Medic swore in German very often. I wish I'd been able to understand, because I would've like to use his language a few more times so my dad didn't understand what I was saying sometimes.

He swore, looking at my heart rate monitor, slapping the thing to see if it was wrong. It wasn't. My eyes were open, but he hadn't noticed. My breathing stayed the same, grateful to be back in a bed.

"Medic," I said quietly, looking down at an IV in my arm, a red serum pumping through it, "Yo, Doc, I'm awake.."

He startled, looking down at me. "Ja… zat is good. A start, at least, but you von't be awake for long if your heart rate doesn't go up a bit more. Shake your head around or somezing, try to get your heart working…"

I lifted up my arm and bobbed my head back and forth, but slowly… for some reason, I was restricted to my movements. I felt like someone was weighing me down. "Medic, I can't…"

"Sheisse," Medic swore, biting his lower lip and feeling my pulse in my neck with his fingers. "Zis is really bad…"

I grunted, forcing myself to sit up as he pulled away. "I can survive, Doc… what's wrong with me?"

"Uh… the shock impact, liebling. It threw you up and gravity forced you down. I'm surprised you're not dead… but I do believe your shoulder is broken, which I can fix during the next battle…"

The stars danced around my eyes as I looked around, sitting up. "Could, uh.. Doc? Could I maybe.. get a drink?" I could feel half ofm y face covered in bandages but at least my mouth was still fully operational.

"Ja," Medic replied, handing me a glass of water.

"Danke," I replied with a grin.

Medic smirked back at me, rubbing the top of my head as he walked away to write information down on my papers. "Ah, good… maybe you're going to be fine after all," Medic said after observing the change in the monitor. "Zis thing always works so slowly… We need to upgrade."

I nodded, slowly pushing my legs over the side of the bed. "IV?" I asked, holding my arm out to him.

"Keep it in. You'll want it."

"What is it?" I asked.

"It numbs the pain you're feeling, which is why you probably feel like you're being weighed down. Want me to take it away, now?"

I nodded. I didn't like needles anywhere near me, even if they were medical.

"Very well.."

When he did, though, I wanted to cry. My shoulder throbbed in needle-like pain that coursed through my body, and Medic made me remove my medical gown so he could bandage the bone in its place until the next battle. He also threw my left arm in a sling to keep it in place. It felt better, but my cuts and bruises were still sore to the touch, the burns from the explosion radiating heat off my skin.

"Scout seemed very concerned about you," Medic mused, rolling the IV fluid away from my bed. I stretched my free arm up, grasping towards the ceiling, and stood up, covered only by my bandages and the cotton gown Medic had to dress me in in order to patch up my broken body.

"I'm sorry to worry anyone," I stated sarcastically.

"No, really, he vas. So is your fahder."

"So what? Happens to everyone, right?"

"Payload blowing up and giving us a near-death experience? No, frau, you ver ze only one stupid enough to try to save our score." He chuckled to himself, patting me on the head. "Want a wheel chair?"

It hurt to stand up, but the stars began fading as I paced around slowly, limping gingerly, bare feet slapping against the tile floor. Something was amiss in my right hip. I rubbed at it, looking away from the Medic. "No, I can't wheel it. And I'm NOT about to have someone like Scout or my dad help me until the next battle."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged. "Feel free to stay here for ze night or return to your dorm. I can let your visitors in to check on you — zey have been patiently waiting for some time, now."

I returned to the medical bed and pulled the curtain around the bed. I flopped onto the bed. "Send them in," I agreed.

"Very well," Medic sighed, his footsteps clapping to the door and opening it, muttering something inaudible to whoever was outside.

I reclined in my bed, easing off of my hip as best as possible as Sniper and Scout peeled back the curtain to see me.

"Oh, God," Scout gasped, peering over from behind Sniper's torso. Sniper proceeded to push back the curtain and pulled up a chair by my head.

"Ow ya feel?" My dad asked quietly, reaching out to take my hand.

I smirked over at him. "What? You though a little payload explosion was gonna take me out?" I squeezed his hand, gesturing to my left arm in a sling. "This hurts like a fucker," I retorted blandly. "And I can't walk very well, but Medic will fix me up as soon as we go to battle again, when the Über's up and ready." My smile faltered a tiny bit as I shifted my weight on my hip again.

Scout stalked in behind my dad, standing over him, gazing down at me. He looked pale and nervous, shifting between his feet behind the sharpshooter. "Are ya gonna make it until the mornin'?" He asked quietly.

"'Course," I said, giggling a tiny bit. "And until then, Medic will be here with me, right, Medic?" I asked, looking over at Medic, who had returned to his desk.

"Ja," he said, not turning back to look at us. "Unless one of you boys wants to stay here vith her.." He implied that he wanted to actually get a few z's tonight.

"I can," Scout piped up before my dad even opened his mouth. My dad looked up at him, concerned, but said nothing. Scout replied, "I've got BONK!, Sniper. Seriously, I can do dis."

