Sorry it took me so long to continue this, but hopefully this chapter makes up for it!
On Upward, the team had been discussing their plans for several minutes at BLU's spawn on how to best counter their enemies' attack. The match was to begin in 2 minutes. Several members took it more seriously than the rest.
"...and then on the final point, the doctor unleashes his last Uber and we win the match. Simple." the Soldier said. "Man, am I ready for this war. What could be better than a Viking Helm on FIRE?"
"Just hold on there, buddy," Dell protested, "ya can't just expect things to go perfectly. Everyone make sure you got yourselves some sorta backup plan to get back to safety. My machines and I will be waitin'."
"Calm down, Engie," the Scout said. "We've fought every one of these pieces of scrap before, and we've made plans to counter whatever that freak throws at us. This ain't no different."
"You're kidding, right? This time we gotta be more offensive. Do y'all see any Upgrade Stations around? Nope. We don't even get to use our usual weapons. We're stuck with stock."
"Mission begins in thirty seconds."
The Heavy had realized something was amiss. "Where is the Doctor?" He checked the back area and found the Medic polishing his Medi Gun for the battle. "Medic!" He turned around to notice the Heavy standing next to him. "Is your gun charged up? We need to be ready to kill those robots...Doctor?" The Medic did not look up at him. Instead, he continued to stare at his Gun. The Heavy leaned down. "Doctor? What is problem?"
Without moving the rest of his body, the Medic spoke slowly and solemnly.
"Zey...zey took him...Archimedes...after ze wizard took us here, I realized he wasn't on my shoulder anymore..."
"Hey, Medic...cheer up. Once we are finished with all these fights, I am sure we will get that bird back, and we'll even get him a flaming hat, too. If not, I will be fighting that baby Gray myself. Now, let us team up!"
The Medic gave a small smile. "Of course, Heavy. Just make sure not to let me get stabbed in ze battle, alright?"
"I will not let someone who is such a credit to team get killed on my watch." The Heavy held up his hand and the Medic responded with a high five.
Meanwhile, the Administrator, Gray, and Saxton were all prepared to watch the fight in the comfort of Gray's carrier tank. "Can't wait to see how those mercs outsmart you this time, huh, Gray?" Saxton stated with an optimistic outlook.
Gray scoffed. "May I remind you how different the environment is this time around? If these idiots manage to win this round without one missing limb, I'll be utterly disappointed."
Near the two men the Administrator was guiding the RED team on their mission once more.
"They may seem incompetent normally, but when they begin fighting, it's an entirely different story. Ahem," she began speaking into the intercom again, "Mission begins in ten seconds."
The team was getting into position to fight. "Heh," the Scout sneered, "these chumps ain't nothin'. Hey, I can even see some of them now. Hey! There's my copycat right there." In the distance he noticed a robotic Scout similar to himself, this particular one carrying a bat. His soulless eyes simply stared back for a while, until reacting to the normal Scout's own stares with a taunt.
"Five..."
"Yeah, pal, just you wait. I'm comin' for ya."
"Four..."
The Sniper found the situation to be tedious and only yawned. However, after looking at the Robo Scout, he switched focus to something else in the distance. He looked at the small platform that was a popular location for Sentry Nests and Snipers at the beginning of the round. To his surprise, there was a robot positioned on that very platform; a Bowman Sniper bot.
"Three..."
The Robo Sniper had his Huntsman pulled back and ready to fire, and it was aimed directly at the Scout's head. "Uh, Scout?"
"Two..."
The Scout still did not take notice. "Oh, when these gates open, someone's going down."
"One!"
"SCOUT!" The Sniper yelled. He made a dive towards him, the Scout stunned as he was pushed onto the floor just as the gates opened and the whoosh of the Huntsman arrow was heard. The Scout's jaw was opened, noticing the arrow pinned to the wall and realizing how perilous the situation had been.
"Uh...thanks, buddy," he responded as he stood back up. The Sniper grabbed the Scattergun the Scout had dropped and pushed it back into his hands.
"So, what was it that you said earlier about bein' from Boston?"
