Pyro

"Civilian?" You ask, looking sideways at the folder.

"No!" the Administrator nearly shouts. You jump - you didn't think she could be loud. "That useless girl. The folder you should have is for the Pyro."

"Pyro," you muse as you look through the pictures of the civilian. In one he is cooking alive, running towards a manmade river lined with explosives. You quickly imagine how the Pyro was added to the team.

"The Pyro's file must be missing, but I can tell you everything that you need to know," the woman tells you as she squeezes her cigarette between her bared teeth. "The Pyro is an enigmatic character that we never hired. After coming on the battlefield without warning, they've done nothing but burn everyone we hire. It's not pretty, but our star players manage to stay alive."

You watch her stare at the tip of her cigarette as she inhales, watching it burn brighter. It might be a good idea for you to question her feigned disgust at immolation.

"Pyro is best for when we have a little dead weight. In the time since the Pyro has appeared, we haven't had to fire a single person. No terminations mean no severance pay. And that's more money that Mr. Mann gets to keep."

"God bless the Pyro," you say, remembering how handsomely you were paid. "What's wrong with this one? Needs a little help rekindling the old flame?"

Through her narrow eyes, the Administrator glances down on you. "The Pyro has been inactive for the past week. There hasn't been a single burning body in so long we've all grown to miss it. Your job is to find the Pyro and bring them back to the field, battle ready and fired up."

"I'm sure that will be no problem," you say.

"Good," she responds shortly. It was clear that she is getting impatient with the briefing. "Do you have any more questions?"

You watch the ashes fall from her cigarette and smile eagerly. "No." After you settle into the dorms, you plan to seek out your target and begin the game. As the Administrator walks away, you eye the rest of the envelopes. You can always get to them later...if you have time. For now, you decide to start with the arsonist. You tremble in anticipation, feeling your body heat rise.

As you walk down the stairway confidently, you look up at the sun and hope you won't burn. You step off of the landing pad and notice the young secretary running about in the distance, just as frantic as ever. She trips over an uneven split in the sidewalk as you watch and topples to a painful stop, her documents flying all over.

You hesitate for a moment. You have a job to do, but just one distraction wouldn't be bad, would it?