This is a story about us here in this forum and UT:
Title: "The Unreal Tournament Story.........Is This The Future?"
CHAPTER I, Part 1:
The year is 2066; you are in your home:
You climb into your pod in the " Buzz " room, that one special room in the basement that is soundproofed and magnetically shielded, you make sure the door is shut tight.
With anticipation, you approach the " pad " on the middle of the floor, attach the restraining straps and activate the mobility enhancer, put on the lightweight neural cortex head band, activate the Neural -transmitter codes on the digital panel, pick your favorite sound tracks and power up the sound to a tolerable level (yes, they still use speakers) and finally activate the powerful "ground vibrators".
.. Now, pick your choice of entertainment .. So, today instead of travelling to Hawaii, you decide you need a little action.... Unreal Tournament is your choice!
Why not!
It's been a boring week and you need to "kill" something ... perk up your life.
" Aha!...finally!.. I’m ready! " You think to yourself..
Slowly you look around the " Buzz " room, make sure no one's watching you ... good, you glance at the door, it’s closed, but did you lock it?
.. Ah well no matter ...... your scream says the rest..
" Woooo ...woooo! ... ..Frag city here I come.....Yeeeeehaa!.. . hang on to your butts!........."
You are definitely pumped and ready to kick some serious butt!
WELL HERE GOES... punch it up!
Activate the device on your wristband and slowly feel the Electro chemical pulses surge through your mind, the lights automatically dim and the room becomes pitch black ... followed by an eerie silence, you temporarily loose all sensation of were you are....
Then you hear it..... In the distance, ominous and potent, deep and slow "thumping" sounds, getting closer and closer and more powerful with every passing second.... Sounds you recognize as the weapons fire and explosions of a UT game in progress, organic music envelopes you from everywhere, the beat is hypnotic and moves with you, it's like the best Rock concert of all time, and you’re on stage.
Your heart skips a beat at the anticipation of playing this game you love ...all week you have been waiting .... What an adrenaline rush!
... You are finally here!
Without warning there is a pain in your leg, the pungent smell of searing flesh attacks your senses, “ Damm it!.. Where’s my foot! Sh|t! . It’s gone! " You scream,
.... " All blown to hell ...didn't see that one coming! ”
The pain is fleeting ... only momentary. It’s gone in a blink of an eye...sufficiently long to act as a warning that you have been injured, deliberately programmed by the UT developers to do just that.
This game and it's made believe world feel real in every other way.. The scenery.. The graphics.. The holograms.. The sounds.. Sense of touch. Voices ..Smells ..Are identical in every way to the real world you just came from, a perfect duplicate...it's uncanny.
Faintly you make out figures running furiously shooting and screaming, the agony that you see is indescribable.
Even before you know what's happening, there is the danger you will bleed to death.
Darkness is enveloping your senses ...soon you'll be unconscious.
You push the "Respawn button" and instantly materialize elsewhere.
"Aha! There is some armor.. Thank God!"
For the moment you are safe, you spot the Sniper rifle and crawl behind a rock nearby, you spot a target in the distance.. " It’s CliffyB! “. all around you the noise and music are in harmony, there is a slight breeze amongst the stench of rotting corpses.
With careful aim you shoot! ... “Head shot! ... heh ..heh, poor CliffyB won't be having any headaches now! ” ... You chuckle to yourself.
Wait! ... Behind you!... there is a noise! ... It’s okay, it's just one of your teammates coming to join you.
You must remember this is not real, that any time you want out, just push the Exit button on your waistband, don’t let yourself forget this is only a fantasy... as many others here have.
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Part 2:
You glance down, " Yes.. Alright ! "
They are still there ... both your feet, for the moment you are in one piece.
Still, you remember the pain of loosing your foot, and death is never an alternative... no score points gained in that!
Death here is always silent ... and quick.
Your teammate taps your shoulder and points into the distance. It’s those damm " Eternity Bots ”, and they are coming, you tremble slightly..
They are absolutely deadly and there is nowhere to hide.
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Everyone knows about the Eternity Bots or “ E-Bots”.
They are the robot players that have been around for over 65 years of Unreal Tournament, when the original players of UT, some since dead, some still alive, had their personalities and character traits put into the game software about sixteen years ago in the year 2050, by EPIC, the original creators.
Amazing process actually, the personalities of all the original posters on GT, PU and many other UT forums who participated had themselves immortalized as Bots into the game.