Meanwhile, the Heavy and Medic departed from spawn, and made their way to the front lines. They noticed many waves of Scouts and Soldiers headed their way. The Doctor ducked behind his ally as the Heavy proceeded to use his Minigun and mow through the robots, leaving a pile of scrap in his wake. One robot they failed to notice, however, was the Huntsman Robosniper that had previously taken aim at Scout earlier. The robot once again took aim, this time at the Medic's head. He pulled back his bow, but before he could release, a sharp blade dove into his back. His arrow flew into the air and missed its target, and he fell to the ground. Behind his fallen body, the Spy re-cloaked and prepared to look for his next victim.
The Pyro took it upon himself to begin pushing the cart, making sure as he always did to check for any robot Spies that may be lurking around. Yet, soon after he began pushing, the Scout managed to join him. "I'll take over from here, buddy. You keep movin'." The Pyro nodded and headed forward, taking the upper left route of the start of the area. In his path, he met resistance in the form of several Sandman Scouts, each of which threw a baseball in order to stun him. He stealthily strafed between two of the balls and airblasted the third, which managed to hit one of the robots. The Pyro took advantage of this moment as he set the other two robots ablaze, while sustaining minor injury from the enemies' bats. He finished them off with his Shotgun as they tried to run away, and then killed the last Scout before it could regain its movement.
He had already made his way to the first point, where he noticed the Heavy and Medic continuing their push. The Medic had been ducking behind his partner, using him as a defensive wall, and continued to heal him as the Heavy took care of a group of pesky Buff Banner Soldiers that required his immediate focus. The Pyro could tell he needed assistance, and jumped down from the left ledge so he could begin airblasting the robots' rockets. This proved to be an immense help as the rockets did major damage and easily destroyed the Soldiers. The Doctor now finished healing the Heavy and began healing the Pyro as the pressure was lessened.
Dell had made his way to the front lines after building the entrance to his teleporter. His own Shotgun proved effective against several Scouts he fought, most of which had taken the rightmost route. However, he soon discovered another type of robot taking the same route-Demoknights. While the Engie tried to kill as many as possible using his Pistol and Shotgun, they came as a large group and were too dangerous for him to tackle alone as their charging power was deadly. After defeating several of them, he was almost decapitated by one of the charging robots, yet he was able to strafe just in the nick of time. He decided to get away as soon as possible, hoping one of his teammates could take care of them.
Luckily, the roaming Soldier had noticed the group and finished them off using his own powerful rockets. Their swords were no match for his projectiles. He rocket jumped to meet up with the Scout at the cart, where it was just about to cross the first capture point. The familiar "ding" went off as they completed their first objective, along with the sound of the Administrator's voice.
"Good work, mercenaries. Keep it up."
The team cheered as they were met with success. The Scout continued to push the cart, this time with the Pyro helping him, into the tunnel that led to the second point. Dell decided to build his sentry nest behind the wall above the tunnel. He began setting up a Dispenser. "Hmm, this sure is takin' a while... I wonder if I should try to get that metal box just up ahead." He decided to risk it, heading for the ammo near the side entrance to the tunnel. After doing so, he turned around to find the Soldier, who had apparently taken massive damage from the appearance of several wounds and blood stains on his person. "Whoa there, buddy. You look like you could use some help." The Soldier only nodded, which instantly alerted the Engie to suspicion. He would never just nod. He always has to shout what's on his mind. He then realized it could only be a Robot Spy, and in seconds proceeded to whack at the enemy with his Wrench. The critical hit was a fatal blow and the Spy fell.
Dell went back to work, managing to build up a Level 3 Dispenser as well as a Sentry. This time, however, he was alerted by the sound of a rocket firing, and his eyes widened as he determined it was headed straight for him. He jumped to avoid it, but he knew the splash would still cause him injury. Yet, after the explosion went off, he was surprised to note he had come out unscathed. He then heard the sound of a familiar as well as reassuring voice:
"Get out of the way, Engie! There's a Spy nearby!"
Dell was glad that it was the real Soldier. "Don't worry pal, I took care of it already. You definitely look like you could use some help, though."
"You bet my ass I need some help. The rest of the team's been taking down some Steel Gauntlet Heavies, and in a tight space like that I'll be damned if I can hit anything without taking damage myself. At least we'll almost be at 2nd point soon." The Soldier paused to take a breath as he enjoyed the rejuvenating effects of the Dispenser. "That reminds me, Engie. What are you going to do with your Teleporters now?"