"Alroight," Sniper sighed, standing up. He let go of my hand slowly. "Gnight, hun."

I smiled up at my dad hopefully. "Love ya, daddy."

He winked back at me for a reply, then quietly exited with the Medic.

I looked up at Scout, who looked down at me for a few moments before taking Sniper's seat at the head of my bed. "So, uh…" He said, staring at the bandages that held my body together, "do ya want anything?"

I smiled at my friend, reaching out to take his hand. "I really want you to grab my gun from my belt and either give it to me or keep it with you if you're going to sit by me all night…"

He nodded, standing. "Where are dey? Your shorts, I mean…"

"Should be under my bed in a box or something," I grunted, laying fully on my back again.

Just as Scout was reaching under my bed, the lights flickered, then completely shut off, leaving the two of us in darkness.

"Damnit," Scout chirped, rummaging around in the box in the complete dark, pulling out my weapons, as well as a bottle of red Über pills. "Hey hey hey!" Scout said triumphantly, "what you're named after!"

The pills glowed in their clear container, only about 14 left from handing them out to teammates during the day when Medic wasn't able to get to them.

"Gimme those, I nearly forgot about them!" I reached out, snatching the bottle from Scout, immediately popping a few, the smallest scratches and bruises healing up quickly. "It's a little creepy.. with being in the complete dark and all," I said, biting my lower lip.

"Hang on, I think Germany keeps an arsenal down here somewhere… Lemme borrow your pills, Pilly, they're gonna be my light source for awhile."

I handed him the pills and sat back nervously, looking towards the door and hearing foot steps. "Hurry up, Scout! I think I hear yelling…" Then we heart gunshots, screaming… Oh God, it was a warzone again. "Scout, hurry up!" I held onto my gun and left behind my knives, rolling out of the bed painfully.

"I'm comin', I got a rifle with a light! Here, you're the sharpshooter, Pilly!"

"I only have one hand, dumbass!" I whispered loudly, limping over to the door.

"Well.. I can't—"

"Yes, you fucking can!" I muttered in a low, harsh tone. "If I can limp around the base to get away, God, I can only hope it's the BLUs and not some other maniacs, then you can shoot a goddamn sniping rifle!" We crouched by the door, my hip pain much less severe after taking the pills. "But I can't wait in here, Scout — They might get me."

Voices echoed outside the Medical bay; Spy, my father, Medic, Heavy — everyone within the explosions and bullets echoing.

"Find the Pill!" A Soldier's voice boomed.

"Shit, they're on to me!" I hissed. "Get the door, Scout! Open it , damnit! I'll give 'em what they want! Jesus!"

"Pill, no—"

"Do it!" I barked, cocking my 45 mil.

In a rush, Scout fumbled over the door handle, but got it open on my order. Adorned in only my gown and bandages, I rushed out, taking my one-armed aim cautiously, following the explosions.

"DON'T DO IT, PILL!" I heard my dad's voice shout, "Pill, DON'T! —"

His cutoff was completed by a wacking noise.

"Pill, we can't!" Scout hissed at me, his flashlight moving through the pitch-black corridor, scanning the area. "At least… Here, you cover me, I'm goin' ahead."

"We go together," I insisted, nudging him with my slung-up elbow as the explosions ceased. I got annoyed with the sling as we began to near a corridor intersection, so I threw it off, agreeing to the slight annoying twang of hurt that moved in my shoulder.

"Pill, Scout…" Medic's voice rung out loud and clear, "Come to ze gates… and no one else gets hurt…"

"That's BLU," I recognized, moving to grip my gun with two hands, trying to ignore the cold desert air whisking through my cotton gown, moving up my legs. "They must have the others!"

"Pill, no!"

I began limping faster to the gate, desperate to do anything. Scout followed in quick succession, his beaming light on the sniping rifle guiding my way. We came to a corner near the gates, listening in on what the BLUs were saying to our fellow REDs.

"She's snarky," the BLU Scout sneered, "thinks she can do anythin'. I wouldn't be surprised if she tried t'kill us… but I doubt that payload explosion left her very..mobile." He chuckled, cocking his gun.

"Ve know you are hiding," The Medic yelled out, his footsteps coming towards us. "And ve 'ave your fahzer and ze Engineer and ze Medic, oh, look, ze Demoman… Dumpkoff… And ve 'ave men on every one of them, guns locked and loaded. If you step out… no one else gets hurt. Your fahzer is unconscious because of his lack od discipline… you should honestly train zat bushman…"

"Don't do it, Pill!" The Engineer yelled out, and was promptly beaten with a back, Scout jeering the entire time.

I cringed, looking back at Scout. I wanted to cry, wanted to run away… But my team needed me now more than ever.

"Scout," I whispered in his ear, "you need to shoot the guy with my dad, I'll take care of the guy with Demo and Medic and your brother…"

"Y'gonna kill 'em?"

"No, idiot, I'm just going to make him immobile," I growled, turning back to the BLU team's talking. "Alright," I said loudly, standing up and stepping out into the blue.

