DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A WORK OF FAN-FICTION NOTHING MORE. TEAM FORTRESS 2 BELONGS TO VALVE CORPORATION.
Names: (Story was started on 29 November 2010, not all characters have been named hence the need to come up with own names)
Spy: Andre
Heavy: Sokov
Sniper: Nigel
Soldier: Jane Doe (as stated in Team Fortress Wiki)
Medic: Landric Metzger
Demoman: Tavish DeGroot (as stated in Team Fortress Wiki)
Engineer: Dell Conagher (as stated in Team Fortress Wiki)
Pyro: Pyro
Scout: Dillan
OC: Toskia Van der Meer
BOOSTER
CHAPTER 10
A Team Fortress 2 Fan-fic
"You've fallen inta' my arms partner! Now get offa' me, I need to go check the brakes of this here machine! C'mon Tavish." he said, trying to get himself away from the one-eyed Scotsman. "I've got to go see what's happened to the brakes of this goddamn train!"
The drunkard replied with something completely unrelated and nonsensical. "I saw a coo' jump over' the moon!"
"A cow jump over the moon?" Dell repeated with Tavish in his arms. "Get offa' me!"
"I think I'm in love wi' ya!" Tavish looked up at the Engineer and fluttered his one eye.
"EW!" Dell yelled with a panicked and disgusted expression showing his lower teeth. "Lan' sakes get offa' me!" Dell said, his voice cracking.
Andre was laughing, and then came to Dell's rescue. "Come now mon drunken ami." He tried to pry Tavish loose from Dell. For a drunk person he had a strong grip...
Landric was smirking at the sight, and then turned away. He was worried for Toskia. His logical side told him she was more than capable of taking care of herself, a little thing like this would not get her injured. But the emotional side felt protective.
Landric stopped in his tracks nearly bumping headfirst into Sokov.
"Sokov, where is Toskia?" he asked looking up attentively.
"Huh? Oh." The Heavy seemed to be moving slower than usual. Perhaps he was tired from the day's arduous tests. Landric frowned, but how odd that his mind seemed to be working slower as well.
After a few moments Landric spoke up again. "Where is Toskia?" He tried to see behind Sokov, but he was too tall and broad.
"Dutch girl? No, not seen her." Sokov still did not move, and stood at the very same spot.
Growing impatient, and knowing that Toskia was surely on the train towards the back perhaps... he irritably tried to get past Sokov. "Let me pass bitte."
"With pleasure." Sokov very slowly leaned to the side, with the speed of a very large tree being felled.
With difficulty the Medic squeezed through. He strode through the train looking here and there.
"Nigel where is Toskia?" Landric asked, staring impatiently at the Australian who looked as though he was half-asleep.
"Pardon... doc?" he yawned and stretched.
Landric wondered why it felt as though suddenly everyone had been affected by spontaneous down's syndrome. He dismissed the Australian with a grunt and went all the way to the last train car. She was nowhere to be seen.
Nigel called from behind at the last moment, "Mate? I think the sheila went off with Dillan. Jumped off the train."
Landric sighed loudly wondering why the man did not tell him earlier saving him the trouble.
•••••••••••••••••
Dillan and Toskia walked quickly through the crowded streets.
"Toskia, ovah' there!" He pointed. "C'mon over there!"
As night was pleasantly falling, the cinema's yellow lights could be seen clearly along the other low town buildings among the glowing street lamps. "Hello Dolly." The sign read.
Dillan said jostling through the crowd with Toskia, "we have ta' be quick though. I think Dell will be able to fix up the train fast."
"He won't be able to without this." Toskia spoke loudly through the chatter of the crowds of frolicking people around the area, and showed the Scout a large and heavy wrench.
Dillan wore a crooked grin and shook his head in approval. "I don't know how he's gonna react though..."
"We shall find out later. For now, the film reel." She put the wrench back into the large pocket of her coveralls.
•••••••••••••
A LONG TIME AGO IN YESTERYEAR...
It is in the clinic of the facility, Toskia is laying on an examination table. Her surgical gown pulled up exposing her white legs. Dr. Metzger is there removing her stitches.
"Does it still hurt my girl?" The surgeon asked, gently pressing her thigh with his warm hand.
"A little." she replied.
He looked at her as he worked with his thin stainless steel scissors, snipping the threads woven into her healing skin slowly and carefully. She was so young, he felt as though he had stolen her from her family, and damaged her.
"Can I hold your hand betreuer?" she asked. She turned her head on the table to the side he was standing at to face him.
He said gently, "but if you hold my hand my dear how can I remove your stitches?"
