A/N: I'm glad this story has been positively received thus far. I hope I can continue to deliver interesting material. This story is planned to have roughly 10 "chapters", and will update roughly twice weekly. I may or may not write more TF2 fics with my particular headcanon which will be explained later in this story.

Please critique so I can continue to improve.

We do have off-days from time to time. We get moved around a lot, sometimes drivin', sometimes flyin', goin' from place to place. But sometimes, when we can get a breath o' fresh air, I like to go explorin' the towns nearby. The bases are usually off in the wilderness, see- since there's so much gunfire, we wouldn't want to bother the locals with our awesome.

I don't have a car, I mean- I don't need a car. I run fast enough as it is. And this time the town wasn't so far away from our current base, so I just walked. I needed some time alone anyway. It'd only been a few days since the Medic captured me and I still wasn't sure what he did. I didn't tell the others about it, either. I figured it wouldn't do much good, and besides, they didn't need to know what happened over there.

To tell ya the truth, kid, the Medic didn't do anythin' bad to me. In fact, ever since he gave me that shot I was feelin' stronger. I could move a bit faster and I had a bit more energy. Lookin' back now, I know he actually helped me, but at the time I couldn't for the life of me figure out why, or trust him. Sure, I was feelin' okay then, but I was sure it'd just get worse. It never did, but I kept expectin' it too, anyway.

So I'm on my way to this town way out in the middle of Kansas. There's just dirt far as the eye can see, and I wonder why anybody wants ta live here. I end up in some craphole of a town with not much to see. There was a pub or two and a little hole-in-the-wall diner that I could hardly call official, some general store, a shady barber shop, a bank, and a few houses I couldn't tell whether or not they belonged there.

Anyway, the place wasn't exactly where I'd wanna go to hang out, but at least I could get away for a while. It was nice to escape from the Soldier barkin' orders at me and that mumblin' freak Pyro's attempts at conversation. And don't get me started about the Spy. I hate that guy's guts- the way he gives me that conceited little smirk every time I cross his path, and then there's my Ma-… well, I don't wanna talk about this. Just tellin' you about him makes me wanna go knock some heads.

So I step into the diner, y'know, just to see what it's like in there. You'd be surprised, but some places like this actually have good food. It was a lonely place, with just a handful of people sittin' at the tables over a cup of coffee and a newspaper. The colors were kinda dreary too: faded yellow and red everywhere. The wallpaper looked like it was about to fall off in some places and some o' the furniture had obviously seen better days. But the food actually smelled good, and I got a good look at some of it on somebody's plate and it looked tasty enough. Sure, it wasn't a pretty place, but the food's where the stuff's at, right?

So I step inside and I take a seat, and then I see the waitress. Kid, lemme tell you... some day you're gonna know what I mean, but the ladies? There's some that are, ya know, alright. And some are jerks. But then there's the rare lady that just gets ya. I mean, you just know, as soon as you see her, that she's just plain freakin' hot. She was young and I gotta say, a lot prettier than I expected to come out of a town like this. Her hair was pulled into a pony-tail and she had a cute, round face… she was built like I was, too! In fact I was pretty sure she was an athlete, too. She just had that *look* to her.

I barely noticed when she handed me the menu. I took it and pretended to look at it, but my mind was still on her. I had to play it cool.

"What can I get ya to drink?" She asked me, pullin' out that memo book of hers.

"Eh, just bring me some water." I lowered the menu and gave her the biggest grin I can, so she can see my amazin', perfect smile. "And make it quick, cuz I wanna see more o' your pretty face." I waggled my eyebrows a bit. The ladies like the eyebrow-waggle.

She smiled, and I was sure it was a flirty one. I mean, the way she cocked her head and raised her eyebrows and gave me that lopsided smile with a half-nod, I knew it was 'the look', you know? Ah, what am I kiddin'. You ain't old enough to know, kid, but some day, you'll know what 'the look' is. And baby, I got the look.

She headed back off toward the back, and I looked over the menu again to figure out what I wanted. I was thinkin' I'd settle on a good ol' fashioned All-American Burger… and then I hear the door open from nearby. At first I wasn't too concerned, I mean- it was about lunch time, so people'd be coming in. But, still, curiosity told me to turn my head and look, so I did.

