"Mission starts in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!"
My team- our good ol' RED team- burst out through the gate like a freakin' flood. Seriously, we had Heavy guns-a-blazin', Medic following close behind, ready to uber him up or something, Soldier letting out a deafening war cry, and so on and so forth. Pretty much everyone but Sniper and Spy came out of the doors with a boom. Spy cloaked as soon as possible, the freakin' chicken, and Sniper rushed to some high ground. I never quiet got why someone would just want to sit up in a hole all day and throw jars of piss at people, but he's always sayin' crap like, "There's a reason behind everything.". Not my style to go all philosophical, so I don't even try to figure out what he means by it.
Any who, I got my bat in my hand, my scattergun on my back, my pistol in it's holder, and my duffle bag strapped on. I don't keep much in it, 'cause I don't want it weighing me down, but it isn't just for decoration. I got some extra hand bandages, more then a couple cans of Bonk!, the Shortstop gun, and a picture of my ma and brothers. I've never told the team about the picture, but it just keeps me going when times seem hopeless. So, I'm out bat-a-blazin', if you can call it that, and I'm freakin' pumped. We had a ten victory streak the last time we fought, and we all are aimin' to beat the record this time. Hell yeah, were gonna be all sweaty n dirty and shit when we get back to base, but it's gonna be that good kind were you could care less about what you smell or look like.
Still in all, the first guy I see is a BLU Medic/Heavy thing. Now, I usually got some problems with them, because the freakin' Heavy's bullet proof, and you can't even touch Medic 'cause the fat oaf is gonna shoot you down with his mini-gun before you can even say "Commie!". But that's not in all the cases, and certainly not today. I double-jumped over lard-ass like nobody's business, got out my pistol, and put two bullets in that ex-nazi's head. My god, you shoulda seen the look on that Heavy's face when his uber went away! Demoman was right behind me, so he finished the bastard off with a couple a explosives. I gave him a quick nod of appreciation, and he raised up his scrumpy bottle with a, "Cheers, mate!" and took a swig that lasted for what seemed like ages. I ran off to find the intel before I could see him finish, because in all truth, I had more important things to do then watch the cyclopes bust his liver.
Up next was a very poorly positioned Sniper. He's got his stock gun out, but get this: he apparently forgot to load it while doing set-up. I guess he was too busy finding that awful spot to camp in to properly take care of his guns. This guy just starts freaking out and panicking, so I give 'im a mercy kill and take care of the dude quickly. After that, I start headin' to the intelligence base, because in all truth, I'm bein' a bit cocky deciding to head out and be the first guy to snag the BLU team's secret crap. Ya know, I've never actually found out what's in those briefcases. We just kinda ship 'em off to Redmond and they're never heard from again. Either way, I wanna make Mann proud to know that his very own RED Scout was able to get information that he needed. Hell, he might've even sent over a crate full of hats or somethin' for being so happy with me. 'Course, that kinda always happens, but hey, hats are hats, and I'm diggin' my Cross-Comm Express one. Anyway, I get to the intel building, and guess what's there? Like, a billion sentries all taking aim at me. That freakin' Engineer can be such a dick sometimes. Just before they can blast me to pieces, I duck behind a wall and avoid the guns. And I'm frickin' nervous right now. I almost died! I mean, I'd be sent back to respawn, but nevertheless, it's still-
"Prepare for Sudden Death."
Okay, scratch that. No more respawn. So, I'm now even more scared. This isn't just some messed up game anymore. This is actual... War... Everyone gets tense, but Medic just kinda curses the system out knowing that he's gonna have to work overtime to heal everyone instead of using the Heavy strategy. Even so, it's petrifying as fuck when you actually get around to killing an enemy, and you don't see their body disappear and go back to respawn. They just kinda lie there, and don't. Freakin'. Leave. It's even worse when you see one of your own get shot down, and then right as they hit the ground, you know. You know someone back at their home will be breakin down in tears. You know that if they had kids, they'll be fatherless. You know that you're gonna be out that night burying them, mourning with the rest of the team. You know that they'll be replaced the very next day, and all emotional ties will be cut off once again just to fight another day. You'll try to not befriend the newbie, not wanting to feel the same pain that you'll face when Sudden Death comes on, but you always, always, share a meal, a drink, a story... Every time, man. Every single time.