Dell realized that by the time he would have built an exit teleporter, the team likely would have capped 2nd and his entrance would need to be moved. He contemplated shortly as he came to only one conclusion. "Well, I guess I'm gonna try to sneak my way ahead and place some near the last point."
"You sure about that? Seems pretty risky. Not having Teleporters is a problem, but no Dispensers or Sentries just feels...wrong."
"Don't y'all worry about me. You've got front lines to get back to. Now go on, Soldier!"
The war maniac smirked as he ran off with a resounding "Yes, sir!" to go and attempt to clear the next capture point. Meanwhile, much of the team stood near the cart, with the Heavy leading, the Scout pushing, the Pyro spy-checking, and the Medic providing the usual medical attention. Behind them lay a trail of dead Roboheavies in their wake. They were all headed out of the tunnel until they heard the Demo's voice:
"Ay, ya wee lassies! Hold it!" Everyone got off the cart in response. "It seems like there be a buncha Engineer robots ahead. Just wanted ta warn everyone."
"Thanks for the heads up, pal," Scout replied.
"Oy! Did I miss anything, everyone?" The gang looked behind them to see the Sniper catching up.
"I barely knew you were gone, with all that's goin' on right now."
"Well, with 9 people on our side, I'm sure keepin' track of everyone gets tough now and again."
"Sniper," Heavy interjected, "go after Engineers!"
"Can do, mate. But I think we'd better hurry. Sounds like we've been beaten to the punch." Everybody became silent for a simple moment, wherein which they could hear the sounds of the Spy's Sapper working its charm.
"MOVE!" The Heavy shouted, startling most of the others. Scout and Pyro once again returned to the cart, while the Sniper stayed near the cliffside and the Heavy, Demo, and Medic went for a direct frontal assault. The robo-Engies withstood no chance, uncertain of whether to focus on fixing their buildings, attacking the Spy, or now attacking the rest of the team. One robot was defeated by the Sniper and his Rifle, thanks to his deadly accuracy, while the buildings lay in ruins by the Sapper. Another down by the Spy's well-planned backstab. Yet another destroyed by the sheer overwhelming power of the Demo's stickies and the Heavy's Minigun. All in all 5 Engies lay dead.
"That was almost too easy." the Spy remarked. "Keep your eyes peeled."
Indeed, the Medic pondered, vat are Hale and Gray thinking?
The team breezed through the next control point, again met with cheers from everyone. At the carrier tank, Hale gave a hearty laugh. "Looks like they're doing alright for a couple of terribly paid mercenaries, eh Gray?"
"Hmph. This is only the beginning of the Games. I'm just observing them against some basic robots for now. But enough talk about that...ready to make things a little more interesting?"
Hale grinned. "I'm always up for that. Release the crate!"
Back at the cart, Scout showed some frustration. "Alright, guys. Pushin' the cart's great and all, but do ya think I can get a chance to show my skills? My bat's just waitin' to get a few dents in it."
Tavish laughed. "I'm sure me and the Pyro can teach those bloody robots a thing or two and still push the cart. You go and do your outrunning thing." The Pyro showed a thumbs-up in agreement.
"Heh. Thanks, guys." The Scout wasted no more time, and took off.
"The Doctor will go ahead with me, right Doctor?" The Heavy said. The Medic nodded in response. "Let us move, then!"
Meanwhile, Dell had noticed the rest of the team had cleared out the area around the second point, and decided it would be a good time to move up his machines. "I better start with this
Dispenser, just in case I need more ammo later." He traveled until he reached the building that housed the the original spawn of the robots. He heard a noise, and put his ear up to the building. The Engie easily recognized the sound of an active Sentry inside. "Still another one lying around? Hmm..." However, he couldn't hear the footsteps of a Robot Engineer nearby. "Musta left base and gotten shot earlier," he deduced. What he did hear was an overconfident Scout on the other side of the building.
"You guys are makin' this way too easy! Especially when you just have cheap metal for a skull instead of actual bone." Dell could see several Robot Scout bodies as he peeked through the building to the cliffside beyond. He tried shouting to get his attention.
