This is quite honestly a very Hunger Games type of story, or well, that's what I'll know you guys will equate it to. I do have this story planned out however and it's similar in a way, but definitely not the same story. It's also set in a lot later time than the actual lore of the game, but hints towards the online game will be strewn through out it.
Anyway, if you enjoy feel free to leave a review below to tell me how you think I'm doing on this story. And here we go.
Chapter One: The Games
Jack Barreau had never really gotten along well with his eight older brothers, but maybe half brothers would have been more accurate. For one thing, he was the youngest of eight and he didn't look like any of them.
For another, he didn't remember his father except by photographs, and his brothers didn't like him for leaving their mother like their father had done. Their mother explained that his work was dangerous and he didn't want to involve the boys, but they had never forgiven him, or their own father, for leaving them.
Jack's last name was different from his brothers. They all had the last name legally of Pybus, but they seemed to hate it with a passion. All of his brothers had darker skin, far more tanned than his was, but they were still white.
They all had the dark black hair and brown eyes of his mother, who still bore the name of her husband who had disappeared. Jack on the other hand was pale, and thinner in build than his brothers. He had a longer face and his eyes were a bright blue color. His hair was a light brown, making him resemble his father which he only saw in pictures and his brothers seemed to hate him for.
Jack tried his hardest to hide his face because of it. He wasn't sure how he felt about his rather mysterious father. His brothers seemed to hate him, but his mother obviously loved him and was always mentioning that he was as handsome as his father. Even so, when he was around his brothers he was usually wearing a baseball cap to cover his face.
Living where they did, his brothers had never really been the overly protective types. They'd help him if he really needed it, but for the most part they simply let him figure things out on his own. He was a lot stronger because of it, but he certainly wasn't brute force like his older brothers had always been. He'd had to grow to be far more cunning, and he was a lot faster with far more endurance than they had. It had saved him quite a few times.
But knowing what today was, the sixteen year old couldn't help but be nervous. If one of his brothers or he were picked to play in the games then there was no amount of running that could protect them. No one even remembered why the games were played, only that they were. There were always two teams, RED and BLU. RED team was always human, but BLU was never the same and sometimes made of monsters.
The rules of the game were altered slightly each year, and it made them hard to follow. There would be an unknown number of members of the RED team selected, and then people would be selected from all over the world to fill those slots.
They would have to win an unknown number of times to be able to be released. If they lost one of the challenges then they'd have an unknown number of overall wins reduced, and if a single member of their team died they'd have to start over. None of the members were replaced. No team had won or been released in over seventy years.
The worst part was that people enjoyed watching these games, so they were televised. Family and friends had to watch during the day as those they loved were hurt in the arenas, then wait until morning to learn the death count for that day. The teams weren't filmed during the night and hardly ever seemed to get along, resulting in utter and gruesome defeat.
Apparently it made good television though, so the event that was held every year (and sometimes into two or three years until the games were won or the teams died) had a lot of publicity. The streets of Boston were now swarming with men in black uniforms who seemed to be watching everyone and figuring out who they were going to drag off this year.
Brian was the oldest, who was twenty three years old. Liam came next who was twenty two, then Peter who was twenty one. Next were the twins Terry and Jerry who were twenty. Rick was next at nineteen, then Sam at eighteen. John was seventeen, and then there was of course Jack at sixteen. Most of them wouldn't be out walking the streets today, afraid to be chosen for whatever reason.
Jack however had never been one to sit still. He had to get home. He had to make sure his brothers and mom were okay. He dashed quickly around people, weaving in and out of the traffic of the long ago far greater city. Now cars were blaring their horns and people were yelling, eager to disappear from the sight of the men in black.
With a slight sigh Jack reached the front door of their apartment. It was a little run down, and only his mother, Sam, John, and Jack still lived here. Jack knew that Sam and John wouldn't be home, since they were too scared to leave school. They'd seemed to have been oddly nervous this year and had begged him to stay with them. Jack had just smiled and run off, though he understood why they were so nervous.
The reason greeted him at the front door when he reached for the doorknob. The door was opened suddenly in front of his face and he blinked up in surprise at his huge eldest brother. Brian snarled down at him and grabbed his arm, pulling him inside the house and shutting the door behind him as Jack stumbled a little. Brian seemed to watch the street for a while before locking the door and turning to glare at Jack.
"Why do you have to be so reckless?" Brian demanded. "What if they'd seen you?"
"Yeah you don't seem ta care who sees you," Jack said, raising his eyebrows.
