She woke as the train was starting to come to a slow, chugging engine roaring to the whistle that signaled its approach. All around her things were still dark, as the car was closed and windowless, but she guessed it was sometime around eight or nine in the morning. For only having slept for a short while, she felt rested, stretching out her arms and looking around the car as her tired eye adjusted. Scout was curled up at her side, snoring softly. Spy was in the corner, the same place as he was when she drifted off hours ago. He appeared to be napping, but occasionally one eye fluttered open to watch her.
"You can rest up a bit, you know," she said, "You don't have to push yourself so hard." He remained still, pretending not to hear her. Dahlia blinked at him. "Just don't come crying to me when you can't keep your eyes open." Spy gave a quiet moan.
Sitting in the awkward, heavy-eyed silence, she wondered what it must look like outside right now. Only a sliver of light found its way through the metal doors of the car – she wasn't sure of whether it was even afternoon or morning. This was the first time she had been on a train, or even seen one, and something about it made her feel isolated and nervous. After a restless night that felt like eternity, she wanted to remember what the outdoors looked like again. She hated herself for almost having forgotten.
Dahlia still missed Medic in a way that almost felt like sickness. They were steadily making their way towards Coldfront, again, and that was a relief, but how could she be sure Medic was even there, after the cryptic message he had left her? The doubt lurked in the back of her mind that when they finally arrived, all would be there but him, stony-faced, questioning but silent, unwelcoming. She had taken for granted the friendliness of this new base towards her. And now with her damaged eyes, perhaps they would think she was completely worthless. Horrid, vivid thoughts flashed by, of how they would neglect her, abandon her.
She held onto the hope that Medic was there. It was not a question of whether she would see him again, she realized, but one of how. And she knew, that when she found him, she would wrap her arms around his strong body and never let go.
The rolling motion of the train came to a stop with a loud screech. Dahlia shook Scout to gently wake him, and he looked up at her groggy-eyed. "We've arrived at Gorge," she said. "Want to get off and stretch your legs?" Scout waved her away and rolled onto his side, falling asleep again. She wondered how much time they'd have before the train took off again.
Dahlia turned to Spy. "If you're so opposed to sleeping, I'm sure you could get up now and go outside for a bit." She watched his chest move up and down as his breathing came in rasps. He moaned. Concerned, she clambered over towards him and felt his head with the back of her hand. Even through the mask, it was burning.
"Oh God."
Her fingers worked themselves to the bottom of the wool mask and they pried it off of his face. The thing was soaked with sweat, she felt, and it was beading up on his face. It was a handsome face, slim, and sharp in all the right places. His hair was a delicate chocolate brown that surprised her with its gentleness, falling in wispy curls over his forehead. Even clenched in pain, Spy had a gentlemanly sort of face. She held it in her lap and caressed him.
Huntress hissed to Scout. "Hey! Get up." With an annoyed grunt, he flopped onto his stomach and opened an eye to glance at her, wondering why he was so rudely woken up again.
"Scout, I need you to open the door. Spy's sick with something, and we gotta get him help, fast." Realizing the gravity of the situation, Scout hoisted himself up with a new energy and tripped to the door, yanking it open as Dahlia slung Spy's sick body over her back, grabbing hold of his legs, which he wrapped around her weakly. Slightly bent, she made her way to the door and hopped out, straining her legs in the process.
The sunshine she had missed for so long blinded her single eye, and it took her a moment of vertigo to begin moving. Spy continued to breathe heavily, and his warmth spread onto her where their skin made contact. When the white mask over her vision started to fade, she could see a path that stretched through towering pines, reaching a gate in a high chain-linked fence. Beyond it rose a concrete jungle of stairways, gates, and bases. BLU's was sparse and had many smaller buildings encircling to a split-level bunker. RED's was tall and formidable, across from it, and all in one piece. So this was Gorge.
They were unlucky. The day's battle had already started, and below amongst the towers could be heard a number of cries and explosions. A Heavy's machine gun grumbled beneath it all, accompanied by the high pitched crack of a Scout's pistol. She thought she could pick out a Medic or too, which disturbed her. Scout was already down the path, clearing the way, and waiting for her to follow with Spy.
They would have to make their way to the RED base without being seen. They weren't a part of this respawn, and were still vulnerable. As the three entered, something chirped at them from the right – a BLU mini-sentry perked up and began firing. Scout brought out an Atomizer and began to beat the thing down as its bullets penetrated his skin and ripped holes through his shirt.
"Scout, no!" Dahlia stumbled towards him as the machine exploded. He turned to face her, blood running out of his nose and clothes stained, grinned childishly, and gave her a thumbs up. She sighed with a hesitant laugh, reaching into Spy's pocket and tossing him a gadget. "Next time," Huntress said, "we'll just try a sapper, okay?" His face fell.
"Sentry down!" a man called from the distance. A BLU Engineer came huffing towards them, rusted wrench at the ready. Scout glanced at Dahlia assuredly, giving her a signal to get going, and dashed in the direction of their new enemy, firing a pistol.
Scout was weakened, and she didn't trust him to survive. But with both him and Spy near exhaustion, there was nothing she could do. Silently, she ran off towards the large RED building. Spy continued to breathe with difficulty. "It's okay," she said softly. "We'll get there soon. They'll help us." Though lately, she had done a lot of false reassuring. Dahlia wasn't sure just whom she said this for.
They found an entrance and slunk in. The roars of fighting grew distant now, but her footsteps echoed in the empty space. Along with someone else's. She looked about, and suddenly gasped. There, a few feet away, a BLU Pyro ambled about aimlessly. Xe didn't seem to know where the rest of xir team was, but held xir flamethrower out in front of xirself, head darting back and forth at any sign of an enemy. She reached for his wrist, hanging limply around her neck, and triggered the invisible watch, as the man suddenly disappeared in a cloak. At least one of them would be safe, she hoped. His weight still pressed down on her, and she was starting to feel pain in her lower back.
The Pyro's attention snapped towards the sound of the watch. Xe saw them then, and began charging in a flash, flamethrower bursting with fire. Dahlia had to ignore the pain and run. She would find an Engineer soon, she hoped, or a Sniper. They'd have to help her.
"Help!" there was no one in sight at the final point yet as they entered the room. The teams must have been still wrestling over the first one. "Please help!" Spy groaned with every jarred step she took as they fled, and the Pyro let out an anguished cry behind them, followed by thuds, as those of xir thick boots. They were slow. At any moment the arsonist would catch up with them, charring them to a crisp and ending their lives instantly. Her heart beat against her ribs violently, and her struggled gasps for air began to mix in with the sick man's she carried. The pair reached a Sniper spot, and Dahlia threw herself in, only to discover it was a dead end. She started to scream.
"Help! Please, somebody save us!" Spy was nearly out cold. She wanted to cover her eyes as she backed towards the wall, but she'd risk dropping the man. She could only scream as their predator edged closer.
But xe didn't come. They waited half a minute without a sound, and nothing came. Dahlia tip-toed towards the door, her heart beating like a mouse's and suspended in fear.
The Pyro was dead on the floor. A mass of syringes protruded from xir back. She let out a sigh of relief, and nearly cried. But she couldn't waste any time searching for help herself now, she realized. They had wasted too much time, and she needed to leave Spy in someone else's hands so she could get to Scout, or he'd be gone. And Spy might be too, if they weren't successful. Still trembling with nervousness, she inhaled and let out a loud shout:
"Medic!"