Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms

by HiggsBoson2142

After Blutarch's brother Redmond Mann forces him out of his home, Blutarch must find a team, and quick.

Team Fortress 2

Brotherhood of Arms

Envy

August 13, 1850 Zepheniah Mann lay in his soft bed in his home in Eureka, Utah. He looked to Elizabeth, his maid and servant. "To you my sweet, I leave my estate, my tobacco plantation, and my fortune." Elizabeth grabbed his hand, tearing up, "I am honored…" Zepheniah looked backed up at her, "And the accounts and debts that go with it…" Elizabeth looked back up, disappointed. She stood up and walked out of the room, mumbling to herself.

Zepheniah turned to his right, where his bulky friend stood. "Barnabas. The greatest friend I could ever have. I give to you complete control of the Mann Company." He smiled weakly. Barnabas lowered his head, in gratitude and sorrow. He then looked down to the two other people in the room, standing at the foot of his bed. "Redmond…Blutarch…my boys…" "It's alright father." Blutarch spoke up, "We don't need anything from you. You've done enough already!" He reassured. "Shut up, Blutarch!"

"While Barnabas controls the entire company, I give you two, a partnership." The boys looked up confusingly. "A partnership of the prosperous land you two wanted me to buy…"

"But, father," Redmond stepped in, "You said that land was worthless, though! How prosperous could it be out there!?"

"Oh you'll see…you'll see…" Zepheniah died chuckling with himself. Barnabas turned around to the corner to hide his tears. Blutarch looked around, astonished. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother, grinning at him. Thinking about something. "What?" Blutarch asked, "What is it?" Redmond began to walk out of the room. "Where do you think you're going!?"

"To find some…helpers."

July 25, 1968 Blutarch quickly drove down the California road. A car glided past him. If he was correct, the people he was looking for were very close. After the monster of an army Redmond created kicked him out, Blutarch was sent out on the road. With nothing but a suit, a mustang, and a life-extending machine; the thing that was keeping him and his brother alive. His brother betrayed him, like he always does. He got an army, and threatened to kill Blutarch. He'd taken control of the land in Utah. Eventually Blutarch created an army, but it failed. He was lost, and didn't know what to do. Blutarch needed some way to get his part of the deal back, and that's why he was in California.

Conagher Facility, he read the paper again, it should be right around here. And there, off the road a ways, stood a massive brick building, titled Conagher Facility. Blutarch managed to pull a smug face; this was the best luck he'd had in weeks. He slammed the car door shut and walked down the California road to the place, one foot after the other; and arriving, opened the door.

Southern Hospitality

A man wearing overalls with a thick southern accent stood at the far left of the room. He was laughing with a friend. The place was large and filled with all kinds of machinery. A robotic claw hung from the ceiling over the second floor. A wheeled robot drove itself around in the back. Yes, Blutarch thought, this will work. "Can I help you?" the Southerner was now standing right next to him. "Oh-uh, I-my name, is Blutarch Mann. Is Mr. Radigan Conagher here?" "Ah, Radigan. See, Radigan's my grandfather."

"Oh! Uh, do you know his whereabo-"

"My grandfather's dead…He had been gone for a year maybe. He was hired by some guy, Redmond, somethin' like that. He built him a life-extending machine, and was paid in some stuff called Australium. Apparently the stuff turns you into a behemoth. He was around it for quite some time. Wasn't the same for those few months…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. That Redmond man, he's my brother."

The man looked up at Blutarch, "Well ain't it a small world."

"Anyway, you say you're his grandson?"

"Name's Dell Conagher." Dell stuck his hand out and shook Blutarch's, "I've been makin' the most high-tech gadgets for ten years."

"Would you say you're as skilled as your grandfather…?"

"Well, I-I try."

"Good enough. Mr. Conagher, I'd like to give you an offer. You get yourself, and your entire team of mechanics and workers to come over to Eureka, Utah. There I have a piece of land, covered with the finest dirt on Earth. It's so versatile, it can be used as a replacement to oil! It's the dawn of a new age, my friend; and you're going to be a part of it!"

"Heh…but uh, why do you need so many people?"

"Oh…Well, I'm glad you asked. Before my father died, he gave the land to my brother and I. To share it, of course. But my brother created an army to kick me out for good. I've tried getting back in, but it's only made things worse. I need your help."

"I'm sorry. I-I'd really like to help but, I just can't leave this place unsupervised! We have a prison downstairs for God's sake!"

"Well, how about just you? And, a couple of other guys?"

Dell placed his hand on his head. "Fine. Me, and…" he looked around the room for a second companion. "Oh. Edgar!" A suited man walked over to the two. "What is it?" He was obviously French.

"Ed, I'd like you to meet Blutarch Mann. We're going with him on a mission to save the land that was once his!"

"But why us? What do we have that," He nodded to the other workers, "They don't?"

"I know how to build stuff, that's what! And I may have built that Invis Watch but you're still the only one that can really use it!" Edgar looked back at Blutarch. "Alright fine. I'm in. But you know, we do have a real fighter downstairs if that's what you're looking for."

"Oh." Dell warned, "You don't mean…"

"I do mean." Blutarch looked at the two. Dell looked weary and Edgar looked snarky. What was it he was afraid of?"

Suddenly, the alarm went off in the building. Workers in biohazard suits flooded out from a room on the first floor, running downstairs. "Looks like he's out again!" Dell yelled to Edgar. They both ran towards the prison downstairs. "What!?" Blutarch yelled, "WHAT got out again!?" Then he saw it. A bright orange light flickered inside the staircase to the prison section. There was a smell of smoke and char. Fire.

Blutarch rushed down the stairs. A man yelled to Dell from below, "It's alright! We got 'em!" Blutarch came in just in time to see the prisoner get thrown back into its cell, or whatever it was. The "cage" it was in was some kind of glass, and there was a number pad on the front. Whatever-whoever was in there, was dangerous. "Mr. Mann," Edgar stood in front of the cage, "I present to you your third member of your army." He smiled. Blutarch walked over beside him. There was a man-or, woman sitting in the cell. They were wearing some kind of jumpsuit, and they wore a mask. A gas mask.

Blutarch looked down at the person. They were just sitting, facing the viewers, and playing with something in their hands.

"Is that…are they, picking a flower?" Blutarch asked.

"Yep. It's the only other thing that makes 'em happy." Dell answered.

"What do you mean only other thing? What else makes it happy?"

"Fire." Edgar jutted in, "The thing is a cold-blooded pyromaniac. At least that's what I think. Found it playing with a match in a house after a recent fire. We didn't really know what to call it. Some guy suggested Axel. Pretty stupid though, since that means 'man of peace"

"Why are they wearing that mask? I thought the guards take away all their possessions."

"Oh no. Not this one." Dell chuckled, "We've tried. We've tried our damndest. But that mask. It won't come off."

"So, what did you decide to call it?"

"Nothing yet. Now we settle on Pyro."

The Pyro got up from the floor and walked over to the front of the cage. Through the dark soulless glass for its eyes on the mask, it stared back at Blutarch.

Blutarch took the cap off the pen at the desk. "You're really serious about this aren't you?" the man at the desk said, "That thing's been kept in there for eight years now. You really gonna end that?" He signed the paperwork. "I have my reasons."

Blutarch walked out of the building with Dell, Edgar, and the Pyro beside him. He looked at the Pyro out of the corner of his eye. It saw him and waved its hand, giving a cheery "Mmph!" Blutarch hesitantly nodded back. The four walked down the long driveway to the sunny road in San Diego. Suddenly, he saw a problem. There was a boy trying to hijack his car. "What?!" he raced over to his mustang. The boy was no older than 22 at the most. "Excuse me!"

Spirit of San Diego

The kid jumped up and started to run. Dell grabbed his struggling arm. "What do you think you're doing!?" Blutarch demanded. "It's-it's nothing, really! My friends and I, you see, we-we came from Boston for vacation! That's all!"

"Then what, are you doing to my car?"

"Heh, funny you asked. I, um…was getting this car…to…there was an old lady! And…she had to get across the street-city! And she wa-"

"That don't make a lick of sense boy!" Dell criticized.

"Fine I was trying to impress this girl that came with us! Lay off, man! It was a dare!"

"Of course." Edgar moaned, "Romance."

