[author's note] the usual – translations at the bottom [/author's note]

Snowbowl 12 – Fragments

Soldier was pacing up and down, and only stopped when he checked his watch.

"Aye, Mother o' Mercy! Could yer just sit down, lad? Ye gonna make me crazy with ye walkin'!" The Demoman hadn't grumbled for the first time within the last two hours at their leader, but as before he was ignored. Both their faces showed signs of anger and worry, and so did their team-mates'.

Another quarrel was about to start, taking turns with absolute silence. They had tried to discuss the recent events, but failed as there were too many questions only the Medic could answer. After all, no one knew what really happened. After they had heard the Sniper's cries for help they had interrupted a rather relaxed leisure time. At once they had come aware that they had let their guard down. Although the Spy had warned them, although they all had been suspicious of Smith and his men from the very beginning the seemingly peaceful, cozy surroundings had tempted them and they hadn't even noticed.

When they had found the Australian next to the unconscious Medic Soldier had ordered them to check the compartments at once, but the search was without any results. Sniper hadn't much to report as well. The corridor was dark, and we he had opened the door to the small room, all he had seen was an unknown figure kneeling beside the German, and once the stranger saw him, he pushed the Sniper out of the way and vanished before he could react at all. Besides, he was too much focused on the Medic.

Now, Sniper looked even more worn out than the others.

"Here, man, have one." Scout handed him a cup with hot, steaming coffee. Surprised, he looked up at the boy. "Thank ya, boy. Got ya eyes back, eh?" But Scout shook his head.

"N... not completely, got better a few hours ago suddenly. Can make out more shapes, yeah, but it's still kinda blurry and too bright. But am not really blind, that's right."

"Why didn't ya tell us?" Sniper wondered, Scout only shrugged.

"Not the best timing, I guess, ain't it?"

Before the Australian could ask more questions, the door opened. Medic was finally able to move again, but he was still weakened, so Pyro supported him when they entered.

"Good you are back!" Heavy more shouted than spoke. "Here, Doctor, have seat." He stood up at once. "Better you are, da? How could this happen?"

"Heavy!" Soldier barked. "Stop yipping like a puppy, leave the man alone." But the Medic smiled faintly. "Zhank you Soldier, it is good. Zhank you for your concern, Heavy. Everyone." He looked at them, troubled. The worried glances directed at him right now didn't escape him, and gave him an impression of what a pathetic sight he must be right now.

Indeed everyone was glad their Medic was back with them and more or less alright, but there was something with his face. He was very pale, his eyes red, but the worst were the shadows that seemed to haunt his expression. Whatever had happened, it was more than a physical attack, that was obvious.

The German sighed. "Did you... could you... find him..?"

"No, I'm sorry, Medic." Soldier shook his head. "We checked three wagons, but when we tried to leave for the fourth, Smith's men stopped us, reassuring us they didn't notice anything strange."

"Well," Engineer added, "We didn't tell them exactly what happened. Just 'bout we thought we saw someone leaving. Had a bad feelin' ta let them know..."

"So Smizh vas not informed? Or called?" Medic threw in.

Again, Soldier shook his head. "No. I'm positive he's behind this anyway. He will come and see us sooner or later, and I'm curious if he has anything to say about it or if he pretends to know nothing. Anyway, Medic, what can you tell us? What happened? Pyro said you probably were drugged and sedated, but he couldn't tell how. Don't blame yaself, boy." he quickly added when he saw how the masked man looked to the floor, his posture telling he felt bad he couldn't help more. "You did your best. After all, you are a Pyro, not a doctor. So?" He turned back to the German, who flinched when he remembered. The memory was bad enough, and he didn't feel like he was ready to talk about it. But he had to.

"Vell... Somehow I drank or ate a hallucinogenic zhat took effect vhile I vas alone, vaiting for Spy. First, I zhought I vas dreaming, vhen I felt zhe pain at my zhroat vas all too real." Unconsciously his hand touched his throat. Dark blue marks covered the skin. "I couldn't see vell, I don't know vho it vas, I'm sorry. He... he said he vouldn't kill me right now, zhen zhere vas zhe sting in my arm, after zhat... I can't remember... until I heard his voice..." He nodded at the Sniper. The man's worried stare unsettled him, and he looked back at Soldier. "Zhen... I passed out again. I'm sorry, I cannot tell you more, I..."

