The September night was chilly, colder than it should have been for early autumn. For miles, all that was seen was dustbowls and gravel pits. Worthless to most, but to two late brothers, it was worth fighting over. But since they died, both of their mercenaries were jobless, in a sense, yet they were all hired by Mann Co. to defend it from a common enemy, Grey Mann.
Eighteen mercs, male and female, now had lived together, both RED and BLU, since it was the safest way to be in case of a robot attack from Grey. This also meant each night; one of them was to be assigned a night shift to make sure they weren't caught off guard. Unfortunately, tonight was the night Alex, the BLU female scout, had to do such a task, no matter how much she didn't want to. It wouldn't be hard for her, since all she would be doing otherwise would be playing video games and surfing the limited web connection that they had at the shared base.
Around 22:30, the iron door to the barracks was forced open with a 19 year old girl standing in the doorway. She wore her BLU company sweatshirt, a pair of wool gloves, and long black pants. She turned off her headset, placing it on a nearby table that was filled with other extraneous junk thrown on it by the other mercs. The teen let out a deep sigh and made her way outside, sitting on the cold stone outside the base, leaning back so that her head was against the building.
Every breath exhaled left a small cloud of mist. Stars twinkled in the blackened sky, with the only other light coming from the full moon. Coyotes howled from beyond the rolling hills of sand and gravel. The occasional cloud of dust blew by, making Alex cough a bit, but nothing too loud that it would make the ones sleeping by the windows awaken. She rubbed her arms, hoping to warm herself, but not succeeding. It was too cold for September.
Keith Mundy, the reliable sniper for RED, walked into the living room of the barracks, where his Demoman was passed out on the couch. Drool slowly made its way down the drunkard's cheek, making the professional roll his eyes in disgust. He headed over to the old coffee maker and started brewing himself some, filling the room with the bitter smells of the coffee beans. He looked up at the clock above the stove. 1:36. Normal time for him to be awake, or at least be conscious. Strong winds blew from the outside, grabbing his attention and drawing it to the young girl outside the base. After his coffee was done, Keith poured it into two separate mugs and heading outside to meet the BLU fem-scout.
It was almost two in the morning and Alex was struggling to stay awake. She knew all the others fell asleep on guard or just didn't do it, but she didn't want to be like those lazy bums. It was windy, dark, and dripping rain, hinting at a possible storm on the way to grace the Badlands; typical fall weather that she would've seen back home. She pulled up her hood on her large sweatshirt, looking up into the night sky. Everything just looked horrifying and miserable.
She saw the door slide open. The sudden noise and movement startled her, and turned to see who was up at this time. The tall RED man came out and she rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the sandy darkness. Keith walked over to her, holding down a mug for her. "If you're actually gonna stay out 'ere mate, drink this. It'll warm ya up." After giving him a skeptic look, she accepted the mug and held it in her hands for warmth. Alex kept her head down, not out of respect, but she was too tired to do anything. Even holding the mug was a chore.
"Thanks…" Her voice could barely be heard over the howling winds. He sat next to her, drinking some of his coffee, then turning his attention to the sleepy scout. "Ya know, you can head back inside. Nobody really cares if you're out 'ere or not." The girl glared at the old man from under her hood. "I care," she mumbled. He looked over at her once she said that. In honesty, he was shocked, yet happy at the same time. There was no smile upon his face though. For a while, there were only the gusts of wind creating noise and small clouds of dust that made their way across the Badlands. Thunder could be heard in the far distance, breaking the silence between the mercenaries. "So," Alex said, "since we're kinda workin' together, we should probably get ta know each otha…ya know, if you were plannin' on stayin' out here." She shrugged. "I'm not sayin' ya have ta but-" Keith cut her off, his voice cold and abrupt. "There isn't anything ya want ta know about me, love." He took another sip of his drink, shaking it a bit in his hands, but it wasn't so much that it was noticeable.
"Bullshit, I bet you're plenty interestin'. C'mon man, tell me!"
"What makes ya think I'd trust ya?"
"Why wouldn't ya? You act as if I'd tell someone." The Aussie shot her a sarcastic look. She ignored him. "I ain't dumb like those otha scouts…I'll figure ya out." He shrugged. It didn't matter to him; she was only a child in his eyes. What could she really think to find out?
"I bet ya killed someone, didn't cha?" Her tone was getting more challenging, as if she was taunting him like a small child does to their older sibling.
"I've killed plenty of people," he said, finishing off his coffee.
"I ain't talkin' 'bout mercs."