Thousands of names were immortalized for all time, all the greats, the legends, OverToad, TOG, Stormi, RitualSuicide, Grave Digger, Axiom, Pantsman, CliffyB, Snufkin, Upyours, Cleaner_CH, The Muffinman, Hekcorp, [OF] absolUT, Willhaven, Khiori, ToadWarrior, Scorchio, Anal_Foam, HappyHippie, Dokteur Kill, Feedback at work, luquado, Losers_Revenge, Azhren, Sgt.Crowfield, Love Muffin, dmonic_tendencies, NLS, Chuklz, XXX_home Brey, Shaggy2Dope, JustAFleshWound, Voit, Shinigami, Danzmacabre, Nathan, The_Queen, CoffinDancer,[OFC]MrGrimm.....And most of the Clans...
"...Too busy too remember everyone ... get mind back on the game ...must survive."
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"WHAT THE HELL!.. Damm! .. Not again!” .. The pain is slight, you know that within moments the pain will totally disappear, this time its only a superficial wound on your hand, you lost two fingers, nothing serious, any ways you still have three healthy fingers left...”Must activate the medi- kit to stop the bleeding “ you mutter.
Your teammates are nearby and ready to fight; those " Eternity Bots " are almost here ... this will be a deadly encounter that few will survive.
You hear it clearly now ... that deadly familiar sound, the sound of terror and death...that damm Redemeer is coming straight for you, with it's deadly nuclear payload, is your armor and health enough to protect you?
It's time to pray and your heart is pounding, you feel the desperate need to take a crap but there is nowhere to go fear does that to you ... you feel humiliated for a moment.
“Damm, those E- bots!" You curse, as your teammates look helplessly at each other for a way out.
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Part II a (contributed by DREATH)
An idea comes to you. Quickly you whip out your duel enforcers and take aim at the incoming redeemer. In a blaze of bullets that is only amplified by your primal scream of defiance, you pummel the redeemer with bullets. Luckily you are able to penetrate the shell striking the guidance center of the redeemer. It veers wildly as its controller realizes the seriousness of the situation. Everyone scrambles for cover not caring who is the enemy. Suddenly an enormous explosion is heard and a sudden air pressure wave throws you several feet back. Their own redeemer has vaporized CliffyB, GD, and Cleaner_CH. Nuclear fallout is causing severe burns on those nearby including you teammates. Suddenly you notice...
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Part III:
.... Without warning, a feeble, yet powerful voice punctuates the carnage around you, a distant yet familiar voice, echoing throughout the landscape and it dominates your very soul, saying "Daddy! Daddy! Mommy says you should take me out to play now...will you puleeease?..Huh..Puleease?"
"Oh no!” you recall a promise ... It’s your five-year old daughter, how could you forget?
Reality beckons, in that instant you see most of your team-mates vaporized by that second Redeemer that valiant Dreath's well aimed, but powerless bullets failed to stop, shredded flesh is scattered everywhere, falling like so much polluted chunks of snow.
In that same instant, your daughter Clarissa is banging outside the door of the Buzz room.
Distracted...your mind wanders, becomes unfocused, you loose your " neural " connection to the game and are instantly transported back to the real world ... still trembling and slightly shaken from that brutal encounter with the "Eternity Bots".
Later, tonight maybe, after Clarissa's asleep, you'll return to avenge your teammates untimely deaths and fire up the " UT machine " once again, to see your mates together again as before at perhaps another place, another level.
You take Clarissa’s hand, thankful to be alive once more and walk out the door, not looking back ...yet,
You knew there was a great danger in exiting Unreal Tournament using the wrong protocols, using the wrong procedures... and just doing it wrong... many things could be at risk.
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Part IIIa:
You curse yourself for rushing the exit process, you were foolish and reckless, but it was for a good cause... after all, your little girl was waiting for you
You hope nothing bad will happen, as you walk to the local park with your daughter in tow, deep in your heart there is a sense of foreboding, for you did break that UT golden rule ......“ Improper power down in the middle of a game was punishable with stiff fines, maybe even prison time, if things should go wrong.”
You know you have a limited chance of “ fixing " things later, to make them right.
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As you play with your daughter on the park swing, you think you hear that.... Oh, so familiar "thumping" sound, so familiar in UT, getting closer in the distance, you hope in your heart that dreaded "thumping" sound is only a passing thunder storm, and not what you fear.
A fear of something so unbelievable, so deadly, you refuse to dwell on it....
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Part 4:
Your thoughts turn to your little daughter Clarissa’s innocent laughter on the park swing, you smile back...the hours pass and it's been a great afternoon with Clarissa, but now it's near her supper time and need to go home.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, you stumble ...hit the grass.
