Okay, this chapter might be a little bad because I was so scatter-brained when I typed it. Hopefully it's not too bad.
Their quarters were pretty cramped, considering their surroundings. There was only one base, if you could call it that, that they could use. They had set up something akin to bunks, using foam pads and setting them atop crates and spreading bed sheets atop them. They weren't necessarily comfortable; some cots didn't have blankets or pillows, or neither of the two. Tracy was given a blanket but had given her pillows to the Scout she had found was a BLU as well. The Thief found the whole mixing of the teams confusing as hell, and quite an inconvenience when she'd go talk to the RED Engineer to find out he was really the BLU. She made a note to later mark her teammates with a marker later so she could tell the difference.
The BLU (wearing RED garb) Sniper was the first to take watch with his binoculars and piss jar at the ready, his rifle sitting nearby. The others would be taking watch as well, including the RED Engineer and Spy. The BLU Thief was to be resting after staying out so long in the desert, but she had insisted she should battle tomorrow. Nobody had any objections, save the BLU Medic, and Tracy was signed up for tomorrow. The RED Thief had refused to be replaced for tomorrow, though, so the BLU Scout was put on rest.
As night began to fall, cool wind began to pick up and throw sand everywhere. The team (excluding the watching Sniper) was pulled back inside and the doors were shut for the night. They ate from their meager supplies (pork stew and bread), the group dying down as drowsiness began to set in. Tracy was no exception, considering her walking for the previous twenty-four hours, however she was kept up by her thoughts.
Leaping from her cot as quietly as she could manage, she rummaged around the room in the dim light of the lamp that illuminated the room. The Demoman snored nearby, startling the Thief but she managed not to make any noise. Amazingly, Tracy was able to find a piece of paper and a pencil. She could make an envelope out of another piece, but for now she was simply going to write a letter to her mother.
Hey Mom,
Sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been very, very busy with the kids. My group and I were going across the county to meet up with a team to go against, (y'know, the scholarship thing?) but our bus broke down half-way through the drive. We're all okay; we had plenty of water and food that could be sacrificed, although I still feel a bit weak. I'm fit enough to play in the games though, so I'll be up and at 'em tomorrow.
Looks like we're up against a different team than we originally thought. They're called The Machines, and to be honest they're a little intimidating. I'm sure they're not going to be better than us, but y'know, you gotta be careful about these things. They might play pranks on us in the middle of the night or something…
You don't have to worry though. We'll be fine, I promise. If they beat us, we'll beat them right back! The allowance they give us around here is kinda decreasing, but being out in the desert isn't the most comfortable thing ever. We got beds and stuff, so we're okay. We're hold up in some sort of old western-style coal town that's been abandoned for a while. It's cool once you get used to the lack of running water and dust everywhere, but it's livable.
It's pretty late right now, and I should go to bed to be well-rested for tomorrow's game, but I'm just sorta restless at the moment. That's mostly why I'm writing you. And I miss you, don't forget that! Again, if you need ANYTHING, just ask me. I still have plenty of money from my old job and I have no qualms with sharing.
Do you mind sending us some brownies or something? The food isn't fantastic here, so something sweet would definitely cheer us up. But nothing that would spoil, hopefully. It's really hot over here.
Alright, if I keep on writing I'll only start to ramble on and on about my problems, so I'll just end it right here.
Love,
Tracy
Setting her pencil down, the Thief read over the paper before setting it down near a crate where she hoped it wouldn't be ruined. The night was so very quiet, with the brief howling of coyotes in the distance and the skittering of reptiles in the sand. Tracy sighed and curled up in her cot, using half her blanket as a pillow and the rest as what it's supposed to be used as. It wasn't as chilly in here; the entire team's body heat keeping the building warm. Tracy caught the sound of Heavy's breathing, the gentle snores of the Demoman nearby. Tracy's eyes slowly closed…
The surrounded her, the pale hands, long fingers.
They danced over her body, touching her back and her stomach, pinching her head between their fingers to keep her still as she kicked and screamed.
The air was dry and hot, burning her throat as she tried to breath in.
She gasped for breath, and without warning blood began to drip from her mouth, cascading over her lips and down her neck, splattering onto her chest and legs.
She shrieked, anger and panic combined, wrestling with the pale fingers.
Finally they let her go and disappeared into the darkness, leaving her to fall away from the light above…
"Hey, wake up."
Tracy jerked awake, her shoulder being roughly shaken as what appeared to be Tracy herself waking her. The sight of the RED Thief without her uniform was disorienting and slightly irritating, but Tracy was too shocked by her dream to come up with a crude remark. As soon as the RED believed she was awake, she left to go get breakfast. Or that's what Tracy assumed.
As Tracy began to get to her feet, she realized she had slept in. Only the BLU Scout seemed to be asleep and rather boyishly so, his shirt riding up onto his ribs, one hand tucked into his pants. Tracy rolled her eyes and threw her blanket onto the boy before getting dressed into her uniform, wincing as the RED Thief's perfume clouded her nose. It didn't necessarily smell bad… but she didn't like it.
She then made her way to the makeshift dining room. It was extremely cramped and without chairs and few tables where supplies rested on. Many sat on crates as they ate what looked like hardtack and slices of baloney. Coffee was also served, which the mercenaries dunked their hardtack in to soften it up. Tracy grabbed a plate herself, wrinkling her nose at the food but she ate it anyways. She placed herself next to who she thought was the RED Soldier, and briefly realized it was the BLU Soldier.
