{(set: $head to (font: "Bebas Neue")+(size: 1.25)) (size: 3)+(font: "Bebas Neue")[Dark Strike]}
(size: 1)[ ]
(size: 2)+(font: "Bebas Neue")[An Operation Featuring Shadow Rider]
(size: 2)+(font: "Bebas Neue")[]
by B.J. Best
for //Combat Master// by Alfa Bravo Inc.
Complete draft
April 12, 2024
[[Introduction]]
[[Map]](append: ?SideBar)[\
[[Home]]
[[Introduction]]
[[For the Taking]]
[[Surprise]]
[[Sound Machine]]
[[Deep Thoughts]]
[[City Life]]
[[Zigzag]]
[[Beautification Committee]]
[[Green Space]]
[[Water Ballet]]
[[Center of Attention]]
[[Off Ramp]]
[[Over and Out]]
[[How Romantic]]
[[Movie Star]]
[[Choreography]]
[[Infrequent Shopper]]
[[In a Pickle]]
[[Traffic Jam]]
[[Fenced Off]]
[[No Use Crying]]
[[Lucky Shot]]
[[Quick Wit]]
[[Slo-mo]]
[[Miss Manners]]
[[Easy Answers]]
[[Map]]
](size: 2)+(font: "Bebas Neue")[Operation Name]
(size: 1.25)[Dark Strike]
$head[Tagline]
[Rush thinks he's fast. I'm faster.]
[[For the Taking]]<img src="https://bjbest60.neocities.org/cm/dark/darkmap.png" style="max-width: 80%; max-height: 80%;">
[[Home]]
[[For the Taking]] $head[Mission]
**Movie Star**
$head[Intro]
Rush gave one of his dumb cursory looks before he swiped the bag. He didn't see me, of course. It's like directing a movie: you need to know the end before you begin the first scene.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 13 Close Combat kills on the Art Gallery map in Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
Next shot: me revving up my bike. Next shot: Rush's tires squealing as his stupid sports car leaves the parking garage. Next shot: My bike a block away from him and getting closer by the second.
[[Choreography]]
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**For the Taking**
$head[Intro]
I snuck silently into the basement of the parking garage. The satchel was there. Rush was there. I was there, too, in the shadows—but he didn't need to know that yet.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 19 Clean Kills on the Art Gallery map in Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
I knew I could steal the satchel out from under him. Or I could let him take it and think he was getting away cleanly. Then he'd feel the darkness pursuing him.
[[Surprise]]
[[Movie Star]]
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**Surprise**
$head[Intro]
I move like the darkness: I'm nowhere, then everywhere. I swiped the satchel before Rush even knew what was happening. Surprise is the kind of thing that's nowhere, then everywhere, too.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 8 In Slide kills on the Subway map in Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
And then I was gone. Rush just kind of stood there until he processed what had happened. Then he began shouting things I was too far away to hear.
[[Sound Machine]]
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**Infrequent Shopper**
$head[Intro]
I could hear squealing and crashing and screaming from inside the store. I stood outside, leaning against my bike. Maybe I should have asked for some bananas or something.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 6 Revenge kills on the Warehouse map in Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
And then a crash from behind the building. Of course grocery stores have loading docks in the back. I was too late in getting there. I could imagine Rush laughing wherever he was now in the city.
**END OPERATION.**
[[Map]] $head[Mission]
**Choreography**
$head[Intro]
We wove in and out of city traffic, past apartment buildings and people out walking their dogs. It's kind of like a dance, if that dance was going 70 mph inches from asphalt.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 10 First Blood kills on the Power Stations map in Team Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
Rush made an unexpected move. He took a hard right and crashed through the sliding doors of a grocery store. I could follow him in or just wait until he came back out. Where else could he go?
[[Infrequent Shopper]]
[[In a Pickle]]
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**In a Pickle**
$head[Intro]
It was easy to follow his trail. A left through the cereal aisle. Swerving around watermelons. And then there he was, skidding back towards the main entrance, a flood of wine and beer behind him.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 10 No Scope kills on the Caribbean map in Arms Race mode.
$head[Resolution]
Sure, I could follow him back out past the broken pickle jars and wide-eyed cashiers. But if he was heading to the highway, the loading docks out back would be a way to cut him off.
[[Traffic Jam]]
[[Quick Wit]]
[[Map]] $head[Mission]
**Quick Wit**
$head[Intro]
I gunned it through the double doors by the deli counter and through the back, past towering boxes of produce. "Lettuce through!" I shouted at a stockboy as I careened off an open loading bay.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 16 Hip Fire kills on the Egypt map in Search and Destroy mode.