” What the hell was that? ”, you mutter softly, you felt something touch you, brush by you ...hit you hard.... But see nothing, no one, but the emptiness of the park around you.
A stinging sensation draws your gaze to a nasty red welt swelling on your arm.
“ What’s this?...my God! ..Where did this come from? ”
Perplexed, you grab Clarissa and depart quickly, looking about you...almost running, heading for home.
Dusk is falling quickly now, the wind is picking up, just five minutes from home you walk briskly now, your heart pounding.
With a sense of purpose you know you have to reactivate the “Unreal Tournament machine" get back into your basement Buzz room, reprogram your computer ... enter UT.... and fix things ... make them right ...or the consequences could be worse than Hell on earth.
Again you feel something brush by you, it feels hot, the “ thumping ” sounds from high above somewhere intensify, those "thumping" sounds so familiar to UT are so much closer this time, air pressure waves from each “thump" kissing your face like a strong cold wind ... you think you hear music.
The faint, muffled, tortured screams of men dying in the distance, like an orchestra... fill the sky.
You briefly wonder.. "Can anyone else hear this?... ... or is it just me, am I loosing my mind?”
.... Terror begins to engulf you.
You find yourself running, dodging what cannot exist, what cannot be real.
There is the faint smell of smoke.. Of things on fire, the wind is blowing with the roar of a hundred steam locomotives.... You lean into the wind just to remain upright, lightning bolts illuminate the darkening skies ... and all hell is breaking loose ... shattering the comfort of reality around you like so much broken glass.
“ This can’t be happening... my daughters’ here! ”.
You scream at the heavens “No ...please, no, no. Not now! ...My Clarissa’s here!"
" Oh God! ” You whimper child like.
Your little daughter, now held tightly in your arms, makes a remark that chills you to the bone,
" Daddy.... Why is the sky changing? ... Why are the colors so funny? "
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Part 5:
You ignore her question as you run towards your home merely steps away; you can see Barbara, your wife waving to you from the front porch.. " Safe at last!.. Everything will be fine, " you think to yourself.
Now...for a brief moment.... everything stops .. becomes still .. silent .... no wind ... just peaceful... nothing at all.
You never heard or saw it coming, that thunderous blast that send both you and Clarissa tumbling head over heels.. you swear that sounded like a Redeemer shell exploding nearby.
A powerful shockwave empties your lungs ... yet even as you are gasping for breath... you are thinking of your wife and daughter.
" Barbara!.. Clarissa! .Where are you...where is she? ... What’s happening? "
The screaming you hear is yourself.. Calling out " Clarissa. Where are you? "
Screaming rock music and thunderous gunfire, sounds you now recognize all too clearly are shaking the very ground you stand on.
You know the "unthinkable event" has intruded into your world.
Out of nowhere, you hear it...a small voice struggling to be heard through the nightmare that is unfolding before you," Here I am Daddy...here I am "
You can see her... Clarissa's small form running towards you, after what seems like an eternity you finally embrace.
As you gather your wits about you, the reality of what just happened sinks in.
The street and your home are nowhere to be seen, Clarissa is by your side whimpering, and you’re not home anymore.. Some how.. You recognize this new but familiar place.... It’s the LAVA map and incredibly your daughter is here with you!
The terrifying truth is undeniable, you must both hide quickly to save your selves, the lower levels by the caves where the Redeemer is may be the safest spot for now... your mind is reeling.... You must stop this game. But how?
Somehow you both have been teleported into this UT game, you still want to believe this is all a bad dream ....... That you must be at home.
One of your old Teammates “EXcalibur” spots you, glances at Clarissa and realizes something is terribly wrong, a quick explanation tells the story of how you found yourself in the middle of this UT firefight.
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Part 5A:
You briefly think back to a few months ago when you decided to enter the Unreal Tournament game and how much fun that would be.
Your mind still marveling at the Biotechnology that made this all possible...
The joining of living DNA tissue and hardware to create the incredibly powerful “living computers” necessary to play Unreal Tournament by millions of players around the world.
You recall the warnings about the unpredictable effects of the combined "psychic energy" of millions of players, that if the “Rules of quitting UT were broken,” nasty things could happen.
At best you might only loose your private “CyberGame” gaming license.
The two months of studying, the written exams, the Ten Thousand-dollar fee to “ CyberGame Bio-Matrix Net Corporation “.
All that effort and money to get your gaming license to play UT, all that was now at risk... of loosing it all.