"Nah, it's okay, buddy." Engineer reassured him. "Don't trouble yaself, 'kay? Any idea about the drug, how and when did ya take it?"

Medic shrugged. "I don't know. Most... most drugs like zhat have a strong smell or flavour. I drank vater zhis evening, so I vould have noticed."

"Alors, Monsieur Medic, so it was in ze food, maybe? Moi, I zink we have to ask les questions – did le attacker go after you? Was it.. how you say, personal? Or was he seizing la opportunity to meet you alone?" Spy wondered while fondling with his cigarette case, taking out a cigarette, and putting it back again.

"I have no idea." Medic admitted, though hesitating for a second. He remembered every word the stranger said to him, and he definitely knew about his past, the German was sure about that. But for some reason he was unable to bring himself to tell the others about it. Too many questions would arise, and he didn't want to answer them.

"Spy think good." Now leaning against the wall, the Heavy had listened to the conversation silently so far. "Who in danger is we need to know. Leetle Medic or whole team. Answer to enemy us will lead. Or enemy lead to answer. What first will happen..."

Medic gazed at him thoughtfully. "Aside from zhe 'vhy'... Do ve have any hint vho could be behind zhis? Smizh himself? One of zhe men? He vasn't an amateur, zhis man, he knew vhat he vas doing, and he vas strong..."

The others looked at each other.

"Ye know... thought 'bout it meeself, lad." Demo answered slowly. "Mebbe another assassin, kinda the backstabbin' way like our sneak's here, an' he wasn't here..."

"Ya certainly ain't sayin' it was one of us, Demo?" Engineer interrupted, shocked.

"Alors, certainly moi n'est pas...!"

"Hey hey hey, stop that crap, cyclops!" Scout shouted angrily. "Whaddya talkin' about, before blamin' a team mate, think, god damn! Spy got out through the opposite door, and he was takin' a shower!"

"And ye watched him, blind as a mole ye are, eh, kid?" the Demo snapped back.

The Scout blushed, but didn't yield. "'course not, but heard him, that is, the water... what's ya big idea, moron, he climbed through the drain?"

"Merci, mon Scout, but I'm sure our friend is not serious, 'e is joking. Or do you really suspect moi, Monsieur Demo?" Spy spoke again, while ruffling the boy's hair.

"Gah, of course not, Spah." Demo made an apologizing gesture. "Just loud thinkin', and the lad's defense kinda challenged me. Don't mind me ramblin', 'kay, old boy?"

"Mais oui, apology accepted, Demo. We are all very excited, non? With our Medic almost dead..."

"I wish we could find the bloody asshole." the Sniper suddenly growled, his voice dangerously low.

"We will, mon ami, we will." Finally Spy put the metallic case away and patted the Australian on the shoulder. "How shall we proceed, Monsieur Soldier?"

"With the outmost vigilance! I want everyone to be extremely careful, you got me? No walking around alone, and that's final! I repeat: No. Walking. Around. Alone! Spy, your mission is canceled." Soldier ignored the French's words of protest and continued. "Secure the doors and windows, we check again for bugs, trapdoors, whatever there could be. I don't want another thing like this to happen again. Medic, I know you probably prefer to rest somewhere quiet, but I want you to stay with us. It is too dangerous to have one person guard you alone, and I don't want to separate more men than necessary from the group."

"I do not mind, Herr Soldier. I vill help, but I have one request: I vould like to return to zhe storage room, maybe I can find somezhing helpful." the Medic asked, the idea of sleeping more, or worse, not sleeping and being overrun by more memories was too unpleasant.

The Soldier thought about this for a moment, finally, he agreed. "Alright. Sniper and Pyro will go with you. But you return within 30 Minutes, understood? Do you want to go now?"

x x x x x x

"'at 'uu 'ou 'ope t' 'ind, 'edic?" Pyro looked around. The small room was in disorder, files, bottles, ammunition, small boxes and other items covered the floor, one of the shelves hung lopsided, only held by one nail, on the wall. Pieces of broken glass lay on the ground, some of the papers were sodden by water.

