Author's Note: I do not own any of the "Team Fortress 2" characters or locations. This is merely for entertainment purposes, and I am not looking to profit off of this piece of fiction. All characters/locations belong to Valve
With that being said, I now present to you the sequel to "Family", titled "Ainsi commence la guerre" it is French for "Thus Begins the War". I hope you all enjoy it!
Fingers were running through freshly cut brown hair, the owner of the fingers grimacing as she stared through the filthy, cracked mirror. The lighting was terrible in the small room, but it was the best source of light besides the infirmary.
"…Didn't have to criticize it…" Sherry mumbled as she stared back at herself, her blue eyes filled with annoyance. Her hair, which had been waist length, had been cut into a fairly short crop-cut. She had had a very busy day once she arrived to the base; she had gone through registration and given new clothes (she had a nasty feeling that her old ones had been destroyed) she had gone to the infirmary, where the doctor there (she had learned his name was either Medic or Doctor; he didn't care which one) had given her a fairly rough physical, only giving her a clean bill of health after he injected her with something.
Her neck still stung from where the needle had punctured the skin. When she had asked what it was, he had merely told her, "you'll need it, so you don't need to know", and Medic's attitude had told her that Sherry had better stop asking questions or else.
Later, she had gone to see a man simply named "Soldier". Upon seeing her, he had asked her a barrage of questions about her nationality (even going so far as to ask her the names of the presidents; thankfully, she knew) and he wouldn't give her the haircut that was needed until half an hour's worth of questions had been asked. While getting her hair cut, Sherry could hear him mumbling something about how "America's youth knows jack shit about how lucky they are to have freedom".
Now, Sherry was in her own, dingy little room, wearing her new outfit of a simple blue t-shirt, black shorts that stopped right above her knees, white socks and sneakers. Most of the things she had packed had been confiscated, the only exceptions being her undergarments, her dog-tags, a picture of her Mother, Helene, and the Dead Ringer around her neck. Sherry chose to keep it; even though it was a weapon of a Spy, it had still been a nice gift, and would have been rude to just throw it away.
The room was pitifully small; the light above was weak and gave off a yellowish glow, the bed was rather uncomfortable; the sheets were scratchy and the pillow smelled like cheap soap. The only plus about the room was that she had her own bathroom and she didn't have to room with anybody else, since she was pretty much the only female on base.
A knock at the door made her jump slightly, and she didn't move from her spot on the bed. Sherry got up when she heard the sound of Scott's voice oozing through the cheap wooden door.
"Sher? Hey, it's Scott. C'mon, ya have to meet the rest of the Team." Scott said, letting himself into the small room. Sherry felt amusement creep into her as he looked around the room.
"Damn. Ya get a room all to yourself! I hafta bunk with Medic!" Scott said, his voice touched slightly with envy. Sherry obediently got up from the bed and followed Scott down the vast hallways of the base. She had caught a glimpse of the RED base, and she smirked; it looked as if it were a bunch of rustic barns. Hardly posh compared to the BLU base.
She wondered if the RED Spy enjoyed staying in such a rustic atmosphere, given how snooty and French he was. She had to hide a snicker at the thought.
"Look alive, guys! New recruit comin' in!" Scott bellowed as he walked Sherry into a small cafeteria, the sign reading "Mess Hall". Inside sat a large group of…Men. Was she truly the only female in the base?
"Ya already met Medic and Soldier, now you're meeting everybody else!" Scott said as he led Sherry to the table where all of the men were sitting. They all stood up and formed a straight line, each of them presenting themselves to Sherry.
"I am Heavy Weapons Guy. Is nice to meet you." One of them said, towering over Sherry like a giant. Sherry looked up at him with wide eyes, feeling intimidated by this giant of a man. But when she heard his voice, she smiled a small smile.
"H-hey! I talked to you on the phone once!" Sherry exclaimed, recognizing the loud, booming voice she had heard on the telephone a few weeks ago. Heavy stared at her for a few moments before…
""AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Look at tiny, itty-bitty leetle girl! You are so small! Is funny to me! Oh, leetle girl tickles funny bone!" Heavy bellowed, slapping his knee as tears of laughter streamed from his eyes. Sherry looked down, her face a deep shade of red; she didn't expect to get laughed at so soon.
"Oy, enough of that now! You're embarrassing her! Hey, the name is Sniper, but ya can call me Snipes if ya want!" Another man said, sticking his gloved hand out and pulling his hat off with the other. Sherry timidly took it, Sniper shaking it with gusto. When he pulled away, Sherry noticed a small bruise underneath his right thumbnail.
"My name is Engineer, Little Lady. Just a word of caution; don't touch my machines. They can be mighty dangerous, and it would be a real shame if that pretty little head of yours got blown off by one of them." The man in the hard hat and goggles came sauntering up to her, also shaking her hand. Sherry noticed that he smelled like engine oil and metal; it stung her nose a bit, but she politely shook his hand back.
"Hey! Where's Demoman?" Scott demanded, looking around the Mess Hall.
"He said that he wasn't feelin' too happy. I swear, he grows more and more depressed every single day…" Sniper said, rubbing his hand on his chin.
"Hey, ya mute moron! Get over here and meet the new recruit!" Scott said over his shoulder, and…Somebody in a gas mask and suit came over. Sherry, at first, jumped at the sight of this strange looking person, thinking that it was a robot. She relaxed when she realized that it was just a person in a flame-retardant suit and gas mask.
"Uh…Hello?" Sherry said, trying to peer inside of the lenses of the gas mask. The two were still for several moments, Sherry jumping back with a yelp when the person stuck its hand out.
"Huh-wow. Mm nm mish mrro." The person said, holding its hand out patiently. Sherry's eyebrows furrowed.
"Excuse me? I couldn't understand you." Sherry said, not taking the hand.
"That is because Pyro is a mumbling abomination, ma chérie." A voice called out from the shadows, causing a chill to run down Sherry's spine. There, standing in the shadowy corner, cigarette in his mouth, stood Spy.
"Emile? What are you doing here?" Sherry asked, pointing at the blue-clad Spy. Spy merely chuckled and smashed his cigarette on the floor, walking over to her.
"I believe you are mistaking me with the RED Spy, ma chérie. Do not fret; I am on your side. I despise that cheap-suit wearing RED Spy with a passion profonde." Spy said, gently fingering the golden Dead Ringer around Sherry's neck. He hummed lightly as he opened it, intrigued by the watch face.
"Very interesting watch. I have one just like it, but better. I'll have to show you some time." He said lightly as he sat down at the table. Sherry was stunned; her team had a Spy too? It was so strange to her; they looked exactly alike. The only true difference was that the BLU Spy had a lighter voice than her step-father.
"Well, there ya have it. You've met the Team. I'm known as "Scout" around here, so don't forget it. Ya start trainin' tomorrow. But, for now, you're on kitchen duty!" Scout said, giving Sherry's shoulder a squeeze.
"DEE-SMISSED, Maggots! Recruit, you are to be up at o four-hundred hours! No later! You are to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and if we feel like it, dessert! You will be taught to use a gun, because if you can't use a gun around here, you will be killed in a brutal way! DEE-SMISSED, Recruit!" Soldier commanded, pointing at the exit. Sherry, not wanting to be further questioned about her nationality, quickly scurried out of the Mess Hall.
"Hey, Scot- er, Scout! What's my name here?" Sherry called out, following the only person she truly knew in this entire base. Scout turned around, giving her a fond smile, ruffling her hair with a bandage hand.
"Just Recruit, for now."