"Hey, Scout!" Luckily, his words did not fall on deaf ears, and the Scout turned around to find the source of the voice.
"Oh, hey there, Hardhat." The Engie, who disliked that nickname, was briefly annoyed, but calmed down.
"Listen, pardner. Mind taking care of that Sentry inside?
"Hah," Scout sneered, "just watch me." With that, he ran straight inside, the sentry just a few feet away. The Engie was worried for a moment, but his fears were quelled as the Scout circled the Level 3 with ease. His bullets pierced the machine, and after a few seconds it was out of commission. "So, am I good or what?"
"Hmph. Just get on back to fighting them robots. I've got work to do. In the meantime, put this to good use," Dell said as he placed his Dispenser on the wooden floor.
"Will do, pal." As the Scout restocked on his ammo, the Engie took a look outside and noticed a lack of nearby enemies.
"I guess now's a good a time as ever." And with that, he made a rush to the nearest building, hoping to be covered for as long as possible.
"This job's just too easy," the Scout said to himself. "What could be better?"
His thoughts were interrupted by a resounding THUD. He looked out the building and saw something he didn't expect: a standard edition Mann Co. Supply Crate, just lying in the open. It was on the lowest ledge of the cliffside near 3rd point, between a health pack and a set of stairs. "Oh yeah…that's the stuff." He now had a new objective as he returned to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Heavy and Medic were both ahead of everyone else as they decided to clear out the area past the 3rd point. A large wave of Robot Pyros fought against them; some could be heard with their flare guns blazing, but most were charging with their flamethrowers. At first there were no issues; yet after several minutes and many bullets, the Heavy was moments away from running out of Minigun ammo. "Uh, Doctor? There might be small problem…"
"Do not worry, Heavy," the Medic replied. "Ze uber is almost ready. Just keep up the power!"
"Eh…I would love to…but I think this is problem that even charge cannot solve."
"Oh? Vat kind of problem?" As the Heavy used up his last Minigun bullets, he began shooting the Pyros with his Shotgun, as they were starting to close in on the pair. "Oh. ZAT kind of problem. Hmm…is there anyone nearby that can assist us?"
"Peekaboo." The Medic jumped as the Spy decloaked behind him, disguised as a robot Pyro. Remembering the joke that Spy played on him earlier, the doctor refused to say anything. "Hmm. Still upset?" The Spy snorted. "Leave it to me. I'll make it up to you, friend."
"Enough talk!" Heavy interjected. "Doctor, we must charge NOW!" The Heavy and Medic had begun backing up as they were being swarmed by Pyros. Multiple flares passed their heads.
"Vat? But ze Spy-" the Medic tried to object.
"Look! More are here. Spy cannot sap all. Trust me, doc-FIRE! FIRE!"
"Alright!" The charge had finished building, and the doctor grasped the lever. "So long, dummkopfs!" Pulling down on the lever, an enormous surge of power was given to the Heavy as he became invincible.
"No more words! Let fists do talking!" The Heavy decided to use his own fists as he smashed them against the metal bodies of the Pyros, who could do nothing with their flames. The Medic looked back near the building where the final point was to see that more Pyros were indeed on their way. However, the Spy had decided to take care of them first as he used his sapper to stop them dead in their tracks. As the ubercharge was almost out, the Doctor became concerned.
"Uh, perhaps ve should back up a bit, Heavy?"
"Not on my watch, mate!" The Medic could see several Pyros fall one at a time as the Sniper's bullets pierced each one. The Heavy was now able to wreck his enemies almost twice as quickly as the Pyros began to focus their flare guns on the Sniper, who stealthily dodged each one. Even as the charge ran out, the Medic's own healing as well as the Sniper's rifle was enough to help the Heavy take down every bot in the vicinity.
The sound of more flames could be heard; the Medic turned around and was glad to discover it was their own Pyro along with Tavish pushing the cart along the cliff to the 3rd point. "Ah, I love an easy round!" the Demo exclaimed. "That Gray Mann wants to see how we're all so great? Well, just give us a real challenge!"
Back at the carrier tank, the trio could see and hear all merc activity. Gray chuckled at the Demo's goading. "Soon enough, Mr. Degroot…soon enough."
"The 3rd point has been captured. One more remains!"