"Somezhing." was the mumbled answer. Medic searched the floor, wishing he were alone, but was also glad he wasn't. He kneeled down and picked up a small item. In his hand he held an empty syringe.

"Vizh zhis he injected zhe anesthetic..."

Sniper looked over the Medic's shoulder. The needle of the syringe had been bent, a sign of the force that had been used to push it into the flesh. His expression grew even grimmer.

"Bloody asshole alright..." he started, but Medic stopped him with a wave of his free hand.

"Zhis von't help." Carefully, he inspected the bottle that still stood on the table. He was surprised it wasn't broken as well. The liquid inside revealed nothing suspicious, the smell was harmless. Water. Yet he didn't dare to test the flavour. Although he was quite certain what had caused the hallucinations he preferred to be careful. Then his eyes spotted something else.

"Vhat is zhis? Zhis does not belong to my equipment!" With a frown he pointed at a small flask that lay innocently between other phials and small bottles. It was the only one with a yellowish label. Sniper picked it up and read the handwritten words out loud.

"With warmest regards from my own laboratory. Don't forget me until we meet again."

Medic tried to suppress a shiver, but failed. Suddenly he felt they were watched all the time. But when he looked around, he couldn't see anything, no little window or crack, no sign of bugs. The door was closed and without a keyhole. He took the little flask from Sniper's hand and opened it.

"Odorless." he stated, and poured a few drops on his hand and rubbed it between his fingers. "Looks and feels like water, but..."

"'aybe t'is is 'se 'pson? 'edic? 'ullo?" Pyro put his hand on the Medic's arm and shook him slightly.

"Vhat? Oh. Sorry. Vhat did you ask?"

"Our little arsonist wonders if this is the drug. Are ya alright?" Sniper snatched the bottle from the German's hands. "Looks like water. Whaddya think, if ya want, I'll try..."

"NEIN! I mean," he added, forcing himself to stay calm when he took the flask back. "I mean no, I do not vant zhat. Zhis little gift from our... friend... if zhis is zhe drug ve better not drink it. Ve do not know about the concentration. Maybe zhis is harmless. Maybe... a few pure drops vill kill you. Let's go back. I feel tired."

They forgot about the flask and any exhaustion when a sudden sound of an explosion made them jump.

x x x x x x x

At once they ran back to their main compartment and opened the door. The other team-members stood there, almost hidden by a cloud of smoke, coughing, exchanging loud exclamations of surprise and anger.

"QUIET! CALM DOWN!" Soldier tried to call them to order.

"Demo, Spy, are ya alright?" both the Scout and Engineer shouted.

"Vhat zhe hell happened?" Medic gasped for air, too, when he ran over to the Demoman who kneeled next to the fireplace, his face covered with blood.

"Aye," the Scotsman coughed. "Me is fine, just some scratches. Open the bloody window!"

Heavy had already loosened the latch and soon fresh air streamed inside.

"Spy, ya okay?" The Sniper walked over to the French who hadn't moved at all the last minute. His hand was close to his face, like he was holding an invisible cigarette.

"Eh... oui, oui. Je suis fine... but how... everything, it happened fast..." the Spy stammered.

Pyro had run to the fireplace and put out the flames before they could set the interior ablaze. "'ome'ing 'xlode 'side 'ere 'nd 'aged 'ven 'e 'tones. Demo?" the short man asked while taking care to extinguish even the faintest spark.

"See, Doc? Nothin' serious." Demo shoved the Medic's hands aside, who nodded. It looked worse than it was, the Demo was lucky, he was only hit by some splinters and sparks, his skin was only hurt on the surface.

"All me knows is I smelled somethin' nice when ol' Spah lightened his coffin nail. Not strong at first, mind ye, but suddenly me realized why me knows the smell. Some of me components me uses fer my explosives smell like this, and before me was thinkin' I snatched that bloody ciggy from his face and threw eet into the fire, next thing happened... well, ye heard it, ain't ye?"