His female patient responded by uncertainly stretching out her hand and feeling for his waist, sticking her fingers into his belt and held it firmly. She closed her eyes and began to doze off, slipping away as if being carried off by fog from the painkillers.
With a pair of forceps, Landric pulled out the bits of surgical thread. So many more stitches to remove. He paused one moment, and looked at his work. The healing scars looked like the natural striations of the muscles. It was beautiful, the scars looked abit like a biological chart showing the muscle groups beneath the skin of the human being. Of course the effect was entirely unintentional, Landric was merely enhancing the major muscles he saw fit.
He continued with his work, her slender fingers still were holding onto his leather belt, but was slightly looser. She was falling asleep.
She whispered something in Dutch of which Landric did not understand. ("In deze wereld bent u de enige die ik vertrouw.")
He laid his hand for a moment onto her soft, pink cheek to comfort her, thinking she was saying how much in pain she was, or how frightened she was of all this.
He tenderly looked at her after he had cut all the stitches, and then he picked up the forceps again to pull out the cut stitches sticking out from her fair skin. She was not a child, yet not a grown woman. He cared for her very much and constantly fussed and worried about her like a doting parent, or a gardener worrying about his most fragile flowers.
She murmured again, just before her hand fell away from his belt. "Alleen jij."
Landric thought about her harmless crush on him. His gaze raved from her pale exposed skin, to her more private and secret of areas, of what he had seen before beneath her clothing during check-ups. He wondered what would be like to feel the forbidden inside of her warm mouth with his tongue. He clenched his hands, thinking how might it be like to touch her in a non professional or medical manner. He opened his mouth to breath better blinking his glazed grey eyes.
The doctor coughed suddenly. He instinctively pushed his glasses up his nose, and guiltily pushed the disgusting thought from his head.
••••••••••••••••••••
BACK TO THE PRESENT...
Dell sighed in relief. It took a few minutes to get Tavish off his body, and when he did, Tavish clung tightly onto his denim overalls. He was muttering drunken love confessions which made Dell cringe and his skin crawl.
Dell was standing outside, and he turned back to see Tavish saying something to a very amused Andre. Dell shook his head at the merry-maker's prank.
He went to the front of the train and looked at it. There was something jammed into the brake. It was a pebble tightly wedged in there. Theoretically it could have gotten in there by chance, but it was so unlikely...
Where the heck was his trusty wrench anyway?
••••••••••••••
Toskia had already entered the dark storeroom of the cinema and was walking among the dusty shelves looking at the numerous circular metal cases holding the reels and reels of film.
No Hello Dolly.
They probably were all presently being played in the theatres, or already loaded onto the projectors.
"Toskia?" asked Dillan quietly. "After we get the film, can we steal the popcorn cart?"
She was impressed that the young man could be quiet if he wanted to. But she could tell it was not easy for him. He had the manner of a jack-in-a-box, ready to spring at any moment.
She mused out loud. "Why would we want to–"
"For Pyro man! He loves movies! Y'know last I heard he ain't never gone to a real cinema to watch a flicker show b'fore. Because of his, you know..." Dillan fumbled with the correct words, but made Toskia understand by swiftly gesturing at his face.
"Fair enough. Pyro would like it. Steal the popcorn cart... which one, the one at the entrance or the one inside at the lobby?"
"You're the brains of this outfit man, I bash people up good but don't know nothin' about stealing."
She put her fist on her chin thinking for a moment. She said, "Let us go and steal the film reel first. To the projector rooms..."
•••••••••••••••••
Dell sighed. He wondered, it was completely unlike him to misplace his tools, where was his wrench? He sat down in the conductor's seat in the engine room.
Andre with his intuition and sharpness, said he thought the train stopping had something to do with Toskia. Why he could not imagine clearly. Perhaps she needed to get something. Still, he thought that he might as well leave the train for an hour or so, and continue his conversation with Landric.
The Spy and the Medic went out, and sat at a small café just outside the train station. It was right next to the main street, with a good view of the town and people walking by. The warm sun had completely gone down now, and the cold white stars and moon were just beginning to appear from where they usually hid in the day.
They sat with other customers, at small round tables with wicker chairs. Theirs was right on the cobblestone street itself.
"So Landric. Do you want to continue our conversation?" asked the Spy. He leaned back after taking a sip of his strong coffee.
The Medic pulled his wicker chair closer to the table and leaned in with both elbows upon it. "You are so persistent."
"But of course." Andre watched him expectantly. He had removed his balaclava before they came to the café, lest the townsfolk think him a robber in a suit.
The doctor said looking at him, "I see the lady killer from the description of your dossier."
Andre playfully scoffed. "It is not all about looks, my good doctor. A man can have none and still be successful in seducing women."