"Oh no! We're not…yes. We are dating and she is my girlfriend." He was lying. Dell shook his head. "Kids."

"Also," Edgar started, "Where are your friends now?"

"They're standing over across the street!" he pointed his finger to an empty spot on the opposite sidewalk, "Or, at least…they used to be…"

The Pyro walked over and patted his glove on the kid's back, "Mmph mmm mm phudda uph hudda hudda. Rph muph hummda mmm phum!" The kid looked at it nervously and turned back to Blutarch, Edgar, and Dell. "Come on. I'll do anything you ask me too. I'll wash your car, paint your house, I'll-I'll even shine your shoes everyday!"

"Actually, I have another idea." Blutarch thought to himself. "Tell me kid, what's your name, what do you do? Good with sports? Chess? Dodgeball?"

"The name's Judas Cook. I usually play baseball, I was great in running and wrestling in highschool. Dropped out of college though."

"Alright, Mr. Cook. Welcome to the club." He shook his hand.

"Uh, what?"

"My name is Blutarch Mann. With these three and some other guys, you're gonna help me take down my bro-nemesis who's kicked me out of my home with an army. I've got to strike back!"

"Haha. Very funny-"

"He's serious, boy!" Edgar yelled, "You said you'll do anything, and that means you're coming with us to fight!"

"What!? I can't go to war!My mom's back in Boston! I'd have to say goodbye or something!"

Dell took out a quarter from his pocket and flicked it into Judas's hands. "Then do somethin' about it."

The answering machine came on. "Hey uh, mom. So, look I'm not coming back next week. Ya see, I got in a little bit of trouble, but it's okay now ma. So I'm heading to Utah with this group of guys. We're…we're going off to war, and I'm gonna be a part of it. You know I've always wanted to do something right, and…this is my chance! I'm gonna make you proud, ma. You'll see…so…uh…bye."

Judas climbed into the mustang. He took a deep breath. "So, you got things done?" Blutarch asked. "Yeah." Judas said confidently, "Things are turning around, you know?" Dell, Judas, and Edgar smiled. So did the Pyro-maybe. "Then we're off!" Blutarch yelled. "To where?" Judas asked. "Well, kid…" he said, "Wherever there is help."

The five drove on the Louisiana highway. It had been a while on the road, looking for another member of the group. Now it was getting awkward and quiet. "So uh, how about some music?" Edgar suggested. He leaned forward from the back seat and tuned the radio. "That's life, funny as it seems." Sinatra sang. Edgar sighed and closed his eyes as he laid his head back on the seat. "Some people get their kicks, steppin' on dr" "What the hell is this crap!?"

Judas interrupted and turned the dial. "Truth - covered in security! I can't let you smother me!" screamed Kurt Cobain, "Like to but it couldn't work-" "Don't think I want to hear that!" Dell stopped the music and made his own choice. "I fell into a burning ring of fire .I went down, down, dow-""No." the Pyro made his selection. The song was just starting. "Can you hear the drums Fernando? I remember long ago another starry night like this…" Everything became quiet in the car. The Pyro turned around to Judas, Dell, and Edgar in the back seats. Judas turned to Dell, "You know, you can change it if you want I mean-" "No, no it's fine…" "You know if you want to listen to something else-" Edgar jutted in, "I'd be okay with it…"

A group of five mean-four men and a thing, rolled into New Orleans. "There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando!" the five cried out, "They were shining there for you and me, for liberty, Fernando…" The song continued, the people didn't. A group of bikers stood out in the front of a bar looking at them like they were a circus act. They got out of the car and walked up the steps in front of the bar, looking down as they walked beside the bikers. "Nice hat!" one of the bikers mocked at the Pyro. "Thank you!" it said through the muffling mask.

The five walked into the grungy bar room. "Well," Dell said, "Might as well take a load off here. You follow me?" He walked over to the side of the counter and ordered a brandy. "Y-yeah! I'm nineteen years old!" Judas said in a squeaky voice, "I deserve a drink…" He began to walk over next to Dell. Pyro followed him. "No. Come on buddy scoot." He motioned Pyro away and turned around, beginning to walk again. The Pyro was still inches behind him. "Come on pal whaddaya want?" The Pyro mumbled something. It was no use asking. Judas looked at him, Pyro stared back. "…Alright fine!" he moaned, "Let's go!"

"Ugh." Edgar sat down at the counter beside him, "I'm surrounded by idiots."

"I thought you worked with one of those idiots." Blutarch sat down beside him.

"That doesn't mean I enjoy the company of Southerners."

"Now what's wrong with Southerners?" a shaggy haired man turned around in the seat beside Edgar, "I actually hear they're great at fighting…"

"Back off, you redneck." Edgar started to stand up. The man grabbed his wrist and slammed it on the table.

"You see, we rednecks don't appreciate the company of some cheap lousy pansies! Get over it, dumbass! We won the war!"

Edgar swung his fist, getting it caught by the man. Immediately regretting his decision, Edgar pulled back, but the man wouldn't let go. The man pushed Edgar down onto the wooden floor, to the delight of the people in the bar. They yelled and laughed as the two struggled. The man finally got a hold of Edgar's throat, and held it as he raised his fist. Suddenly, a boot kicked the man off and into the wall, silencing the gathering crowd. "Come on ya bastard." The other man helped Edgar up.

The fighter got up from the floor and stood paralyzed against the wall. "Go on, you bloke!" the savior said in a thick Australian accent. He quickly dashed out of the bar. The man sat Edgar down in his seat and took the one next to Blutarch. "Your friend's got a bit of an attitude there." He said to Blutarch, nodding to Edgar. "I don't really know how to thank you, sir." Blutarch said, "Eh-did I get your name?"

"Name's Braylon Mundy but-just, call me Mundy. I came up here a month ago from Australia…"

"You're from Australia?"

"Yeh. Beautiful place. I've been roamin' and hunting game there for, fifteen years now. It's a profession, you know. You never experience the beauty of it all until you spend five nights in the desert after you lost your tram." He chuckled.

"So, you're a hunter?"

"Yeah. That's about it…what's it to you anyways?"

Blutarch leaned in closer to Mundy, "My name is Blutarch Mann. My father died more than one hundred years ago-"

"What are you talking about, 'one hundred'? You don't look a day old!"

"I'll, explain that later. Before he died, he gave me and my brother a partnership to split up the richest land on the planet. But my brother, my horrible brother created a powerful army of one-hundred men, and forced me out of there. I tried to get back there, but I just can't. I'm looking for soldiers. Fighters…like you."

Mundy put his hand under his hat and rubbed his forehead. "Sounds a bit jumbled. Well uh, who do you got?"

"Right now, this fellow right here," he nodded to Edgar, "and those three…over…there…" Judas was crying on Dell's shoulder as Pyro watched on.

"Charming group aren't they?" Mundy chuckled.

"Look. These people are natural born fighters. They may not look like it now, but they've got spirit in them, and that's what counts isn't it?"

"In ways, I suppose. Then sign me up, or whatever you do. At least one of your guys can be a professional."

"That's all I need to hear Mr. Mundy." Blutarch stuck his hand out, "You've got a deal."

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

"Why can't anybody love me!?" Judas cried onto Dell's shoulder.

"I-I don't know! Stop asking me!"

"Oy! You keep cryin' like that and there'll be hell to pay!" a Scotsman yelled from the corner of the room.

"Shove it up your ass, moron!" Judas called back.

The Scotsman pushed through the people and crowd to the front of the bar. He was a black Scotsman, and wore an eye patch and a beanie. He still held a bottle, and smashed the end on the edge of the table, sharpening the end. "Hudda, hudda." Pyro sighed.

"You and your friends want to dance? They're gonna hafta' bury what's left of ye in a soup can!"

"You think you can take me chucklehead? Let me give it to you straight. Grass grows, birds fly, and brother, I hurt people." He stood up to the man. "I'm a force-a-nature! If you were from, where I was from, you'd be fuckin' de-"

The Scotsman socked Judas in the face, and sent him flying over the counter into a wall of vodkas. Dell stood up and grabbed a bottle behind him, making a cut on the Scotsman's lip a few seconds later. The Scotsman raised his fist and threw it towards Dell's face. The Pyro caught the hand in his. The man stiffened up and tried to break his hand loose. The Pyro wasn't budging. A deep resonating noise filled the room. All was silent but the throbbing echo coming from the Pyro's fist. The Scotsman tried to shake away, "Look I didn't mean any harm!" The sound grew louder. "This is just the way things are!" A blue mist drooled out from between the Scotsman's and the Pyro's hands.

