than simply being swept away.
Steve sighed to himself as he appeared back in the pregame lobby and overheard Clint swearing up a storm. He flashed him a bitter smile but didn’t relay Rumlow’s message, he’d had enough of hearing about their rivalry to last him a lifetime.
Shaking his head, he pushed their recent defeat from his mind and opened up the matchmaking session once again. After a slight pause over Team Deathmatch, he moved his finger over and selected King of the Hill instead.
Hopefully, they’d get into a lobby without their fellow agents in it. This game was the most fun he’d had in this strange new world and if they could just play without interruptions.. well, he could do this all day.