Rein and Michael made it upstairs to the barracks. As soon as Rein closed the door, Michael whirred around causing the Medic to jump back, hitting his back against the door.
"Have you lost your mind, Docteur?" Michael growled, glaring at the other man.
Rein calmed himself quickly before he offered Spy a grin. "Many vould say zat."
"Find a cure?"
"Ja." He answered, nodding at the still upset Frenchman.
"For an antagonistic curse?"
"Ja."
"On what ze computer itself said zat it was-"
"If I do not zhen it won't be just zhis vorld zat vill perish... But our vorld as vell." Rein interrupted, stepping away from the door, causing Michael to take a few steps back himself. "Zhis creature... Vill not Stop!"
"Zhis, I'm well aware of." Spy said, the anger now extinguished as he spoke softer and calmer than before. "He has contingencies upon contingencies to deal wiz 'It' an' he has yet to find a cure."
"He has been trying..."
"A man wiz nearly inexhaustible resources trying... and failing?" Michael questioned, his eyebrow lifting with the last word.
"Ja... He don't vant zhis creature just as much as ve don't vant to meet zhis creature."
There was a long silence as Michael was contemplating the last thing Rein had said. "Very well... What is it you plan to do?"
"Everyzhing zat I can."
"An' what can I do to help?"
Rein took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, all tension leaving his body as he shook his head. "Zat, I do not know yet... I, unfortunately, don't really know vhere to start. Taking blood samples from him, I've already been told, probably vill not vork... I vill try... Zat is ze first place zat I can... I have gained access to Core to run simulations. If I do zhis, vhat vill it do to ze cells? Speed zem up, slow zem down or kill zem all togezzer? I can not heal him or it vill speed zem up. Zat's vhy he can't be around ze medigun or ze dispenser vhen zey are on... He keeps ze nanites to keep zem slowed down."
"We must take a look at it... Zhere is somezhing in zhere zat seems a little bit off... Have you once seen in ze armory or in ze attached armor room zat suit of..."
"Ze Fire Demon?" Rein questioned, already knowing his answer was correct.
"Oui... Zat."
"I have not seen it for myself but zat suit of armor is vanted viz a head..."
"Oui... Zey want it, it's helmet an' it's pilots head."
"Ja... If he does still have zat armor zhen it's probably very vell hidden und I don't blame him for zat. Now, vhezer it's here, in ze Dune King or vhezer it's in Green's Burrow... I don't know. If you do find zat armor, I suggest zat you don't mess viz it... Considering he is not himself vhen he's vearing it, nor is he Cal."
"Zat was very apparent in ze videos."
"Ja... I saw zat."
"No man would turn into anyzhing like zat. Just like Blayze's little pyrotechnic display... Fire shouldn't shoot out of nowhere."
Rein couldn't help but laugh at the comparison or even the lack there of. "Blayze vould probably love zat suit of armor. Ze effects... not vhat it vould turn him into. Actually, vhen I first saw it, I thought about Blayze... I vas like, Ohh... He vould love zhis! Zhen I vas like... Nevermind, I don't vant him to see zhis."
"It's a horrible toy."
"Ja... Zat it is..."
"Well, ze ozzers must be wondering where we've gone off to." Michael brought up, trying to hint that they needed to rejoin the others. "Let's get back down zhere to ze ozzers an' keep an eye out for our -"
"Host." Rein finished for him, raising an eyebrow.
"I had a few more choice words zan zat... zan 'host'." Michael said, cracking his neck.
"Jus' remember somezhing." Rein started, his voice rising to make his point perfectly clear. "Michael, he has not done us vrong... As long as ve have been traveling viz him. Anytime he feels zat he's losing control, he leaves... Goes up to Core und locks himself in. He does not vish to harm us... In anyvay... So, choice vords are not rightly put."
"For our sake, I pray you are correct... Lead the way..." Michael finished with a wave of his hand.
Rein went to turn around and stopped, turning back to Michael before smiling. "After you." If there's one thing that Medic did learn while being in the Mann Co. wars was to never turn your back on a Spy, even your own would be questionable.
The two men headed back down to join the others in the rec room where each of their teammates had folders opened in front of them, reading.
Rein turned to Michael. "You missed your chance at being on ze Blue team today... Everyzhing vas blue... blue, blue, blue." He laughed.
"Well, for ze sake of my sanity, I wish I hadn't missed it."
"Ja... I know vhat you mean."
Rein turned his attention to everyone else as he sat down then looked to the Frenchman again. "I vish you vould have come to me first."
"Considering ze danger. To my boy an' yours..."
Rein glanced over at Blayze then Eugene before nodding. He understood Michael's reasoning for doing so. "I still vish you vould have come to me first... Especially if you knew I had access." He looked back over at Eugene who was wide eyed and shaking a bit before Medic told Spy. "I zink your boy is going to have nightmares tonight."