But I'm sweatin' like it's as hot as balls in there, partly because I almost died, another part because Sudden Death is on. I'm trying to figure out something to do, because rushing in that room is gonna surely get me killed. Suddenly, there's this pressure on my mouth, and I start panicking even more, because I'm thinkin' it's the enemy Spy here to finish me off. So naturally, I grab my bat and start swinging it awkwardly, trying to get Frenchie to take his cloaked hand off me. 'Course, he gets all pissed because I'm trying to beat his stupid face in, so he uncloaks and I see it's our Spy. Although, he's still peeved, so he's all like, "Quiet, boy! I'm French so I'm automatically cooler then you! Baguettes!". Well, he didn't say the last part, but I think you get what I'm sayin' here. He takes his hand off my mouth, and I keep quiet 'cause I don't want it back on. He simply takes out one of his Sappers and puts his finger to his lips, and I know exactly what he's gonna do.
A few victories ago, we had done this awesome strategy where he'd go out and sap Engie's sentries, then when he comes running to fix 'em, I'd take the dude out. Now, Spies and Scouts don't really get along, to put it nicely, but doing that little teamwork-ish thing there was da bomb. Guess since it worked out well for us last time, he decided to do it again. All I can really do is hope he doesn't get shot down and wait for Engineer to come. He goes into the intelligence room, and I'm hearin' a bunch of short-circuiting, seeing a lot of sparks, and Spy ducking and cloaking and doin' all kinds of crap to avoid the sentries. Even though I could've done it with a lil' more pizzaz, he did sap all of them effectively and quickly. Suddenly, I can hear from outside the Texan screamin' out, "SPAH SAPPIN' MY SENTRY!". I don't even know how he knows. It's like he can sniff it out or something. Anyways, I tell Spy, and he gets the hell outta there, and I wait. And wait. And wait. I get bored, so I just decide to grab the intel and run, which at the time felt like the best decision. Making sure there wasn't anymore sentries, I sprint, get the briefcase, and speed out of the room and out into the open.
"The enemy has taken out intelligence!"
It wasn't always a nice feeling to be called "the enemy", but hell, it did feel good to take the briefcase and rush back. Sometimes in the line of danger, sometimes not. Since Sudden Death was on, mostly everyone on both teams stayed back, but there was a few BLUs and REDs still fighting. I was running across the covered bridge back to my base, seeing the faces of my teammates cheerin' me on. It felt like I had single-handedly won the world series, with all the smiles and laughs being shared, everyone knowing we had this round in the bag. I was about three-fourths across the bridge when I heard Pyro scream out something. Now, no one can really understand 'im, but he sounded panicked. Then, everything turned slow motion. Like, as if you were turning a wheel by hand, and it was going at a nice, average speed, but it declined abruptly, still spinning, but going slower then molasses. Everyone's faces turned to fear, and they start yelling out at me. I couldn't understand them with the wind blowing in my ears, but I didn't need to know once I felt the knife lodge in my back.
I fell face first, my knees buckling and my feet awkwardly trying to run. I held the briefcase tightly. I couldn't die now. I was so close, yet so frickin' far. I tried reaching for the knife so I could at least attempt to take it out, but it was too far up my back to get. I heard that sly laughter, mocking me, making me feel absolutely helpless. "I will be taking zhat." I never hated French people more then now. He reached down for the briefcase, making eye contact with me. I stared daggers at him, wanting to punch his stupid face off of his head, if that were possible. He chuckled slightly at my anger, making me even more pissed. He grabbed the briefcase, but I wasn't going to let him have his satisfaction. I gripped that handle like it was my life, trying to pull it back to me. I could already feel my energy get sucked away from the knife, which he hadn't even bothered to take out of my back, the asswipe. He was in brief surprise seeing that I wasn't simply letting go. He dragged me along the bridge, hoping I'd get fed up and release my grip. But oh no. I do not go down without a fight, even if it is a wimpy attempt. He eventually decided that he had enough of me, so he kicked me square in the chest. I let go from the force, and fell down right on the knife, lodging it even deeper into my back. I screamed a terrible awful my ma would've slapped me upside the head for if I had said it under other circumstances. I then heard some gun shots and that same sly laughter. My vision was fuzzy, and I was starting to feel dizzy. I called out for Medic, and when he didn't show, I just called for anyone. I screamed until I felt my throat get dry, then screamed some more. I didn't understand why I couldn't just die already. The pain was unbearable. Just as I was about to give up, I heard clacking on the wooden planks of the bridge.
I thought it was BLU Spy coming to finish up with me, slightly grateful, but more annoyed that it had to be him to do it. Instead, it was Sniper. Our Sniper. I was relieved that someone had come. I really hated being alone, which is another reason why I don't get Sniper's job. He bent down next to me and waved his hand in front of my face. "You still with me, mate?" He took off his hat, although I'm not sure why. Probably because he didn't need it in the shade the bridge provided. "I'm still here." I muttered. "You wouldn't happen to know where Medic is, would ya?" He held his head down, staring at the tips of his boots.