As I looked over the top of the booth toward the door, I saw a white labcoat, a long face, and round spectacles.

"Aw, shit, it's him," I whispered to myself as I ducked under the menu, pretending to be extremely interested in it. All the while I was prayin' he wouldn't notice. Did he follow me here? Did he somehow know I would be here? Or was this all just a coincidence? After all, it was the only restaurant in the closest town, maybe he was just tired o' eatin' the same crap at the base. Anyway, I keep expecting him to come to my table, to sit down, to talk to me, to invade my space… I mean, he's the last person I wanted to see.

I didn't look up from my menu. I kept expecting to hear him. But a minute or two passed and I didn't hear him. I put down my menu and looked around, and I saw him takin' a seat across the room behind me. His back was to me as he took his chair. So he really didn't seem to notice me. Maybe he didn't follow me, after all. I sighed in relief.

The pretty waitress came back with my water. I wanted to flirt with her a bit more, but seeing the Medic really threw me off. I ordered my burger and fries and waited it out as quietly as I could, trying not to make a scene, trying not to stand out. When my food finally got here, I ate without a sound. And then the bill came.

"Aww, shit again," I thought. It was a little more expensive than I was expecting… after seeing the Medic I realized I didn't pay much attention to the price… I only had a few dollars left in my wallet and I wasn't able to cover it all.

"Ahh, heh… just a second," I told the waitress as I dug around in my pockets. "Uh, I'm sure I got… somethin'… somewhere…"

She gave me this huge frown and began tapping her foot. Oooh, man. I couldn't believe I didn't check how much money I had, and how much the bill was… I was really in for it!

As I was searchin' around my pockets, comin' up with just a bunch of lint, I heard a chair scoot from nearby, footsteps, and then a German voice spoke right over me.

"I'll cover it."

He handed her the money, right then and there. Was he eavesdropping? Did he know I was here the whole time?

After the waitress left, he sat down across from me. I felt my entire body tense up, I really expected to be stuck with another needle as I sat across from him. I found myself staring at him, fidgeting in my chair, fighting the urge to get up and leave, yet the fact that he just paid my tab for me… well, what was I gonna do? I wasn't gonna just leave after he practically gave me money. I mean, I could'a handled it myself, but, well, he did help a little bit.

"…Why'd you do that?" I asked.

"Vhy not?" He answered. Man, I hate that answer.

"That doesn't tell me anythin'." I fidgeted some more. "…But, thanks. I guess." I start to stand up, tryin' not to look at him, but he says something as soon as I start to get up.

"How are you feeling?" He was just starin' at me from behind those glasses, his face was completely blank. I couldn't read the guy at all.

It took me a while to reply. I didn't really wanna stay long, but I felt like I owed him somehow. "I'm feelin' fine, actually…"

"Any stronger?"

"…Stronger? Yeah, I suppose so, actually… why?"

"…Zhe medicine I gave you. I vanted to make sure it vorks."

"…So it was medicine, then. It's supposed to make me stronger? You give me steroids or somethin'?"

"Yes, it is medicine. No, it is not steroids. It is vorking, so I am doing it right." I noticed he was kinda quiet when he talked, like there's a lot on his mind, but I wasn't sure I even wanted to know what was goin' on in his psycho head. I didn't really press him.

Still… it was hard for me not to wonder why in the hell he'd pick me, from the BLU team, to test it on, if it was supposed to make me stronger. There was a lot that didn't quite add up for me, and I needed to know why. Sure, he was probably crazy or stupid, or both… but I had to ask.

"So why test it on me, then? Why not your team, if you're makin' somethin' to make them stronger? Why me?"

The doc paused for a moment, and I could an see his eyes trail a bit. "It's not for zhe team."

Well, that was certainly strange. I raised my eyebrows. "Not for the team? So you're makin' something that makes people stronger and you're not even gonna use it on your own team?"

He didn't say anythin' else right then. I said somethin' before he had much of a chance to.

"But you're helpin' me, and not givin' your team the same shot! So you're makin' me stronger, and it's gonna be harder for your entire team! Why'd ya do it, Doc? You're practically betrayin' them by doin' it! Not that I'm complainin', I mean, I like bein' stronger. But still! I don't get ya! Is there a catch? Is this thing gonna kill me or somethin'?!"

