Here we are with another TF2 story! I'd gone on a bit of a one-shot kick, and I'm probably going to continue to be on that kick, but I also wanted to try to write another multi-chapter story. I never seem to finish them, either because I get bored or because I run out of time or ideas. I'm not a very inspired person. :p So don't expect me to finish this, but I'm going to try. I have a few chapters written out, so it's not gonna end after one chapter.

This idea's probably been done before, but you know what? I like Scoutbots. You guys seem to like Scoutbots. So I'm writing about a Scoutbot.

By the way, this story was inspired by Sanctuscecidit. Be sure to read their stories, because they're great! :D

Also, this story takes place in Ghost Town. That's where I usually play MVM, so I'm most familiar with that map.

Now I'm gonna put up a boring disclaimer and shut up.

Disclaimer: I don't own TF2 in any way, shape, or form. I have a copy of the game, a few fanfics, and my own interpretation of the characters. Everyone on here knows I don't own the rights to the game, anyway. Why do we have disclaimers? With how many people there are who didn't make TF2, why aren't there claimers instead?

Shutting up.

Well, wasn't this a downright mess.

Ever since Gray Mann had announced his existence to TF Industries, the mercenaries had to fight off gigantic hordes of robots. Wave after wave, it seemed to be an endless battle, with little to no rest in between. Every few days, though, the bots would eventually trickle to a stop, where the mercs could possibly get a few hours of rest. After that, it was back to the grind. It was an endless, grueling cycle.

"A TANK HAS ENTERED THE AREA."

"Dagnabbit," Engineer muttered, whacking a few fresh dents out of his Sentry. If there was a tank on the map, then a barrage of Scoutbots was almost sure to follow, and the rest of the team would be too busy with the tank to bother taking out any of them, even if one or two had a goshdarn bomb strapped to their backs. And that's why the tinkerer had his Sentry holed up near the hatch. He could take care of any bots that came too close, and Wrangle the ones that were better taken care of from a distance (damn those giant Soldierbots). It also left him plenty of time to pack up and get to safety if a Sentry Buster happened to show up.

A couple minutes after the tank announcement, sure enough, a tidal wave of Scoutbots came running for the hatch, haphazardly swinging their bats at the empty air. Engineer heard their robotic hoots and screeches long before they arrived, so he already had his Sentry Wrangled, and he fired at the first hint of blue he saw. All around him robots fell, screeching their metallic obscenities before joining in the broken half-ring around the Sentry.

It wasn't until the end of the wave that Engineer realized that none of them had been carrying the bomb.

One by one the mercs started to trickle in, tired but happy- all six of them, as the rest were defending other bases. Besides Engineer, on the team was Medic, Pyro, Scout, Soldier, and Sniper, although Medic, Sniper, and Pyro had originally come from BLU. It was tough having to work with them at first, but time and a common enemy had eventually worked them into a friendly and effective team.

Scout, of course, was the first to appear. He jogged over to Engineer, hopping over the remains of a Demoknight. "Damn, Hardhat, ya shoulda seen da way I took out dat Pyrobot! What a fuckin' moron!"

"I think I know when ya mean. Was that when you came out of Respawn complainin' about gettin' your ass cooked?"

"Fuck you, Engie." Scout dismissively swatted his hand downwards and entered the base.

The next to arrive were Soldier and Medic. Despite coming from separate teams, they surprisingly became fast friends. It was more surprising that Soldier had accepted the ex-BLU Medic so quickly, but the doctor's Quick Fix likely had something to do with that.

"Ja, ja, I saw everyzhing, Soldier," Medic was saying. "I vas zhere, remember?"

"Ha! Nobody can say they beat a tank to death with a shovel! Nobody but me!"

"Howdy," Engineer greeted them. "So I see y'all took out the tank with a shovel?"

"Affirmative!" Soldier shouted before Medic could answer. "Those damn robots didn't stand a chance. Gray Mann should stop sending them, because they keep getting crushed by me! But running like a bunch of commie cowards wouldn't save them from my wrath!"

"I see," Engineer said. "By the by, did either of ya happen to see a Scoutbot with a bomb? I didn't see one by the hatch."