"Possibly." Michael sighed, watching his son. "Wait... Which file is he reading?"
Rein tried looking over then finally shrugged. "Probably ze vun on Zoe... Or vun of ze ozzer sisters... I can't tell. Maybe ze DNA girl..."
"Zhen he will have nightmares." Michael chuckled. "I regret tossing zhose down."
"Eugene... You might vant to put zat up." Rein warned him.
"Doc... I think she puts RED Medic to shame." The young man said shakingly before practically screaming out. "Have you seen these!?"
"Actually, nein... I have not. Let me see zem." Rein said, holding his hand out for the file.
Eugene handed over the file. "She makes monsters and stuff and it says she can't control them. If she can't control them then why does she make them? What if we ran into them and she can't control them and they try to gobble us up or step on us or something?" He said quickly, his voice rising from imaginative fear.
Rein had to turn his head to hide his smile then looked over at the boy's father.
"She's also in Florida.. Zhey are no where nearby." Michael simply explained, shaking his head.
"Doc said before that he wants to meet her." Eugene said quietly, his voice shaky once again.
"We are nowhere near Florida.. When ze good docteur decides to go he will tell us first."
"You sure about that?"
"Positive."
Dell shook his head, listening to the prior conversation before reaching over to pick up a green folder and flipping through the files inside, a smile forming on his face. "Well hell... Building bridges, digging wells, filtration systems, generators, settin' up ventilation systems... They've run around doin' all this. Even says here they've depopulated half the gunslingers in the west."
"Is zat a good zhing?" Rein asked confused.
"You've never met a gunslinger? Doc, some of the rowdiest folks become gunslingers. Happy enough to put a hole in ya before greetin' ya." He described as he was thumbing through the wanted posters. "Wow! I don't know these guys but by the looks of their wanted posters some of these folks were pretty nasty."
"See..." Rein said to Michael, trying to prove a point. "Zey are not bad people... Zey've done bad zhings, okay, like we haven't? Und most of ze time ze bad zhings happen vhen... Zey just happen..."
"Zey just happen in proximity to large populated cities."
"Zey can't help vhen a var just starts out... Can ve?"
"We are thrown into it... by our contracts."
"But can ve stop it? Vizout repercussions... Can ve stop it?" Rein asked, wanting so bad to hear the answer.
"Non, we can not."
"So, who's to say zat zhey can? Okay... For Eugene's sake und for yours, let's look at somezhing. zhis Vampire Dame, Zoe. She is not a vampire. She looks like a vampire but she does not need ze blood. Ze sun harms her... Just like a vampire. Holy water does not. Silver does not, unless she's shot in the heart, head or other vital area, just like a normal human being. But ze ozzer zhings zat kills vampires does not harm her, except ze UV from ze sun. She lives in a small town, vhich ve are all in, right next to a Coalition base. zhough it is small, it is still a Coalition base. Ze Coalition is vun of ze factions zat vants zem dead... Correct?"
"Oui... Zat is correct."
"But Zoe und ze General of zhis Coalition base has vhat Caltan has even called a pissing contest. Zey jus' had a paint var... Zhen ze blue went up und came down into a smiley face, tongue und all... She got down from vhere she vas, next to Cal, und valked out to ze middle of ze battlefield. Everybody else had already stopped shooting cause zey didn't know vhat had happened. She called out ze General. She vas surrounded by ze Coalition, guns pointed at her... Even zhough zey vere only paintballs, zat vas zheir first reaction, point ze guns at her. Ze General comes out und gets zem to lower zheir veapons, vhich zey did... Zey are going to have a rematch, anozer paintball var after Cal leaves... If she vas zat much of a danger, don't you zink zhis General vould have already had her decommissioned?"
"Zat would be a logical explanation."
"Zhen vhy let her live if she's zat much of a danger? She protects zhese people of zhis town from ze vampires... Und viz zat said... She protects ze Coalition from zem too... Even zhough she probably vould not admit it... She is not bad. She is a protector. Caltan is not bad. He is a protector. Most, if not all of ze bruzers und sisters are protectors of somezhing. Even ze bruzer who works in ze Coalition... I can probably tell you right now... Ze people he saved probably outweighs ze Coalition troops zat vere executed. Zhese bruzers und sisters... Are not bad. Even ze vun who does ze DNA... If I had ze power to just say... Hey! I'll take a little of zhis und a little of zat und put zem togezzer to see what it makes... I vould do zat!"
"But would you intentionally make monsters?"
"Who says it's intentional? She's a girl of science. Zat may be just vhat comes out just like ze little dragon in ze fridge."
Michael looked at Rein in confusion, his eyes wandering over to the small refrigerator the Medic had just pointed at.
