Mountain lab: a bizarre mixture of forestry and technology intertwining into one. This was one of the many battlefields that my team– the RED one– were signed up to defend. The BLUs had already taken one of the control points, leaving only two points left for us to defend. It was quiet, with very few members of RED defending the point as well as a very few members of BLU attacking said point. The time with ceasefire was coming soon and it looked like our fight would end with RED winning– Again. For who knows how many times already. These battles were really becoming a recurring chore. RED defends, BLU gets first point, RED defends the second point, BLU does nothing because they are a bunch of pussies as we end in a ceasefire.
"This sucks!" I moaned out, throwing my ball against the pavement walling as it rounded back right into my face. "Ow! That hurts!" I yelled over at the wall. The wall, unsurprisingly and thankfully did not reply back. I get up and grab the ball, only to throw it back harshly on the ground again.
A slight agitated grunt escapes me as I rub my face while walking towards a Medipack close by. No one had any reason to complain with me taking this one, mostly because no one else seemed to be out here. Sure, it was close for ceasefire to roll around, but there was enough time for an enemy or two to sneak in and capture the point under our noses. I hoped anyway, considering how pathetic this long winded battle has been so far. No one on the team seemed to really care. They were lucky I cared enough to keep watch, even if I only do it to get some exercise and air.
As I walked back over to torture my ball, I spot a BLU Scout, cautiously watching the area for any enemies. Jackpot. I quickly hid behind the walling next to me and grin, readying my stock shotgun in hand as my fingers already itched towards the trigger. The BLU Scout ran over to the wooden fence, looking through the bars, completely unaware of my presence. It was a big gap between him and the point. There were no sentries, Engineer thought it to be a waste of resource. And even if the point was being taken, it was usually just one or two guys taking it. And the guys tended to be mostly Scouts as well, which were easy enough pray to handle. Besides me, the best Scout to ever be birthed.
I watched, waited, aimed my gun, and as the Scout was about to move.
BANG!
There was a blast of a gunshot, a loud scream, and then a body falling on the ground. The BLU Scout was dead and I was not the one to kill him. At least, I think. I had to look at my gun to see if it had misfired on me again. The Doctor said to not look through the barrels after the last time, but I did anyway. It was still loaded, pumped with ammo, readying and raring to be fired. I saw no rockets or stickies' nor did I hear the 'ATATATATA' sounds of a mini-gun. I then thought it over and it hit me. I looked around the area closely and found the suspect in one of the upper corners of the base.
The new guy, one of the new damn Snipers' assigned to the team. He was not even hiding the fact that he did it as he was already in the motions of reloading his gun. We never seem to have any luck with these guys. They either; perform poorly, performed well but acted like a total asshole, or ended up dying so much they quit the team entirely. This was already the fourth guy we had. It has been almost a week and I have yet to bother talking to the guy, less see how he was performing. No one on the team seems to mention him much during or after ceasefire, so he must be doing fine enough to not complain about. He could still be an asshole. Scratch that, he stole my kill, so he is an asshole! It might not matter to others, but it matters to me. The guy did not even bother to aim for the leg to slow that BLU Scout down. What a complete and utter dickwad. I was angry, so I hustled over to where he was, even jumping up the stairs to get to him faster.
Finally reaching the man, I heave out and yell, "What the hell?!" The bastard was still scoped into his rifle as if no one was screaming right next to him. I was about to yell at him again as he finally, if slowly, looks over to me, noticing my presence as if I just got here. "Are you takin' my kills? I was about to bash his brains out before you did it for me instead." I continued to complain over, even if the Sniper had the dumb look of a person who had no idea where he was right now or who he was talking to. I suppose the 'who he was talking to' part was not far off, as this was our first interaction together.
The man then stood up, but then suddenly rustled out his Kukri from his backside. I was surprised how fast he was to react like that to me. Sure, my teammates got a little annoyed when I talked too much, and sure they sometimes pulled their melee out as a threat when I overstayed my welcome. OK, perhaps surprise was a little bit of an understatement. I suppose the real surprise came from the Sniper using the other end of the kukri to poke into my shoulder. My teammates usually used the pointy end. Either way, it was poking right into my bone and it damn well hurt.
I smacked away the weapon.
"Oh, so yer not a spah?" The dude speaks out in an almost tired, deadpan way. He throws the weapon back into the sheath behind him and just sits back over at his sniping spot.