Landric said, his voice softer. "I don't know about Toskia... I... The age gap..."
"What age gap?"
"She is so young." Landric said frowning looking up at Andre's devastatingly handsome face.
Andre's face was now complimented with a quizzical expression. "Young?" As Landric closed his eyes and picked up his black coffee to drink Andre told him, "I think you have her confused with the child you worked on over a decade ago."
Landric swallowed the strong bitter coffee enjoying its long finish. "Ja. I think zo. I can't... I can't touch her witzhout seeing that girl she was. I..."
"I?" Andre raised his eyebrows expectantly. "I what?"
"I am not a pedophile!" Landric said, anxiously widening his eyes one moment and looking into space.
Andre picked up his coffee cup and brought it to his lips taking another sip before calmly placing it back onto the table to say, "I see that zhe new team mate is a woman in her prime. A mutual killer like all of us."
Landric was stirring his black coffee distractedly.
"You are guilty because of zhis?"
The doctor bit his bottom lip and blinked a few times, once again in thought and deep self-reflection. Andre could see alot of confusion and conflicting thoughts within the German, the physical tells were obvious to him since he was a trained and very sensitive profiler. He also saw alot of stress. What was taught to him as a spy was right, when emotions were involved, people immediately knew less about themselves. When emotional, people could be transformed into someone else entirely. They could be pushed to do things they usually would not. It was why Andre decided to allow this matter to rest for the time being.
The two friends continued drinking their coffee. The people around them getting more comfortable and chatty with their company as the night came forward into their beings.
•••••••••••••••••
Four unconscious people were propped up against the wall in the projector room, the light coming from the projector flickering while the movie played.
"I think this is all of the staff here." said Toskia, crouching by one of the unconscious people wearing the smart uniform of the cinema.
"No, let me go get the security guard." offered Dillan, without even waiting for Toskia to reply to that offer.
As the Scout swaggered confidently out the door of the projector room she called after him in a bewildered manner, "you mean these days they actually have security guards for cinemas?"
"It's to make sure people my generation don't cause a ruckus."
Toskia shook her head to herself alone in the room. She came to the conclusion that she once she had left the Blue team as a mercenary she would have to take a year or so to wander about among people and places.
A moment later Dillan returned brushing something off his pants, "So now what?" He sniffed and wiped his nose.
As the movie played, Toskia said her eyes directed upwards as she reassessed her plans, "we have two options. I favour the second. I shall just take the film reel, and announce to the theatre that there has been a technical difficulty, and that it will take fifteen minutes to fix it."
"We'll get the popcorn cart right?" Dillan eagerly reminded her, his face lit by the dimly flashing projector.
"Yes we will." Toskia continued, "It will buy us... I think at least thirty minutes to get back to the train station. By the time the people are at the front desk demanding their money back, we will be long gone."
"What was the first plan?"
"The first plan was that you enter the cinema screaming that there is a fire. Not good."
"Oh."
•••••••••••••••••••••
"I think I vill be fine." Landric said, finishing his coffee.
"You will." Andre said, patting his friend's shoulder.
"We have been here long enough, we should go back." Landric insisted to pay the bill.
Andre laughed and teased, "Oui. Your love interest should be back on the train by now."
Landric was about to give a clever retort, when something caught his eye. Moving through the noisy crowd on the street was Toskia and Dillan, both wearing red and white striped suits which fitted them poorly, pushing a popcorn cart. He could see them clearly from the way the electric bulb inside the glass cabinet holding the popcorn lit their faces with its light.
Andre was quick to notice what was so interesting that Landric was staring at. For a few seconds they sat there following their movement with their heads, before exchanging glances and getting off their wicker chairs to follow at a distance their team mates disguised as popcorn vendors.
At the train station, Toskia and Dillan seemed to act completely natural even with the rest of the Blue team giving them questioning looks while they grinned, wheeling the wooden popcorn cart into the back of the train.
Toskia then formally returned Dell his wrench and apologised for her little prank. She refused to answer any questions asked, until the train was running again.
As the train sped along, Toskia found Landric sitting with Andre in a carriage compartment. She had already changed back into her coveralls, and said "hello" as she stood there at the door.
"Please join us." invited the Spy.
She paused a moment staring at Andre's unmasked face and then sat next to Landric. She complimented the Spy, "with looks like yours I cannot imagine why you would want to cover your face."
"Oh, I cover my face because of vanity." Andre replied silkily with a smile.
She laughed at the answer, with its witty play on contradictory elements.
"Will you tell us now what is zhe popcorn cart sitting in zhe back of zhe train is for?" asked Andre animatedly. "Zhat was crazy."