$head[Resolution]
Then the semi came into view. I could see Rush roaring by. I could risk it by sliding me and my poor bike underneath the trailer. Or go around like a rational person. But where's the fun in that?
[[Slo-mo]]
[[Easy Answers]]
[[Map]] $head[Mission]
**Traffic Jam**
$head[Intro]
I wiped some jelly off my helmet visor. At least I hope it was jelly. Rush was in the parking lot trying to make it back to the main road. But some terrified cars were slowing him down.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 18 Explosive kills on the Caribbean Night map in Combat Master mode.
$head[Resolution]
It was a sea of tail lights and screeches and horns, and Rush was drowning in it. He bolted out of the car, trying to escape on foot. I could try to run him down--or look for something better.
[[Fenced Off]]
[[No Use Crying]]
[[Map]] $head[Mission]
**Fenced Off**
$head[Intro]
I raced Rush to the chain link fence. But he was already up and over. Crashing through was the only option. My detailing guy was going to have a lot of questions about my bike's scratches.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 4 Stop Streak kills on the Trainyard map in Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
A chain fence doesn't break in the same way a window does. I should have known that. It was like getting wrapped in a blanket. A stupid, clanking blanket that tangled up my wheels while Rush got away.
**END OPERATION.**
[[Map]] $head[Mission]
**Lucky Shot**
$head[Intro]
I was doing at least 50 by the time I grabbed the cart. I was lucky it didn't rip my arm off. I hoped my shot would be just as lucky, too.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 1 Triple Kill on the Highrise map in Team Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
I winged the cart to where I thought Rush would be. The direct hit sent him flying. "You wheelie fell for that one!" I said. He just groaned. I grabbed the satchel, roared my engine, and was gone.
**ITEM: WEAPON.**
**END OPERATION**
[[Map]] $head[Mission]
**Miss Manners**
$head[Intro]
There's a reason I wear leather, and it's not just for looks. I never thought I'd be sliding with my bike inches from asphalt below and metal above. I'm sure my mechanic will love it.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 1 CZ Winner! highlight on the Pokrovsk map in CombatZone mode.
$head[Resolution]
Rush thought I'd be all torn up, so he stopped to be sure. I came out of the slide and roared up to his car. It was a quick break-and-enter and then I sped away. Maybe I'll send him a thank-you card.
**ITEM: WEAPON.**
**END OPERATION**
[[Map]] $head[Mission]
**Easy Answers**
$head[Intro]
I figured if I tried going under the semi, I would die. I made the split-second decision to go around it and live. Sometimes life gives you easy answers like that.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 14 Headshot kills on the Farm map in Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
But of course, by the time I was around the semi and its bewildered driver, Rush was already a whole highway ahead of me. I wouldn't see him again for a very long time.
**END OPERATION.**
[[Map]] $head[Mission]
**Sound Machine**
$head[Intro]
I ran back to the parking garage where I had stashed my bike. I strapped the satchel onto the back and revved the engine. The tires screeched as I twisted the throttle, and I was off.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 11 Assist kills on the Highrise map in Team Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
I had already set up a clever escape on the roof of the garage, but it was risky, and I wasn't sure I needed it. Rush was probably still standing around, dumbstruck. I could just roar out the way I came in.
[[Deep Thoughts]]
[[Off Ramp]]
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**Off Ramp**
$head[Intro]
Why make a simple exit when you can make a stunning one? I raced to the roof. But then I quickly had a problem. The plywood ramp I had built to launch off the building had tipped over.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 7 Wall Bang kills on the Highrise map in Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
I had worked out the angles. I could still try to get over the wall and down, though it'd be a hell of landing. Or I could try the garage's main exit—Rush was probably still far behind.
[[Over and Out]]
[[How Romantic]]
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**How Romantic**
$head[Intro]
A parking structure is just a series of circles stacked on top of each other. I was getting dizzy racing down them, leaning so hard into the curves that my leather kept kissing the concrete.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 3 On Verge of Death kills on the Trainyard map in Arms Race mode.
$head[Resolution]
But Rush and some of his goons had the exit blocked off. I stopped, unstrapped the satchel, and skidded it to his feet. Then he stood to the side. I roared out, trying not to catch the kiss that he blew to me.
**END OPERATION.**
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**Over and Out**
$head[Intro]
It was a long way down to the other ramp I had set up. I was worried about both speed and distance. I gunned it and wheelied up onto a parked car. Nothing left but the falling.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 2 From Parachute kills on the Pokrovsk map in CombatZone mode.