"Listen here, 'bud'. Ya might be the new guy and all, but that doesn't mean I can't give you crap for stealing MY hard work." I continued to rant, gaining the Sniper's attention again, only for him to speak out one word.
"Oh."
"Oh?" I stared and he just stared back. The two of us looked like a couple of idiots as we just stared at each other, saying nothing. Sniper was the first to stop the staring contest as he went back into his scope. "Hey, hello?!"
No response. It was if there conversation had never happened to him. Of course I was obviously furious, but also kind of disappointed on how short the argument was, if there was even an argument to begin with.
Before I could continue on with my whining, the sound for ceasefire rang. We sadly were able to protect the base once again with little to no loss. The Sniper unscoped from his gun and then circles his head around his stiff shoulders. He stands up, still holding the gun in his hands and just walks right pass me.
"Hey, I'm not done with ya yet!" The man then suddenly jumped down from the ledge, surprising me again as I ran over to see if he hurt himself. To add to my surprise, the guy had landed safely on his feet, onto the grassy pathway leading into the base. He then stood up, looked up at me for a second and walked into the base like nothing had happen. Why he decided to risk the chance to break his kneecaps instead of taking the stairs leading down, shit if I know. Perhaps he was just as lazy to walk, less talk. "Asshole. Don't just ignore me like that." I grumble to myself and jumped off from the same spot Sniper jumped from.
Instead of landing on my feet though, I landed on my ass. Fucking hell that hurts!
When ceasefire starts, everyone is required back at base before a certain time. The requirements were different for a lot of teams. Some were given the freedom to roam outside, even as far as the outsides of the base. Others were stuck being surrounded by loud and frustrated men for the next twelve or so hours. And by others, I mean me and the other eight men cramped in this dead, greyish building with a giant deadly laser disc in the middle.
Every team was given a leader, most commonly the one doing really well on the team. I suppose a guy who can get a killstreak over twenty must know what he was doing. It did have its downsides though. Our leader terribly hated fun and shockingly hated freedom as well, considering his profession.
During this lockdown, everyone mostly spent the time loafing around the base doing whatever they felt like until the usual scheduled dinner/meeting began. Once that started, we would all sit around varies tables, all close together in the command room, while Soldier gave a brief on today's mission. It was common to see a Soldier be a boss of the team, doing well or not. They were the only ones who seemed to have the energy to scream all the damn time. I hated following his orders, but I also hated hearing his long winded war stories whenever I tried to ignore him. So I just shut my trap and let him yell at me until he's satisfied. The others followed suit, but occasionally chatted to themselves whenever Soldier had to think over his next sentence.
Everyone had someone else to talk with. Heavy and Medic were talking about what weapons would work at a maximum performance with the others. Engineer was talking about some new blueprints on some sort of supergun over to Spy. Even the half-unconscious Demoman was having a friendly chat with the Pyro about something. Whatever that something was, like hell if I could understand anything through that gas mask of his. Perhaps only a drunken man could understand a man who only muffles through a suit. As for me, well, it was either my inner thoughts or the constant screams of a deranged hardhead to listen to. Yeah, sometimes I barge into the others conversations whenever I feel bored. But like Pyro, I could barely understand half of what they were all saying. Assholes were totally doing it just to mess with me.
My eyes wandered, looking for something interesting to look at as I noticed a merc, sitting all alone in a corner. It was that Sniper dude again, sitting quietly, eating whatever mush he cooked for himself. It was nothing to be pissed over about… Actually, never mind, this was really something to be pissed over about. Who said that guy was allowed to sit all alone over there while we all sat here, listening to Soldier's usual bullshit.
"What'cha eyeing, boy?" Engineer asks over, noticing the ugly look I had on my face. I heard the Spy sigh out loudly, looking annoyed that Engineer had stopped their conversation to talk to me of all people. I held my sulky face as I jammed some of the mushy half-baked potato I made into my mouth.
"Snhper sittinsh byh himfselh" My words were gobbled up by the food as neither Engineer nor Spy understood anything I just said.
"Dang boy, chew yer food!"
"Not taught many manners, were you?" The Spy commented on. I ignored the comment and swallow down my food. I pointed over where Sniper was as the two men looked behind them.
"I said Sniper sittin' by himself." They look back at me, with Engineer being somewhat concerned.
"Ye, the new guy's been sittin' alone over there since he first got here. Ain't much of a talker either, compared to the last few Snipers we've had."