"…No, it is not going to hurt you." The Doc replied, adjusting his glasses. "Trust me. If zhe medicine vas supposed to hurt, you'd know it by now." He gave me a long, hard look. "You should have a boost of immunity now, as vell as the ability to retain your energy longer. Let me know if there is ever any changes… I need to know about the compound's longevity."

"Why me?"

"You are zhe only one out of all of us who zhis vould work on. I need you to help me test it."

"Yeah, but… why!? I mean, if you needed help testin' your funky meds, you could'a just asked me or somethin' instead of kidnappin' me!"

"Vould you really help me if I asked? You vouldn't have believed me if I didn't force you into it to prove zhat it is harmless."

I opened my mouth to say somethin', but I shut it again. He kinda got me there. But I still had no idea why he was doin' this to begin with, and he was bein' so difficult. I couldn't get any answers from him.

He removed another syringe from his coat pocket. "Vill you help me test something else?"

I stiffened in my chair. "Not until you tell me why you're doin' this."

"For zee science, of course. Vhy else? I am making breakzhroughs, and I need someone vith the right age and body chemistry. You haff it."

I suppose it made sense. I mean, if I thought about it. He was a crazy doctor, but he still was a genius. I mean, he invented that Medigun himself- at least, that's what the Spy told me one day. I haven't been workin' here long but I've heard a few stories about the Doc. Not much, but enough to hear some speculation goin' around that he was workin' here as a foolproof way to work with medicine. Once he got his prototypes perfected, it could do some serious help for hospitals all around the country.

At least, that was what I thought he was here for. What I hoped he was here for.

"…Fine, I'll help ya again, doc. But only if it's stuff that'll make me stronger."

"Good. And you vill tell me zhe results?"

"Yeah."

"Zhen let me give zhis to you now. As you vill have noticed, the effects last even beyond the Respawn. Zhis next compound is designed to improve bone density so you vill be able to vithstand greater falls. Additionally, it should improve your heart's ability to pump and increase your lung capacity so you can breathe easier."

"How does it last beyond the Respawns? I… don't know much about that stuff, Doc."

"Zhe Respawns only bring us back to our last survivable state of being, like a step back in time. Anyzhing that has been happening in our bodies vill stay. Like disease, or in this case, zhe medicine I gave you." He explained, leanin' his elbows on the table. "Plus, zhere are other effects to the Respawn that I have yet to fully understand. But, it's methods of returning us to life are not exceptionally perfect. There is… always residual effects of going zhrough such zhings."

"…Residual effects? Like what?"

"I'm… not sure how best to explain it now." The Doc admitted. "But zhis is besides the point. Vill you help me test this now?" He showed me the syringe.

I hesitated a bit. I mean, I was about to agree to bein' the Doc's guinea pig. It could even hurt me, and the Respawn wouldn't be able to change it back. The more reasonable side of me said "no", to ignore the Doc, to get up and leave right then and there.

But the adventurous side of me wanted to give it a shot, no pun intended. After all, he already proved that it was helpin' me. And that he was testin' this for the greater good- whatever that was. Plus, if he was lyin', well, I could just get him back later. I had plenty of tricks up my sleeve for that sort of thing.

I held out my arm so he could give me the shot. "Fine, do it."

It felt a little weird getting' a shot in the middle of a restaurant, but nobody was watchin' us. Plus, the Doc was damn quick about it. He knew where my veins were and he knew how to get it in there and out in a few seconds. He even gave me a band-aid. After that, he stood up pretty quick and looked to the door.

"…I haff to go. I vill see you on zee battlefield, ja?"

I frowned. "…Yeah, sure, whatever, Doc."

He dipped his head a bit in this sorta makeshift bow, then he headed outside. "Zhank you, Scout."

When he left me alone, I was given a bit more time to think about everythin' that happened. Sure, I could understand his motives if he needed the right person to help test his crazy drugs, but it just didn't add up to me, not at all. He paid for my meal and gave me some sorta weird boost that he apparently wasn't gonna give to anyone else, that apparently wouldn't work for anyone else. There had to be some kinda catch in here somewhere. Why was he treating me like this?

Maybe there wasn't a catch. Maybe there wasn't anythin' else that I needed to learn from things, but still… if there was a catch… if there was some sorta missin' piece to all this, I had to get to the bottom of it.