$head[Resolution]
I didn't make it, and the frame of my bike was never going to forgive me. Rush would find everything soon enough. I abandoned my poor bike and slid into the shadows. I'd need a new bike and plan.
**END OPERATION.**
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**Deep Thoughts**
$head[Intro]
There's a rhythm to riding that people don't appreciate. The turn, the twist, the tension of metal arguing against gasoline. I guess I get philosophical when I'm doing 50 in a parking garage.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 5 Last Bullet kills on the Power Stations map in Arms Race mode.
$head[Resolution]
Rush was nowhere to be seen, as I had suspected. Now it was just a matter of rocketing out of the city, and I'd be free.
[[City Life]]
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**City Life**
$head[Intro]
You know how some people say city life is too fast paced, too hectic? Well, those people are idiots, and this red light I'm barreling toward while doing 80 is proof.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 6 Double Kills on the Power Stations map in Team Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
I could run the red light, no matter what my driver's ed teacher said years ago. Or I could detour around the block. Either way, I could hear Rush finally come roaring behind me.
[[Zigzag]]
[[Beautification Committee]]
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**Zigzag**
$head[Intro]
You ever try to pass someone in a hallway and you go to the left, but then they go to the left, so you go to the right, then they go to the right? Yeah. Now try that through a busy intersection.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 12 Close Combat kills on the Hangar map in Search and Destroy mode.
$head[Resolution]
I don't know what all the honking was about. The only thing that got wrecked was my bike. I was thrown gracelessly into some bushes. Rush let me run off. Maybe out of respect. But probably out of pity.
**END OPERATION.**
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**Beautification Committee**
$head[Intro]
I was in a hurry, but not in a hurry to die. I skidded a sharp right down some side street riddled with dirty puddles and trash. Take some pride in your neighborhood, people.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 6 Gun Promotion highlights on the Pool map in Arms Race mode.
$head[Resolution]
Rush squealed his stupid car behind me, and he was gaining. I could try racing him again through streets I knew better than he did. But I also think it's always lovely to visit a park.
[[Green Space]]
[[Center of Attention]]
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**Center of Attention**
$head[Intro]
I would take in the trees and duck pond another day. But Rush must have called in for backup. I heard roaring engines on the nearby streets, and they were closing in.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 1 Hara-kiri highlight on the Warehouse map in Demon Slayer mode.
$head[Resolution]
And finally I made that one wrong turn. Rush's team had the exits surrounded, weapons drawn. I unstrapped the satchel and set it on the pavement. Then I revved my bike, grateful they couldn't see my face.
**END OPERATION.**
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**Green Space**
$head[Intro]
I flew into the park, weaving on the paths, past lampposts, bushes, and freshly mown grass. Some people were screaming. Hadn't they ever seen a high-speed chase in a park before?
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 2 Team Wipe highlight on the Forest Map in Team Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
I have to admit I admired Rush's tenacity. I'm not sure the owner of popcorn stand that Rush's car demolished would agree.
[[Water Ballet]]
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**Water Ballet**
$head[Intro]
At the edge of the park was a large fountain, and a narrow gate just beyond that. The fountain had a high, angled ridge around its base. And I was in the mood for a show.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 3 In Air kills on the Pool map in Deathmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
I flew up and over the fountain like a swan dressed in black leather. I heard crashing and wreckage behind me. You don't mess with people who ride with the darkness, Rush. You don't mess with me.
**ITEM: WEAPON.**
**END OPERATION.**
[[Map]]$head[Mission]
**No Use Crying**
$head[Intro]
The options in a parking lot typically aren't great. You know how in action movies, it seems like everyone gets out of the way? Tell that to all these people shrieking and dropping their groceries.
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 22 Clear Kills on the Power Stations map in Deatmatch mode.
$head[Resolution]
After weaving around yet another gallon of spilled milk, a stray shopping cart gave me an idea.
[[Lucky Shot]]
[[Map]] $head[Mission]
**Slo-mo**
$head[Intro]
It's weird how time almost stops and your mind wanders as you prepare to careen under a giant trailer. Did I feed the cat before I left? Pay the electric bill? Is this the right career for me?
$head[Gameplay Goal]
Make 1 CZ Winner! highlight on the Pokrovsk map in CombatZone mode.
$head[Resolution]
The answers are all yes, of course. I don't need more than a millisecond to remind me.
[[Miss Manners]]
[[Map]]