"Leave him be, they tend to be loners anyway." Spy interjects, not looking like he cared all that much.
"He just pisses me off. Acting like he's better than anyone else." Engineer sparked up a laugh.
"Oh it ain't nothin' like that." The conversation stopped there as Soldier suddenly slammed his hands on the table, making everyone takes notice of us.
"And what is so important that you need to speak over me!?" Soldier demanded an answer and while none of us mentioned or even pointed over at Sniper, he ended up finding the answer through our eyes. They were not looking at him, but at someone else. He turned around and saw Sniper. "Sniper!" Soldier hurries over to the man, stopping in front of him with his arms crossed behind his back. "This is a team and you're part of the team. If you're not willing, that is fine. But I'm ordering you to eat with us whether you like it or not!" Obviously, he was not giving the guy much of a choice. Sniper just stares for a second before returning to his food again. Wrong move on his part, because the silent treatment would not work so well on Soldier as it did me. "Did I say you could continue eating?! Look at me when I talk to you, Maggot." Again, Sniper did not respond and just continued eating his food. I'm starting to think this guy is really stubborn or just an idiot. Either way, we all ended up trapped in another one of Soldier's long winded speeches.
Soldier just continued on and on with his rant. It was getting so jumbled up that all I started to hear was indescribable nonsense. I could only imagine what everyone else was hearing as I saw a mixture of bewilderment and disgust on their faces. With an exception of Medic who had a disturbingly inquired look on him.
My eyes end up wandering off again, trying to find something else interesting to look at. Again, I ended up stopping at Sniper. But I witnessed a curious thing this time around. Sniper was bending his plastic spoon back. It seemed like nothing at first, but then a thought popped into my head. 'No way, is he–?' I could not even finish the sentence as I watched what seemed to be a piece of meat on Sniper's spoon, flinging upward, and landing right on Soldier's cheek.
Everyone went silent. Even the creaks of the buildings stood still. I think even the BLUs stopped what they were doing, feeling an eerie chill sweep past them. However, there was one person who was not as quiet. In fact, he was laughing. He was absolutely hysterical right now actually. Out of everyone, Sniper was the only one bursting out in joy in what he just did. This was probably the first time I saw any emotion on the guy. A smile almost formed on my face watching him laugh, but I held my cool just in case Soldier would notice. For a moment, I could see a smile on Soldier as well, but not the kind of smile many people would enjoy seeing.
Soldier smears the food off his face as he grabs onto one of Sniper's shoulders. You had to blink to miss it, but Soldier ended up slamming Sniper's entire body onto the hard pavement below. It shook our chairs as the loud smacking sound echoed the room. Soldier was not usually this violent unless you went out of your way to make him act out like that. It was not surprising that this was his reaction to Sniper's foolishness.
"I'm sorry, am I being too violent for you, cupcake?" Sniper was quick to lose the smile as an angry scowl appeared over his face. I guess the man had some human in him, or at least more than one emotion.
Everyone just mumbled to themselves as they watched.
"Pissin' soldier off, that's just asking for a bad time." Engineer commented to himself.
"Now give me twenty!" Soldier commanded, glaring straight at Sniper. I expected the guy to just lie where he was, but Sniper did as he was told to.
One… two… five… and then twenty.
Twenty straight pushups, and not once did it look like he broke a sweat while doing so. Sniper jumps onto his feet again, adjusting the collar of his jacket as he did. Soldier snarls and points over to the resting area. "Get some rest. I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow morning!" Sniper did not say anything as he did as Soldier commanded and just left the area. Soldier then looks back to us. "Alright! Finish up your grub. All of you are DISSSMISSED!" He emphasized the 'dismissed' part. He then walks up to Demoman. "DEMO!" he shouts right next to the man's ear.
"Aie!" Demoman babbled out, raising his head for a moment before slamming it back on the table.
Again, he says, "You're dismissed." somewhat more quietly this time. Demoman waves his hand in the air and just sits there, probably already fast asleep. Soldier did not seem upset with the man, in fact he almost seemed pleased. He then salutes us before hurrying over to the resting area, finally freeing our ears and inner thoughts again.
The room slowly shrank in time as– Ignoring Demoman– me, Engineer, and Spy were the only ones left. The Texan sighs, satisfied with his meal.
"That's some good eatin'." Engineer taps his stomach as he praised his own cooking skills.
"Gain any more weight and you would be fit to carry a mini-gun." Spy joked, poking a finger into Engineer's belly.
