A/N: OK, the way I see it, this can be taken two ways. You either think this is a pretty neat idea or that it's a really stupid idea. The reason being is that there can be sooo many plot holes that arise from it. I've tried my best to cover some of them up, but there will still be things that don't make any sense.
Seriously though, this creates so many freaking questions.
This chapter didn't turn out quite the way I wanted to, and it's a bit short, but it kind of gets the job done. Probably could have been longer...I'll definitely be going over this and adding more stuff when I come up with some answers.
Chapter 25: The Reveal
"Mr. Conagher, do you know why I have called you here?" the Administrator said as her and Dell walked into the into the engine car.
"No ma'am, I do not." he replied, clueless.
She gestured to the conductor to start the train, which he replied with the pulling of the whistle as the train began its journey to Dustbowl. Looking back to the Engineer, her smile was that of malicious and conniving intent.
"For your punishment."
"But I thought-"
"For the others it will be later, but for your previous lies, I have prepared a...special punishment for you."
Nervous, Dell wrung his hands together, "What would that be, ma'am?"
"If you would follow me." she said, walking back to a previous train car.
The trek through the train cars was all but silent. The clattering of their shoes echoed throughout, as well as their voices.
"Now what I am about to show you, you may not tell to anyone else, including the girl. If you are to, I will be immediately notified and you will face severe consequences."
Not wanting to anger his employer, the Engineer curtly nodded and silently followed her through the train. They passed through the passenger's car, where Dell was asked many questions from his teammates, all of which he was unable to answer. The next car was filled with nothing but crates and what looked like a makeshift dressing room. Miss Pauling was standing next to it, and when she saw them enter, she nodded politely at the Administrator, who shot a scowl at her, causing her to whimper slightly. It seemed as through they weren't on the best of terms.
They made their way to the last train car, where the Engineer saw that it was filled with several crates and...cages?
"Tell me Mr. Conagher, how much do you know about the BLU's?" she asked, stepping over to one of the cages.
It wasn't a normal cage, no not in the slightest. The contents weren't visible because they were covered behind a sheet of pure platinum, which had bars, much like a jail cell in front of it. The door was locked by a heavy duty padlock, one of which could only be opened by a specific key.
"Not much, ma'am. I've never actually gotten a good look at em during the battles."
"You mean to say that you have never paid attention to your Spy's disguises?" she asked, an eyebrow raised with intrigue.
"Come to think of it, no I haven't" he said, attempting to recall the Spy's disguises, but having no recollection of them.
"Perfect." she said, grinning.
The Administrator pulled a simple silver key out of her pocket and placed it into the key hole. With a turn and a click, the lock came off and she pulled the door open, along with the platinum sheet. Light filled the cage, and revealed something or someone all to familiar.
"What in tarnation?! Is that me?!" The Engineer blurted out.
He stumbled back at the thing that stood in front of him. Losing his balance, he tumbled to the ground, but quickly sat up and shook his head, making sure that this was not a figment of his imagination.
Standing in the middle of the cage, was himself. It was an exact replica, except one that was garbed in blue. It stood there, motionless, like a robot, staring into nothingness.
"This, is the BLU Engineer. A bit of a shock isn't it?"
All she could do was produce and evil smile. She knew this would work. All of her plans worked.
"But- shouldn't he be alive or somethin?! What the hell is going on?! Why does he look exactly like me?!"
Dell couldn't comprehend what was going on. It was like when he found out the truth all over again. Still shocked, he slowly walked up to the duplicate, inspecting it from every angle. It really was an exact copy of himself. Every wrinkle and facial feature was there. It was like looking in a mirror. One that was really creepy.
"Haven't you ever wondered why everyone's knowledge of the BLU's is almost nonexistent?" The Administrator asked.
"Not really. I mean we're getting paid, so there wasn't ever a reason to question anything."
"I like that. An obedient employee who doesn't ask questions, but for now, you may."
"What the hell are the BLU's?!" he asked, poking the duplicates shoulder.
It felt like flesh, so it must have been alive. Either that or, a really damn good robot.
"The BLU's are like robots."
Of course it was a robot. That was always the answer to a duplicate.
"They do whatever they are told, though who controls them differs from time to time."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that I am not the one who controls them. All I do is tell them their objective and another person takes control of them until the mission is won or lost. Once a mission has ended, they go into a stasis once the humiliation period has ended and everyone returns back to the base."
"Well, who takes control of them."
"They are controlled by players."
