You Need to Get A Head
This chapter needs a disclaimer of some sort, but I can't think what to put without spoiling you. Let's just say it'll hit you right in the feels and if I've done my job right, make you hate me forever.
My author's notes seem to be getting longer and longer. People have always told me I talk too much. *cough* Ah well, tough you're going to have to tolerate it. I have been amazed at how popular this story has become. It's totally awesome! Thanks once again for tolerating me.
I'm judging you: You know, I have a feeling you're lying about having died there. Glad you like my sick sense of humour though. I did rather enjoy putting together the image for that chapter!
BLU Medic: Wow, it's nice you think I'm that high a quality writer! Actually, I am a published author, but of non-fiction. Specifically, illustrated educational guides for children on scientific subjects, plus a few manuals for computer games. I've not done any for a while, but I did really enjoy writing and drawing them- and I got to see children using my guides on field trips, which was awesome! Stories about severed heads and murderous mercenaries is just a little outside my usual speciality...but it's so much fun!
Jay:Glad you liked it! How about today for an update? Is that soon enough?
Lady Isludis: Actually, I wasn't thinking about Bohemian Rhapsody at all when I chose the name Galileo. I simply felt it fitted the naming theme for Medic's doves. As for the bird thing, I came up with that idea when I was looking through the tf2 shop- how many pet birds do these guys have?! It seemed quite logical they'd have a joint hobby of birdwatching. Sniper is not only an assassin, but also a bushman, so I felt it'd make sense he'd know about the local wildlife. There really is a species called Passerculus sandwichensis in that area of the US! Amazing eh?
Bextia: More like sea urchin gonads, as I understand it. And...nineteen fingers? Has Medic got some more hiding in his fridge? You were supposed to think of Mulan- I watched it the day before I wrote this! Have you seen the TF2 version of that song on youtube? It's hilarious. As for which Spy, as always I'm going to say wait and see.
And now it's time for everything to go horribly wrong...
Chapter Fourteen: Violet Requiem
Galileo was preening BLU Medic's head again, and Kepler snuggled contentedly under his chin. He liked the birds' company, but they did make him rather itchy, and he couldn't do anything about it.
"Next page."
Galileo waddled over and flipped the page with his beak before returning to his preening.
' "Do you feel absolutely no concern for your future, boy?"
"Oh, I feel some concern for my future, all right. Sure. Sure, I do." I thought about it for a minute. "But not too much, I guess. Not too much, I guess."
"You will," old Spencer said. "You will, boy. You will when it's too late." '
BLU sniffed in annoyance at the pointless prose and looked over to the RED Medic who was currently staring into the air and tapping a pencil on the desk.. "Any progress?"
"Of a sort." RED cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose.
"You've not healed your finger yet."
"I have more important zhings to work on right now." RED replied sternly, waving his bandaged hand idly. "It's not like I need zhat finger much anyway."
"So, vhat have you found?"
"Zhat it vill vork, but zhere is a little hitch." RED said, showing off a page of calculations. "Zhe strength of electrical current needed to distribute zhe medigun gas effectively is exponentially related vith regards to zhe ratio of tissue needing regeneration to zhe amount of pre-existing healzhy tissue."
"So...you vill need power. A lot of power."
"Precisely." RED smiled warmly at his double. He stood up and walked over to the large infirmary medigun and patted its barrel. He frowned in thought and altered a few dials, turning everything up to maximum. "And zhe procedure must be completed in one session, since ozhervise, eh, well..."
"Quite." BLU grimaced, his imagination working only too well. "Is it possible?"
"Ve vill find out." RED replied with an eager grin. He walked behind BLU for a second, and returned, uncoiling a long, thick cable which he plugged into the gun.
"Er...RED?" BLU asked cautiously. "zhat much current vill melt zhe gun."
"Ja." RED paused, turning away from the head and looking out of the window. He folded his arms behind his back. "In fact, it vill short out our entire base, possibly BLU's too." He turned back and looked at BLU with a solemn, unreadable expression.