"Oh, quit that." Engineer lightly smacks the Spy's hand away. He then looks over to me, giving me that warm country smile of his. "G'night boy. And hey, don't get so blue over the Sniper fellow." I wave goodbye to him, not saying anything back as he walks out of the room. Now it was just me and the Spy. I thought he would just leave with Engineer, but he stayed for whatever reason.
I just sat there, deeply distracted in my inner thoughts. The scene we witness just moments ago was not that unusual. One point or another, someone had to feel the wrath of the Soldier. It was like a second job to the man. Even I knew having a bunch of Scouts' running around the base would do no good for any of us. Though, I doubt anyone on the team believes I think that. All because I am not some thousand year old war-torn badass like they are.
My eyes found themselves glancing over to Spy. Spy was in the middle of flipping out some sort of package as he pulled out a long white cigarette from it. He then reaches into his pocket and takes out a lighter, preceding to lite his cigarette in his mouth. I always hated the smell of cigarettes, but I had too much on my mind to complain to him.
"He is a stranger man than the other Snipers'." Spy said aloud as if I was not even there to him. Perhaps Frenchie showed some concern, if that was even the right word for it. He then looked over to a basket that sat in the middle of the table. Moldy breads or fruits were usually stored there, daring anyone who was hungry enough to eat from its contents. What it held this time was a single piece of bread, which looked quite fresh and mold-free. "I do not believe he was able to finish the rest of his meal." Now it seemed like he was hinting at something to me. Spy then started to reach for the bread, but before he could take it, I swapped it for myself instead. Or, that's what I told myself anyway. Spy looks at me, waiting for me to say something to him.
"Uhh… You snooze you lose, Fenchie!" I almost fumbled my words as I shove the bread in my pants pocket. Spy just smiles as he gets off from his seat.
"Pardon me, but it is getting late. Au revori, mon amie." He excuses himself to me as well at Demoman, which was polite of him.
"Ou-ra-va back at you." I mocked back in some sort of broken French.
I sat there for a moment with only the sounds of Demoman's snoring. The snoring was loud, so I quickly left the room to collect my thoughts again.
It was obvious why I even snatched the bread to begin with, but I guess a part of me was stubbornly fighting back the thought. I wanted to give this to that damn Sniper fellow. He was still probably hungry. And even if he's not, everyone enjoys a midnight snack before bed. No, he must be hungry after doing all those sit-ups in a row. I can only do two or three before my arms give out. It was almost kind of cool to see how easy it was for him. Shit, I just said that this guy was an idiot almost an hour ago and now I'm saying he is somewhat cool. I must be getting tired.
It did not take long to reach Sniper's room. I wanted to make this quick and get to bed so I hurried the food out from my pants and knocked at the door. Not once, not twice, but three times did I knock before Sniper finally answered. He looked like he was in the middle of sleeping with how messy his hair, and clothes were. In fact, he was still in his work uniform, ammo pouch, glasses and all. There have been days where I have been like that as well, so it was not so surprising to see. I then notice smoke poof from his face as a long white cigarette sat between his lips. Again, not surprising, most if not all the Snipers' seemed to be smokers or drinkers or both smokers and drinkers.
"Who are yah?" He asked, again in that deadpan like tone. I almost wanted to eat the bread right in front of him the moment he said that.
"I'm Scout, like, yer teammate. Ring any bells?" It looked like he had to take a moment to think before speaking again.
"Did yah need something?" I hold back my anger from the indifference in his face as I held out the bread in front of him.
"Some food was lying around and, I dunno, I wasn't hungry and I thought you'd like it. If not, it's cool. I can just give it to someone else instead." I make an excuse, just to play with him back. He just looks at the bread and then back at me. Surprisingly, he snatched it from my hands. In fact, he ate it right in front of me, even with the cigarette in his mouth. The bread disappeared before my eyes as he even started to lick the crumbs off his fingertips. As he finished devouring the bread, he looked to the side, trying to hide his face away. He might not have known what I saw, but I think I saw a smirk.
"Mer…" He mumbles something out to me as I was only able to hear half of what he said. When I was about to ask to repeat himself, he slams the door right in front of me. As much as I wanted to yell and bang at the asshole's door, I dreaded the thought of waking up Soldier and being forced to do push-ups until morning.
Giving up, I retreated from the door and started heading towards my own room. But before I left, I stopped to look back at his door for a moment before continuing down the dimly lit hallway of the resting area.