The Scotsman noticed the mystical energy. "Uh, what is that?"

The Pyro slammed the Scotsman across the room against a wall, with the blue energy separating them. The Scotsman stood up, paralyzed and looking around the room. Dell pulled up Judas from the alcohol covered floor. He slowly started walking, and burst out of the bar into the night. Everyone stared at the masked being in the middle of the room. He lowered his arm, sat down at the counter, and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. The people of the bar went back to their normal business as the jukebox started up again.

"That's an interesting fellow." Mundy said to Blutarch.

"Believe me." Edgar added, "One shudders to imagine what inhuman thoughts lie behind that mask."

"Probably somethin' about kittens and tarts huh?" Mundy joked.

"Good one."

Dell, Judas, and the Pyro walked over to Blutarch, Mundy, and Edgar.

"I think we've caused enough damage here for tonight." Dell laughed.

"You guys are quite the characters." Mundy said to the three, nodding to the Pyro.

"We have our ways."

"Men, this is Braylon Mundy. He'll be our long-range guy, so you probably won't be seeing him most of the time on the battlefield."

"Fine by me." Judas said, leaning over to a girl at a table, "Ever since I beat six of 'em in a fight, being around you Aussies gives me the urge to throw a couple of heads together you know what I'm saying?"

"Really?" Mundy walked closer, "Then let me see how you throw a couple of mugs together!"

"Woah, bud!" Judas cowered back to a wall, "L-like Dell here said: we don't need to do anymore damage here! Right?" Mundy smiled and walked back by the group.

Judas turned back to the girl, "You know what I mean?" She looked at him sternly, seeing through his lies.

"Let's go." Blutarch walked out of the bar as the rest followed.

"So, I'll see you sometime?" Judas asked at the door.

"Don't even think about it."

The six walked out into the night air. The Scotsman leaned by the side of the building. His face slowly turned to greet the six, including the Pyro. "Bloody hell!" he ran around the corner of the building.

"I'll handle this." Blutarch followed him around and saw him crouching in a corner.

"I swear I meant nothing by it!" he took a sip from the beer in his hands, "I was drunk!"

"You're still drunk!"

"See?"

Blutarch leaned down next to him. "Look. We were just trying to protect our people, that's all. You yourself are a great fighter!"

"You mean that!?" he slurred.

"Uh, yes. I do."

"…I love you, man! Everyone thinks I'm just a one-eyed bloody monster!" he fell into Blutarch's arms, who quickly back away.

"Excuse me but, what is your name?"

"It's Tavish. Tavish DeGroot." He stuck the bottle up to his mouth.

"Tavish, how'd you like to help out in a war?"

Tavish lowered the bottle. "A battle…will there be blood?"

"There will probably be much blood!"

"Aye! Count me in! Tavish DeGroot! Goin' on an adventure!"

"Certainly! I uh, well, it's been a bit of a night, so I suggest we get going."

"Of course!" Tavish ran out to the front and hugged the Pyro. "I'm sorry for all the things I did, mate! We should be friends forever, eh?"

"Well, the spots in my car are all out." Blutarch walked back to the group.

"That's alright. I've got my own." Mundy answered.

"And I suppose you do, Mr. DeGroot?"

"Oh, I might. I don't even remember how I got here. I just know I woke up in this parking lot. Good thing too. I was runnin' out of my scrumpy!"

"It's fine. He can go with me." Mundy offered.

"Alright."

Blutarch, Judas, the Pyro, Edgar, and Dell piled into the mustang, and drove off with Mundy and Tavish following.

"Alright!" Dell grabbed Blutarch's armed, "Wake up! You've had enough sleep!" He forced him up. "You know, that guy was sure nice to let us sleep in this gym for the night!"

"Tell me about it. It has all the things you'll need to strengthen yourselves."

Tavish, Edgar, and Judas were already awake and standing by a punching bag.

"Well? Go ahead and hit it!" Tavish mocked.

"Hey I just woke up! Give me a break!" Judas stalled.

"I got it!" Tavish went to the other side of the bag, opposite of Judas, "This'll wake you up!" He shoved the bag forward and Judas was knocked back onto a mat. Edgar and Tavish laughed.

"I-I wasn't ready!" Judas whined.

Suddenly, someone stepped in through the door, carrying a towel and a bag. He was large, very large. "I did not realize there were tiny men sleeping in gym." He said, "I will leave now."

"Oh no it's fine!" Blutarch stopped him, "We just spending the night here! We're kind of on a mission."

"You like gym? You come to gym whenever you want! Gym is my second home!" He was obviously Russian.

"Thank you, sir. What's your name exactly?"

"Marlen Laskutin! I like kittens, and sanviches, and long walks on the beach!" he fantasized.

Blutarch looked over the stocky man again. "You like what?"

"Oh! And I love Sasha!"

"You lucky bastard!" Mundy complimented, "You're probably the only man in here with a wife!"

"I might have a wife!" Tavish called out from the back, "I think. Yes! I do! I met her at a play! Then we ended up in the bathroom and-"

"Tavish, I don't think that's marriage."

"Oh…"

"No! Sasha is not wife!"Marlen laughed, "Sasha is gun!"

Everybody in the room went silent.

"You have a gun?" Blutarch questioned.

"Yes! She is my only memory of father! He was executed when I was young boy. Now I come here and fight people!"

"You mean you're a…boxer?"

"Yes! I am boxer!"

"So you like fighting?"

"I love fighting! I am human tank!"

"Marlen, I think we'll get along just fine…"

Despondency

"This will be so much fun!" Marlen exclaimed. He was sitting in the back of Mundy's car with Tavish.

"That's a way to put it." Mundy drove along behind Blutarch's car.

"Anybody want a bit o' vodka?" Tavish raised a bottle.

Blutarch's car turned on the city and stopped in a court parking lot.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Mundy followed him.

Mundy, Tavish, and Marlen got out of the car and joined with Blutarch's passengers.

"What are we doing here?" Mundy asked.

"Edgar was talking about some doctor that murdered his own patient. Niklas Fleischer was the name. He lost his job and his medical license. He's being questioned in that court house right now."

"Then what are we doing here?" Mundy looked around at the others, "No. We're not, hiring a murderer are we?"

Niklas Flescher walked down to the defendant's seat, his head lowered, and hands cuffed. His glasses were slipping, but there was nothing he could do. He'd killed the man, but did he regret it? No.

The old, fat judge sat down at the desk. "Niklas Fleischer. Two months ago, you were accused of killing the man Archibald Crosby." Niklas said nothing, accepting his fate. "Mr. Fleischer…"

"Mr. Fleischer, if you do not say anything we will be forced to decide you are guilty…" Nothing. "Mr. Flescher!"

"He did it!" Mrs. Crosby stood up from the witness box, "Just say it already! He killed my husband-"

"I object!" a large man stood in the back with a group of seven other men.

"Marlen," Mundy put his hand on his shoulder, "I don't know if that works."

"What do you have that objects the opinion of this crime?" the judge asked.

"Oh! What is the crime?" Marlen asked. Mundy, the Pyro, Tavish, and Judas put their palms to their face. "Jiminy Cricket." Mundy mumbled.

The judge sighed. "Okay…the court hereby announces Niklas Fleischer guilty of murdering Archibald Crosby."

"Yes!" Mrs. Crosby yelled. The people in the courthouse began to stand up and walk towards the front door. A guard took Niklas by the arm and led him to a room in the back.

"Wait!" Blutarch interrupted, turning to the judge, "W-what…"he took a deep breath, "How much is the bail?" The guilty man slightly turned around to see the savior. "Please! I'll give you, $250,000! Whatever it takes! It's all I have!"

"No!" Mrs. Crosby rushed in front of the judge, "Don't let him do this! That man is evil! Stupid! Chaotic!"

The judge looked at Blutarch and his group. "Alright…Niklas Flescher has been bailed from prison for $250,000 dollars!" Mrs. Crosby looked at Blutarch red-eyed, and stomped out of the court. The man walked up to the group, "Have I met you before?"