Jack of course was referring to the fact that Brian was involved in a resistance against the games and had never been quiet about it. Jack had always thought it was stupid. Basically all of the world's last military might was held by Mann Co. and the two fortresses. And other than keeping these terrible games going, the countries of the world were allowed to rule themselves as they saw fit and continue to live in relative peace. Besides, in a way the games brought the whole world together. For those terrible, far too long, gruesome spans, the world was united as they watched the games. Jack didn't like the games, but he didn't see a point in fighting it.
Mann Co. controlled the world, and Brian's insistence on fighting it wasn't making it easy for the rest of the family. The agents of Mann Co. seemed to stare at them for a long time and size them up, as if waiting to just grab one of them and drag them off to the games. In fact, Jack knew that Sam and John were both worried that the more their older brother got involved, the more danger he'd be putting his family in.
"You're just a kid," Brian snapped in return. "You wouldn't understand."
"Yeah," Jack sighed, far more than a little used to hearing that phrase. "Just a kid."
"Boys?" came a pretty voice from the living room.
They both paused as their mother stepped into the room. She was still beautiful, thin and kind of small. She had short black hair and brown eyes, wearing a short light red dress, heels, and a red headband. She looked even more worried than usual, and she appeared to have not gotten much sleep. However both boys were quiet as they saw her give them a tired smile.
"Oh Jack," she said. "You're home. Isn't it nice that Brian stopped by to visit today?"
"Yeah," Jack managed as his mother came and gave him a hug. "Yeah it is."
Neither of them had the heart at this time of year to argue in front of her, not unless it somehow escalated really quickly. She was already at her wits end worrying about her boys. She just smiled, though it looked a lot like a pained grimace, and tugged her two children after her into the living room where she sat them down.
There was an air of awkward silence between the two brothers. Brian and Jack both just seemed angry at each other, though it was probably just because they were so worked up. They knew that at any moment, one of their brothers could be dragged off to join the games and they'd have no idea until later. The thought of having to watch a member of their family die, even when they hardly ever seemed to get along, wasn't one that could ever sit easily with them.
"So how was school today Jack?" their mother asked, attempting to make some sort of conversation.
"It was great," Jack lied. "Learned a lot."
No he hadn't. Even on days like today teachers couldn't bring themselves to say anything to their students. There was always that possibility that they'd come to school tomorrow and realize that someone was missing, knowing that the kid they'd seen every day in class was going to die on the battlefield and they'd have to watch it. Any kid over the age of thirteen, and any adult under the age of sixty could be admitted into the games.
Those were hard to watch, some kid who hardly understood what a gun was for, and some old person who couldn't aim straight because their hands shook far too much. They usually died first, but it was because the teams hadn't worked together in years to try and survive. Not that anyone could blame them. That place was hell, purely and simply hell. What were they supposed to do? They were too scared to fight for anyone but themselves, and they hardly talked to one another.
Often times they saw people go insane while they tried to survive. The only people they could have counted on were dead and gone. They were fighting impossible odds against people whose best skills were picked but most of the time there were no professionals to speak of. That's what Jack hated most about watching the games.
"Well," their mother said, seemingly unable to give up on forming some sort of conversation. "how has your work been Brian? Are you doing well?"
There was another question hidden within that one, one that the man's brothers voiced aloud but their mother had never been able to. Why? She had to know why he put them in danger like this, knowing that if someone found out they'd be in big trouble. She loved her eldest son, and she knew that his rebellious nature had come from her. He worried about the safety of her family, but some part of her wanted her eldest son to succeed and destroy the system they'd been trapped under for so long. Jack's gaze met his brother's, and it was obvious that he didn't agree with it in the slightest. Brian's gaze began to grow more and more angry.
"It's going fine ma," he said. "We're getting a lot of work done."
"Sure," Jack couldn't help but say. "Goin' great. And ya keep ignorin' us, don't ya?"
"You're too young to understand, Jack," Brian snapped again, standing and pointing his finger into his youngest brother's face.
"Are those tha only words ya know?" Jack snarled back, leaping up and glaring at his older brother. "You could at least try and think about us ya know. We're your family!"
"What would you know about family?" Brian growled. "Your dad just up and left ma, and left her with you. You're hardly fit to be in this family!"
Jack was ready to punch his brother, knowing full and well that it couldn't end well and he'd probably just lose that fight. But he was angry, and he wanted to make him pay for saying that. Before the situation could get more out of hand than it already was however, their mother leaped up between them. She pushed the two apart and turned to Brian.
"Brian," she chastised. "You shouldn't talk to you brother that way!"