"You..." BLU struggled for a moment, trying to figure out he wanted to say. "RED vill find out vhat you did..."
"So zhey vill."
"...Zhey vill vant to know vhy..."
"Ja."
"...You vill be in a lot of trouble." BLU stated.
"Oh, ja."
"RED, I don't zhink zhey vill let you live." BLU said hesitantly. "Whoever is behind zhe cloning, zhe wars, RED and BLU, all zhis... Zhey are very powerful and zhey vill kill you."
"Maybe." RED gave a haunting, sad smile.
"Vhy? Vhy do zhis for me?" BLU asked in a whisper.
"Because..." RED paused, running his hand idly over the large medigun. His long face settled into an earnest wistfulness. He looked up at the shiny white dials and its polished red barrel."It is my...duty. Because somevone, somevhere has to give a damn. Because I choose to. Because I understand, now. I see you zhere, and I know vhat I did...to you, and many ozhers. Because I alvays told myself sacrifices had to be made."
"RED..."
The man's head dropped and he looked at the floor. "Because...I am sorry."
"You are a better man zhan I," BLU replied quietly, "My friend."
"Come now, you know zhat is most definitely not true!" The man looked up with a sudden surreally sunny grin.
"It...has been an honour, RED." BLU said hesitantly. "I'm glad ve got to meet."
"So...are you ready to go home?"
"If you are...RED LOOK OUT!" BLU suddenly shouted, but he was too late, far too late, and he watched helplessly as the scene played out in adrenaline-boosted slow motion.
Spy uncloaked
RED Medic turned slightly
Hand in silk glove grabbed his mouth
The syringe stabbed down
Into his neck
A smothered scream
Plunger depressed
RED convulsed once
Twice
And fell.
"NO!" BLU cried.
He watched in horror as the doctor slumped down and landed sprawled sideways on the gurney. For a moment, BLU's eyes met those of the dying man. RED stared desperately at him, his mouth opening soundlessly for a moment before the facial muscles relaxed and the stare became glassy and fixed.
He dragged his eyes away to look at his friend's murderer, and realised that this was not the BLU Spy, or even the RED spy. Instead, he was dressed in a deep purple, so dark it was almost black.
"He will not respawn." The Spy commented quietly, idly spinning the empty syringe in his hands.
"Who are you?" BLU shrieked, his voice raising an octave with shock.
"I am the Spy." The man stepped back and gave a flourishing bow, still twirling the syringe theatrically. "The original."
"Vhy... vhy..."
"He brought this upon himself with his experiments upon you. I could not allow him to continue any further, and let the little secret you two have stumbled upon become known to the others. He had gone too far. I had little choice." The Violet Spy fished a piece of paper out of his pocket and smoothed it flat.
"And now you vill kill me too I suppose?" BLU asked defiantly.
"Maybe." He shrugged. "But not yet. However, if you tell anyone what you have discovered, you will die- and so will they."
"How many..." BLU croaked weakly.
"How many of you are there? Legions."
"Vhat is zhe point of...of...all zhis? Vhy are you doing it?!"
"It's better if you don't know. Just keep doing your job, Docteur. If you excel...maybe you will become valuable, in the long term. Think about it."
"The RED team vill be suspicious. Zhey vill vant to know vhy he died."
"I have done this many times before." The man sighed, melancholy for a moment. He placed the syringe and the piece of paper next to RED. BLU craned for a look and realised it was in his own handwriting:
I can't go on any more.
It was my fault.
I disabled Respawn so I could do this.
I am just too tired.
I am sorry.
Medic.
"Vhere did you get zhat note?" He demanded.
"Oh, please." The man replied, rolling his eyes sardonically. "Think about it."
"You know...him?"
"Gustav is a good friend of mine." Spy said, getting his cigarette case out. He smiled slightly, as if something amused him. "A very good friend." He lit one of his acrid French cigarettes idly.
"I knew I smelt zhose stinking zhings! Zhey alvays give you avay."
