Here I am...out of the deep with a TF2 story. Check my profile to see why I was gone for such a while.

Read and Review, anything at all is completely appreciated.


It was an incredibly hot and sticky day, in the sense of the word where a freshly ironed hairdo can frizz in thirty seconds flat, ice cream melts in even less that time, and cars who don't have any freaking AC serve as basic, metal, mobile greenhouses. Those mobile greenhouses could also be used as a human oven.

Nikki was already trapped in between two enormous suitcases, one of her brother's, and her's. Little-to-no air made it that much worse, as did the fact they were driving in the middle of Texas. As in absolutely nowhere.

Eddie Links looked back at his sister, pouring with sweat. "You okay back there?" He asks, redundantly.

"Well, no, Ed, I don't really think I am."

Eddie flashed a grin in her direction, shifting and taking his eyes off the endless stretch of road for a moment."Just hang in there a sec, there's supposed to be a gas station a few miles from here...we can stop there." He turned back around, his reassuring smile flitting away. The desert hills stretched for miles, maybe even a couple red mountains in the distance, but for all the vision in the world, he couldn't see a single human being, stop, or car.

Nikki sighed. "I don't really see the point of making a shortcut through Texas...we could have just as easily gone up north, yaknow. Colorado's still not checked off. And it has snow." The girl leaned back in her seat, and for a few brief moments relished in her own mind, dancing about in a tank top and shorts in freezing, shiver-inducing, snow.

"And are you the one payin' for gas?"

"At least half of it."

"Yeah, okay."

An introduction to the Links twins. They aren't actual twins, just your regular siblings, but they might as well be. Eddie James Links, at the age of twenty-five, and his sister, Nikki Anna Links at twenty-two. Both had coffee skin and icy eyes that stood out quite a bit. Eddie was the darker of the two, with his near-black, curly hair and a ghost of facial hair on his chin and around his mouth. He had a medium build, while his sister was quite skinny. She had fairer hair, with a back-length mane that looked made of caramel. Her eyes were covered with thick, oval glasses. The twins both had a slight smatter of freckles a shade darker than their own skin across their noses.

About a year ago, they had decided for the summer of 2013, they were going on a gigantic road trip to California and traversing the coast for the next three months. It was huge trip, and it was going to cost a slight fortune no matter what path they took, but with their parents and a few million extra jobs for them to chip in on the way, they got through with twenty thousand. And even then, they'd have to be lenient with it.

The Links family was known for being having fantastic luck with money, but it was really all due to their parents and their huge-as-hell company, Links And Chains, which had nothing to do with Links and/or Chains, respectively.

LAC specialized in engineering, science mechanics, and the 'benefit of the future' type of thing. The LAC headquarters were stationed in the East Coast, but a few dozen more smaller headquarters for employing around the US had been stationed, and all of them remained hidden, cloaked, and specially made to be kept a secret, like their own little Area 51's. Not even the twins were entirely sure where they might be, and to be honest, have never been in one and never will. Much to their disappointment, of course. Their parents could never decide on whether or not it was time to tell the kids what kind of fascinating stuff they were working on next, they just kept it locked and hidden away. Even if the young adults were good at sneaking around cameras and high-tech equipment already since they had lived in just that type of a house that needs the security, they had never been able to locate one. Eventually, they gave up on their conquests and their sneaks into their parents' room around their teens as soon as they realized it just wasn't going to happen.

What we know, I mean you guys, the people reading these words, and I, the narrator, know something they don't. Or, rather, we know something will undeniably happen, that will turn their high-tech, LAC, future world on it's head. And probably the rest of the world, too.

"...you see anything?" Nikki called lazily from the back seat.

"...Nah."

"Well someone lied."

"Oh be quiet."

The car was rumbling, vibrating her back against the seat, making her nose tingle ever so slightly. Closing her eyes a little couldn't hurt. No noise, nothing except for the steady hum and crunching of the road below. In no time at all she felt her eyes begin to glue shut. Everything was so slow, so hot...

So blurry.

She could hear muffled voices, but none of them seemed to come from the same place, country-wise. Different accents and speech slips, but she could make out absolutely none of the words. A rough American voice was yelling, and she heard a loud explosion that seemed to brighten her surroundings. As the dust cleared, an outline of a phenomenally large man in red and a smaller man in white and red carrying something that looked like something you might find within the cavernous halls of a LAC headquarters.

The huge man whipped out something black and large from his back, yelled something heavily-Russian, and began firing. Large cascades of bullets were sent raining upon the dream-like battle, they were a few clad in blue that lay dead but she couldn't make out what they were like.

Suddenly, she fell. Pain rocketed through her like the bullets, and she felt herself hit the ground with a muffled thud. Someone was calling her name.

"Nikki!" They were just out of the corner of her eye...was that the swishing of a white coat? Or maybe just another torrent of bullets.