"Soon as they called Sudden Death, he got shot down." "Just my luck..." I cursed.
"Where's the rest of the team?"
"Either dead or inside." To most people, the almost nonchalant feel of our conversation would be unheard of, but we've both faced so many incidents of Sudden Death. Of course we felt guilt and angst, but it just didn't show.
"You want me to get that knife outta your back?"
"Do ya gotta ask?"
He eased me onto my stomach will only minor pain, then gripped the knife. When he tried taking it out, I yelped. "Bugger's lodged in there pretty good, isn't she?" He thought for a moment. "Alright, I'm gonna yank it out on three, okay?" I wasn't looking forward to the pain that'd follow, but I was desperate. "Just get it over-" He pulled the knife clean from my back, and I gave a half-hearted yowl, more surprised then anything. He threw the knife over the side of the bridge, letting the water take it away. "Always better when ya don't expect it." He said, giving a hint of a smile and trying to lighten the mood. I thanked him, then was silent for a few moments. My breathing was heavier, slowing down, easing away. I could feel my heartbeat hanging on and still pumping. A thought then hit me.
"'Ey, Snipes, could I ask a favor?"
"'Course mate."
"Would ya mind unzipping my duffle bag? There's just... somethin' in there I'd like." He did so, and inspected around.
"Wot exactly am I looking for?"
"A photo. It should be in there; my bag isn't a black hole or nothin'." I could tell he was a little puzzled. I'm not exactly the type of guy who'd be carryin' pictures around, which is exactly why I kept it a secret. I didn't want people to think I was some emotional pansy who can't keep going without knowing he had some support back home. Although now, I could care less about what Sniper thought of me. I just wanted to have that photo with me. I then heard the zip of my duffle bag, and I saw him sit down cross-legged looking at the picture.
"This your family?" He looked over his aviators at me.
"Yea." He gave me the photo. I looked at it and smiled. I never noticed how pretty Ma was. She was well in her fifties and had popped out eight kids, but there was just this nice look about her. Welcoming and warm, like any mother should be. On the sides of her was me and all my knucklehead brothers. I had forgotten how much I missed them. I hadn't seen them since I was eighteen and got recruited to join this fight. Floods of memories came back to me. The various pranks we pulled, all the baseball games we'd play down at Boston Harbor Baseball Field, how we all got crap grades but somehow made it through school. I felt a single tear run down my face just looking at the picture. I quickly wiped it away, feeling awkward crying in front of Sniper.
"Who's this bloke over here?" He pointed at my brother, Archie. He was a middle brother, but acted like he had the most authority in the house. We'd always make fun of him for it and do fake salutes whenever he passed by. I told Sniper about him, and a couple of stories involving him, then he pointed to another brother. And another. And another. Soon enough I was telling him all about my childhood and spilling every little secret I remembered. I told him about how I'd always steal a bottle a Coke from this little gas-mart, and how my brothers and I would sneak into the movie theater every time we wanted to see a film, and so on and so forth. My back still hurt like hell, and I could tell I was slowly slipping out of consciousness, but the talking kept my mind occupied. When I felt like I had talked enough, I started asking Sniper some questions. He didn't talk as much as me, but he did say a fair bit. Eventually, I closed my eyes, and ready to drift away. He noticed me closing off.
"Come on, stay with me lad. We'll have a new Medic in by mornin'. I promise. Just keep pushing through." He acted calm, but nothing could hide the desperation in his voice. I knew what was going to happen to me, and I could feel that he knew too. He was in denial, though. I felt bad for the guy, but nothing could stop what was going on. It was just happening too fast.
"It's alright, Snipes. Just keep talkin'. I'll be here, maybe not, ya know, here, but I'll be around."
"Don't be sayin your goodbyes. You're staying with me, lad, whether you like it or not."
"We both know it's bound to happen, so just let it go." It was getting harder to breath by the minute.
"It doesn't have to happen now! We just have to wait... Please." I thought he was going to protest more, but instead, he kept silent and looked off into the distance. He was on the verge of breaking down, so I just did the first natural thing that came to mind. I scooted over to him and leaned into his chest. He looked down at me, his eyes watery through his sunglasses, and put his arms around me.
We sat in silence, him holding me, and me just thinking about how grateful I was to have him here. I then felt my heart slow down it's pace. It continued to get slower and slower until I could only feel a very faint bump every once in a while. Just before my last breath, I looked up at him, and he looked down at me. Simply, suddenly, almost spontaneously, I used the my last bit of energy.
"It's okay, Sniper. It's just fine.