"You haven't gone into ze fridge? Really? Go open ze fridge!"
"Do I want to?" Michael asked, a little uneasy about the situation.
"Jus' don't vake it up."
"Don't wake it up..."
"It's hibernating. Ze cold keeps it asleep."
"Very well." Michael went to the refrigerator and opened it up, seeing the small dragon inside for the first time. His eyes grew large in size before turning his head to look at Rein. "Why would he-"
Rein put his finger to his lips. "Shhh..."
Michael softly closed the door back before starting again. "Why would anyone keep a dragon in zeir refrigerator?"
"Zat, I do not know... I have not asked." Rein shrugged. "Ve have all found it... Now you have seen it too. I can't believe you have been on here as long as ve have und you've never looked in ze fridge. You bein' a Spy, poking around in everyzhing else on zhis zhing."
"When you work on ze RED team you know not to look in ze refrigerators... You never know what's in ze icebox."
"Zat I can see, especially viz your Medic."
"Oui... Talking heads beside ze orange juice."
"Ze head of... our Spy." Medic said, feeling a little uncomfortable with the subject now.
"Exactly."
Without any warning at all to the small group, Cal suddenly entered with his happy, hyper attitude.
"Hey Guys! What's u-... What on earth? Huh... Somebody's been busy..." He said as he looked at all the files on the table. "Hold on, I'll be right back!"
Cal took off upstairs leaving the five men, all with racing hearts. Looks of worry, fear and confusion riddled the team's faces.
Rein looked over at Michael, trying to calm himself.
"Where would he be going?" Michael asked, his adam's apple bobbing noticeably through his nervousness.
"Zat I do not know... But at least he's going up und not down. Even zhough if he vanted to kill us, he'd just take out ze gun he keeps in his armor."
"I don't know if we should be worried or not..." Michael's eyes swept over the files on the table then looked back over towards the stairs, waiting.
"Neizzer do I."
Moments later, Cal came back into the room, holding his own stack of files. "Okay!" He hollered, slamming the files down on the table.
Medic looks at the name of the one on top, then pulled it over to him. "Michael..."
"What?" Michael asked as he took the folder from Rein. "Zhis is impossible! Zhis is my personnel file from RED."
"Zhis is my personnel file from BLU." Rein said, looking through the folder. "I zhought zat... RED und BLU didn't exist on zhis planet."
"None of those things exist here!" Cal told them smiling.
"Zhen how did you get our files?" Rein asked curiously.
Cal shrugged, "Well actually, that's easier than you think. Who here has looked at their personnel files?" He looked around the small group, pointing at each one several times over. "You, you, you, you and not you. He looked at your file. He also looked at your, and yours, and yours."
"I've seen all my teams... Not his." Rein announced, pointing over to Michael.
"You're telling us what we already know. How did you get our files?" Spy asked again.
"From you." Cal answered simply, still sporting his smiling face.
"Telepazzy..." Rein said, looking at Cal.
"Yep. You know how you can get a song stuck in your head and it keeps playing and playing and playing? Important information is kinda like that too. You guys reading those files there reminded you of your own personnel files. And then you were thinking of... Wait... What was it... Oh yeah! Gravel Pit! The first time you were sent to Gravel Pit."
"Clever... So, you are not mad?" Rein asked trying to hide his nervousness and confusion.
"Not really." Cal shrugged watching the confusion deepen on Rein's brow. "What were you expecting me to get angry?"
"Ja."
"Over what? Wasting Paper? You could have fit all that on the screen right there. Just tell Core to print it out on the screen. But I know you guys wouldn't have printed that up..."
"Nein..."
"Core has a lock on most of that. You!" Cal pointed towards Rein, his voice raised causing Rein to start shifting in his seat uncomfortably. "Wouldn't have printed that up... Nor you or you..." He said, pointing at Blayze and Dell as he started moving around the table. "Or... Well you might if you got bored enough." pointing at Eugene. "So, that leaves... you." Cal was now standing right behind Michael's chair, placing both hands on the chair and tilting it back on two legs, looking down in Spy's startled eyes. "How did you trick Core?"
Michael's breath quickened in fear as he stared up into the madman's eyes then looked over at Rein for some assistance but found the other man's attention was fully on Cal or more precise, Cal's body language.
"Uhh... Hold on a minute... I think Caltan told me this one... Uhh... Little paper mask, psychic compulsion... Didn't know that worked on computers." He stated in slight confusion.
"He did have to vork on it... a lot." Rein mentioned, still watching closely.
"Well, that probably explains why Core had thought I'd walked in there thirty three times in one night... Okay!" He said, letting go of the chair and letting it fall back forward harshly, causing Michael to reach for the table so not to hit it as he bounced forward.