"No, Mr. Fleischer, you haven't. My name is Blutarch Mann. I've said my story too much. All you need to know right now is that I am building an army, and I need a doctor. That will be you."

"But-"

"Think of it, as a second chance."

Niklas looked at the group. A scrawny kid, a mysterious masked man, a drunken black man, a large fat guy, a redneck, a scruffy guy, and a clean cut European. What's the worst that could happen, he thought.

Dell leaned forward to the driver's seat of the car. "You know, we've got eight guys…that, seems pretty good. Who are you looking for?"

"There's just…one more place I want to check…" Blutarch replied.

Mundy closed the door to his car. "Stay here." He said to Marlen, Tavish, and Niklas. Blutarch and Dell got out of the other car, parked behind Mundy's.

"Fort Riley Military Base…" Dell looked up at the sign, "Louisiana to Kansas, and we've only found four guys…Think we'll find anybody there? I mean, where we're going, there will be people trying to join that army. We've been to the navies, the air force. There's nobody left."

"There's someone in there. There's gotta be…" Blutarch said in desperation.

The three walked into the main lobby. "What do you mean I can't join!? Didn't you see what I did to the Nazis in Poland?" a man said to another behind a desk.

"Mr. Doe, you bought a ticket to Europe, taught yourself how to use a weapon, and went on an unauthorized killing spree."

"So I can join then!"

"No Mr. Doe. The war's over. We won't be needing your help anymore." The man at the desk walked back into his office.

The other man growled. He was wearing a military uniform, and was decorated with medals. He began to walk outside, "Don't even think about trying to get in here. It's impossible." He told the group. "Wait! Stop!" Blutarch ran in front of the soldier.

"What's your name?"

"James Everett Doe. Proud savior of America! I singlehandedly wiped out a whole band of Nazis with a log of wood! Even put my foot up one of their asses!"

"Excellent. Mr. Doe, would you like to join this team of mine?"

"What does this team…do?"

"This team is an army-"

"You want me to join an army!? Of course I will!" he violently shook Blutarch's hand.

"Well, ahem, I suppose I should tell you what's going on-"

"Who cares what's going on!? We're off!" he started running to the cars.

"He does realize there are no seats left right?" Mundy whispered. Doe opened the trunk of Mundy's car, and hopped inside, peaking out at the three on the side of the road. "Let's go!" He closed the trunk over himself.

"I uh, guess we should get going." Dell said.

Eureka

"Soldiers, Blutarch turned around, "Welcome to my home. I hope you all know what we're about to do." Nine soldiers stood in front of him. It had been seven weeks of brutal training since they'd picked up Doe. They'd each gotten used to their artillery.

Judas got a small gun, though he complained he was 'man enough for a real gun'. The Pyro built its own flamethrower. Doe got a rocket launcher, much to his delight. Tavish got a grenade launcher. If he was happy or sad was unknown, in which he was drunk. Marlen picked up his minigun Sasha from his house. Dell got his supplies from Conagher Facility, and got a shotgun. Niklas received a "medi-gun", Dell's newest version of his portable life-extending machine. Mundy kept his sniper rifle. Edgar got his special equipment from Conagher Facility, and a knife.

"Men, this is going to be tough. But I believe even you nine can live up to the name of my first army, the Team Fortress."

"What kind of name is Team Fortress?" Judas laughed.

"They were nearly unstoppable. A powering group like none the world had ever seen. A team. A moving fortress…"

"Then what happened to them?" Tavish asked.

"Redmond. My brother. He wanted them dead. He hired a hitman. A spy, to kill them. The man almost got away with it, but I never found out who he was…"

"So what happened to them? Where are they now?" Edgar questioned.

"One of them was shot in the chest. Another got shot by his own comrade…it's just disease and shootings, that's all." He took out a picture of the team, "This is them."

There stood a proud group of nine men, just like there were now. One wore shackles and a hat, another was a large black man with a hammer, another had a black beard and a top hat, and the coincidences went on.

"Wait a second," Doe examined the picture more closely, "That's Abraham Lincoln holding a flamethrower!"

"And Sigmund Freud!" Niklas pointed out.

"Is that Billy the Kid!?" Judas exclaimed.

"What is it?" Blutarch asked, "Do you know these people too?" Doe looked at him like he was an idiot, "Where have you been?"

"Ah never mind." Blutarch looked at his team again, "Here we are. The second Team Fortress."

"Team Fortress 2!" Judas yelled.

"Ah, that's a stupid name!" Tavish argued.

"So, you all have your blue suits?" Blutarch asked, "It's the only way Dell's machines will recognize you from the enemy."

"Hudda ru-daddu mmuh phuddum." The Pyro said in a childish tone.

"Oh you dirty, guy!" Doe laughed.

"And James," Blutarch said, "You got that walkie-talkie I gave you?"

"That's right!"

"Well, I wish you all of luck." Blutarch said, "I'll be watching you along with Ms. Pauling."

"Wait, who?" Mundy asked.

"Oh uh, Ms. Pauling. She used to be the house's maid until I got her to be my right-hand…woman. You'll see her from time to time."

"Wait," Judas smiled, "Miss Pauling? Alright!"

"Okay! We've stalled enough! You know the plan!" Blutarch placed his hand on the item beside him, "Get this bomb into the hole in their base!"

"You got it!" Dell yelled, carrying his box of tools. The nine soldiers walked over to see their first obstacle. It was a long and tedious track, sometimes moving over the cliffs. Just going upward, and upward.

"Let us push tiny cart!" Marlen demanded, lugging his right foot forward, and grabbing the cart with both hands. He began to push. Niklas started to heal him, and Doe helped push along with Tavish and Judas. Dell started to build a sentry, and Edgar and the Pyro ran around a corner, away from the group. Mundy climbed up on a tower. Then everything was quiet.

Marlen revved up Sasha, waiting for someone. Instantly, a tsunami of soldiers started approaching to group, and a flurry of projectiles and bullets came beforehand. "Oh this is bad!" Marlen screamed.

"Gesundheit!" Niklas flicked the switch on his medi-gun, and both he and Marlen suddenly became a flashy blue color. Marlen, in all the commotion, suddenly saw his chance and ran into battle with Niklas. "He's just gonna leave us here!?" Judas panicked. He was left with Tavish and Doe on the track.

Dell looked at his completed sentry gun, sighed of exhaustion, and put down the wrench. He took out a lawn chair from his tool box, folded it out, and lay down. A beer bottle and Life Magazine were also taken out, to Dell's enjoyment. He snickered as an unaware RED soldier came around the corner. He was done after a few sentry shots.

Edgar peeked around the corner at the bomb site. There were turrets everywhere. He looked at the tiny machine in his hands that was the sapper. He could do this, there was just one problem. He turned his head back, "Pyro! Get out of here!" The Pyro stood by Edgar and didn't say a word. Edgar hit the button on his watch, submersing him in invisibility, and went around the corner.

"We got incoming!" Doe yelled to Tavish and Judas; both moaned. A RED group came from around the corner. Doe ran forward, and prepared his rocket launcher."Hold on, what is he doing?" Judas asked Tavish.

Doe shot the rocket at his feet, humping at the same time, and flew forward like a catapult I the air. "Sweet Mother Mary…" Tavish looked on. Doe landed in the middle of the group. The sounds of his shovel were heard, clanking against enemy heads. He quickly cleared out, and Doe was the only one left. Judas and Tavish cheered for him. One lonely and remaining member came behind shovel. A spurt of red liquid squirted out from his ear, and both fell onto the ground. Hearing a thump on the ground, Doe turned around. An enemy body was laying there. He looked up. Mundy waved to him.

Edgar looked around the next corner to RED's main room. A soldier came out and walked past Edgar, who got an idea.

"Ugh, I gotta sit down." Judas panted. He, Doe, and Tavish were only halfway through the track, and had only seen a couple enemies. Luckily, they had been undetected for a while. Marlen and Niklas must have lured them away. "I don't want to hear that anymore!" Tavish yelled, "If they don't know we're here yet then we might as well keep going!"

"DeGroot's right, son." Doe agreed, "You think we can take a break whenever we want? They will find us, and they will try to kill us."