Yes, there could be serious penalties and consequences for players who broke the rules.
Unknown to you, that over two more centuries would have to pass, well into the year 2290, before governments of the world would unite and create the UT Leagues, with their safety regulations and laws.
Governments had to stop the corruption in the UT games, now controlled by the extremely powerful "CyberGame Bio-Matrix Net Corporation."
Yes, though UT had been around for 66 years, history in the future would show your times were still considered the pioneering years of Unreal Tournament, were anything was acceptable.... Damm the consequences.
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EXcalibur is one of the regulars in Unreal Tournament game and one of your forum buddies, you fondly remember the times you talked on the forums.. Talking about family and stuff. Good times.
EXcalibur, or " Peter " as he is known in the real world, had just recently invited you and your family to visit him at his home in Baltimore come next Thanksgiving Day, and you had accepted.
The warning yell from EXcalibur comes too late, a volley of 3 rockets is coming right for you and there is nowhere to turn, you throw Clarissa behind you.... In the vein hope that your body will protect her from the blast.
EXcalibur, in a valiant effort, sacrifices himself with jump to block the volley of deadly rockets, but the outcome is predictable ...as three successive rocket explosions catapult both you and Clarissa far into the air, like two wayward rag dolls.
Alas, poor EXcalibur is cut in half, his lower body obliterated into atoms, you hope he re-spawned safely elsewhere...... but for you and Clarissa, your fates are sealed, as you both plummet helplessly towards the boiling lava below....
************ END OF CHAPTER ONE ************
CHAPTER 2
Part 1:
As you both plummet towards a certain fiery death, your little girls gaze locks with yours for a few precious moments, her shrill screams become silent as she sees the love of her father in your eyes...for that brief moment you are both suspended in time... saying goodbye.
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“END OF THE MATCH....RED TEAM WINS!”......... “END OF THE MATCH ....RED TEAM WINS!”
Never in your life has so few words meant so much, with less than an arm's length to go before you and little Clarissa hit that lava and vapourize into meaningless atoms,
....you are saved by the clock!
Instantly you re-spawn on the FACE team map, without hesitation you pick her up, scan for a weapon, grab a Ripper lying on the ground and run behind the safety of the fortress, out of harms' way, from the opposing Blue team's sniper fire...
"Damm spawn killers" you mutter..."Hate those biothches" !
Disco_Dave, whom has just materialized nearby, runs off momentarily and then quickly returns armed with the Shock rifle....more curious than anything as to why the hell there is a little kid running around in the game.
You sense his curiosity and quickly explain to Disco_Dave that you think your improper exit from your game at home messed things up real bad in the "real world", that you are scared and confused.
Well.. Disco_Dave..sees himself as your basic hero type and makes no bones about it...determined, he explains to you he will "defend" your daughter.. and not too worry much about it.
You smile meekly at him, wondering ..."Nice guy, this Disco_Dave... but he hasn't got a clue."
“Clarissa honey, are you all right?” you whisper gently,.... ”I don’t know Daddy, I hurt my knee at that other place before and it hurts a lot!”... a quick glance reveals a nasty deep cut on Clarissa's right knee.
That "other place" being the prior LAVA map...
“Strange?”..you think to yourself, the respawn process is supposed to restore all health and repair all body damage to players,
"...so why did Clarissa’s knee not heal on this new map?"
The truth is almost too much too contemplate..if Clarissa won't heal or regain health..is it possible she could suffer permanent injury here and perhaps be killed ...for real ?
A cold shudder shakes you as you hold her close,
"Can we go home now Daddy? ...I don't like it here ...can we see mommy?"
Your whisper in her ear is barely audible amongst the sounds of weapons fire tearing through the air... "Soon Clarissa, soon"
You explain the situation to Disco_Dave, a small nervous quiver crosses Disco's lip.. he now too realizes that Clarissa may be in mortal danger here, in the game, the horror of this new development clearly reflected on his face.
"Better start worrying"...he stutters, looking about nervously.
The opposing Blue team seems to have broken through your defence lines..with Losers_Revenge, an eternity bot from the infamous GT forum crowd, leading the charge..
.... now everyone knows Losers_Revenge is a total psycho ...low in ethics ...quick too shoot anything ...just too see someone squirm and writhe in pain,
....and he is just around the fortress corner, screaming for blood...
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..to be continued,
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Chap 2,Part 2...! coming next at link below
http://www.tournament.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1034
[Edited by (OF)EASY_Target on 09-08-2000 at 11:56 AM]
Title: "The Unreal Tournament Story.........Is This The Future?"