"God damned..." An unusual, bewildered expression fell over the Soldier's features. "Well, this should clear any doubts about Spy's loyalty. And now we know for sure – whoever was after Medic, he's probably after all of us. And he is dangerous. Demo, please have a look at all our ammunition, cigarettes... well, everything that could go boom when ignited or exposed to heat. Everyone, get your weapons ready. And I want to have a word with that Smith..."

"Oh my, oh my, look at this mess, my poor, beautiful spare saloon, how did it suffer..."

Everyone turned around. Smith himself had just entered the room, his smile more fake than usual.

"Dear friends, what could have caused this commotion..."

But Scout didn't let him finish. "Shut up, ya fake! YOU are behind this, stop shittin' us...!"

"Leetle Scout calm down he should." Heavy caught the boy with his large arms before he could attack the smiling man. "Beating him of no use is now. But right the youth is, da. What is answer, Smith?" the big Russian growled.

The man looked aghast. "Why, my friends, what are you talking about? I was just talking to my men about the journey and how we could improve things for you, when I heard this disgusting noise. Here I am, wondering if I could be of any help, and how do you thank me for my concern?"

"Bloody hell, when ya improvements include the attack against our Medic and explosives, keep 'em for yaself..." Sniper glared at him, not believing one word Smith said, none of them did.

"Dear Sniper, be assured, I would never dare to attack my guests of honor, neither with explosives nor drugs, what do you think..." he explained, like he was talking to a sulking child, when Medic interrupted.

"Vhy do you mention zhe drug? Ve did not say anyzhing about it?"

For a second, Smith's smile seemed to disappear, but was returned at once. "Mister Medic, of course my men informed me about your mishap, after all, your friends talked with them when they investigated. But I must say, I am disappointed, why didn't you come to me..."

"Ha! Busted, ya fart!" Scout cried triumphantly, his legs kicking midair, trying to free him from the Heavy's grip. "Engie just told us, he talked to ya men but only asked 'bout someone passing! Ya can't know nothin' 'bout any drug 'n stuff!"

Smith glanced at the Engineer, who, with a wide grin, nodded. It was then when the man's smile disappeared for the first time.

"Oh silly me, did I really say something about drugs? I can't remember, I must grow old. Well," his face showed a whole new expression. His eyes were cold, his lips twitching, like he was about to laugh out loudly, but tried to hold back. "Well, who knows what else I might forget to tell. Or not to tell." He turned around, opening the door again. "So, for your own protection, I better lock the doors, don't you agree? Farewell, my friends, farewell. Who knows when, if, we shall meet again. Oh, and one thing: I assure you, I won't soil my precious hands with your blood. Who might be the culprit? I wish you a good night. Sleep well." With an unexpected swiftness he left the room and shut the door before one of the men could get hold of him.

Sniper jumped at the door, it slid open at once, but the corridor in front of him was empty. Soldier ran past him, followed by the Engineer and Medic. But no one could be found in the second compartment, and when they reached the end, the door was locked from the other side.

x x x x x x

"I don't believe that! That stupid motherfuckin' jerk! Did he really..." the Scout cursed, agitated. Again they had just searched the room for any listening devices while the Demoman and Pyro checked for more explosive surprises. Although they couldn't find anything, they didn't feel satisfied. They just couldn't be sure they hadn't missed something after all. As a result, everyone kept in mind to be very careful with whatever they would do, even when it came to the most trivial actions. Like lighting a cigarette or having a drink.

Especially Sniper and Spy soon grew restless, as they didn't dare to have another smoke. Pyro had had a close look at their tobacco supplies, anyway, the risk was too high. None of them was eager to find out what would happen if something exploded in their face.

"Doctor must drink, tired he looks." Heavy handed him a glass filled with water, but the Medic only starred at it like it was a disgusting insect.

"No, zhank you, Heavy, I am not zhirsty at all..." he refused, but the Russian didn't accept it. "Drink you must, water is safe. Is from bottle I had. See?" Heavy took a sip. Both men waited a moment, and when nothing happened, the German finally gave in.