"Look around bozo, there's no red suited guy anywhere the eye can see. If you ask me, we're just wasting time trying to push this thing."

Doe started to pace around the bomb. "Okay, son. Let me give you a little history lesson…If fighting is sure to result in victory then you must fight! Sun Tzu said that. And I'm sure he knows a little more about fighting than you do pal because he invented it! And then he perfected it so that no living man could best him in the ring of honor! So shape up, kid! You've got a long ways to go." And with that he began to push the cart again.

Edgar marched behind the group of soldiers. He tugged at the itchy sleeves of the red suit he was disguising in. He turned a corner and saw Marlen and Niklas standing there. "Forward!" a soldier in the front cried, and the group started to attack. He took out the knife in his pocket. One killed, two killed. A little blood spattered onto his coat every second. Slit, slit, slit, slit. Niklas hit the switch on the gun, making Marlen and him invincible. The soldier at front told those that weren't killed by Edgar to retreat. Upon running back, they stumbled over the dead bodies. Edgar stood there with blood on his suit and a knife in his hands. "Traitor!" a soldier yelled. They circled around him and raised their weapons.

"Mmph mmmmmph!" The Pyro dropped down from a building and started incinerating the entire group. They ran away, some dropping down to the floor. Pyro looked at the scared Frenchman sitting at the wall. Pyro stuck its hand out and helped Edgar up. The two walked over to Niklas and Marlen. "What happens now?" Marlen asked. The sound of many footsteps and commands were approaching. "Now," Niklas started, "we run."

Judas looked at Tavish and Doe struggling to push the cart. "You know, it's fine to admit you're just too tired."

"Shut it already!" Tavish yelled.

"Incoming!" Marlen ran to the bomb with the other three.

"What? What's going on!?" Judas suddenly panicked.

"They are coming! A lot of men!"

Mundy and Dell walked along the tracks to the bomb. Dell saw the group standing there, almost perplexed by his serenity. "Hey guys! How's a going? Say-any of you want to go fishing with me and Mundy after this all blows over?"

"If you don't come here now there won't be any fishing!" Niklas demanded.

"Golly. I didn't realize it was that important." Dell joked.

The walkie-talkie on Doe's side buzzed with static. A voice came in. A woman's voice. "H-hello? You may want to get out of the open right now!"

"Who is this?" Doe picked up the radio.

"This is Miss Pauling. Who did you think it was?"

Judas snatched the radio away from Doe. "Oh, Miss Pauling. You know, I've heard a lot of things about you, doll face. A lot of things I like."

"You must be Judas." She said in an annoyed tone.

"Hehe. That's very flat-"

Doe took back the radio, "What was it about getting out of the open?"

"About fifty percent of Redmond's army is about to come around the bomb site corner. You guys are pretty close to the hole. You just need to turn the corner, but I'd take precautions." She stopped there. Judas grabbed the radio again, "Hello? Hello! Damn!"

The nine gathered around the bomb in a circle, each keeping a lookout in their direction. "You know, pushing the cart doesn't seem like that bad of an idea." Judas whispered. "I like your thinking, kid." Doe whispered back. The nine started to push the cart as fast as they could. A bullet zoomed past Tavish's head. He looked up along with the rest of the team. Fifty men colored in red stood with their guns pointed at the nine. "Well…" Edgar backed away, "This was a bit of a disappointment…"

Right Behind You

The nine members of the team found themselves sitting in a dark gray room. "We're a sorry bunch o' losers!" Tavish cried.

"This isn't time to get drunk, buddy!" Doe informed, "We have to get out of here!"

Judas got up from the floor. "Where are you, Redmond!? What is wrong with you!?"

The speaker came on and echoed through the RED factory. "Ah, hello young boy. Yes, this is Redmond."

"Hey!" Doe also stood up, "Get down here and fight me like a man!"

"Oh please! Don't be so hasty! Now, there's a way out of here. You just got to work hard, enough. You know?"

"Well the joke's on you!" Mundy protested, "You didn't even take away our weapons!"

"Oh yes! You see, it's quite funny actually. That's just because I have one of your real team members in this office here with me." "Mmm! Mmm!" came from the background.

The group looked around at each other. "That's right. One of you's a phony. A spy. You may know him as the hitman that hunted down the original team. Don't worry if you know you're going to die. He does it quick and painless. Have fun…"

The group went up against the walls and backed away from each other. Niklas pointed a saw at the Pyro's head. "Wow!" Edgar yelled, "What are you doing?!"

"Didn't you hear the prisoner in the background? They were muffling! He's the spy!"

"Over my dead body!" Edgar put his revolver to Niklas' head. "No!" Marlen pointed a shotgun at Edgar's head. It continued. Niklas to Pyro's. Edgar to Niklas'. Marlen to Edgar's. Mundy to Marlen's. Doe to Mundy's. Dell to Doe's. Judas to Dell's. Tavish to Judas'. Pyro to Tavish's. Nobody could be trusted.

"Okay, I think we better sort this out like adults." Dell suggested.

Tavish turned to Dell, "Why do you say that?"

"Just-because if we make haste of the situation somebody's surely going to end up dead!"

Tavish grabbed Dell's collar and slammed him against the wall, "Or you're trying to hide something! That's it! Isn't it!?" he threatened. The group started arguing and crowding around the two. Mundy looked back. Judas was the only one trying to figure out who the spy was. Instead, he was taking out a knife.

"Stop it! You're going to kill him!" Edgar yelled as Tavish choked Dell.

"That's the-hrng!-idea!" Tavish struggled. BANG! A gunshot stopped the killing from happening. The group turned around. Mundy was standing over Judas, who had a bullet in his head. "Oh my God…" Doe smashed Mundy into the wall, "Drop it." Mundy dropped the rifle, "Please! You have to listen to me! He was taking out a kni-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses- "

"Doe!" Marlen yelled, "He's not wrong!" Doe and Mundy stopped struggling, and looked over the shoulders of the group crouching down on the floor. Now there lay an unfamiliar man, clothed in red, with a bullet in his head. "Holy crap…" Tavish mouthed.

"Hey dumbkoffs!" Niklas yelled, "We still need a way out of here!" The room became silent again. "I got it!" Doe suddenly burst out, "The radio Blutarch gave me!" He dug around in his pocket and at his sides. "We can just get Ms. Pauling…to…" The radio was gone.

"Where is it?" Dell concerned, "Where's the radio!?"

"I don't know the last time I had it-Judas. Judas has it."

"Excuse me but one question," Dell began, "Where is Judas?"

Capture the Flag

The radio turned on again. "H-hello?"

"Oh! Ms. Pauling!" Judas exclaimed, "I'm so glad you're here-"

"Judas, put Mr. Doe on."

"The thing is-"

"Judas, put Mr. Doe on the radio-"

"Doe's not here right now…"

"Well then, what about Mr. Conagher?"

"He's not here either…"

"…Judas, where are you?"

"Uh, well, we all got captured by the Redmond dude. But I was separated, so now I'm in some room with a big case of papers on a desk."

"A what?"

"A big red case with papers in it. Why?"

"Are you tied up?"

"Yeah. Wh-"

"Damnit…"

"What!? I don't get what's so important?"

"…Judas," she sighed, "Do you know where you are?"

"Uh…" he looked around the room. He spotted a sign, "Oh! Yeah! It says…Teufort Station…Teufort Station!"

"Excellent." She went away.

"M-Ms. Pauling? You're not gone are you? Come on! Somebody help me!"

Doe pounded on the door again. "If it doesn't work the last thirty times it's not going to work again." Mundy complained.

"Don't question my thinking!" Doe yelled as he heaved himself to the cold steel again.

"Hold on." Niklas picked up his medi-gun, "I have an idea."

One minute later, the guard outside the door heard an electrical buzzing coming from inside the prisoner's room. The big guy in the room laughed. "Take this you sneaky peasants!" the soldier freak yelled. The guard chuckled. The buzzing still came from the other room.

"Are you sure this is going to work!?" Dell yelled.

"It has to!" Niklas yelled back. The medi-gun's charge was ready, and connected to Marlen. The rest of the group was holding him, his head facing towards the door. "Here we go!" Niklas warned.