"I would like to give myself the credit for coming up with the idea, but it was Dillan's. He thought it would make a good gift for Firebug." she explained, sighing in relief from getting out of that ridiculous red and white striped uniform.
The Medic remained still and silent, his expression controlled and unreadable.
"Please tell me zhat you–" Andre began his gaze calculative, his pleasantly shaped brows furrowed.
"Yes, no traces. It would look just like petty theft." confirmed Toskia raising both her hands up. "It is in the interest of the team that our members are all mentally and emotionally sound. This will make Pyro happy."
••••••••••••
"MMmmmpphh mmpphh?"
"Aye boyo, feelin' any better noe?" The Demoman shook his friend with his dark hands.
They were in the infirmary, and Pyro was just beginning to wake up. He said something muffled to Tavish, pretending to wring his neck. The eye-patched Demoman apologised and helped Pyro up and brought him to the recreational room where the projector was already loaded with the film reel of Hello Dolly.
All events of the day forgotten, Pyro clapped his hands and laughed at the sight of the popcorn cart.
"Hhhmm hhh hhhmmooo dhhhlllee!" He raised his hands and jumped for joy.
"Yeah." Nigel said. "Toskia got it for you. She stole the reel from the local cinema."
"Opph mmhhy hhggodd." he said. Turning to face Toskia.
"Yeah, but what the heck, it's hee're already mates. Let's just watch it."
Sokov had already found out how the thing operated, and was popping the corn, the yellow and golden brown morsels falling from the metal pot inside the glass cabinet. The fresh smell of it filling the recreational room. He shovelled it into the striped open-top cardboard boxes he folded from the cart.
Naturally they placed Pyro right up in front. He sat there, watching Hello Dolly and listening to the cheerful music holding his popcorn with both hands giving him a child-like countenance. The expression upon his rubber fume mask permanently the same, but surely beneath his flashing glass housefly eyes and snout he wore a bright smile.
•••••••••••••••••
The Medic sat in his office joining the infirmary. Half-way through the musical he escaped. He was unsettled and in no mood to watch it. He was thinking about Toskia and was wondering what was wrong with him. Her presence seemed to grow ever stronger, all she needed to do was just be in the same room and that was it, he was finished. As a psychologist he knew, he needed to come to terms with himself. He would have to look closely why he was feeling so many conflicting emotions about her at the same time. Guilt, affection, fear and... love? But not tonight...
The Medic felt a familiar craving– he needed his drugs. This vice would make him feel better.
Perhaps he would take ketamine.
A mad and stupid thought entered his troubled mind. Maybe he might try and overdose, and literally die happy. He held a small bottle of the drug in his gloved hand, turning it over and looking at the crystal clear liquid within it.
He blinked. No, he would use a low and safe dose. He filled the syringe, and was about to inject it into himself when of course she had to come find him.
When Toskia entered the room he had already given it to himself, in that spur of the moment. He was looking up at her, his stricken eyes wide and with the expression of being caught red-handed with misconduct. He pulled out the needle from his skin and laid the glass syringe aside.
"Betreuer..."
She stood there looking at him. He was already leaning forward onto his desk, his chest heaving. The door was locked, but she picked it, and came in upon this scene.
He said. "Sorry..."
Toskia snatched the bottle from the table and read it. Well, at least it was not poison. She stood there staring at him, how much he had taken she did not know, and was immediately worried that he had overdosed. No, he was not so reckless as that.
Now he had his face resting on the table. His eyes looking as though they were sightless.
"Betreuer. I was hoping to come find you and talk to you. Now you have done this to yourself." She knew that he surely could not hear her clearly. He seemed to respond by blinking once with his half-closed eyes.
She came to his side, and gently shook him. His soft lips moved, as though he wanted to say something.
Suddenly there was the sound of light footsteps. By reflex Toskia strode to the door and quickly locked it. She would not allow anyone to see her Betreuer in this present wretched state, she wanted to protect him from humiliation and preserve his dignity as the team's doctor.
Through the wooden shutters, she saw who it was. It was Nigel. Perhaps he had followed her here. Predictably he knocked tentatively on the door. ("Toskia? You in there?")
Toskia gave out a sound of exasperation. He was supposed to be with everyone else watching the movie! Was she so obvious leaving the room?
Her light blue eyes moved to the open window behind Landric's desk. She waved her hand in front of Landric's face, he did not react. Toskia sighed, and gently closed Landric's blank grey eyes, before easily heaving his body onto her strong shoulder. She folded Landric's glasses and put them in her pocket, then stoically climbed out of the open window.
•••••••••••••••••
End of Chapter 10