CHAPTER I, Part 1:
The year is 2066; you are in your home:
You climb into your pod in the " Buzz " room, that one special room in the basement that is soundproofed and magnetically shielded, you make sure the door is shut tight.
With anticipation, you approach the " pad " on the middle of the floor, attach the restraining straps and activate the mobility enhancer, put on the lightweight neural cortex head band, activate the Neural -transmitter codes on the digital panel, pick your favorite sound tracks and power up the sound to a tolerable level (yes, they still use speakers) and finally activate the powerful "ground vibrators".
.. Now, pick your choice of entertainment .. So, today instead of travelling to Hawaii, you decide you need a little action.... Unreal Tournament is your choice!
Why not!
It's been a boring week and you need to "kill" something ... perk up your life.
" Aha!...finally!.. I’m ready! " You think to yourself..
Slowly you look around the " Buzz " room, make sure no one's watching you ... good, you glance at the door, it’s closed, but did you lock it?
.. Ah well no matter ...... your scream says the rest..
" Woooo ...woooo! ... ..Frag city here I come.....Yeeeeehaa!.. . hang on to your butts!........."
You are definitely pumped and ready to kick some serious butt!
WELL HERE GOES... punch it up!
Activate the device on your wristband and slowly feel the Electro chemical pulses surge through your mind, the lights automatically dim and the room becomes pitch black ... followed by an eerie silence, you temporarily loose all sensation of were you are....
Then you hear it..... In the distance, ominous and potent, deep and slow "thumping" sounds, getting closer and closer and more powerful with every passing second.... Sounds you recognize as the weapons fire and explosions of a UT game in progress, organic music envelopes you from everywhere, the beat is hypnotic and moves with you, it's like the best Rock concert of all time, and you’re on stage.
Your heart skips a beat at the anticipation of playing this game you love ...all week you have been waiting .... What an adrenaline rush!
... You are finally here!
Without warning there is a pain in your leg, the pungent smell of searing flesh attacks your senses, “ Damm it!.. Where’s my foot! Sh|t! . It’s gone! " You scream,
.... " All blown to hell ...didn't see that one coming! ”
The pain is fleeting ... only momentary. It’s gone in a blink of an eye...sufficiently long to act as a warning that you have been injured, deliberately programmed by the UT developers to do just that.
This game and it's made believe world feel real in every other way.. The scenery.. The graphics.. The holograms.. The sounds.. Sense of touch. Voices ..Smells ..Are identical in every way to the real world you just came from, a perfect duplicate...it's uncanny.
Faintly you make out figures running furiously shooting and screaming, the agony that you see is indescribable.
Even before you know what's happening, there is the danger you will bleed to death.
Darkness is enveloping your senses ...soon you'll be unconscious.
You push the "Respawn button" and instantly materialize elsewhere.
"Aha! There is some armor.. Thank God!"
For the moment you are safe, you spot the Sniper rifle and crawl behind a rock nearby, you spot a target in the distance.. " It’s CliffyB! “. all around you the noise and music are in harmony, there is a slight breeze amongst the stench of rotting corpses.
With careful aim you shoot! ... “Head shot! ... heh ..heh, poor CliffyB won't be having any headaches now! ” ... You chuckle to yourself.
Wait! ... Behind you!... there is a noise! ... It’s okay, it's just one of your teammates coming to join you.
You must remember this is not real, that any time you want out, just push the Exit button on your waistband, don’t let yourself forget this is only a fantasy... as many others here have.
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Part 2:
You glance down, " Yes.. Alright ! "
They are still there ... both your feet, for the moment you are in one piece.
Still, you remember the pain of loosing your foot, and death is never an alternative... no score points gained in that!
Death here is always silent ... and quick.
Your teammate taps your shoulder and points into the distance. It’s those damm " Eternity Bots ”, and they are coming, you tremble slightly..
They are absolutely deadly and there is nowhere to hide.
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Everyone knows about the Eternity Bots or “ E-Bots”.
They are the robot players that have been around for over 65 years of Unreal Tournament, when the original players of UT, some since dead, some still alive, had their personalities and character traits put into the game software about sixteen years ago in the year 2050, by EPIC, the original creators.
Amazing process actually, the personalities of all the original posters on GT, PU and many other UT forums who participated had themselves immortalized as Bots into the game.
