Time and Time again
Chapter three:
Videotapes
Or
A startling revelation
The hallway we walked along was dark and damp. The roof and top corners were wreathed in shadow, and the floor was covered in small puddles that splashed as I walked through them.
"Yes, the facility has seen better days." The mysterious woman who'd freed us back in the cell had noticed my blatant disgust. "However, in its prime it was a magnificent place. It was used for the testing of state-of-the-art technology such as the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device and, of course, your watches, the Engineers self-building turret guns, dispensers and teleporters, and many more."
I had stopped listening after 'Device'. My sleeve had accidentally brushed Red's in the confined space, and we had sidled away from each other to avoid unnecessary contact.
The woman noticed this and grinned. "Oh, yes. If either of you are thinking about trying to run, as, of course, I have no means of stopping you, I'd like to direct your attention to the roof of the hallway."
We looked up as lights flicked on. The roof of the hallway was littered with silver globes that cracked open as we watched, revealing the barrels of what looked like modified machine guns.
"The guns are armed. If you try to run, I'll press the button on the remote and they will blow seven kinds of crap out of you. Do you understand?"
I scowled. "Hardly fair play, mademoiselle."
"I am inclined to agree." Red gestured to the guns set into the roof. "High security for only two captives, non?"
"And we are without our equipment," I threw in.
The woman shrugged. "We get all sorts down this hallway… Some are armed, some aren't."
We looked at each other. Obviously that was the best explanation we were going to get.
I looked around me, attempting to memorise my position. I wasn't anything if not observant.
The corridor abruptly ended with a set of double doors that hissed open at our approach. Behind that was a sort of… energy field, and then a massive room.
The room itself was split into two. The left side of the room was painted blue and the right side red. Computer monitors festooned the back wall, and a display just in front of them held several microphone jacks and rows of differently-coloured buttons.
In front of the display was a tall-backed swivel chair, with a wisp of smoke rising up that suggested it was occupied.
"I brought the Spies as requested, ma'am."
There was movement in the chair. "Thank you, Miss Pauling. You may go."
The woman scurried out of the room, leaving us with the mysterious figure…
That I strongly suspected to be the Administrator.
The Intel room looked like... well, an Intel room. Complete with Intel case (firmly locked), Sentry in the corner, polished desk and notes in their Spy's handwriting. He came to this room to think, often.
"Spah?"
Engineer hesitantly looked around the room. If Spy wasn't here, then where was he...?
"Oi! Spy!" Scout barreled into the room, straight into Engineer, sending both sprawling. Sniper walked in, kukri drawn. "Spy? You in here?"
Scout scowled. "Y'know, this is wastin' my valuable sleepin' time. I'm goin' to bed. Worst-case scenario, Spy's asleep in the corner somewhere. Big deal. Or out infiltratin' some goddamn hole in the middle of nowhere."
Scout left the room, nimbly knocking off Snipers hat in the process. Sniper scowled. "I agree with Scout, Truckie. Spy's probably out an' about somewhere. You know what he's like, up an' about all hours of the night."
He scratched the back of his head casually before putting his hat back on. "I just wish the creeper'd get some decent sleep..."
Sniper left the room, too, leaving Engineer alone with his Sentry.
Wait... The Sentry? That was it!
Engineer picked himself up and crossed the room to his Sentry. "The camera... I made this Sentry different 'cause it's go a doggone camera... That'll put my mind at rest..."
He picked out a tiny videotape from behind a panel in the Sentry's casing, and after a moment of thought slotted a new one in. With a sigh, and a final look around, Engineer exited the room.
It's not to say he worried about the most mysterious member of the BLU team. He full well knew that Spy could look after himself.
But... He'd seen the impressive array of scars that their Spy had... And not all from his previous life. And at three AM in the morning, when you heard his yell of pain after Medic pulled a bullet from his shoulder...
Engineer sighed. "You'd better be safe, pal," he said to himself.
As he strode down the hallway, back towards his workshop, a black-suited figure watched him go, a smirk on his masked face…
FAILED CHAPTER!
And there you have it.
Sorry, no soldier bitch fight... yet. However, I did introduce a mysterious masked man! Aren't they fun!
Review?