"Niiiikkii!" She felt a prod. But the white man wasn't nearly that close to touch her.

"NIKKI!" Jolting out of her sleep, Nikki sat up, nearly breaking her neck and squealing a little at the surprise.

"Wha...what is it?" Her heart was pumping blood at the speed of a jackrabbit. That can't be healthy.

"Dammit...did you slip into a small coma?" Her brother demanded. "I was shouting in your ear!"

"I...you were?"

"Yeah, and I had to poke you a couple times; I was about to use a frikkin' megaphone. God."

Nikki laughed and breathed through her nose, exhaling through her mouth a couple times to get rid of the pounding sensation in her ears. It worked after a while.

"Hey...why did we stop?"

Her brother smirked and jerked a thumb to the window of the front seat. "Toldya I wasn't lying." It was true. His thumb pointed to a dinky, small, rustic gas station, quite literally in the middle of nowhere, since all the hills and red mountains were gone, left with cracked ground and sand. Though it was small, with only one station available for gas, and the building itself looking ancient and rusted beyond it's former glory, the blinking neon sign determined that the place was indeed open. It must be in business if it has electricity running to it.

"Sammy and son's." She read, squinting a little to get a better view of the peeling white paint on the sign.

"I think they oughta have something for us. Maybe even recommend where the nearest hotel is." Eddie said as he got out of the car. "Ohhh yeah." The young man stretched his legs and groaned in appreciation. "That's good." Nikki soon followed suit.

A bell tinkled as they entered the glass door. The rest of the store looked exactly as it did on the outside: Old, run-down, yet keeping it together through some force of nature. An old wooden counter held a small, old man with a beard to rival Albus Dumbledore's, a cash machine, and a ringable bell.

It appeared the white-haired, long mustached man had fallen asleep, his bony hand supporting his cheek. The snores and the creaking of a slow ceiling fan were all the sounds in the small shop.

"Well, at least it's cooler." Nikki whispered, careful not to wake the man. She made her way over to him.

"'Scuse me? Sir?"

The man stayed asleep.

"...Sir?" She repeated, a little louder.

No dice.

"He's not really answering." She called over to her brother, who was looking at the selection of beef jerky.

"I can hear that. Hey, d'ya think I should get barbecue'd beef or roasted?" He held up the two bags, shaking them, "Or, why don't we just take both? We'll need it, most likely, and one bag is never enough."

Eddie's smile disappeared once he fully looked at his sister's expression. "...whhhat?"

"So...you're not even worried?"

"Worried abooout...what?"

She sighed. "This guy!" It's like he's comatose, or dead, or something!"

"Oh, we'll just leave the money on the counter...must be somethin' in the air today. People like falling asleep around here."

"Ed, I'm serious!"

"Ugh, whatever. Okay." Eddie gathered the jerky into one hand and went over to where the old man stood. First, Eddie proceeded to poke him, which earned him a glare from his sister.

"It worked with you."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Let's..." Nikki wasn't sure what they were going to do, but then, she layed eyes on the counter bell. She couldn't remember what had woken her up or what the dream was even about, but something loud and sharp could do it. "Let's ring the bell. See if that does anything." Eddie looked at her quizzically, then tapped the bell, which emitted something of a tinkling noise. To their surprise, the old man immediately shook himself awake, snorting and wiping at some spittle on him mouth and his beard.

"What's the password?"

"...what?" Was the reply the twins gave in unison.

The old man repeated, again, slower, "What's the password?"

Nikki raised an eyebrow. "Is...isn't this a shop?"

"'Course it is, honey. What's the password?"

"...Uhmm...give us a moment, will ya?" Eddie said rather confused and walked to the far edge of the shop, dragging Nikki along the shoulder.

"So, what exactly have we stumbled upon here?" Ed whispered, careful not to let the man hear, whom of which was patiently waiting, twiddling his thumbs.

"Well, I dunno, I thought you said this was a gas station?"

"I did!"

"Then...what do we do?"

"I was going to ask you the same exact thing, dude."

"Arrgh...you think he might be crazy? Maybe one of those weirdos who puts up a private shop, or maybe..." Nikki smiled mischievously, a spark lighting her icy eyes, "a secret meeting place?"

"Oh come on...you're not seriously thinking this leads to some sort of conspiracy, do you?"

"Well, I dunno bro, we live in a secret scientist society that has security so high it's higher than the white house. What do you think?"

Eddie bit the inside of his cheek. It was hard to think on what they should do.

On one hand, the old man looked harmless, if he tried to do anything two perfectly healthy, fit, and slightly-trained young adults could take him. However, if he had a weapon, that was a different matter. He couldn't allow his sister to get hurt, and he didn't exactly have multiple lives to go around. Of course, they could always try to see if they get the password right, just to see if they can, and for the heck of it. They were never allowed to explore any conspiracies by their parents, so what's to keep them from doing it now?