Thousands of names were immortalized for all time, all the greats, the legends, OverToad, TOG, Stormi, RitualSuicide, Grave Digger, Axiom, Pantsman, CliffyB, Snufkin, Upyours, Cleaner_CH, The Muffinman, Hekcorp, [OF] absolUT, Willhaven, Khiori, ToadWarrior, Scorchio, Anal_Foam, HappyHippie, Dokteur Kill, Feedback at work, luquado, Losers_Revenge, Azhren, Sgt.Crowfield, Love Muffin, dmonic_tendencies, NLS, Chuklz, XXX_home Brey, Shaggy2Dope, JustAFleshWound, Voit, Shinigami, Danzmacabre, Nathan, The_Queen, CoffinDancer,[OFC]MrGrimm.....And most of the Clans...
"...Too busy too remember everyone ... get mind back on the game ...must survive."
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"WHAT THE HELL!.. Damm! .. Not again!” .. The pain is slight, you know that within moments the pain will totally disappear, this time its only a superficial wound on your hand, you lost two fingers, nothing serious, any ways you still have three healthy fingers left...”Must activate the medi- kit to stop the bleeding “ you mutter.
Your teammates are nearby and ready to fight; those " Eternity Bots " are almost here ... this will be a deadly encounter that few will survive.
You hear it clearly now ... that deadly familiar sound, the sound of terror and death...that damm Redemeer is coming straight for you, with it's deadly nuclear payload, is your armor and health enough to protect you?
It's time to pray and your heart is pounding, you feel the desperate need to take a crap but there is nowhere to go fear does that to you ... you feel humiliated for a moment.
“Damm, those E- bots!" You curse, as your teammates look helplessly at each other for a way out.
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Part II a (contributed by DREATH)
An idea comes to you. Quickly you whip out your duel enforcers and take aim at the incoming redeemer. In a blaze of bullets that is only amplified by your primal scream of defiance, you pummel the redeemer with bullets. Luckily you are able to penetrate the shell striking the guidance center of the redeemer. It veers wildly as its controller realizes the seriousness of the situation. Everyone scrambles for cover not caring who is the enemy. Suddenly an enormous explosion is heard and a sudden air pressure wave throws you several feet back. Their own redeemer has vaporized CliffyB, GD, and Cleaner_CH. Nuclear fallout is causing severe burns on those nearby including you teammates. Suddenly you notice...
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Part III:
.... Without warning, a feeble, yet powerful voice punctuates the carnage around you, a distant yet familiar voice, echoing throughout the landscape and it dominates your very soul, saying "Daddy! Daddy! Mommy says you should take me out to play now...will you puleeease?..Huh..Puleease?"
"Oh no!” you recall a promise ... It’s your five-year old daughter, how could you forget?
Reality beckons, in that instant you see most of your team-mates vaporized by that second Redeemer that valiant Dreath's well aimed, but powerless bullets failed to stop, shredded flesh is scattered everywhere, falling like so much polluted chunks of snow.
In that same instant, your daughter Clarissa is banging outside the door of the Buzz room.
Distracted...your mind wanders, becomes unfocused, you loose your " neural " connection to the game and are instantly transported back to the real world ... still trembling and slightly shaken from that brutal encounter with the "Eternity Bots".
Later, tonight maybe, after Clarissa's asleep, you'll return to avenge your teammates untimely deaths and fire up the " UT machine " once again, to see your mates together again as before at perhaps another place, another level.
You take Clarissa’s hand, thankful to be alive once more and walk out the door, not looking back ...yet,
You knew there was a great danger in exiting Unreal Tournament using the wrong protocols, using the wrong procedures... and just doing it wrong... many things could be at risk.
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Part IIIa:
You curse yourself for rushing the exit process, you were foolish and reckless, but it was for a good cause... after all, your little girl was waiting for you
You hope nothing bad will happen, as you walk to the local park with your daughter in tow, deep in your heart there is a sense of foreboding, for you did break that UT golden rule ......“ Improper power down in the middle of a game was punishable with stiff fines, maybe even prison time, if things should go wrong.”
You know you have a limited chance of “ fixing " things later, to make them right.
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As you play with your daughter on the park swing, you think you hear that.... Oh, so familiar "thumping" sound, so familiar in UT, getting closer in the distance, you hope in your heart that dreaded "thumping" sound is only a passing thunder storm, and not what you fear.
A fear of something so unbelievable, so deadly, you refuse to dwell on it....
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Part 4:
Your thoughts turn to your little daughter Clarissa’s innocent laughter on the park swing, you smile back...the hours pass and it's been a great afternoon with Clarissa, but now it's near her supper time and need to go home.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, you stumble ...hit the grass.
