It was turning out to be a rather normal day at 2fort, but unlike the normal arrangements. It was an off day on site, it being early autumn and everyone was a bit out of it. Both teams were not allowed to fight or cross paths. In other words, not allowed to leave their side's period. If they could not fight, with the enemy so close, then what could they do all day? While lounging about like the lazy bums they were, the BLU team came up with a brilliant idea… Thanks to their Demoman Ferguson they all hatched a plan. See Pyro had never once taken off that damn mask. So curiosity took hold of them to know what was under that mask.

"Maybe he has burn scar?"

Viktor, the Heavy, rubbed his bald head as he said this. Despite him being smart, this was a true puzzle in of itself. But Billy had another idea of what this guy looked like. So snorting and crossing his arms as he flopped down on the sofa he spoke.

"No man, I say he's just plain ugly as fuck. To ashamed to show that kinda mug round here."

This cause Jimmy to shake his head. The young son of a gun may have a point there. But what if it wasn't true and he was insulting this poor guy. Rubbing his bright blue green eyes Jimmy took off his hardhat and propped his feet up, from the other side of the couch, onto the small beat up coffee table before him.

"Well, guess we'll never know."

"Nein, ve vill know!"

The good doctor finally spoke, his gaunt appearance making the whole room grow quiet. Even always yapping Billy went quiet as the doctor spoke. Fixing his glasses Doctor Schmitz took a breath and sighed as he closed his eerie light blue eyes. Removing his glasses he proceeded to clean them off.

"Ve Vill find out… By zhe end of if zhe day…. If ve vork together."

"Aye, I agree with yea doctor… But… How we gonna go 'bout this?"

The doctor gained a dark smile to his face. His eyes flashed as he spoke to the Scotsmen. Tones cools as ice, tongue sharp as knives. As he took it upon himself to start explaining his plan on how to get the Pyro to remove his mask.

That afternoon marked the beginning of Operation De-Mask.

The unaware Pyro hummed quietly as the food cooked over the stoves flame. She had been asleep all morning long; door locked multiple times as always. Her room contained no window, so she didn't even know it was morning like everyone else. Normally Joey or Johnny knocked and told her what time it was, even Kooters the Cat woke her up some mornings. As for now, dressed in her usual uniform, she stood there unaware of what was going on or the operation now going on to get her mask off her head. Attempt one was to be done by none other than Billy. The Scout quietly snuck up on the unsuspecting Pyro. The brunette gave a smirk as he mentally patted himself on the back for being so clever. He was so close, and the Pyro didn't even know it! Biting his lower lip to keep from laughing, he reached out to grab the back of the mask; only to grasp air.

"What th- Gah! Where the hell did he go!"

Looking around wildly, Billy growled before screaming. Damn it he lost, growling again he slammed his hand down on the nearest thing in rage. Only to end up slamming it down onto the still hot stove eye.

"GHAWD DAMN IT!"

Billy was now out of the competition Operation. Who was next? Simple, Johnny and Ferguson. Why are they tag-teaming? Well because they were best friend, duh! The both looked at each other and nodded their plan was simple. One holds him down the other remove the mask, simple as that. But all together a bad idea. Once Johnny grabbed ahold of Pyro from behind her fight instinct took over. Before Ferguson could even grab ahold of the mask, his face was greeted with a foot to the face.

"Gah! Me face!"

"Hudda, Mfff Muffa!"

Rage now corseting through her, Pyro head-butted Johnny hard in the face, causing him to let go and check his nose, which was bleeding. The war hardened Soldier grumbled and looked at his friend as the rage filled Pyro walked out of the room, leaving a plate of food behind.

"Yeah know… On second thought… Maybe we should have waited for him to just eat…."

"Oh no, ya think lad?"

And so it went on all day. Viktor tried to bribe her with a sandvitch in the living room. Dr. Schmitz threated her with a needled in the hallway. Jimmy tried to use one of his gadgets to remove it, only to end up burned by a match being flicked by her walking towards the garage. Francis attempted to mimic her and remove his mask, only to look like himself. So his was a failed attempt by him. By the time late afternoon rolled around, everyone had just about given up hope on even figuring it out.

"Oh Kooters, You are last hope!"

"Oh he ain't mate…. I still haven't hada go."

Everyone turned their heads to look at the male standing over near the large window. Flicking the brim of his slouch hat up away from his glasses the normally loud and cherry Sniper looked over at them all. No one had seen him until just now. This was a feat by him; normally he saved this kind of sneak for the battlefield. A small smirk played its way onto his face as everyone looked at him kind of confused.