This sudden spark of resistance against their restrictions gave him the courage to suggest they should try it, and that they could take him and his weapons, if he has any.

Nikki looked at the old man, still patiently waiting. "..."

"Yeah, I think you're right. Come on."

The twins, satisfied with their decision, straightened themselves up and walked briskly to the counter. The old man looked up and smiled kindly.

"So, what's the password, my young folks?"

Eddie stared hard at him, then asked, "Can you...give us a riddle?"

The elder looked quite surprised, and then grinned, his mustache bouncing. "No one's ever asked me that before, but since you two are new 'round here, and I have a good feeling about you, I'll spare ya."

"He took a breath through his long nose. "Here goes: What's something you wear for fun and for fashion, but sometimes you wear it to keep you head from crashin'. What's the thing that keeps you cool at day and the sun from your eyes, Helps you with snipin', even, sometimes. The type of thing that's a spoil of War, and the type of thing that you snap back cause you're 'sooo hardcore'. This a thing you wear in only one place, reaching to the sky yet covers your face. Combine these riddles together and tell me that, what completes these sentences together is a...?"

They both stared at him.

"Re...Repeat that again?" Eddie blinked, his head tumbling.

The old man guffawed. "Alrighty, then, my hard-of-hearin' friend." He repeated, slower.

Nikki had a slight idea, but it was stupid. It was way too dumb.

"Sunglasses?" Eddie guessed, shrugging. The old man shook his head.

"One try down, you got two more."

"Umm...A hoodie?"

That idea etched in her brain. It was so simple.

"Nah, honey. One more left."

Nikki gulped. Eddie looked at her. The riddle seemed so easy. I mean, it had to be, right? It ended in a rhyme.

Finally, Nikki dared to utter her small idea. "A...a hat?"

The old man, to everyone's surprised, whooped and hollered. "Yes! We gotta couple new kids in Tuefort, and boy will they be surprised as all hell!"

Eddie blinked and stammered, "Wait...a HAT?" That's it?"

"...Tuefort?" Nikki repeated.

"Yup. Ridiculous, ain't it?" The old man slapped his knee, "But hey, you don't have anything planned in advance, do ya? Cause you might wanna back off now if you ain't into a little chaos."

Adventure seemed to bubble in the air. Excitement filled both of their lungs and their heads. The California trip was shunted aside; it could definitely wait.

"Oh don't worry, we haven't-" Nikki started, but Eddie seemed to be thinking along her lines.

"Got anything planned."

The old man grinned, getting up from the counter and pushing open a side-door in the counter that allows an easy exit. However, instead of going out, he invited the twins to come in.

They did, though Eddie kept an eye on the man. Spoiled the mood a little, yes, but he had to if his sister wasn't.

The elder led them through a back door, painted so it matched the wall. They hadn't even noticed it was there. He fumbled with some keys in his pants pocket before muttering an exclamation and pulling a brass key out and inserting it in, turning the knob, and opened the door.

The twins stared in absolute surprise. The man just stood there smiling broadly.

"Like it? It was my son's creation. My boy Dell's always been the genius of the family."

Thousands of wires, lining the narrow walls of the hallway, came together to line the back of what looked like a raised circle, some sort of pedestal at the end of the hall. The pedestal glowed a strange, purple light. Flickering lights lining the circle glowed, seemingly without a pattern. There was a podium with a small selection of knobs and buttons, all of which looked confusing.

It was like they had stepped straight from the Pioneer age, given the shop, to year 5000. Even they hadn't seen something this sleek and strange as this.

They were apparently staring for a while, because the old man gestured his hand to the entrance. "Go on, friends. Just step on it, only one at a time, otherwise, your atoms'll mix up, or whatever my Dell said, and we wouldn't want that happening." His face crinkled in a smile from his self-made joke.

Nikki spluttered, "This a..a portal?"

"Indeed. Ladies first, as always." He nodded. Nikki looked from her brother to the hall, then back to her brother again.

She could do this.

Nikki made the step forward and into the hallway. It was chilly, and goose flesh spread out across her bare skin from her tank top. As the portal inched closer to her, she got the distinct feeling cameras were being trained on her and her every move.

Finally, there it was in front of her. It was perhaps three feet across, not too big. It almost looked like a decoy her parents sometimes set out to catch them when they tried sneaking around. However, she couldn't afford to chicken out. Who was the one always itching for adventure and excitement? Her.

She took a steadying breath, and stepped on with both feet.

She turned to face the doorway, the door still open. She could still see her brothers face, at least, for only a few seconds.

Then her world flickered to black.


Yeah, this is pretty damn weird. Oh well.

Don't worry. I have a story planned out. This is all going somewhere.