The Scout caught up with the rest of his team at 3rd. "Man, it's been a while since a match has been this, well, relaxin'! I think even BLU could do a better job at this than these crummy bots." Meanwhile, he thought about getting that crate that fell earlier. No one even saw that crate, he thought. Hmm…so many things could be in there. But I need a key, and that box will be hard to carry. I'd better just come back for it later. I'll get first dibs on what's inside-The Scout's thoughts were interrupted by an approaching Engie, who looked startled.
"Uh, fellas? That tele I was planning to build is gonna have to be put on hold. We've got bigger problems. WAY bigger problems."
"I'm sure it's nothing a couple of rocket explosions can't handle!" Soldier said as he rocket jumped to the cart's position. "Just give me 60 seconds, team." Dell tried to protest, but the Soldier quickly rocket jumped to where the entrance of the final point was.
"Three, two, one…" The Engie counted down. Immediately some screaming was heard, courtesy of the Soldier, and he rocket jumped back on top of the cart.
"Correction: we're going to need a LOT more explosions, men. And bullets. There's a giant rapid firing soldier right in that giant pit for the cart. Bigger than any robot I've ever seen before."
"I went up those stairs to the left of us," Dell interjected. "and I could see his face looking straight at me through one of the windows…scared the hell out of me".
"Oh, that reminds me. There were a bunch of other regular Soldier robots. All a disgrace to the uniform." Soldier put his hand to his chin. "How are we gonna take all these lugnuts down?"
"We'll need to split up into a few groups. I'll go back up the stairs and place my sentry in the window. That way that big soldier'll have a tough time hitting me. Doc, Heavy, can you two force your way to that spawn behind the pit?" The Medic and Heavy nodded in response.
"Pyro should be able to focus on sending back those rockets at the smaller soldiers," Soldier added. Meanwhile the Scot and I can help him…uh, it out while attacking that robotic giant!"
"Aye, a good plan ya got there Solly…for once." The Demo jokingly responded.
Dell smiled. "This'll be great. Just give me a sec and I'll be back with a dispenser for y'all." He then went off to get his equipment. At the same time, the Scout stood there confused.
"Hey…what about me? And the Sniper and Spy?" he asked.
"Ah, that is the difference between you and me, Scout," The Spy replied while behind him, "You must always be told what to do." With those parting words, the Spy disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The Scout then resorted to looking at the Sniper.
"Don't look at me, mate," he answered while shrugging, "I just see a robot and blow their bloody metal heads out." A shout was heard, which caused Scout to look back in the other direction, noticing it was the Engie approaching with a dispenser in his arms. As he caught up, the Texan placed it on the side of the nearest wall to protect it against the enemy.
"Alright, team. Let's give it the ol' Texas try!" The rest of the team cheered in agreement.
The attack began as several stickybombs landed beneath the feet of several robo-soldiers. They barely had time to react as they were blown to pieces by the sheer concentration of so many bombs. "LEEEET'S DO IIITT!" Tavish roared as he charged into the heat of the robot army, launching a flurry of grenades as he went by. Bot after bot was destroyed in his frenzy. It only took a few moments for the large Rapid Fire Soldier to catch onto him and begin firing rockets. Luckily, the projectiles were slow, and the attentive Demo was able to strafe the first few rockets with ease. Before the bot could focus for too long, a rocket had been launched directly at its face.
"See how you like that, Communist scum!" The robot now began retaliating against the Soldier, but soon after decided to alternate targets once the Demo returned fire with his grenades. Yet at the same time, there were robots near the stairs on the opposite side of the pit near spawn, as well as soldiers who stayed up on the highest ledges attempting to take aim at the pair of mercs. The Pyro responded by airblasting back as many rockets as possible while simultaneously attempting to launch several robots into the pit. However, with so many projectiles, all three mercs sustained some damage. While the Heavy was able to provide some relief by taking down many of the ground soldiers, the Medic used the opportunity to heal the others and build his uber.
"Mm-Mmph!"
"God bless you, Doc."
"Aye, thanks for the help, medic!"