Spy laughed suddenly. "Ah, my dear Medic, that is precisely why I smoke them! Now, may I give you some advice?"
"Vhy vould I vant your advice?" BLU spat.
"Always remember who you are, and think about what that means. Think." The man stared down at him, eyes narrow and shrewd, before standing up and giving a slight cough. "And now, as your late colleague said, it is time for you to go home."
Before Medic could say anything more, a slender, gloved hand reached across dispassionately and yanked the cables out of his life support unit.
The world filled with snowflakes and the waves roared. The seagulls sang their sad requiem and then there was nothing.
BLU Soldier had no duties to complete right now, so he decided the most useful thing he could do was go on patrol. Nowhere in particular needed guarding, but it seemed like it would be good practice. Anyway, you never knew when they might come.
He had chosen the corridor by Respawn, just in case Medic's head should choose to make an appearance there. He had looked all over the base, but had not found it. Since it wasn't there, it was obvious what must have happened: that bastard RED team had stolen it! He had tried explaining this to Demo, but the Scotsman had just laughed at him and called him crazy.
It was very quiet down here, with just the occasional buzz of tape drives and the metallic clicks of the bank of nine Respawn machines. The front panels were still stacked to one side from Engineer's earlier work, and nine green lights shone, and the needles held steady. He turned around sharply and marched back in the opposite direction.
He wondered how Engineer was fairing. He would have to find out which of the RED mercenaries had poisoned him, and make sure he kicked their ass. Poison was an underhanded, dirty commie trick. Hardhat was an American though- he'd fight those cheap-ass foreign chemicals and pull through. Once the man woke up, Soldier would have to go and check he wasn't getting dehydrated. He had once been shown had to fit an IV saline drip, and he was sure he remembered how to do it.
Beep.
Soldier spun around, peering out from under his helmet to find out the source of the noise. His eyes darted around in their sockets, searching for a threat. A soft whirring noise ascending in tone made him look towards the bank of machines.
A red light blinked. A dial flicked up to maximum and trembled as if in excitement. There was a buzzing crackle and another panel lit up. Figures and numbers started to scroll in bright blue text on black.
Soldier stared for a moment, and then broke into a run up the concrete stairs, skidding sideways onto the carpeted corridors of the living quarters. He banged on each door as he passed by.
"RED ALERT! SCRAMBLE! MOVE, MAGGOTS!"
"'Ey, what's with all the noise, laddie?"
"Mrr hrrr?"
"REPORT FOR DUTY, ALL PERSONEL! EMERGENCY!"
"That is settled then: Soldier has finally gone completely insane."
"Huh, not a big surprise there, mate."
"Dammit, son, you woke me up. This better be good."
"Listen to me, you sorry sacks of shit," Soldier stopped and turned back to glare at his baffled brothers-in-arms. He took a deep breath "MEDIC IS RESPAWNING!"
"No way, you serious? Hardhat, you rock!"
"Me? Kind of you to say, but I've done nothin'. You know where I've been stuck the last coupla days."
"We need to help Doktor!"
"EVERYONE ASSEMBLE AT THE RESPAWN ROOM. NOW MOVE, PRIVATES!"
The group pounded along the concrete corridors, heading upwards towards the battlements and the respawn room. Soldier tried to lead, but eventually everyone but Heavy and Engineer overtook him.
"Doc!" He heard Scout call. "Damn, Medic, where the fuck have you been?"
"He's back! He's back! Bloody hell it's good to see you, Doc."
Sure enough, when he shoved his way to the front of the crowd, Medic was sitting on the floor of the Respawn Room, blinking slowly and swaying left and right. He clumsily raised a blue-gloved arm and stared at it in childlike wonder before looking up at the gathered mercenaries.
"Look," He declared, his eyes going unfocused, "Hands."
Then he passed out.
In Chapter Fifteen: The aftermath. RED Heavy has an unpleasant surprise, and BLU Medic a pleasant one.