"I know how to get that mask off… Don't cha worry 'bout it blokes."

Pushing off the wall Joey the Sniper walked casually down the hall way towards Pyro's room. With the foul mood she was in it would be lucky if he even escaped with his head intact. From behind the multiple locked doors the sounds of angry scribbling could be heard. Fast stroked of a pencil across thick paper. A drawing? Or writing? Shaking his head Joey knocked on the door.

"Oi, Py… Open up. It's 'bout time for dinner mate…"

"Mfff Mhmm Mhhmm!"

"I know yer a bit hungry… Come on Py… We all know you are… Yah missed breakfast and lunch."

The sounds of an angry growl escaped the room for the Sniper to hear. This made him smirk even more. The Pyro was giving it some thought. If she did, they would all know. Finally, after about three months of wondering. Tonight would be it… If Sniper played his cards right. Finally after a few quiet moments of Joey just standing at the door looking at it Pyro walked out of it. Though he couldn't see through the thick tinted lenses of the mask, he knew that there were flames of anger in them.

"Alright there Py?"

No answer came from the Pyro as they walked back down the hallway to the large dining room. Though she normally ate after they all did, she had no choice tonight. They weren't going to leave her alone till she ate something off her plate while they were around. Why thought? Everything was going so great without all this commotion around her! Finally, after giving into the temptation of food she had been denied all day, Pyro lifted her mask a little bit and took a few bites of the Heavy's home cooked meal.

"Is good?"

Pyro nodded at the statement by the Heavy. It was delicious, he always cooked amazing things. Though Viktor never really like other to know it. Sadly though, he was discovered by Billy in the kitchen cooking once. Everything was calm for the moment, everyone watching Pyro eat the food. Then the final move of Operation De-Mask happened. Joey grabbed the gloved hand that was holding the mask just a little bit over Pyros mouth and yanked it up over his head. A shocked silence soon covered the room. A lovely feminine face greeted them. Dark eyes like sparkling obsidian, short drawn back lock of dark coffee brown, sun kissed skin. True there was a scar running from the tip of her jaw down her neck, but it did not detract from that face. It was like a haunting beauty.

At last the silence was broken by the Engineer. The blue-green eyed slick haired man looked her over. Then he finally spoke. He words kinda muffled by his gloved hand.

"Well… Good night Irene."

Billy nodded in agreement, this was shocking. How the hell was Pyro a woman? Seriously? He would have never guessed from how awesome she was on the field. Then again he never really thought about it that way.

"Yeah, you can say that again pally"

Not only was confusion on the top of the list for Viktor but amazement. This mean he wasn't gay! He was wanting after woman. Putting a hand to his chest, he sighed a sigh of relief. Then looked at the female in front of him.

"Pyro is…. Woman."

The gaunt doctor looked at the woman before him. After all the medical charting, and study over the Pyro. He turned out to be a she?

"Wie habe ich es nicht, How did I not know?"

Unfortunately, Ferguson was so drunk; he failed to notice that the mask had been removed. So instead he looked down at Kooters the cat and exclaimed.

"Hey look Fellas.. There a Pussy in room…"

This caused Johnny to face-palm. His best friend was so drink, he could hardly stand up right. No matters he would just have to explain it to him gently.

"Ferg… That the cat… We are looking at the Pyro, Dumbass!"

Shifting his eyes back and forth, Francis crossed his arms and tried to play it cool. Make other think he knew all along. While in reality, he never could have figured it out.

"I knew all along…"

Finally, it all came down to the Sniper Joey. He removed his sunglasses, showing his grass green eyes for once. She was beautiful but the anger in her eyes. It was so distracting. As he was about to speak. Pyro interjected.

"DAMN IT YOU BUNCH OF DUMBASS BABBOON!"

This drew everyone back a moment. The hauntingly beautiful woman in front of them all was screaming at them. Why though? Had it been so wrong that they were curious? Rising from her seat, Pyro snatched her mask back from Joey. The anger corseting through her at the moment was so intense, that she wanted to kill the every last one of them. But she restrained herself from this.

"… You all have all but just killed me."

With that said she left the room to seek shelter in her room. As she left though, her words reverberated around the heads of her teammates. Even more so confused now than before, they all looked at each other before all whispering.

"What have we done?"