” What the hell was that? ”, you mutter softly, you felt something touch you, brush by you ...hit you hard.... But see nothing, no one, but the emptiness of the park around you.
A stinging sensation draws your gaze to a nasty red welt swelling on your arm.
“ What’s this?...my God! ..Where did this come from? ”
Perplexed, you grab Clarissa and depart quickly, looking about you...almost running, heading for home.
Dusk is falling quickly now, the wind is picking up, just five minutes from home you walk briskly now, your heart pounding.
With a sense of purpose you know you have to reactivate the “Unreal Tournament machine" get back into your basement Buzz room, reprogram your computer ... enter UT.... and fix things ... make them right ...or the consequences could be worse than Hell on earth.
Again you feel something brush by you, it feels hot, the “ thumping ” sounds from high above somewhere intensify, those "thumping" sounds so familiar to UT are so much closer this time, air pressure waves from each “thump" kissing your face like a strong cold wind ... you think you hear music.
The faint, muffled, tortured screams of men dying in the distance, like an orchestra... fill the sky.
You briefly wonder.. "Can anyone else hear this?... ... or is it just me, am I loosing my mind?”
.... Terror begins to engulf you.
You find yourself running, dodging what cannot exist, what cannot be real.
There is the faint smell of smoke.. Of things on fire, the wind is blowing with the roar of a hundred steam locomotives.... You lean into the wind just to remain upright, lightning bolts illuminate the darkening skies ... and all hell is breaking loose ... shattering the comfort of reality around you like so much broken glass.
“ This can’t be happening... my daughters’ here! ”.
You scream at the heavens “No ...please, no, no. Not now! ...My Clarissa’s here!"
" Oh God! ” You whimper child like.
Your little daughter, now held tightly in your arms, makes a remark that chills you to the bone,
" Daddy.... Why is the sky changing? ... Why are the colors so funny? "
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Part 5:
You ignore her question as you run towards your home merely steps away; you can see Barbara, your wife waving to you from the front porch.. " Safe at last!.. Everything will be fine, " you think to yourself.
Now...for a brief moment.... everything stops .. becomes still .. silent .... no wind ... just peaceful... nothing at all.
You never heard or saw it coming, that thunderous blast that send both you and Clarissa tumbling head over heels.. you swear that sounded like a Redeemer shell exploding nearby.
A powerful shockwave empties your lungs ... yet even as you are gasping for breath... you are thinking of your wife and daughter.
" Barbara!.. Clarissa! .Where are you...where is she? ... What’s happening? "
The screaming you hear is yourself.. Calling out " Clarissa. Where are you? "
Screaming rock music and thunderous gunfire, sounds you now recognize all too clearly are shaking the very ground you stand on.
You know the "unthinkable event" has intruded into your world.
Out of nowhere, you hear it...a small voice struggling to be heard through the nightmare that is unfolding before you," Here I am Daddy...here I am "
You can see her... Clarissa's small form running towards you, after what seems like an eternity you finally embrace.
As you gather your wits about you, the reality of what just happened sinks in.
The street and your home are nowhere to be seen, Clarissa is by your side whimpering, and you’re not home anymore.. Some how.. You recognize this new but familiar place.... It’s the LAVA map and incredibly your daughter is here with you!
The terrifying truth is undeniable, you must both hide quickly to save your selves, the lower levels by the caves where the Redeemer is may be the safest spot for now... your mind is reeling.... You must stop this game. But how?
Somehow you both have been teleported into this UT game, you still want to believe this is all a bad dream ....... That you must be at home.
One of your old Teammates “EXcalibur” spots you, glances at Clarissa and realizes something is terribly wrong, a quick explanation tells the story of how you found yourself in the middle of this UT firefight.
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Part 5A:
You briefly think back to a few months ago when you decided to enter the Unreal Tournament game and how much fun that would be.
Your mind still marveling at the Biotechnology that made this all possible...
The joining of living DNA tissue and hardware to create the incredibly powerful “living computers” necessary to play Unreal Tournament by millions of players around the world.
You recall the warnings about the unpredictable effects of the combined "psychic energy" of millions of players, that if the “Rules of quitting UT were broken,” nasty things could happen.
At best you might only loose your private “CyberGame” gaming license.
The two months of studying, the written exams, the Ten Thousand-dollar fee to “ CyberGame Bio-Matrix Net Corporation “.
All that effort and money to get your gaming license to play UT, all that was now at risk... of loosing it all.