"Zhis dummkopf vas too busy vith zhe tank to pay attention to his surroundings," Medic answered. "I, for vun, vas not too busy. Even so, I didn't see any bombs. I did zhink it vas razher strange..."

"Yeah," Engineer agreed. "Well, I plan to find out if there was one in the first place. There's always a few stragglers."

"Alright. But do be careful out zhere, Herr Engineer."

"Will do." The Texan pumped his shotgun for emphasis.

As Soldier and Medic headed back to base, Engineer went deeper into the map, looking into every nook and cranny as he passed. Sniper soon passed by with a polite wave, and Engineer later ran into Pyro, who was trying to pry his axe out of a recently-demolished Spybot. The firebug looked up and gave an enthusiastic wave.

"Hey there, Py. Have ya seen a bomb 'round here? Woulda been carried by a Scoutbot?"

Pyro thought for a moment, then he shook his head. "Mrrhrr, rr hrrbrrb. Brr wrrbph rrbrr, phrr brrph nrr mrr Sphrrpbrrbsp."

As Engineer continued on his way, he muttered to himself, "Somethin' just ain't right about this..."

It was near the ledge, with the carrier tank just beyond, that he heard it. A series of sharp static noises, as if something were shorting out. Lifting his shotgun and narrowing his eyes, he quickly marched in the direction of the noise: on his left, between two dilapidated buildings, a favorite spot for robots to hide until they aren't expected. Several times their base had nearly been compromised because of a single Pyrobot or Sniperbot, and Engineer seemed to be the only one who thought it was a good idea to look for bots there, although he was usually too far away to do anything about it.

The mechanic found the source when he turned the narrow corner. He could just see the nose of a bomb. When he stepped closer, he could see a Scoutbot next to it. But it wasn't acting quite right. Its bat lay next to it, and its back was to Engineer as it ripped out several wires from the bomb and mashed its bulky fingers on the number pad. Engineer figured that this was the cause of the static, but it was a miracle that the robot hadn't managed to set the bomb off in its efforts.

Suddenly the Scoutbot whipped around, just noticing Engineer's presence. It quickly stood and backed up, away from its bat, hands raised. Its eyes flickered, trying to maintain the signal it was no longer receiving. Engineer's eyes narrowed with curiosity. If a robot still had the ability to move, it was programmed to attack anyone and anything in red. The Texan checked and yes, he was indeed still wearing his team color. But the Scoutbot seemed almost afraid of him. Its body jerked in time with its engine, less dramatically than most other robots, almost giving the laborer the impression that it was quaking in fear. Could robots feel fear? Very curious indeed.

Engineer raised his shotgun, having not realized that he'd begun to lower it, and jabbed the Scoutbot in the midsection, causing it to stumble but remain upright. "I don't know If you can communicate, boy, but you are goin' to try. Ya got three seconds to tell me why you didn't deliver the bomb before I blow a hole in your core."

The Scoutbot continued to hold up its hands, as if trying to placate the merc, when surprisingly it did say something. "Come on, man!" Engineer recognized it as a voice clip of a call for Medic, but it surprised him, nonetheless. It certainly wasn't programmed to say that in a situation like this, and yet that's exactly what came out of its vocal processor.

To his own surprise, Engineer put his gun away, never taking his eyes off of the robot, and instead reached for the wrench at his belt. He advanced and raised it high above his head. The Scoutbot shrank back and looked away, fully expecting the blow that came down on top of its head. It crumpled in a heap, twitching, its eyes still dimly flickering.

Engineer bent down and hefted the fallen robot over his shoulder. Here was a robot that displayed little, if any, aggression. Perhaps he could take it apart, study it. He could glean all the information he could from it; the possibilities were endless! Maybe he could even turn the robot against its creator. Maybe, just maybe, he could put an end to this long, terrible war.

He only hoped that his teammates would see it that way.

(...)

"What the hell is this, private?!"

Soldier was the first to see Engineer arrive with the Scoutbot, and boy was he pissed. "Fraternizing with the enemy! That is a criminal offense!"

"Take it easy, Soldier," Engineer said in an attempt to calm him down. "It ain't gonna hurt us like this."

