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Where Is the Basement?

Now that I had the code for the basement, I just needed to find the basement and figure out how to use the code. In all my time at the base I had never heard anything about a secret storage area, so I knew I had some sleuthing to do. I figured I'd start by taking the elevator to the lowest floor it accessed and then searching for some sort of inconspicuous back stairwell that would lead me even deeper.

I walked calmly to the elevator, pressed the down button, and was relieved to see that I was the only one in the hallway. When the doors opened, my luck continued and I got on for a solo ride down. I looked over to the button panel and, to my surprise, there was an actual Basement button. Maybe I wouldn't have to sneak around to find the entrance after all!

After about 30 seconds, the elevator stopped one floor above the basement. I should have known that it couldn't be as easy as pressing a single button. The number on the screen above the door disappeared and a message appeared: "Only base leaders can access the basement. You will be given a quiz about .NET Framework, C#, and JIT compilers. Fail the quiz, and lasers will split you into atoms. Have a nice day!"

The message may as well have been written in a different language. Except the lasers part - I understood that loud and clear. Having second thoughts, I frantically punched the numbers on the button panel, willing the elevator to realize that I would prefer to be anywhere but there at the moment. Thankfully, it registered before the quiz could start, and the elevator just happened to deliver me to the floor that I lived on. I had been rushing headlong into this secret quest, but the threat of death by lasers can change even the most stubborn of wills.