Yes, there could be serious penalties and consequences for players who broke the rules.
Unknown to you, that over two more centuries would have to pass, well into the year 2290, before governments of the world would unite and create the UT Leagues, with their safety regulations and laws.
Governments had to stop the corruption in the UT games, now controlled by the extremely powerful "CyberGame Bio-Matrix Net Corporation."
Yes, though UT had been around for 66 years, history in the future would show your times were still considered the pioneering years of Unreal Tournament, were anything was acceptable.... Damm the consequences.
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EXcalibur is one of the regulars in Unreal Tournament game and one of your forum buddies, you fondly remember the times you talked on the forums.. Talking about family and stuff. Good times.
EXcalibur, or " Peter " as he is known in the real world, had just recently invited you and your family to visit him at his home in Baltimore come next Thanksgiving Day, and you had accepted.
The warning yell from EXcalibur comes too late, a volley of 3 rockets is coming right for you and there is nowhere to turn, you throw Clarissa behind you.... In the vein hope that your body will protect her from the blast.
EXcalibur, in a valiant effort, sacrifices himself with jump to block the volley of deadly rockets, but the outcome is predictable ...as three successive rocket explosions catapult both you and Clarissa far into the air, like two wayward rag dolls.
Alas, poor EXcalibur is cut in half, his lower body obliterated into atoms, you hope he re-spawned safely elsewhere...... but for you and Clarissa, your fates are sealed, as you both plummet helplessly towards the boiling lava below....
************ END OF CHAPTER ONE ************
CHAPTER 2
Part 1:
As you both plummet towards a certain fiery death, your little girls gaze locks with yours for a few precious moments, her shrill screams become silent as she sees the love of her father in your eyes...for that brief moment you are both suspended in time... saying goodbye.
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“END OF THE MATCH....RED TEAM WINS!”......... “END OF THE MATCH ....RED TEAM WINS!”
Never in your life has so few words meant so much, with less than an arm's length to go before you and little Clarissa hit that lava and vapourize into meaningless atoms,
....you are saved by the clock!
Instantly you re-spawn on the FACE team map, without hesitation you pick her up, scan for a weapon, grab a Ripper lying on the ground and run behind the safety of the fortress, out of harms' way, from the opposing Blue team's sniper fire...
"Damm spawn killers" you mutter..."Hate those biothches" !
Disco_Dave, whom has just materialized nearby, runs off momentarily and then quickly returns armed with the Shock rifle....more curious than anything as to why the hell there is a little kid running around in the game.
You sense his curiosity and quickly explain to Disco_Dave that you think your improper exit from your game at home messed things up real bad in the "real world", that you are scared and confused.
Well.. Disco_Dave..sees himself as your basic hero type and makes no bones about it...determined, he explains to you he will "defend" your daughter.. and not too worry much about it.
You smile meekly at him, wondering ..."Nice guy, this Disco_Dave... but he hasn't got a clue."
“Clarissa honey, are you all right?” you whisper gently,.... ”I don’t know Daddy, I hurt my knee at that other place before and it hurts a lot!”... a quick glance reveals a nasty deep cut on Clarissa's right knee.
That "other place" being the prior LAVA map...
“Strange?”..you think to yourself, the respawn process is supposed to restore all health and repair all body damage to players,
"...so why did Clarissa’s knee not heal on this new map?"
The truth is almost too much too contemplate..if Clarissa won't heal or regain health..is it possible she could suffer permanent injury here and perhaps be killed ...for real ?
A cold shudder shakes you as you hold her close,
"Can we go home now Daddy? ...I don't like it here ...can we see mommy?"
Your whisper in her ear is barely audible amongst the sounds of weapons fire tearing through the air... "Soon Clarissa, soon"
You explain the situation to Disco_Dave, a small nervous quiver crosses Disco's lip.. he now too realizes that Clarissa may be in mortal danger here, in the game, the horror of this new development clearly reflected on his face.
"Better start worrying"...he stutters, looking about nervously.
The opposing Blue team seems to have broken through your defence lines..with Losers_Revenge, an eternity bot from the infamous GT forum crowd, leading the charge..
.... now everyone knows Losers_Revenge is a total psycho ...low in ethics ...quick too shoot anything ...just too see someone squirm and writhe in pain,
....and he is just around the fortress corner, screaming for blood...
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..to be continued,
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Chap 2,Part 2...! coming next at link below
http://www.tournament.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1034
[Edited by (OF)EASY_Target on 09-08-2000 at 11:56 AM]
