"Come on, kid" Bundy says to the new guy that calls himself Grasshopper. "Don't worry about the smell. You get used to it. Hey, you didn't leave those peanut butter sandos back in the flag room, did ya? You looked mighty comfortable to me..."
"No, I didn't. I told you three times already. Whats the matter, you got CRS or something?"
"Ok, lets move out!"
As they make their way through the perimeter defenses on their way back to Fort Bundy, he thinks about how hard the kid is trying to learn the game and make a name for himself. Yeah, they all want to do that, but this one is different. Grasshopper actually listened when I talked to him about the big question. The big question that we all answer, whether we know it or not. "To cheese, or not to cheese", that is the question (sorry, Tato ;}). It affects everything we do in the game.
Grasshopper wanted to know what I mean when I said that something was cheap. After explaining to him, he wanted to know how anyone could expect to win, much less do well, if he didn't do what everyone else was doing. Why give them the advantage? So, I asked him if he wanted to go on TF Patrol® and see. By the time the night was over, Grasshopper was full of questions and eager to learn more about the game.
"Bundy, tell me about that Scout you torched in the upper resupply. Why do you feel bad about that?"
"Well, if you remember, we went there to get you Lag Sniping qualified. When it turned into the Rocket Dodge Boogie, I had to put away Betsy and break out the flame thrower, remember?"
"Sure do. There were more nail grens and mirvs than I have ever seen. It really slowed the server down."
"Yup. Well anyway, I was chasing that engineer making his way downstairs? That sucker wasn't going down that ramp to cap the flag. I intercepted him, torched him real good and turned around to see something flit by and hide in the shadows opposide the upper resupply in 2fort4. Well, I sorta walked by like I didn't see him, you know, watching him out of the corner of my eye... I couln't really tell much about him, so I casually ID'd him. Whoa! Enemy Scout, eh? Hmmm... I bet he is wounded. He isn't trying for the flag... I'll be he needs supplies and first aid. I will go around the corner and bust him if he goes for the flag. Otherwise, I will watch him and see what he is up to."
"Yeah, that is when I came out of the resupply, isn't it?"
"Yep. He waited until you were out of sight and then dashed into the room. He didn't know I was watching him. You know, he wasn't in there to spragg anyone. Heck, he would have been downstairs for that anyway. Anyway, I walked over to the door real slow, and he saw me. I acted like I didn't see him and let the door close before I got there. Heh heh... He must have thought that was a close one.
"Well, I let him think about how he was going to get out for a minute or so and went back over to the door. Just before I opened the door, I pulled the pin on a napalm gren and let it cook a little. I opened the door, and the poor guy was trying to hide behind the jamb so he could just make his escape. He wasn't doing anything but snitching supplies and a little first aid. Heck, we all do that on occasion. But he was decent about it, ya know?"
"Come on, Bundy. Cut to the chase already, will ya?"
"Yeah, keep your shirt on, Grasshopper. Like I said, I had that napalm cooking in my hand and it was getting ready to blow. So, I blocked the door and just tossed it in. I let the door close and heard the poor guy cooking in there. You could tell he was trying not to scream, but he couldn't help it. I know he had already used up all the medpaks and it would be too long before they respawned."
"Dang it Bundy! Come ON. Tell the rest of it."
"Oh, yeah. Well, I did the right thing. I opened the door and finished him off. I will never forget the look on his face. He was a brave little guy. Fleet of foot and able to turn corners on a dime. As he turned to ash, he gave me the look of a warrior who has accepted his fate. He knew he was a goner, but he never fired a shot. He knew the consequences of being caught in the enemy camp. He took the risk and paid the price. He was trying to escape when he went down in flames. But down, he went."
"Bundy, that is pretty sad. But I see what you mean. He is different from most of the enemy you find in there isn't he?"
"Yes, he sure is. I hope to find him again and play by his side. That guy went down for the Team. He wasn't after the frag. He may have taken me when I turned my back to him. A good Scout can nail a Pyro if he does it right. No, he wanted to top off his supplies and make a flag run. Too bad for him that his team was so disorganized, or he would have been capping all night."
Bundy sits and opens a thermos of bug juice. He hands a cup to Grasshopper, who is already munching a soggy peanut butter sando. After a few moments of silence, Grasshopper looks at Bundy and nods.
Bundy smiles. Yeah, the kid gets it. He'll be ok.