A Bird’s Eye View
The Ranger peered through his binoculars at the world beneath him. Planted on a rooftop, he took a swig of water as he tried to stretch. He had always hated survey duty. While his muscles didn’t ache, his mind did. The sheer boredom of standing there, hour after hour, had diminished his spirit. He started to think, “How long had he been sitting here?” Time sticks to your skin the longer you think about it, especially in such a desolate landscape. His mind continued to wander. He could not recall how long he had been here, surrounded by abandoned vehicles, flickering neon signs, and vines climbing up the remnants of society. He placed his binoculars down, removed his forest helmet, and began to light a cigarette. It was a shitty place to be, but for some reason he was never able to muster up the willpower to leave. The consistent feeling of mystery and freedom enthralled him more than any of his worldly desires ever could. The Ciphers, the puzzles, the sheer liberation he may find below… That dimly lit sunset on the horizon gave him all of the reason that he would ever need.
Before he could finish his cigarette, a gunshot rang out in the distance down below. He quickly grabbed his binoculars and kneeled in position. Staring through his lenses, he spotted an odd-looking stranger and a member of the Marauders standing behind him holding a smoking gun. From what he could tell, it seemed like an intimidation shot, as it left the stranger cowering in fear and shielding his face with his hands. What was a Marauder doing here? It was a weird and unsettling situation. The stranger’s presence was also a peculiar occurence to think about. Nobody had jacked into The Map for months, so why would someone decide to enter now? He had a lot of questions, but very few answers came to mind. He took his rifle out, steadily observing the unfolding scenario from above.
The Marauder tied up the stranger’s hands. The Ranger considered his options for a moment. Was it worth giving away his position to save the stranger? They were technically within a neutral zone, but firing shots against a Marauder would undoubtedly increase the animosity between their factions. At the same time, he couldn’t shake off this feeling about the stranger. Where did he jack in from and why?
He took a glowing green ball from out of his pocket and laid it on the ground. The ball began to project a heatmap of the area. It wasn’t the most accurate, but it did the job well enough. He looked carefully at the projection and saw translucent images of the buildings around him. Three dots appeared, representing the people he had just seen enter the alleyway. They were walking at a brisk pace, trying hastily to make it out the other end.
However, towards the middle of the alley he heard another gunshot. A muffled *bang* filled the air, and one of the dots abruptly disappeared from the heatmap. Had they killed the stranger? Should he intervene if there was a chance to save him? Biting his lip, he took out a grappling hook and latched it onto the ledge of the building opposite from him. He took a deep breath and braced himself, preparing to descend into the scene below. When in The Map, people aren’t subject to many physical effects of the laws of nature. Despite the simulated gravity, people would never receive fall-damage no matter how high they were falling from. He knew that, but jumping from such a tall building was not something that he would ever get used to. He dropped down and landed on his feet.