Always appreciating their words, the Medic resolved to not make a mistake. In the meantime, the Scout and Sniper pushed the cart closer to its final destination. Well…since the team didn't really say I needed to do anythin'…I might as well go check out that crate, the Scout thought. "Hey Sniper ol' buddy, you don't mind taking care of the cart for me, do ya?" It was then that he realized that the Sniper was too engaged in looking for targets to hear him. Eh, he'll be fine. After that, the Scout left at went back to the cliffside near 3rd.
It was only then that the Sniper realized something was amiss. As he stood in front of the cart, he could feel it stop without the Scout's assistance. "What the-?" He turned around to notice the Scout running off. "Hey! Get back here, you little…ah, what's the use." The Sniper sighed as he began pushing the cart by himself.
While the Sniper had managed to make a dent in the number of robo-soldiers on the upper ledge, several still remained. Once the Engie had gone back to get his sentry, he returned to the final point and entered the doorway to the right of the cart. He noticed an enemy soldier nearby and promptly decided to head downstairs near a health pack with ammo. "Dammit. I'm gonna need to take them out before I can get my sentry up there."
"Allow me." Dell looked behind him to notice the Spy with a robot mask coming from the entryway. He swung at him with his wrench only for the Spy to quickly move away. "You imbecile…it really is me!"
Engie chuckled. "Just makin' sure, pardner." The Spy muttered some words while heading up the stairs to take care of the robot soldiers. Slyly, he backstabbed one, two, three robots, relishing the sound his blade made as it plunged into their metal backs. After the third stab, a few robots took notice, but the Spy swiftly pulled out his sapper and stopped them in their tracks, following up with more backstabs. Using his revolver, he took out two more robots before plunging back into the darkness with his cloak.
At the same time, the Scout had reached the crate that rested near the lowest set of stairs underneath the 3rd point. "Alright…come to daddy!" He lifted it and proceeded to take it to where the dispenser was. "Heh, that was too easy! In fact-" the Scout was interrupted by the sound of a bugle behind him. He turned around and realized there was a robot soldier with a Buff Banner surrounded by ten other soldiers appearing out of BLU's second-to-last spawn. "Ohhhhh boy." Immediately the Scout bolted to join up with the others.
Meanwhile from below, the Sniper had noticed a couple of robots suddenly fall down off the upper ledge onto the ground. Better not let this go to waste, he thought. Briefly ignoring the cart, he took aim at the few remaining soldiers up top and plucked them one by one. The robots had wasted their attention on the rest of the team; the Medic made sure all of them were fit to fight, while the Heavy cleared out the smaller robots on the ground. Pyro continued deflecting shots from the Rapid Fire Soldier, and the Soldier and Tavish attacked the giant robot as much as possible. When needed, one merc fell back at a time to get supplies from the dispenser. The team had managed to get a system that worked well, and everyone was in high spirits. However, the mood didn't last long as another horde of soldiers starting coming out of the spawn nearest the pit.
"The bomb has almost reached the final terminus!" proclaimed the Administrator via intercom as she added in her own crazed laughter. "I never get tired of that," she said to herself.
"It vuld really help if that cart was in the pit already!" the Medic shouted as he struggled to be heard over the sound of bullets and projectiles.
"Not my fault, mates! The scout's gone rogue on us!" Sniper replied.
The Soldier growled. "He's in for a good NECK SNAP if he doesn't show up soon!"
"It's a good thing I got here quick, then." The mercs previously speaking now turned their heads to notice the Scout, dropping a Mann Co. Crate right next to the dispenser.
"What in the hell are you doing with that box?" said the Soldier, stupefied as to how he obtained it.
"I just heard a noise and then found it sittin' there. Wasn't gonna leave it all alone," the Scout responded.
"If you want to be useful and not rubbish," Sniper stated, "go and jump around to-blimey!" It was then he noticed the Buff Banner group of bots coming from behind. "Coulda told us about those fellas first!" But then, he noticed something else along with the others-the sound of a level 3 sentry firing.
"Don't y'all worry about that big damn robot, team! I've got it from here! Focus on those other machines and the cart!" yelled the Engie.
"Now is good time to switch focus, Doctor!" the Heavy proclaimed.
"Indeed. A perfect time for ze uber." the Medic replied with excitement as he had recently finished building. "Move!" The pair headed outside to confront the mass of robots headed their way.
