the Pit The original home of the G.I. Joe team, this facility is an underground base five stories deep, one that is secreted within the Fort Wadsworth Chaplains Assistant school on Staten Island. The facility itself is top secret in nature - nobody but the most highly placed members of the government even knowing it exists, much less where it is. The Pit has these ingrained capabilities:* Armory: down on level four, the Pit has a very large assortment of personal arms for the Joe team to use while fighting evil. This armory stores all of the Joes varied gear, from flame throwers to laser rifles to rocket launchers. Furthermore, it's got a bevy of spare ordinance and firearms, should new Joes be assigned to the team without signature gear, or combat occur within the facility. Backup Power: in addition to the main generator hard-wired into the Pit's foundations on level 5, the Joes have installed a backup generator with which to keep their systems up and running in the event of a catastrophic failure of the main power plant. This backup generator has the same staying power of the primary (about six months, assuming the generator fuel tanks are full). Briefing Rooms: on level two of the Pit, one can find three different meeting rooms, each with a different purpose. The first is the situation analysis room, where current hot spots are tracked by Joe intelligence ops, the second is a holographic imaging chamber, with which the Joes can truly plan for enemy fortifications and the like, and the last is a generic meeting room, used when the others aren't necessary. Concealed Nature: the Pit itself is underground, being essentially an inverted, five story building. On the surface, the Pit interfaces with Fort Wadsworth by posing as its motor pool, which consists of a garage and a fully functional repair / service bay; the ruse must be believable, after all, and besides, the Joes have to maintain their vehicles somewhere. Communications Room: on the second level of the Pit, between the secondary staging area and the holographic imaging room, is the Joe team's primary communications facility. Usually staffed by Breaker while he's on duty (and not already on another mission), this room has equipment that allows the Joes to keep tabs on their operatives in the field, wherever in the world they happen to be. Computer Room: all of the systems in the Pit are controlled by a central computer bank that is located on the fifth level, where it can safely weather almost any calamity save for a complete rout of the Joe team. This computer has links to the Pentagon's computer network (via a secure land line wired into the second level) as well as most other, secured law enforcement agency databases. Escape Paths: in the event that Cobra, or some other nefarious organization should determine the true location of the Pit and assault it, or if some other calamity should strike the base, the Pit is fully equipped with several escape paths. Every level has access to a tunnel that leads to the water tower behind the motor pool, though there is also a secondary escape path that leads from level 5. Garage Package: the first level of the Pit primarily consists of a large vehicle storage bay, one that can accommodate a large array of vehicles and towed implements of destruction. One could probably fit over a dozen M.O.B.A.T. tanks within this space, assuming the Joe team felt the need to have ten of them built at any one time. The garage also has two large hydraulic lifts for moving gear up to the surface and back. Gym Package: half of the Pit's third level is composed of a large training area meant to keep the Joes on their toes. It is fully equipped with sparring mats, target practice bays, combat dummies, and even a full-length pool, for swimming laps! Of course, when training Joes for special missions, the gym can be fitted with all kinds of unique training mechanisms with which to prepare them for field conditions. Life Support: the Pit is equipped with completely internal utilities, such as power generators, atmospheric recycling apparatii, and food and water stores capable of keeping the Pit fully functional for six months, its bottom two levels doing so completely sealed off from the outside world. Furthermore, every level (and every room within) can be sealed off by the Pit's main computer, if necessary. Living Quarters: the Pit has a very large space for living quarters on level four, basically consisting of all of that floor which isn't already taken up by the armory. There are enough bunks to man about a hundred Joes on this level, though there are also eight special 'suites' for commanding officers, visiting dignitaries (assuming they have the proper security clearance), and the like. Power Room: this massive generator, built into the foundation of the Pit on level 5, is powered by standard fuels, and capable of running for six months in a pinch, should external power to the Pit be cut off. Should this occur, the generator will switch on immediately, causing a minimal loss of electricity and ensuring that the Joes don't find themselves caught without computer support in an emergency. Radiation Shielding: built during the height of the Cold War, the Pit was designed with nuclear war in mind. The facility was constructed such that, should the surface of the Pit take a direct hit with a nuclear warhead, the bottom two levels could survive the hit - and even the resultant radiation! While the rest of the Pit would be vaporized, the rest could continue to function for months, thanks to this Shift Z defense. Staging Areas: the Pit has two large staging areas, spaces designed for Joes to muster their forces for a mission. The primary staging area of the Pit is on level three, adjacent to the gym, whereby Joes can move their gear straight from the training stage of a mission to the preparation stage. The secondary staging area is on level two, where further gear and heavy ordinance can be stored in a pinch. * Note that 'costs' for the room features in the Pit are not offered, simply because I felt it unnecessary.