"Really Michael? Zhirty zhree times? In vun night?" Rein asked the Spy in disbelief.
"Practice makes perfect." Michael shrugged, after gathering himself again.
"Nein... Vell... Ja... But you vere being persistent."
"But of course."
"Guessing by the fact that you guys are still here, you're not running scared yet..." Cal pointed out, a little surprised that this team is still sticking with them even after finding out all the information that they had not only on him but everyone else's as well.
"Michael und I have had our private talk about some zhings..."
"Oh! Okay!" Cal shouted then leaned over, looking into Rein's eyes. "You're easier than the other guy. No offense. He was a psychic a long time ago."
"Ze ozzer guy?"
"Yeah... Caltan."
"Oh... Caltan. Zat's because he has blocks... I have not developed zhose yet."
"I'd keep working at it." Cal told him with a nod. "It's like a brick wall at the moment."
"So zhese brick walls are nuzzhing to you?"
"Actually, not really. Plate steel works better. Other stuff doesn't work so well. Try adamantium."
Eugene's head perked up, smiling. "Hey! I know that one! Like Wolverine's bones and claws!"
"Bingo!" Cal smiled, pointing over at Eugene.
"Wolverine?" Rein asked, looking extremely confused.
"Yeah! He was tricked to do the surgery and all and they-"
"Please tell me zhis is not vun of your comics."
"Well, yeah..."
"Zhen I don't vant to hear it." Rein grumbled, shaking his head.
"The movies were good too." Cal added.
"Movies!? When did they make movies?" Eugene was practically bouncing in his seat at the thought.
"Around... 2004 on this planet... I think."
"Aww..." Eugene slumped, disappointed. "That's so far away on our planet..."
"But you're not on your planet... You're on this one."
"Can we watch 'em?"
"Sure... Core, bring up... Hell, just cue all the X-Men movies and let them pick... Wait bring up all Hollywood movies and if they want to watch one, play it."
"You want me to take orders from them?" Core's voice rang out.
"Well... Yeah... On the movies anyway." Cal said, his eyes turning more manic than the normal that Medic had previously observed.
"Cal..."
"Yeah? What?"
"Vere is Caltan?"
"Somewhere behind a blind curtain in there somewhere... I don't know."
"He needs to come out."
Cal groaned out loud, obviously not happy with the idea. "Alright, fine. Well at least I got to blow something up today." Cal went to walk of then stopped, turning back around to look at Michael. "Oh wait... Hang on... Umm..."
"Michael." Rein helped.
"Oh Michael! You might want to be running."
Confusion settled on the already nervous eyes as Michael simply asked, "Why?"
"Cause Sis is lookin' for ya... Something about lye... I don't know what soap has to do with anything..."
"Why should I run from your sister?" He asked curiously.
"She seemed a little bit upset."
"Because of soap?"
"Lye... Wait! Do you think she meant lie as in lying or do you think she actually meant lye, like to make soap with?"
"Actually, I zink she mentioned somezhing about him lying..." Rein said, looking over at Michael.
"OH! Well that's a very serious offense... You should be running."
"I will heed your warning..." Spy said cautiously.
Rein could only grin at Cal's warning and Spy's expression at the moment.
"Alright... If you don't mind me, I have to go stare at fractals for a minute or so until Caltan wakes up. See you guys later!"
"See you later, Cal." Rein returned then looked over at Michael as Cal headed for the stairs.
"Mon Dieu... Are you certain she's not a vampire?"
"I'm certain." Rein answered.
"Good, zhen zhis should still work." Michael said as he activated his Cloak and Dagger watch, going invisible.
"Do you seriously zink zat going invisible is going to help you?" Rein asked the empty air.
"Uh, Doc... I don't think he's standin' there anymore." Dell pointed out, looking at where Michael had been just a moment ago.
"I'm not looking at any particular place now am I?" Rein sighed then grinned as he started formulating a plan. "So, he's going to play chicken... What's wrong, Michael? Zink a little girl is going to hurt you?" Again, Rein's questions go unanswered. "What a fine fazzer figure you have now, don't you Scout?"
Eugene looked over at Rein then lowered his head slowly.
"Blayze... Let me get my medigun und you get your flamezhrower."
"Doc... Does your medigun actually work on Michael?" Dell asked in a serious tone.
"Hmm... I don't know... Haven't tried... You know..."
"Now that ya think about it... Might not be the best idea?"
"Vell, zat is not vhat I vas zinking... I vas zinking zat I do need to try ze medigun on ozzers, besides just us, to see if it vill vork... I may have to do surgery... Und have a dispenser so we can make more."
"I can do that."
"Spy... If you are in here... Ve do need to try ze medigun."
Silence met the ears of the four remaining men causing Rein to exhale loudly, shaking his head.