"I won't have to use fists this time!" the Heavy said with glee. "Hit charge!" The robots were easily overwhelmed by the power of the two, and each rocket bounced off harmlessly. In the meantime, the Soldier and Demo took out many of the remaining forces surrounding the pit, while the Spy appeared from time to time behind a fallen soldier. With Scout now helping the Sniper, the cart was only a few feet away and an alarm could be heard signaling that success was near. By maintaining his sentry, Dell kept the Giant Soldier at bay.
Scout looked at the others to make sure everything was going well. It was then that he observed the Pyro now trying to airblast some soldiers into the pit. One of the bots caught his eye-it had something shiny hanging from a necklace around its neck. The Scout focused and realized it was just what he needed- a Mann Co. Key to match the crate.
"Must be my lucky day!" he said, racing off and leaving the Sniper behind.
"Ay! Get back here, you buffoon!" replied the Sniper while continuing to push the cart.
"Pyro! Wait!" the Scout said.
"Mmph?" the Pyro replied. But he had just used his airblast to send the robot with the key over the edge. He dropped his rocket launcher as he began descending.
"No way am I losin' that key!" the Scout made a risky move: he jumped over the pit and grabbed the key as the soldier began plummeting. Unfortunately, the key remained steadfast around the machine's neck, and its body began taking the Scout with it. He used his double jump and did his best to reach a ledge, but fell just short.
"No!"
"MMPH!" the Pyro managed to get down near the ledge and grab one of the Scout's arms, but was also beginning to lose his hold.
"Come on, stupid key!" With a little bit more force, the Scout was able to rip the key free of the necklace, and the robot soon met his end at the bottom of the pit. Without the extra weight, the Pyro effortlessly pulled up the Scout, who then placed the key in his pocket. "Phew, thanks for the help there, Pyro. A real close one that was…" He noticed the Pyro tapping his foot with both his arms crossed. "Okay, I can explain-"
"BOMBS AWAY!" yelled the Sniper as the cart was on the verge of tipping into the pit.
"You can turn me into bacon later, Pyro. Right now, let's just get the hell outta here!" The Pyro agreed as he and the Scout both ran with the rest of the team to safety, either upstairs or outside the building. Two beeps were heard, and suddenly an explosion, with pieces of giant robot shrapnel flying in all directions. As the dust settled, the impact of their success finally hit everyone as they walked out of the building.
"Yeeeee-haaaaw! We did it, boys!" the Engineer hollered. Most of the others celebrated along with him, except for the Sniper, who waited for the noise to die down before speaking.
"Anyone forgettin' something? How about when Scout just abandoned everythin', twice?"
"Hey," Scout interjected, "I knew you guys would be alright. Besides, just think of what's in this thing!" He now held the crate with his hands.
"Tiny man has point," Heavy replied. "Perhaps flaming hat inside." The Pyro became intrigued at the mention of those words. "One that reminds me of old country. Or maybe even Team Captain." Immediately the Soldier pushed past his fellow teammates, including Scout, to get to the crate.
"TEAM CAPTAIN? I'm calling dibs on this one, men." He then snatched the key sticking out of the Scout's pocket.
"Hey! Give it back!"
"Sorry, son. This hat is mine!" Soldier placed the key into the lock and turned it. He then opened the top of the box and placed his hand inside. "It's…it's…"
"C'mon, Solly! Quit with the suspense!"
"It's...not a hat." He pulled out a Gunslinger and, sulking, tossed it to Scout and walked away dejectedly. Half of the team collectively groaned.
"We almost lost someone over that thing? How shameful," said the Spy.
"I'm gonna need a drink after this," stated the Demo. Yet in spite of the reactions, Dell simply laughed as he walked up to the Scout.
"Calm down, fellas. Personally I think it's pretty funny. Hell, I'll never use it, but just having all this stuff happen to us and now this sad little machine? I think someone's got a good sense of humor."
"You really think so?"
The mercs tried to find the source of the voice. Not a second later, a sudden flash of light along with smoke appeared to reveal Merasmus. "I did my best to spice things up, and it means so much that someone appreciates the work I do-"
"ROOMMATE!" The Soldier shouted with glee. "How's it been since last time?"