"Ve have to be careful." he explained after he had emptied the glass at one swallow and told them about the flask they had found. With the explosion and Smith's changed behaviour he had forgotten about their earlier find. "If zhis is vhat I zhink it is, it is dangerous. Zhis causes hallucinations. Usually zhis has a strong, bitter taste and unique smell, but it is very likely zhe attributes have been altered somehow..."

With a skeptical look at the bottle, Spy sighed. "What shall we do, Monsieur Medic? We cannot die of zirst, n'est-ce pas?"

"What about the water from the bathroom? If it was poisoned, we should have noticed it by now, right?" asked the Soldier.

"Yes." the Medic agreed. "Ve should not open new bottles, ve do not know if zhey vere manipulated. Yet ve should try to create a supply of vater..."

Suddenly they became aware of the new situation. They were trapped inside a train, the provisions might be tempered with, and some unknown enemy was after them, for some unknown reason.

"Where's the Engineer?" Soldier suddenly asked. Everyone looked around. The Texan was gone.

"Fuck." the veteran swore. "You wait here!" He turned around on the heel.

"Wait, mate, what's 'bout ya order, not to go alone!" Sniper was about to follow him, but Soldier gestured him to stay.

"You are right, but as I'm going to find this idiot I won't be alone for long. If I do not return after 30 minutes, Pyro and Demo can search for me, otherwise, I want the group to stay behind, together!" He slammed the door behind him when he left.

"Alors, it is ze waiting zen, mes amis." Spy looked at his watch. "Zirty minutes from now."

x x x x x x

"Dell, you old bastard!" Soldier found the Engineer in the storage room where their Medic had been attacked. "What do you think, going here alone? What if...?"

"Calm down, John. Ahm fine. Here," He pointed at the door. "Ah improved the lock, can only be opened with the correct code, without, none can leave or enter. Ingenious, eh?" With a grin he looked up at the Soldier.

"Ingenious, schmenious, god damned, Dell! Eh, wait. Why did you do that?"

"Easy enough. Got our weapons and Medic's stuff in here. Don't want anyone touch anything, that's why. Come on, John, ya not gonna make me do 100 push-ups now, ain't ya? We have ta secure our territory, just like on a battlefield. Can't have everything inside that room over there, and Doc needs a place ta treat the injured when necessary." the Texan implored.

The Soldier wasn't impressed. "I know you are right, and I acknowledge what you do, but heavens, Dell! I told all of you, especially you, not to go alone! Listen closely – I do not want you to be out of my sight as long as we are here. That's an order and you will oblige!"

Engineer stood up, straightening his overall. "Yeah, of course Ah will. And by the way," he smiled at the taller man. "if ah didn't, ya'd follow me anyway, won't ya, John?"

"Don't trick me with your smile. And damn right, I would. But I'd rather have you close from the beginning." With a sigh, he put his arm around the Engineers shoulder and pulled him closer.

"Thank ya, John. And... I'm sorry. We better go back then, right?" He had slung one arm around the Soldier's body, returning the embrace.

"Well." The veteran checked his watch. "Still got 15 minutes. Enough for this." He leaned forward. Of course there wasn't much time, of course the circumstances weren't right. But this was one of the very rare moments of privacy and he wouldn't waste it, even if it was only a kiss. Yes, he would follow his Engineer, right into hell and back, just for his lover's kiss.

Xxxxx to be continued xxxxx

Translations (not that many today ^^)

Pyro:

"'at 'uu 'ou 'ope t' 'ind, 'edic?" = "What do you hope to find, Medic?"

"'aybe t'is is 'se 'pson? 'edic? 'ullo?" = "Maybe it's the poison? Medic? Hello?"

"'ome'ing 'xlode 'side 'ere 'nd 'aged 'ven 'e 'tones. Demo?" = "Something exploded inside here and damaged even the stones."

Sorry for the delay, I was kinda busy this week ^^
Half of 13 is already done, I hope I can finish it until Monday or Tuesday (unfortunately there are some events like birthdays and such this weekend. Stoopid real life *g*).

Too much fluff at the end? There's a reason for everything, I'll explain, maybe, when 13 is finished (I hope this will be done until Wednesday ^^)