"Gotta say I'm with Soldier," Sniper added, walking in from another room. "I just don't get why you'd bring a bloody robot into our base."

"Yeah! Dere ain't room for two Scouts in here!" Scout interjected from his perch on a dusty shelf.

"Krrn Hrr phrrb rrb rrn phrr?" Pyro asked.

"Not this one, Py," answered Engineer. "Somethin's different about this here Scoutbot, and I plan to dismantle it and study it."

"In case you have forgotten," said Medic, "ve are in zhe middle of a robot var. Ve don't have time for your hobbies."

"Dis comin' from da guy who cut our Spy open to try an' put a Spy-checkin' thingy in 'im," Scout shot back. "In da middle of a Payload race."

"He vas such an annoyance! Besides, could you imagine zhe possibilities of a device zhat could render a Spy's cloak and disguises ineffective?"

"That aside," Engineer interrupted, getting the team back on track, "I was hopin' we could use the robot to stop this war. Sometimes the robots'll lock up when their signal gets interrupted, right?" The mercs nodded, some with more understanding than others. "Well, I can figure out the frequency of the signal they're recievin', and build a machine to block it. I might even be able to send my own signal and get the bots to turn on each other." The mercs looked varying levels of impressed, muttering amongst themselves.

"This plan has merit, private," Soldier barked, "but that does not change the fact that you let a robot into our base! What if it attracts the others?!"

"Except dat da others are already attackin' our base, dumbass," said Scout.

"I must admit, it is a good plan," Medic pondered. "If anyvun can pull it off, it vould be you, Herr Engineer. Zhe question is, how vill you find zhe time to vork on zhe robot vhen ve have an army of robots attacking us vithout end?"

"Well, I ain't gonna have it active while we're out fightin'," replied Engineer. "Could ya imagine what it could do to our base unattended? No, I'll only activate it when I can keep an eye on it."

Sniper weakly raised a hand. "Uh, fellas?"

"So you mean dat robot's still active and shit? Ya didn't break it?"

"Guys?"

"Heavens no, Scout! I don't wanna damage it more than it already is. It'd be hard to figure out how it works when it's broken. Pieces might not go together right, or-"

"Guys!"

All heads snapped in Sniper's direction. The bushman quietly pointed a finger at the Scoutbot, who up until this point had been motionless. Its eyes flickered once, and suddenly it started flailing. Engineer dropped the robot with a startled yell, sending it crashing to the floor. It scrambled to its feet, hunched over with its hands in the air. It met the gazes of each suspicious mercenary, but it didn't say a word, nor did it make a move to attack them.

"See? It ain't even armed," said Engineer. "It can't do no harm to us like this."

"Of course it can!" Soldier bellowed. "Everyone knows that all robots can shoot lasers! From their eyes!"

"Rrph phrr krrb, wrrhrrb phrr hrrb brrn rrph brr nrr?" Pyro reasoned.

"Well, erm... I suppose you have a point there..."

As Soldier tried to reason to himself how a robot could indeed be harmless, the Scoutbot had started backing towards what it hoped was a door. Instead it backed over the upgrade counter, crashing ungracefully on the other side with a very Scoutlike scoff.

"Vell," said Medic, astonished. "It certainly does not act like zhe ozher robots."

"Ya sure it ain't broken, Hardhat?" asked Scout.

"In all honesty... nope. But I still want to know why it's actin' the way it is."

As the Scoutbot peeked slightly over the counter, Sniper commented, "Looks to me loike it's scared."

"Impossible!" shouted Soldier. "Robots do not feel!"

"Hrr phrrk Phnrrbrrph rrph," Pyro interjected. "Rrnphrr, krrn rrbrph phrr?"

The Texan glanced at the cowering Scoutbot, whose eyes flickered as it tried to sink even lower. "...I don't know."

Here's the Pyro-ese translation, in case you wanted to know.

"Nuh-uh, I haven't. The wave's over, so there's no more Scoutbots."

"Can I set it on fire?"

"If they could, wouldn't they have done it by now?"

"I think Sniper's right. Engie, can robots feel?"

So here's the first chapter at five in the morning. PLEASE tell me if there's any typos or errors in this. In general, tell me what you thought. More is on the way!