He flicked the switch on the gun and popped the charge, and Marlen became invincible. "Charge!" Doe commanded. The group carrying Marlen ran towards the door lifted him. DOONG! Out came Marlen's head, without a scratch, and the rest of the group. "Alright!" Tavish ran back inside and picked up his weapons, "Let's do this!"

Judas tugged at the ropes around his hands. What the hell am I supposed to do, he thought. He looked down at the legs of the chair he was trapped on. "Fuck, man…"

He just needed to scoot forward and get out of the room. He scooted forward, sweeping a screech across the entire room and out of it. He winced. I keep going on like this and I'm dead for sure… Judas looked down at the floor. "You got to do this, man." His reflection looked back at him. He sighed. The boy tried to tip the chair over. First try, no luck. No luck again. Or after that. He kept struggling. "Gah!" he yelled, and threw himself to the floor, starting to inch his way out of the room.

The eight soldiers looked around the room. The walls were wooden, and the floor was covered in hay. "Hudda hudda…" Pyro moaned. "You said it pal…" Mundy said.

Judas looked up. He was halfway through the tiny hallway. A tiny clacking started, inching forward every wasted second. Judas lay there paralyzed. Something was coming. A mouse scuttled around the corner. "Oh! Hey little guy!" The mouse went up to Judas's face. "Hey! You like rope? He-" The mouse started sniffing his nose. "What…what are you doing? Hey! No!"

"Aaauugh!" came from down the stairwell. "What was that?" Dell asked.

"That was tiny boy!" Marlen yelled in delight.

"He's right!" Tavish added, "That's Cook down there!"

"Fhanks a lah!" Pyro cheered and led the way down the spiraling staircase.

The mouse ran away. "No!" Judas fumed, "Get back here you little prick!" A rumbling sensation started to occur. There was somebody coming down, this time for real. What am I supposed to do, I'm laying on my side strapped to a chair!

Judas closed his eyes. It was over. He was done. They were standing right in front of him.

"Hey, kid! There you are!"

He opened his eyes again. There stood a smiling James Everett Doe, with seven other mercenaries behind him.

"Holy crap! It's you guys! …How'd you find me!?"

"We heard you squealing from far away!" Niklas announced pleasingly. Doe squatted down and started to untie the knot. "Oh, man!" Judas yapped, "I thought I was a goner. Really! I mean…geez man! I-"

The radio on Judas' side started again. "Hello. Judas? Are you there?" "There it is." Doe murmured, picking up his property.

"This is James Doe. Tell me. Is your refrigerator runni-"

"This isn't time for games Mr. Doe!" Ms. Pauling notified, "Where are you? You must have found Judas!"

"We're all fine here. Found him scootin' away from another central room."

"Good. In there is the intelligence room. In there Redmond keeps all of his and RED's blueprints, plans, tactics…all you can think of."

"Hey. Um, I'm still tied down here…" Judas pointed out.

"It's located in a red briefcase. Just get in there, and get out as fast as you can!"

The eight members of the team started walking into the intelligence room. Judas still lay on the floor. "…'Kay this does not look good here um-"

The eight looked at the briefcase. "Imagine…" Tavish fantasized, "All we have to do is get that…and our troubles be solved. We did it lads!"

"So the entire intelligence of RED is in here?"

"Reh!?" the Pyro hollered, "Hearuh bay!" It brought up its flamethrower, and blanketed the entire briefcase in fire. The team stared on as orange danced in their eyes and their dreams were destroyed. The Pyro stopped lighting the thing on fire and turned around. "Huh!"

The seven others in the team slowly tilted their heads in unison to look at what remained: a charred, burnt pile of rubble. "What…" Tavish slurred, "What have you done…"In a matter of seconds, a blurring red alarm went off everywhere in the room. "Oh great!" Dell yelled, "Come on let's move!" Judas heard footsteps again, but they weren't his friend's this time. "Yo guys? There's something coming!"

Doe ran out into the basement and motioned for the rest, "Come on! Go go go!" Judas saw the shadows passing him, "Hey! I'm still here!" Marlen leaned down and picked him up, starting to run again. "Hey! Can't you untie me!?" Judas screamed. "No time!" Marlen urged. Judas bent his head up and looked at the spiral. A red sleeve appeared just as they went around the corner. "I'm too young for this…"

The nine ran up the L-Shaft stairs out into the courtyard. They ran under the upstairs room and to a place to escape. "Look!" The Pyro muffled. Light came from the two arches leading outside. "What are you waiting for? Go!" Doe yelled. The mercenaries ran into the sunlight. A number of snipers stood atop the battlements, waiting for them. The RED soldiers broke into the daylight behind the nine.

Made to Suffer

"Run like hell!" Mundy urged. They began to run over the rickety bridge. The overwhelming army wasn't ending, and they started to fire. One hundred versus nine. Marlen, carrying Judas and at the front of the pack, looked back. One of their soldiers was looking straight at him. The soldier sent a rocket flying towards Marlen. The quick thinking Russian jumped, but the blast catapulted him and Judas forward. The chair Judas was in broke, and sent him tumbling in the dirt. Looking up, he saw Marlen look up. He was lying down. "Judas! Help me!"

Judas thought about the situation. He looked down at the helpless teammate with an army of tens running at him. Run back, and there's a likely possibility you'll die, he thought. He looked at the other building's entrance; not a single obstacle was in the way. But there lay Marlen. Judas's head throbbed as sweat trickled down the left side of his face. He stepped back. "No!" Then he took two. "No! Help now!" Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Judas skidded backwards, turned around, and ran. He closed his eyes and put his hands to his ears to hear the screams of Marlen. Of anger and desperation.

"No! You- Ty tupoy ublyudok grebanyy! Vernisʹ!" Marlen cursed. The rest of the mercenaries started to pass him. "On your feet, bud!" Dell took Marlen's hand and pulled him up. "Go go go!" Dell pushed Marlen forward, "Just get o-"BLAM! A piercing noise came from the RED battlements. Marlen looked back. Suddenly, blood spouted from Dell's right arm, and the man spun and fell to the ground.

"I'm dead!" Dell cried, "I'm fucking dead!" Marlen, Doe, and Tavish carried the bleeding southerner through the narrow passageways. "Medic!" Tavish called out, "Help!" The three lowered down Dell to the cold floor. The rest went up the stairs in the courtyard. Niklas rushed over. "Do something doctor!" Marlen pleaded. The medic looked in his pockets. "Hold this!" he threw his saw, gun, and medi-gun at Marlen. "Help him!" Marlen said again.

"I can't! My equipment for removing bullets is back in the- wherever they found us!"

"Then let's get out of here and find it!" Doe demanded.

"There's no time! By the time we find it the wound will surely be infected!"

"Then what do we do!?" Tavish stressed. The four looked down at their friend, who was nearly passed out. Niklas checked his pulse, and looked grimly at his acquaintance. He lowered his head. "Give me the saw."

Marlen held the saw closer to his chest.

"Give me the saw!"

Marlen whimpered and shook his head.

"Do you want him to die!?"

Marlen looked down at Dell, then the saw, then Niklas. Nervously, he pushed himself to left his arm up. The saw shined in the dim lights on the roof. Niklas snatched the saw away. He raised it upward and readied himself. "I can't watch this!" Tavish ran around the corner and up the stairs to the rest. Doe silently stood up, and walked away. Marlen kneeled down and looked on. Niklas looked up, "I'd like to do this alone." Marlen continued to sit there. Niklas looked down at the patient, who was breathing hoarsely. The saw kissed Dell's right arm, and Niklas pushed his arm forward.

Dell woke up in a small, old-smelling bed under a green tent. "Oh! He's alive!" Marlen tightly hugged the man with his fat arms. "Get off of him!" Niklas pulled him away, "The surgery could still be tender!" "Surgery?" Dell asked, "What happened?"

"Marlen fell down when you were trying to escape the RED army. You picked him up and got hit when you were escaping."

"I got…hit?"

"You were shot…"

"Ugh. It all happened in a blur." Dell put his hand up to his head, "I'm glad I don't remember it-"His hand ended just under his elbow. What lied there now was a metal rod that dispersed into four mechanical points, and a thumb. It was a hand. "What happened to my arm!?"

"I told you! You were shot! We didn't have enough time or equipment or time to get the bullet out!"

