"Ye don't own someone when yer in love with 'em, laddie."
The BLU Demoman took another swig from his never-ending bottle, sinking back into a chair. The Scout was seated not too far away, backwards on the chair, arms crossed, chin rested on the back of his hand. He didn't usually listen to the drunken Scotsman, but he had nothing better to do. And the ramblings of a hammered Cyclops were usually pretty entertaining.
"Now…. ye listen well, lad…"
The Scout's name was Tucker, but everyone was "Lad" or "Laddie" to the Demoman.
"I know yer a'w happy wit that Engie… jus' 'member…" The Demoman was starting to slur more than usual, and he took another swig, starting to sway a bit on his chair. "…That he's gotta be happy too."
With that piece of profound wisdom given, the Demoman promptly dropped his bottle and passed out in an alcoholic blackout. Scout smirked to himself and stood up, stretching his twiggy, spindly frame. Leaving the unconscious, Scottish Cyclops to his nap, the Scout opened the fridge and popped open a can of soda before he started down to do what he did best – pester someone. But he had to be careful. The Medic would skin him alive, so he was out of the question. As were Heavy and Soldier. Those three were best avoided. Demoman was passed out drunk, Sniper was best left alone, rather than be pulled in by his magnetic Aussie charm, which also lead to a swift Medic-enduced death. The Spy wasn't much of company anyways, but that was expected. That left the Scout's favorite person, the Engineer.
Upon reaching that decision, the scout trotted down for Engie's workshop, soda in hand. Scout knocked at the door, a little puzzled when he didn't get a response. It was almost 5PM, he should be in. He tapped again before he opened the door and looked in. The entire workshop was dark, the light spilling in from the hallway doing nothing to chase shadows away. Scout took another hesitant sip of his soda before he stepped in, fumbling for the light switch.
"Hey, Engie? Gus? You in here?"
He flicked the switch, then a few times, a little worried when the lights did not come in. Scout took a few more steps, the light from the hallway partly obscured by his own shadow. He squinted into the gloom around him, a strange squicking sound breaking the silence as he took a step. His shadow did him no justice, but he knelt down and groped at the concrete floor, feeling something warm and wet. Just as he turned towards the light to inspect what was on his fingertips, the door slammed shut. There was an audible click of a lock, and the barely 20-year-old was wrapped in darkness. The soda can fell from his hand and spilled all over the floor.
"Gus…?"
He smirked, then laughed.
"Very funny, Engie. You got me, har har. Fun times… now just turn the lights on." Scout said, raising his arms in a mock surrender gesture.
Secretly, he was terrified. Secretly, he knew what the liquid on his hand was, even if he didn't see it. He'd been here long enough to know what blood felt like.
"…Gus? Come on, turn on the lights…" He said, starting to lower his hands.
Something shifted in the darkness. Scout spun around, reaching for his pistol, only to find that it was no longer at his side like it should be. It was there earlier, wasn't it? He fumbled around in the black, groping for something that he could use to defend himself against the noises. And then he could smell it, his entire body tensing when it reached him. Cigarette smoke. Not the same smoky scent that came with the BLU Spy's brand. And if it wasn't the same, then…
A rag was pressed tightly over his mouth and nose.
The natural instinct was panic. Scout's hands reached up to pull the hand away, feeling the leather gloves and finely-tailored suit jacket of the RED Spy. His struggles lasted mere moments, his eyelids growing heavy and his mind sinking into unconsciousness.
Pain greeted him when he woke. Indescribable pain in his legs, and his wrists. Someone was touching him. Scout opened one blackened, swollen eye, finding his wrists bound with black electrical tape, keeping him secured to one of the cold metal legs of the work bench. One of the lights was on, revealing the shop in ruin. Tools were scattered about, some coated in blood. There were cigarette butts scattered about, footprints in blood. Blue eyes wandered down to his legs, staring in horror at the damage. The Spy had ripped into his muscles, cutting and tearing, ensuring that he would not be running for a long time. Scout tried to scream, either in pain of for help, only to find the same offending tape over his mouth. He could not see the clock, unaware of how much time had passed. Scout could only lay his head down, closing his eyes. Everything had begun to hurt, in ways he could not begin to describe.
He barely heard the knock at the door, and was only vaguely aware of it opening. He heard someone shouting for the Medic, then he felt someone cut the tape from his wrists, revealing dark bruises. The tape was pulled from his lips, hands pulling him away from the work bench, mindful of his legs. Voices asked questions, faces went in and out. Everything was a blur, like vertigo. He had no idea how long it was until the haze lifted and he reconnected with the real world.
His legs were adorned with stitches and covered in bandages, wrists still badly bruised. He was in his own room, on his own bed. The clock on the wall said it was 11:30, though AM or PM, he couldn't tell. He saw a tube going into his arm, attached to one of their limited IV bags. It must have been far worse than he thought. He didn't hear the door open, and was unaware of it until he saw the Medic looming over him.
"Tell me what happened, Pfadfinder."
The Scout relayed what he could remember, watching Medic's expression get progressively grim. He knew what that meant, before Medic said anything, he knew.
Their Engineer was missing… captured by that RED.
The RED had done his homework. Take the Engineer, disable their sentries. Disable the fastest of them, ensure that they cannot retrieve him without being noticed.
Scout lay back against the pillow after Medic departed. But all he could see was red.