The (Passive) Adventures of Fireteam GAME

2 - Mexican Standoff

Summary: Guardians can meet in crazy ways. Andy, Toby, and Matt find themselves in an old-fashioned confrontation that can only end one of two very different ways.

Rating: T (violence)

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The Crucible was an unforgiving place. A madhouse of nonstop gunfire and action, any Guardian who dared step foot in its realm of chaos was one who knew the battles well, and was a warrior valiant enough to stay alive for at least a full thirty seconds.

After all, no enemy was more terrifying than another Guardian.

Andy, of all people, knew this well. Though he loved being a part of the effort to push back the coming Darkness, he was always interested in seeing how Guardians fared in fighting against one another. He wasn't a master at the Crucible himself, but it was a good way to pass the time while he waited for the Bounty Tracker to refresh his stock so he could get back out into the wilderness. Besides, he needed the Marks for that chest armor he'd been eyeing for some time now, anyway.

He'd been playing a number of Rumble matches for some time now, and this bout in particular was no different than those before it. Honestly, it was one of his least favorite Crucible modes out there since he preferred traveling as a pack in PvP, but he seemed to be handling himself quite decently today. He hoped this streak wouldn't be broken anytime soon, but then again, the Crucible was packed with a load of surprises; there was no telling what such a relentless arena would throw at him next.

The Gunslinger's boots pounded against the earth's snow-dusted soil, Red Hand IX locked and loaded as he slid into cover. He raised the Hand Cannon close to his head as he pressed his back against a crumbled wall, head turning ever so slightly to peek out from behind his cover. The area was clear from where he could see, but a few enemies showed up on the tracker...would it be wise to jump out and go in for the kill?

Andy decided to take the chance. Adjusting his grip on Red Hand, he stood up and sprinted out from behind the wall, raising the gun and pointing it at whoever stood in the way.

The Hand Cannon's barrel met the head of a Warlock, but Andy's head met the barrel of another Warlock's gun off to his left, whom the first Warlock was pointing his own gun at. All three men froze in their place as they realized what situation they'd just gotten themselves into, and an awkward silence hung over them all.

"...Two Warlocks and a Hunter all draw their weapons at the same time," the Warlock Andy was pointing at chuckled, a small feeling of nervousness lining his voice, "what happens?"

Now, it was the Warlock off to Andy's left's turn to speak. "T-Truce!" he suddenly cried out, his free hand shooting off to the side in a defensive manner, "Truce! Please!"

"Truce?!" Andy repeated, glancing surprisedly at the Warlock, "There's no truce in Rumble!"

"Oh, come on, you gotta let me go," by now, this Warlock's gun was wavering slightly, most likely out of nerve, "I'm trying to get a K/D higher than 20, and I'm only one kill away. Please don't ruin this for me."

The Warlock Andy was pointing his gun to made a noise that sounded like a sigh; Andy couldn't really tell what it was through the Warlock's helmet. "Well, this could end in one of two ways," he began, his hand adjusting its grip on his Pulse Rifle, "We all shoot and one person walks out alive, or we put down our guns and agree not to kill each other...this time around."

"I-I think I like option two better," the other Warlock stammered.

Andy stood perfectly still, in the fear that any sudden movement could trigger a disaster. What was he going to do; better yet, what could he do? They'd probably be standing like this for the whole match, if nobody went ahead and made a move...he certainly didn't want to be put in the inconvenience of death for the umpteenth time today, though, so perhaps he preferred the second option as well.