"Well-" Dell stuttered, "I…" He flexed where his fingers would be. The mechanical replacements did the same motion. He made a fist. The fingers made a fist. He pointed his index finger, they did the same. He made the "rock on" hand, they also did it.

"Wow…amazing…" Dell studied the machine. He intensely looked at the mechanics of the mechanism. Then he saw a label near the top part. Conagher Industries. "What? This isn't mine! How did we-"

"It was a blueprint in the factory." Edgar stepped in the tent.

"Oh my god…how did we get out of there?"

"We had to carry you out." Niklas informed, "The place was butted up against where we were last, so we had to make a quick stop there."

"Oh…where are we now?"

"I feel like your arm is alright by now. Come on outside."

Dell got up from his bed and followed the three outside. They were on some concrete bridge above a shallow valley. "Huh. This place is a real dustbowl." Dell said.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Edgar straightened his tie.

"Say, what's that doing there?" he pointed to a large tower-like structure in the middle of the point.

"That's a rocket my friend."

"What in the name of Sam Hill is a rocket doing here? We plannin' to go to the moon?"

"Not exactly. That missile does have an exact location of interest, but it isn't the moon."

"Then where?"

"Mann Manor. The home of four generations of the family."

"But why? Why is it here?"

"While you were knocked out, we took this place by force. It was almost abandoned. Just a couple guards scattered about."

"Why would they do that out of all things?"

"To make a statement. They think if the manor falls, Blutarch falls. He'll give up hope."

"But isn't it Red- the other guy's home too?"

"Yes. It's also the home of Redmond, but he's lost sense of reality. He doesn't think, he does. He just wants the money."

Mundy sat behind a grate, opposite of the four in a chair. "How are you doing, Braylon?" Edgar asked.

He lifted his head. "I don't know…just, something scares me that's all…and don't call me Braylon."

"Say what you must." Edgar lifted his hand and walked into the main room.

Dell walked over by the slouching Aussie, "What's gotcha worried?"

"I don't know…it's just-you know how you feel before you fall on your face?"

"Uh…no."

"That feeling that it's your final hour. The calm before the storm. I just can't shake it away."

"Huh…well, have fun moping." Dell started walking away. "I'm going to find Marlen and the Pyro. Now they know how to party."

"What!?" Mundy turned around in his chair, "I know how to…gah."

"Mr. Mann," the soldier said, "We have found location of Team BLU."

The boss turned around in his chair, and looked up at the messenger. "…Where…where are they?"

"They're at the missile launch pad, sir. They've taken over the base."

"Shit. I knew I shouldn't have trusted those bozos with my one last hope at taking what's rightfully mine."

"What is your um, request sir?"

"Send them. Send them all."

"What-"

"I want every soldier we have on their asses right now! Get going!"

Wrath

Mundy sat down in the lawn chair, behind the grate. Maybe they're right. Maybe I'm just preparing for nothing. It's a fine day. Why would anybody want to disrupt it? I'm overreacting. He looked down at his rifle. Then again…

Something came rumbling in over the rows of buildings far forward. "What the hell is that?" Mundy walked through the winding alley ways. He peeked around the corner, and to his horror, saw eighteen military vehicles; with a sickening coat of red paint over them.

"Somebody! Help me!" Mundy ran around to final control point. Tavish, Judas, and Doe came outside. "What is it?" Tavish asked.

"RED's here! The entire army by the looks of it!"

"Oh crap!" Judas panicked, "What do we do!?"

Tavish started backtracking, "I'll go round up the others."

The three stared on at the horizon. "Are you about what you saw, son?" Doe asked, with a cigar in his mouth.

"I've never been surer. Those bludgers are right around that corner."

Doe breathed in the crisp afternoon air. "There's going to be a war."

"I know."

"And there will be blood."

"You think I didn't prepare for that."

"Somebody could die today."

Mundy stood silently. He bowed his head down and placed his hat on his chest.

Tavish slipped four grenades into his launcher and looked over at the corner where the enemy would be coming from. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I feel like running might actually benefit us."

"Men don't run, we fight!" Doe raised his fist in glory, "…Did I ever tell you about Sun Tzu?"

"Please don't remind me." Judas complained.

"It's a fact that Sun Tzu was and is the greatest fighter of all time."

"Yeah, yeah we know! He became the best fighter in the ring of honor. We don't ca-"

Doe took two of his grenades and started motioning with them. "Then he used his fight money to buy two of every animal on Earth. And then he herded them onto a boat, and then he beat the crap outta' every single one of them. And from that day forward any time a bunch of animals are together in one place it's called a zoo!"

"We are screwed…"

Doe popped up in Judas's face, "Unless it's a farm!"

A bugle horn rang throughout the base. The team stood up. Marlen peeled his eyes. The Pyro twirled its axe. Doe loaded his shotgun, "This ends today." He threw his cigar to the ground and stepped forward.

"This is it. Men or mice?" he looked back. There stood the team. Tavish stepped beside him, "You have my bottle." Mundy seconded, "And my rifle." The Pyro went up beside them, "Rah mmhha ahks!" The rest of the group slowly stepped forward, until one person stood facing the real men.

Judas watched as Niklas joined the rest. He was all alone. "What do you say, boy?" Edgar persuaded. Judas looked up again. Then at his gun. Something gleaming caught his eye. Something metal…Dell's hand. That hand was gone because of him. The guilt finally got to the best of him. He wasn't a charmer. Nor a fighter. He wasn't a hero. Judas breathed slowly, straightened up, and turned around. Confidently, he stepped forward, away from the group. After that, he kept walking away, and around a corner, and he was gone.

The eight remaining members turned around. An echo came out from the alley ways. Out came Redmond from the alleys. There he stood alone, opposite from the group. A soldier, who seemed to be a general, walked beside Redmond. Another general did too. Then another. Then, a horde of RED soldiers came around the side behind Redmond. Tavish swallowed down his fear. There seemed to be one-hundred, the entire army. They stepped forward.

"How many shots do you have left?" Dell asked, "I have eighty."

"Twenty-six." Doe said.

"Ninteen." Tavish added.

The army stepped forward again.

"One-hundred, twenty." Marlen shook.

"Mmph." The Pyro mumbled.

"Twenty four." Edgar said.

Redmond readied his hand.

"Eighteen…" Mundy steadied himself.

"For glory." Niklas added.

In a moment of true honor, the two sides shouted a battle cry. "Charge!" Redmond yelled. "For glory!" the team yelled.

Eight minutes later, the RED army advanced forward as the Team Fortress moved from side to side, dodging the projectiles. "Move back!" Doe called.

"There isn't anywhere to go!" Edgar yelled.

The group looked around. Thud! The army kept coming. Thud!

"Phwallah me!" the Pyro motioned towards a tunnel leading away from the point.

"We can't just leave!" Mundy argued. He shot again, but nothing came out. Again. Click, click, click. "Bloody hell…" Mundy turned to the group, "I'm out!"

"Same here!" Doe yelled.

Dell immediately ran out, "Dagnabet! Dammit!"

Marlen looked around, and stopped shooting. He ran down to the tunnel. "Go!" Pyro screeched. Tavish was next. Then Niklas, the Doe, Edgar, and then Dell. Pyro held his hand open towards the tunnel. "I'm not giving up that easy!" Mundy angered. He looked back. The huge army came towards him. "Kill the Australian pansy!" came from the crowd. He turned to face the masked one, and ran down the tunnel.

Tavish wiped the sweat away from his forehead. The eight ran down the short tunnel and went up a small spiral of stairs. RED's entire army stood there. Edgar shoved his gun forward. Dell silently pushed his arm down. Marlen raised his arms. In the back of the army stood Redmond.

"There you are, you blokes. What were you thinking? Seriously, it's too funny. You hoped a team of nine idiots, guided by the king idiot, my brother, could do anything!? I mean, look at you all! You have a stupid heavy guy who only knows how to point a gun and shoot! Then there's that dumb medic who you let help you, when he was about to be sentenced to prison! And a drunkard! I bet he still has a whole stash! Then your sniper friend, who nearly died just to protect this place! A dumb spy, a bumbling masked creeper, an insane soldier…and you!" he pointed to Dell, "You decided to help out this fat guy! And then what, you got shot! You should've been like your scrawny friend and abandoned the guy!"