"Are they trying to poison us or what?" The BLU mumbled as she dunked the hardtack into her coffee before attentively taking a bite. It softened the biscuit and gave it some flavor, but was otherwise incredibly bitter. She swallowed the bite despite the flavor and took a nibble of her baloney.
The Soldier shrugged his shoulders, taking a bite of the hardtack as if it were a simple piece of bread. "It has what we need to battle. Nutrients and… calories." The Soldier seemed to be grasping for something intelligent to say, quickly taking a drink of his coffee.
"I suppose…" Tracy's mind went back to her letter as she turned towards the Soldier, "Do you have anyone you write home to? Maybe you could ask them to send us something edible?"
The All-American man hummed as he thought, "I did have this room-mate once, but he's not living with me anymore… uhm…"
"It's alright." Tracy quickly amended before he needed to start stumbling for words. "I'm gonna send a letter to my mom, she'll probably send something."
The men around her quickly whipped around and stared at her. The Thief bristled with this sudden attention, appearing a little bashful, "Uh, what?"
"We, just, ah…" The RED (BLU) Engineer rubbed the back of his head with his human hand, "We don't get many supplies out here from home."
The RED Spy replied, "Many of us do not have family. I only get things from…"
"DO NOT mention my mother." The RED (BLU) Scout grumbled as he stumbled into the room, appearing to be a mess in his bedclothes. The RED Spy snorted in amusement but didn't say anything.
"Well, I asked her to send brownies… maybe I'll add a P.S. to send anything that won't spoil that'll fit in a box…" Tracy rubbed her chin in thought. The mercenaries whooped like children who just received a treat. Tracy shrugged her shoulders and understood they probably didn't get many goodies if they didn't have many friends or family.
"What's yer ma's name?" The RED Scout asked, cross legged on a crate, "Scout's Honor I won't hit on her."
The Thief gave the boy a stern look before relenting. "Her name's Alice Richardson. She's a blonde with hazel eyes and has a little scar right here." She gestures with her finger the bridge of her nose to her right nostril. "I take most of my looks after my dad, so I can't say we look much alike. She's into advertising and stuff."
"Sounds pretty." The RED Scout said thoughtfully with a mouthful of baloney.
The Thief gave him a look before continuing. "Anyways… I'll send her a letter after this match. By the way, anyone wanna tell me what I'm getting myself into?"
The RED (BLU) Soldier raised his hand almost immediately. Tracy hoped he wouldn't be too complicated with his explanation.
"The Machines are going to come at us from the north. They're main target is to destroy a power system underneath us in this vault sitting outside. If they manage to destroy the power system, it will explode causing anyone in the vicinity to die a fiery death." The Soldier explained rather simply. "There are waves of Scoutbots, Soldiers, and other classes that will attack us without mercy, so we must be at the ready."
"Yeesh." The Thief winces at the thought of such a battle. Tracy wasn't so sure she was going to be an asset in this mission. "Well, as long as the respawn system works, we should be alright."
"Luckily, despite the lack of supplies, we do have upgrade stations where we may improve our weapons and ourselves." The BLU Medic decided to pop into the conversation, much to the annoyance of the Soldier. "Mostly speed and capacity and damage upgrades and such, although there are upgrades to the body that may be taken, such as adrenaline shots for speed and pain killers to resist damage."
"Sounds cool, although really unhealthy." The Kansas woman nods appreciatively before adjusting her mask upon her face.
"I would say so…" The Medic replies before a blaring alarm begins screaming in the building. Mugs of coffee and plates of breakfast are abandoned as the team begins to stream into the respawn areas. Tracy quickly stuffs her face with the last of the baloney before rushing after them to claim her weapons, the BLU Scout waving her goodbye. Pistol in her waistband (for the lack of holsters) and shotgun in hand, she stuffs her screwdriver and smoke bombs into her pockets. Classes crowd around the upgrade stations like puppies to the kibble, so she has to wait a few minutes before there's an open space.
To her displeasure she finds that all of the upgrades she sees cost money, but luckily they take credit and cash. Inputting her number, she begins to upgrade her shotgun with better damage and more capacity, taking a few adrenaline shots and painkillers to bring along. Her screwdriver is now lighter but stronger in order to quickly strike out at an enemy, and her smoke bombs are now swapped out for those that last much longer and have a denser smoke.
Popping outside, she finds the Engineers getting to work on their machines. Multiple Sentries are set up near the north and near the vault in order to cover all points, dispensers set up around passageways to quickly get the items they need. The Demomen shoot sticky bombs around the area they believe the robots will be entering, while the Heavies ready their miniguns. The Medics waste no time building up their ÜberCharge, shouting positives to their men. Mercenaries begin shouting their affirmatives and readies, Tracy being on the few last. The Thief would be surprised any robot would get past them, seeing the firepower that's about to be unleashed upon them. Tracy shivers in delight, climbing halfway to the Sniper's nest to get a good look at the horizon.
What she sees startles her—a huge grey armada-like contraption that sits a few miles ahead, gates open revealing what appears to be a respawn system of its own, but considerably more of an assembly-line like order. Machines twitch and spasm as they stand to attention, as if held back by an unseen force. Chills run down her arms and spine despite the warm air. What seems to be thousands fill the armada, and now Tracy realizes what they're up against.
"THIS IS IT," The Administrator's voice booms through the area. "DO NOT FAIL ME."
The Machines were upon them.
I hope you enjoyed it! To be continued...