"Players?" he once again asked, hoping for a answer that didn't lead to more questions.
"The ones who play the game we are a part of, Team Fortress. The occasional idle BLU you might have seen were because the player was away from the game. Someone is always controlling a BLU member, at least when in battle, but it's controller always changes. I have attempted to take control of them myself, but the ones higher up always prevent me from doing so." she answered, with a bit of irritation in the last sentence.
"How the fuck does this even work?!" the Engineer screamed out.
"I myself do not know. I have never been told nor have I ever figured it out. All I know is that the BLU's are not real people. They are only avatars for others to take control of. My bosses have just ordered me to transfer them to wherever they feel it is necessary, along with you RED's."
His brain was scrambled, to say the least. Was the war they fought in for the past 6 years a complete and total waste? Dell had no idea what was going on, but he had to know more. He racked his brain for the best question to asked, which ironically, lead to more questions, something he didn't want.
"What else do you know?" he said, voice wavering
He was curious, yet scared. The answer terrified him, but his curiosity was stronger than his fear.
The Administrator simply grinned, "I was hoping you would ask that."
Walking towards the cage, she motioned for the Engineer to step out as she closed it back up. A slight relief came to Dell, as he no longer had to look at more of the truth.
"I trust you are well aware with how the programming of a computer works."
"You mean like how information is coded into it?"
"Precisely."
"Then yeah I know what you mean."
"Would it be a shock if I told you that we are nothing more than programs?"
"In all honesty, not as much as it would have a year ago. I had a feeling that this game was more a part of us than I initially thought. When May arrived, it confirmed it."
"We are simply complex programs. Everything about us was programmed in, including our memories, meaning..."
She paused to wait for The Engineer to come to a realization. His eyes widened in sadness as he did, with a satisfied grin appearing on her face.
"Meaning that anyone we remember, or loved, doesn't exist..."
The punishment was a success. A mental one was always much better than a physical one. Physical wounds could always heal, but mental scarring never could.
The Engineer had fallen for the punishment, and was now in tears. He couldn't understand how Irene didn't exists. He could remember her face crystal clear. All of the fond memories with her were so easy to remember, but maybe that WAS because they were programmed.
"Exactly."
"Irene..." he mumbled.
Tears falling to the ground, he collapsed onto his hands and knees, knowing that his sweet Irene was never real. All those times singing around a campfire and eating her delicious pot pies, never happened. She was just a program in his memories, and one that could never be seen again, or ever.
He was just a program, they all were. None of them mattered, except in some stupid game that children played. He never fought other human beings, in fact, he wasn't one himself. No, all he was only a computer program. He had no will, because someone programmed all his actions for him. He was only a puppet.
"I believe that was a sufficient punishment. You may return to the others, but remember that you may not tell anyone of this. The rest of the imbeciles must be kept ignorant of this."
"I...I have one last question." he weakly asked.
An annoyed sign escaped the Administrator's lips, "Yes?"
"If we are just programs then why can't the programmers control us? Why do you have to tell us? Are they not able to force us?"
Her face turned to that of genuine confusion and curiosity. She never actually thought of that before. Though she didn't enjoy it, she always obeyed her bosses and never questioned anything.
"That, I am not aware of. Maybe there is some self control in us. It could be possible that the ones who created us only had control in the creation process. After that, we might have become separate beings, capable of free will."
The thought certainly intrigued her. It was one she would have to look into later, but for now, she had business to take care off.
"Now, get out." she said sternly.
Dell shakily got up to his feet and managed to wipe the remaining tears away. He managed to force himself not to collapse once more. Grabbing the door handle, he slowly opened with the remaining strength he had. He didn't even bother to shut it behind him, as he continued to walk to a passenger car.
Displeased with this action, the Administrator shut the door, making sure that she could no longer be heard. She pulled out a rather bulky portable phone and dialed Miss Pauling's number. Waiting for her to pick up, she impatiently tapped her foot.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Miss Pauling, be sure to give the girl those special glasses. I have something special planned for her."
Can you count how many questions you have? No? Well crap...
This explanation for the BLU's was planned from the start, but I still couldn't come up with a lot of answers for the past few months.
If you want an questions answered, then just PM me and I'll do the best I can to answer them. I'd love some feedback on this concept, so feel free to review it :)
Felt like the Administrator is not totally in character, but I did my best.
Fun Fact:
Originally the Engineer was going to know of this right off the bat, but I couldn't think of an explanation of how he knew. Since the Administrator was already this all knowing woman, it made more sense.