"Half brother," he corrected savagely as he turned to walk away.
The words stung in the same way it always had, but somehow they hurt Jack far more than he had ever remembered before. Brian began to walk out of the house again, far too angry to be concerned with things like the men in black and the Fortress Games. Their mother leaped after him, grabbing his arm, but he shoved her away.
They all paused as she stepped back and hit a vase that Jack's father had given her when he had still been around. It was a pretty thing, but it was knocked onto the floor and shattered with a crack. Their mother turned to stare at it, as if doing so would right the picture. Nothing seemed to happen for a long moment. Then Brian wordlessly turned and left the house, slamming the door behind him. Jack just stared at his mother for a long moment, who with tears in her eyes left to go get the broom and dustpan to clean up.
Watching her coming back and silently crying as she began to clean up seemed to wake Jack up. He grabbed some paper towels and began picking up the pieces of ceramic that were too large for the broom to push into the small dustpan. They silently worked at it for several minutes, making sure to get every speck of white powder off the floor. After throwing it away and putting away the cleaning supplies they returned to the couch.
He wasn't sure if she was crying because of the vase, or if it was because her family seemed to be breaking apart, or only because of the day it was. Maybe it was a mixture of all of it. Jack just sat quietly beside her, then reached over and laid his hand on top of hers. She looked up as he managed to give her a small smile. She returned it.
They both knew that Brian tended to be a hot head. He'd been gone for several long minutes already, but he wouldn't stay away. He tended to get angry and say things he didn't mean to, and Jack was a lot like him in that respect. But in a few more minutes he'd be calling to say he was sorry and making them promise him to be safe today. That's just how he worked.
They both paused though as there came a knock at the door. Confused and wondering who it could be, they both stood and made their way back into the front door to see who it was. Jack stepped forward and pulled the door open, feeling the color drain from his face as he looked up to see a tall man wearing a black suit standing there. What were they doing here?
"Jack Barreau," the man said. "Congratulations. You've been selected to join the games."
"No," his mother screamed, grabbing his shoulder and throwing him behind her. "You can't! Please, don't take my baby!"
Jack had never seen his mother in this kind of state, but he could understand. They'd always knew it was a possibility that one of them would have been selected to join in the games, but it had been an unspoken horror, something they'd never dared to imagine it would actually happen. She was desperately trying to protect her youngest son, though they all knew it was a losing battle she was fighting. She refused to move though.
"Mrs. Barreau," he said in a threatening voice. "Step aside. Or we will be forced to remove you with force." She didn't move.
"Jack run," she cried. "Just run!"
The large man grabbed his mother and threw her down on the floor. Jack felt himself freeze as he watched, torn between wanting to help his mother and run for his own life. However he saw the man reach into his jacket and pull out a gun. He didn't hesitate to run forward.
"Wait," he cried. The man and the other three behind him all paused and looked at him. He refused to look down at his mother's horrified face. "I'll go with ya. Just don't hurt my ma."
"Jack you can't," his mother gasped.
Jack ignored her and continued to look up at the men in front of him. For a long, breathless moment they watched him. At last though the man put his gun away and pulled out a white envelope instead and tossed it to his mom. Jack knew what it was, and it made him a little sick to think about.
It was money, about twelve thousand dollars that they gave in "thanks" to the families of those that played in the games. It couldn't ever take away from the fact that that money could never replace what had been lost in the games.
Jack didn't move as two of the men behind the first came in and grabbed his arms. He didn't try to pull away as they took him out of the house like that and right to the black care waiting out front. Jack couldn't help but feel like they were escorting him to his own funeral. He could hear his mother sobbing in the house, but the door was closed and the only sounds that could be heard was the driver punching the gas and the car peeling away quickly to take him to the hidden fortress where the games would be taking place this year.
The car began pulling off down the street, and Jack just tried his best to not look at the curious and sad faces peering into the tinted windows. What was Brian going to find when he called home in a few minutes? What was his mother going to tell his brothers? That their youngest brother was going off to be slaughtered in the games?
For the first time, Jack felt what it was like to truly be afraid. He was going God knew where, to fight in a war that had been waging for too many years to count, with people he'd never met. Then there were the challenges themselves, and knowing that his family was going to be watching him get torn apart in these games.
That's when Jack knew he couldn't let them beat him.
That's the end of chapter one. In the next one we'll get to meet the other characters and see what they're all doing in this AU TF2 world. Scout in this story will still be a prankster, but he's going to be more serious and more grown up because of the world he's lived in. Either way, I hope you guys enjoy the story.