"What…" Dell looked at his arm.

"Yeah! He was the only sensible one! He was wise to run away! You're all stupid, freaks of nature! And nobody's ever going to fucking like you! Any of you, so you can all rot in hell! This is my land, and I'm not letting any of you fuckers get it! Get out of my-"BLAM!

A bullet made a hole in Redmond's head and sent him to the floor. The lifeless body thudded on the ground, and there ended the life of Redmond Mann. The soldiers directed their attention to the shooter. Judas looked up from the outcome of his doings. "Kill him!" one of them yelled. They began to chase Judas, who ran around the corner, leaving the eight unattended. They stood there for about ten seconds.

"I'm sorry…" Tavish asked, "What just happened?"

"The rocket!" Edgar yelled.

They ran around the corner, and saw five RED soldiers entering the rocket. "No!" Mundy yelled. The group ran over to the entrance. "What do we do!?" Niklas asked.

"I…uh…" Doe was indecisive. Mundy ran into the rocket, to the group's surprise.

"What is he doing!?" Marlen cried.

"Stay calm!" Doe said, "Marlen, you me, Tavish, Dell ,and Niklas will stay here, find Judas, and get to the Manor. Mundy, Edgar, and the Pyro will be up there."

Marlen nodded uneasily, and ran off with Niklas to find Judas. Dell looked around and walked inside of the rocket. "Wait," Edgar started, "I thought Dell was-"

"Just go!" Doe yelled, and ran away with Tavish. The Pyro and Edgar boarded the rocket just before it blasted off. Four against five.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Mundy snuck around the corner. Two RED soldiers were guiding the missile. He slowly took out his kukri. SCHLING! He got a deep cut on the right pilot's cheek, before he got up and wrestled Mundy to the ground. Seeing the commotion, the other pilot started getting in on the action, and Mundy was pinned under the two.

The Pyro saw two engineers working with explosives in a dimly lit room. It walked forward as an axe slid down to its palm. The thing grasped the handle and raised it. One of the engineers slowly turned around, "…Holy fuu-"He ducked just as the Pyro swung, and pushed it to the ground. The first engineer jumped too, but the Pyro knocked him away to the wall. Suddenly, the Pyro's palms started to heat up. The second engineer started to lose the grip, as the hands sizzled under his like a skillet. Finally, he broke loose and screamed to look at his burned and glossy hands. The Pyro plucked the axe from the wall, and turned around at the two. It Pyro struck a blow into the mouth of the second henchman. A putrid red-black blood spattered on the wall.

Edgar followed Dell through the looping hallway. "You need to calm down!"

"What are you talking about?! If I had calmed down on that bridge I'd be dead!"

"You need to listen to me! Please! I know wh-"

Dell slammed Edgar against the wall with his cold dead hand. "Now you listen to me! I was left to die yesterday because a stupid coward left me to die!"

"Dear god! I thought you were Christian!"

Dell looked over Edgar and let him go. "I am, but sometimes the rest of the world goes too far, and someone's got to go." He started to walk again.

"But Dell!" Edgar stopped him, "Look where we are! These are the people that went too far! Take your anger out on them!"

Dell thought about it for a moment. He brought up his gun, pointing and teasing it as it went directly and beside Edgar's head. The spy closed his eyes. BANG!

The RED soldier behind Edgar fell to the ground. Dell put down the smoking gun and raised his hand. Edgar shook it as Dell cracked a smug face, "Partners."

The last henchman, crawling away, yelled as the Pyro clawed at his foot. In a last attempt, the man stood up and swiped at the maniac's head. Just enough to knock the optical mask off. They both fell to the floor. The henchman sat in horror, paralyzed, staring into the eyes of the thing. It gasped and sputtered as it felt its way around the room. It clutched the familiar mask lying on the ground. The Pyro locked it on its asbestos-lined collar. The man was now staring into the gaping eyes of the gray, soulless mask. His hair stood up on the back of his neck as he grasped for a broken pipe on the floor. "What are you!?" the henchman whispered under his breath as the Pyro slowly picked up the gore-spattered axe, and swung to the sound of a scream and the roar of the engine.

The kukri slit up through the body of one of the men of Mundy. It took a minute for the other to realize he was one-on-one now. As soon as he did, he backed up into a corner. "Please! I'll do whatever you want! I'll join you!"

Mundy's piercing eyes looked at the man, and he lowered the knife. "What can you possibly do for us?"

"My name is Bill Huxley! I fought in World War One and Two! I received six Purple Heart medals! One for rescuing eighty people out of a burning building, two for evading a group of Japanese, another for saving people in concentration camps, and another two for flying a plane when the pilot was shot!"

Mundy then tilted his head, seeming pleased with the idea. "Well then…pleased to-"BANG!

Edgar shot Huxley with an enthusiastic look on his face! "There! Let's hope that's all of 'em!"

Mundy turned around to the dead man as Edgar started, "Now, how do we fly this thing?" The Aussie stepped back from the casualty, "But-I-he…gah…"

The Pyro walked into the room to see Dell and Edgar in the seats and Mundy at the sides. "We can't do it!" Edgar disputed.

"There has to be a way!" Dell yelled.

"Just give up…" Mundy despaired, "There's nothing we can do…"

"Dell, listen to me!" Edgar started, "This thing is on a nonstop course! It's going to hit Mann Manor! We can't do anything!"

"No…please…but…" Dell swiveled in his chair. There stood the Pyro with three parachutes.

The door to the rocket opened as the four grappled the inside of the machine. "There's only three!" Mundy yelled over the rushing wind, "What do we do!?"

Edgar looked around, "I'll stay!"

"No!" Dell grabbed his coat, "Nobody has to die!"

"Shut up! Someone has to stay, and it will be me!"

The wind blew up Mundy's hat just as he grabbed it. The wind suddenly swiped him out into the cold air above the desert.

"Holy shit!" Dell yelled, "What do we do now!?"

A parachute was shoved into him and another to Edgar. The Pyro tightened the straps, looked over the edge, and jumped. Then two were left. Dell and Edgar, with two parachutes.

"Can you see them yet?" Judas asked.

"Not yet…" Doe began, "But I think…there!"

The five other mercenaries stood by Mann Manor, waiting for a sign of their friends. Just a second ago they saw what looked like a figure falling from the sky. Then, their parachute opened. "Well I'll be damned." Tavish laughed. From the skies floated The Pyro, with Mundy in his hands, without a hat. They plopped on the ground. Mundy sat shivered and paralyzed. "I'll take him." Marlen said, picking up Mundy, who was recovering.

"Incoming!" came again from the skies. Dell and Edgar flew through the air, opening their parachutes closer to the ground than the others. "Get out of here!" Dell yelled.

"What is it?" Niklas asked.

"That rocket!" Mundy lifted himself from Marlen's arms, "It's coming straight for here!"

"You mean you couldn't stop it!?" Judas panicked.

"There wasn't any way!" Edgar explained.

"Then let's go!" Tavish started running.

Five minutes later, and one mile away, the soldiers watched a missile drop down to this island Earth. A red and white missile. They watched as it impacted and ruptured the ceiling, and saw it break through the house. They silently stood there as a flurry and fire and debris danced and billowed through the air; and a column of smoke made a dark ballet of sadness and destruction. They saw the one-hundred year old grave of Zepheniah Mann, and clutter and wood and sand blanketed the soft soil in which he slept. It was the end of an era. A one hundred year reign, ended by eight men, one creature, an assistant, and a brother of the enemy.

Epilogue

The nine mercenaries walked away from the smoke and debris.

"So what are you going to do with your money?" Tavish asked.

"A car…" Mundy began, "A big shiny car…that I'll ride the world around in."

"Sandviches!" Marlen drooled, "So many sandviches!"

"I think I might want to take a little trip to Paris, or New York." Edgar delighted, "Take a stride in the big life for a little while."

"Hudda hudda, mrph mmmph hubbdph a nrrgha mmm." The Pyro said.

"You and me both." Judas chuckled, not understanding anything it said.

The group laughed.

"Say," Dell started, "Did anybody ever decide if they wanted to go camping?"

And from the sky, floated down a small fedora. Mundy's fedora, which sat in the sand by the fire and flames.