"Innocent people?" The Sniper took a bit of time to think, but then shrugged it off as if it meant nothing. "I'll admit, I have misjudged them as bein' spies."
"Misjudged, my ass."
"…wasn't my fault they were in firin' range…"
"Was it a kid?"
"No, it was an adult," he mumbled, looking out into the dunes of the desert. The somewhat gentile look he had on his face melted away into the now cold, yet sorrowful look.
"Well, did ya think if that person had kids when ya killed 'em? Murderin' 'em?"
"Not really, no…"
The scout gave a small chuckle, looking out with him. But her good mood started to fade away once she started thinking about what she was saying and what he was saying. Her back slid down against the wall, bringing her head down to almost her chest. "So…you're a murderer, huh? Man, you're worse than Pyro. An' I thought he was a psychopath."
Mundy started to choke up, holding back his emotions. He was calm. He wouldn't let this get to him. Finally, he was able to manage out, "Yes. I guess so." For what seemed like ages, there was silence between the RED and BLU mercenaries. Both knew that they had crossed lines that they didn't want to cross and remembered things they didn't want to remember. "Was…was the person a female?" Alex finally said. She knew that this topic was heading into waters that haven't been tread in a long time.
Keith's face became pale and grim, which he attempted to hide by pulling his Stetson over his face a bit. He didn't want to answer because he knew she wouldn't shut up if he didn't tell her. Slowly, he nodded, wishing that she'd just leave the topic alone. It was too early in the morning, but that wouldn't stop her now that she was on a roll.
She looked over at the grieving man from the corners of her eyes. "W…was she your wife?" He was silent. Even his breaths in the cold night were invisible. Alex had become familiar with that silence all too much. It was the same silence she had when her mother asked what happened to her late brother, and former BLU scout. She scootched her way up the wall a bit and fiddled with her frozen dog tags. "What'd she do? Cheat? Steal?"
"It just happened."
"It doesn't just happen. You snapped, didn't you, Mr. Cool?"
That little comment triggered his inward anger and mix of other emotions. "Yeah I did, alright?! I was drunk. You happy now? Glad ya know that now?"
"Do you regret it?" Alex said, cutting off in his explosion. And once she said that, Keith stopped. "Of course I regret it. Why do ya think I don't go back home?"
"Do your parents know?"
"Yes…that's why my dad thinks I'm a crazed gunman."
"Oh…" Alex felt bad now for prying. She knew it was a horrible habit, and now that she took it too far, she hurt someone; brought up horrible memories that he only wanted to keep behind lock and key. She stayed quiet, afraid that she was going to pry more accidentally. After messing with her dog tags a little while longer, she stuck them back under her sweatshirt. A small chuckle and faded smile escaped her lips. "Ya know," she spoke in a quiet tone, "we ain't so different, you an' I…I coulda went ta college, but…this all happened so I couldn't."
The old man really didn't want to talk anymore, yet his interest got the best of him. "So then why didn't ya jus' say no? I bet they got loads of othas they coulda replaced you with." The Scout looked down, attempting to suppress the memories of blood, death, and running. "I got into a fight…a big, big fight."
"Well, I guess you're right. We ain't so different, then." His harsh tone seemed to soften up a bit to more of a gentle and calm, but still edgy sound. "Yeah, I guess so," she sighed. It had been a long night and the next day was going to be even longer. Fighting robots powered on money was a full time job, literally. Alex turned to Keith, a serious look back on her face. "What do ya think'll happen when all dis robot shit is ova with?"
He shrugged. "Probably go back ta killin' each other."
"But the guys who hired us ta kill each otha are dead."
Mundy's face changed through a mound of emotions, from confusion, to horror, but then, to a happy and hopeful look. "So what you're saying is…is that perhaps we might be able to meet up with the intention of killin' each otha?" Realizing what he implied, he turned his attention back forward, a bit embarrassed, but keeping his cool. "Er…I mean if you'd like to…"
The girl looked at him, a bit shocked, and flattered at the same time. She looked at him, smiling genuinely for the first time in what seemed like a long time. "Yeah, yeah I'd like that…"
He returned the smile with happy eyes. "Thanks, mate."
"Anytime man." She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling, falling slowly into a deep sleep. Keith put his arm around her. The both of them have had a long night, both equally tired. Taking a deep breath, the sniper exhaled happily and watched the stars fade away and the sunrise rise over the dunes of the horizon. Finally he wasn't alone anymore. And neither was she. The happy thoughts in his mind drifted through his imagination as he dozed of in the morning light.