Shit. There were more than I'd expected. And they were all armed.. the REDs were disarmed, guns pointed at their heads by the BLUs. Scout and I couldn't go through with our plan if we wanted to keep our men alive…

"Ah.. ze infamous Pill…" The Medic mused, first looking back at his counterpart, the only captured RED still awake, then to me. "Drop your weapon, or ze Medic dies."

Medic's eyes got wide as he looked across the room to me, shaking his head, begging me to fight the BLU. I glared up at BLU, growling between my teeth, and dropped my precious, pink - camo pistol.

"What the hell do you want?" I hissed, clutching my shoulder as a sudden sting of pain erupted.

"Your life, your skills, your information, it's very simple. Ve… vant you, Pill."

His words were colder than his eyes, which bore into mine steadily, looking for signs of weakness and insecurity. Half of my face still bandages, I imagined I looked pretty fucked up.

"Zat payload didn't do you any favors, did it?"

"Back off, sister," I growled, taking a step towards him, standing up tall. "I'm not hurting."

"I suppose you wear zose bandages for fun?"

I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists. "Take what you came for, then, but leave the others unscathed, swine. I'll go with you, but you can't hurt my team."

BLU Medic leaned forward, his face inches from me. "Or…vat, may I ask?"

I looked down at my bare feet, ankles wrapped in bandages with the gown just barely touching mid-calf, swaying in the incoming breeze. It wasn't so cold anymore, but it was enough to make me wish I had pants on.

When I turned my eyes up to him again, I couldn't think of a good threat that I'd actually carry out, so I bluffed.

"You die," I said simply. "It's as easy as one bullet between the eyes, and I know exactly who's going to deliver it."

"Yourself, no doubt," the Medic cackled, gripping his fingers on my shoulder, squeezing until the blood surfaced to the bandages. I grunted, withering under his grasp, making any noises to make him think that I wasn't going to back down.

"Now, vile your attention is on me, listen to my vords. You vill come vith us, and you vill never see your friends again, understood? And you vill not complain at all. Got it?" He let go of my shoulder once I nodded, still growling rabidly at him.

As I nodded, the Soldier, Demoman, Scout, and Pyro standing behind the captured REDs began to back away, heading out of the broken-down gate. I began to follow them out, but I looked back, realizing the bodies were gone, now. My brow furrowed, I turned forward again, realizing our Heavy and Medic were sprinting towards the group of the BLUs, firing at will, Scout and Pyro advancing with them, injuring the BLUs in crazed havoc.

"Pill, run!" Scout shouted, beating his bat into his brother's knees.

I turned to run, my legs slow and unreliable. I should've known that would've happened. I found myself being scooped up into BLU Medic's arms, my torso over his shoulder as he gripped around my waist, shouting at the BLU Sniper to start up the van. Medic through me into the camper, locking the doors quickly. I landed with a hard thud, but rushed to the curtained window to see whatever I could.

RED Medic had BLU cornered, a syringe gun pressed to his neck, but the BLU Spy shot the Medic in my leg, causing him to writhe in pain, howling like a wolf as he collapsed.

"NO!" I screamed, pounding at the window, throwing myself against the sealed door in vain, screaming out to my team, screaming out in pain, stomping my foot angrily against the cold floor. This…van… was much more..empty… than my father's… It wasn't even really an RV — it was too empty. It was just… a van.

We drove for some time. After I'd given up on throwing myself against the walls, I hunkered down in a corner, back pressed against the conjoining walls as I talked myself through the dark journey. Through swerving streets and bumpy backroads, the van finally came to a jolting stop. When Medic and Sniper opened the van door to collect me, I didn't move.

"Come, Pill, your new home—"

"It will never be my home," I grunted, turning my aching back to the pair.

"Come out before I fill your stomach with my syringe gun," Medic threatened, clicking his gun into place behind my back.

Needles….

I slowly struggled to stand again, my legs wobbly from the nervousness. I trudged across the van to the Sniper and Medic, gagging at their faces and how closely they resembled my team… God, I hated them.

Sniper led the way while Medic followed, his gun pressed against my back. We marched into the BLU base and down many flights of stairs, earning me a light head and swooning body, where Medic threw me into a barred cell and stepped in with me, locking the door behind him.

From the ground, I glared up at the teetering Medic, eyes damp with forming tears, tears I refused to let fall. I growled like a dog plagued with rabies, rolling onto my side and sitting up.

"What the hell do you want…"

"Now, vith you gone from ze RED team, ze teams are balanced and fair… no more cheating. No more advantages for zem… it's our turn now.."

I rolled my eyes.

"Is someone being a baby?" I asked, "Crying over not having an extra player? Oh, what a sob story…" I snapped quickly after that statement of sarcasm, "Well that's fucking life, you German sausage!"

"Oh, you're going to vish you never said zat…"

Medic raised up a bone saw and a bat, poised for action. I instinctively flinched, unprepared to take the undeserved beating.