This is something that came to mind when I saw the "Ash Innards" first and second video, and the music of the second, RMSS Systems Inc - Ostimento Night.
I've never wrote anything about Engie, and he's one of the classes I really enjoy to play, along with Sniper (both main characters in this mess), and since one of the things that creeps me out the most in TF2 is an Engie losing his mind, I decided to go with this.
Hope you enjoy it.
...Best friends, that person you would like to keep near you forever. Those were my thoughts some time ago, now they're a fact, specially when you know Respawn is not covering your back anymore. But who can blame me? I just did the best for both of us, specially for him.
I'm sure he's happy now, besides, who wants to die, when you can live forever? Allow me to explain.
This happened a few months ago, two or three I think. We were in the middle of a battle, just fighting. I just built my sentry to level three, ready to kill any one of those pesky BLUs and protect our last point, as per usual. I knew he was somewhere near, but on another level, above me and my buildings, keeping an eye on any BLU that would try to sneak past my sentry.
Yes, he was good at that, looking through his scope and headshooting anyone who was nearby. Over all, we were/are best friends.
It just happened, you're in a new team, and the only one that's not bothering you too much with questions is the Australian that lives in a van outside, so I kind of gravitated towards him as the days passed. I even got us a secret communication line between our earpieces, so we could have a private channel to just chat when the fight got boring.
But that day, oh boy, that day. That day none of us was ready for what was about to happen. Looks like RED Respawn got a small glitch due to a peeled wire, that turned into a massive breakdown for the machine. Of course, the Administrator never announced a ceasefire so we could fix it, as if she was enjoying the massacre down in the battlefield. I remember taking cover behind my sentry and then running into the base for dear life. For some odd reason, BLU can't get inside the Respawn area, so that was our safe place.
But then I realized Sniper was nowhere to be found. I waited until the fire ceased outside our Respawn, and went out, looking for him in his usual spot.
But when I arrived, it was too late. The BLU already passed through the whole place, leaving him, barely alive, behind. I rushed next to him, taking his wounded body in my arms, trying to wake him up. I was desperate: too many bullet wounds in his stomach, lots of blood coming out. I was panicking, and I was no Medic to heal him. The only thing that ran through my mind was "run!".
Lucky me, he's tall but lanky, so taking him away wasn't a problem. But by the time I reached our Respawn, the blood loss was too much, and I felt his body was collapsing. I went to the supply cabinet to take anything to heal him, but nothing was enough, and no Medic nearby, no Dispenser, no Respawn...
And then I looked at his face. His eyes were opened. He looked at me, smiled, tried to say something but no sound came from his mouth. I told him to keep his strenght, but looks like he had something important to tell me, so I leant close to him.
"Thanks mate..."
I remember my world falling appart in front of me. I don't know why those words touched me that much, fell on me the way they did, the only thing I know is when I raised my head a bit to look at him, his eyes were closed. I looked for a pulse and, lucky me, found one; but it was slow, too slow.
And then I smiled...I knew what I had to do.
And here I am! In an abandoned base, because my team, or the survivors of it, had to go somewhere else to not get killed by BLU, but I decided to stay. With some time, and all the supplies I could get from the Respawn room, I managed to build a small fort with cute little guns I like to call mini sentries, and some food that is delivered through...I really don't know.
Oh...wait, I think I hear BLUs outside. Yeah, they're trying again.
Sigh, even when I managed to shutdown their Respawn. Aren't they cute little chickens, heh...heheheh...heheheheheeeee...yeah they are.
I get out of the Respawn, taking note of the mini sentries spread across our base, and then I hear a loud "BANG!" and a yell. Heh, he got another one, my friend up there.
He's not as nice as he used to be, but he's alive, and I'm sure he's happy, really happy...
I had to deserve that "Thanks mate", you know, and I had a lot of metal in that supply cabinet...yeah, a lot of metal...
A lot...of metal...*twitch* I go upstairs, and as I watch him do his job, I can see he's not aiming for the heads, he's just having fun, a bit from his old self I guess? Or maybe something his new self has developed? Maybe, maybe not...
I pat him on the shoulder, and he looks at me. His eyes, with that small red glow behind the pupil, lock on mine, as he waits for anything I have to say.
"Good shoot" I say to him. He smiles, and then turns back to his scope. His movements are too perfect for a human, yet he's still alive...somehow...
Sigh, I only regret he awoke in the middle of the procedure. It was hard to work on him while he was yelling and struggling out of pain, but I didn't have Medic nearby to give him some painkillers, so...yeah, I had to ignore his calls for help and his please for me to stop.
Now he can't feel pain, or sadness, or anything...but he's alive and with me, forever with me...
"Thanks mate"
I look at him in surprise. He usually doesn't say anything...
I smile, and run a hand through my head. I think I left some of his old self inside. Well, time to do some new blueprints to delete that old self, we don't want him to run anywhere, don't you think?
Mmmmm...maybe I'll leave that sentence, so he can say it whenever he wants.
Yes...that's what best friends are for...
...
That's it! For now...