Just do what you were paid to do, Merasmus thought to himself. Keep it together. "Saxton said you all should be ready before tomorrow. Take these." He tossed a lunch box at each of the mercenaries. "That's all you get, so make it count. The next round begins at midnight, so get some rest. Speaking of the next round…" The ground shook as the Wheel of Fate began rising from it. The others took this opportunity to check their food.
"Hey! My favorite bottle of scrumpy!" Tavish said with delight. "Not too bad, wizard."
"Sandvich for me! Is good," Heavy said.
"Uh…Merasmus?" Soldier said. "How come there's nothing in-"
"Aaaaand we SPIN!" Merasmus abruptly said. Around and around the wheel went, seeming to never end, until finally it landed on one location. "To the Gravel Pit you all go! I'll be back in a few hours, so prepare yourselves." And so the Wheel vanished along with the mysterious wizard.
Back at the carrier tank, Hale was content with the outcome of the match. "Surely you're impressed by now, Gray." Hale said. "The way all those mercs worked together to absolutely destroy your robots? And how about that big guy, beating up all those robots with his bare hands? He reminds me of, well, me." As Hale spoke, he appeared to stare off into the distance. Only after the Administrator snapped her fingers did Hale return to reality. "Oh, sorry Helen. Just… reminiscing about my glory days." Hale sighed.
"I just wanted to throw them a bone, dear Saxton." Gray responded. "Make them think they're invincible…then before you know it, there will be hundreds of robots around every corner, and their hubris will be their downfall…but for now, let them savor the moment. Now if you don't mind, I'll be getting some rest so I can prepare for whatever comes tomorrow." With those parting words Gray retreated to a separate room of his carrier tank.
"Well then Helen, I guess it's just you and me now!" Saxton said happily.
"Business before pleasure, Saxton," the Administrator replied in a stern but non-harsh tone. Hale walked over to the station where she was situated. "I just know Gray's going to try and sabotage those mercs anytime soon. I just need to figure out what."
"Aw, don't worry too much about it, Helen! Those men always figure a way to get out of trouble." Helen picked up distress in Hale's words. She stood up and looked him in the eyes.
"Are you hiding something from me, Saxton?"
"Of course not! Well I mean, not on purpose-uh, what I meant was…" the Administrator gave him a look of indignation. Hale sighed. "You always see right through me. That's what I like about you."
"Thanks." The Administrator smiled for a brief moment but then returned to her neutral demeanor. "Now tell me what's going on."
###
Midnight was fast approaching, and several people on RED had already drifted off to sleep. However, a few people had chosen to stay awake and pass the time, chiefly the Engineer, Demoman, Medic, and Spy.
"An' so I whacked 'im with the bottle, and the BLU medic dropped his uber, just like that!" As Tavish finished his story, Dell and the Medic laughed.
"Well I reckon that the Spy's the only one who hasn't spoken yet," the Engie stated.
"What is there to tell?" the Spy responded. "It's simply a job, nothing more, nothing less."
"Vat a stick-in-the-mud you are," replied the Medic. "Do you even know what fun is?"
"Of course I do. Remember when I made it look like the Heavy was dead? That was fun!" The Medic grumbled at the memory. "In reality, I used to have fun. The different ways I would learn how to stab people…the faces of the BLU Engineer when I could take down all his buildings and still get away…" There was a gleam in the Spy's eyes as he looked up at the starry night. "But that's all grown so old now. Perhaps in the future these robots will provide some tremendous exciting challenge. Right now, however, I'll keep on looking."
"Let me know when you find it, pardner," Dell said, now looking up at the night sky. "The way the stars are lookin' right now, I'd say it's almost time for the next round."
"I ain't even tired yet," the Demo mentioned. "Bring it on, you magician!" As if on cue, Merasmus made his usual flashy appearance.
"VERY WELL!" he boomed, causing the rest of the team to rouse from their slumber.
"Ugh, Heavy hates loud magician's voice," the Heavy said as he got up from the ground.
"You said it, pal," the Scout agreed. "I was dreamin' about how famous I'd be after beating all these dumb bots…"
"Enough talk," Merasmus stated bluntly. "Round two of the Gibus Games begins now!" And with that, everyone was taken to Gravel Pit by Merasmus' magic.
Thanks for reading so far! Constructive criticism and comments are welcome.
