entry_25
1110 hours, Friday, January 19, 1973.
Everyone but Medic and Demoman was dead when we got there. The bodies had already gone to respawn back at their base, but the blood was everywhere among bits of destroyed machinery. A helicopter stood approximately 5 meters away from the survivors. Medic was cleaning oil off of his Übersaw, and Demoman was reloading his grenade launcher.
I set down 0031. Soldier started shouting immediately.
Soldier unit: WHERE ARE THE OTHERS YOU MAGGOTS?! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD AT LEAST BE ABLE TO DEFEND YOUR OWN DAMN TEAM!
Demolitions unit: Ach, shut up Jane. They had us outnumbered. It was as much as we could do to keep them away from the helicopter.
Soldier unit: THAT IS NO EXCUSE! NOW DOWN AND GIVE ME-
Medic unit: We are not doing pushups, now stop wasting time. Spy, do you have the keys to the helicopter?
Spy unit: Of course.
Demolitions unit: Wait just a bloody moment! Is someone going to explain what THAT is doing here?
He pointed at 0031 with his grenade launcher. The Medicbot wrung his hands and backed away.
0031: I am s-sorry, Herr Demoman. I am unit 0031 und-
E-001: He's my friend. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. Now can we get out of here? I'd like to get my body on ice as soon as possible.
Medic eyed the figure slung over Soldier's shoulder with undisguised glee.
Medic unit: Oh... oh ja, we will have to operate soon. How did he preserve the body? It is pristine!
Spy unit: You will have an opportunity to ask Gray yourself if we do not move.
Soldier unit: THERE IS NO TIME TO WAIT FOR THAT SPY! BESIDES THAT IS FRATERNIZING WITH THE ENEMY!
Spy unit: (incomprehensible French muttering) I meant that we will be captured.
0484: YES YOU WILL BE, FLESH MAGGOTS!
I spun on my heel just in time to see the Soldierbot explode into shrapnel. Demoman loaded another grenade into his launcher, stepping over the debris. Dark shapes started to appear at the bottom of the stairwell.
Demolitions unit: Jane you bleeding idiot, help me hold them off!
Soldier unit: HOLD THIS DOC!
He dumped my body into Medic's arms before running headlong into what was about to turn into a fray. Medic glared at Soldier before motioning to me.
Medic unit: Take your body to the helicopter und leave. We will respawn before too long.
E-001: But-
He shoved the body at me.
Medic unit: Nein! The Spy will join you to pilot the aircraft shortly, now go, schnell! This is not a discussion!
I couldn't get out another word before he'd run back toward the others, medigun out.
His plan made sense, as much as I didn't like it. If I died, I'd spawn in a lab several stories beneath our feet. Even in a best case scenario, the rescue mission would be back at square one. More likely it'd be a complete failure. With this in mind, I hefted my body over my shoulder.
E-001: 0031, come on, we- OOF!
The Demobot rammed into me out of nowhere like a stealthy wrecking ball. His sword came at my legs and I felt something inside one of them snap. It buckled so I sank down to one knee, but I was more concerned about the fleshy body sprawled on the ground next to me. The arrow in my thigh twisted sideways as the body's weight came down hard on the shaft. A new stream of blood started from the wound, quicker than before.
The others were all fighting. Explosions and electronic death cries had drowned out my shout of pain. I don't know if they could have gotten to me in time even if they had noticed the sword rise over the Demobot's head for a finishing blow, single eye blazing with that soulless blue light I'd become so accustomed to.
Except something I almost couldn't make out zoomed at him from the side, something with those same burning blue eyes and a bonesaw in his hand.
The Demobot staggered a little, oil leaking from a gash in his side. His swing went wide, but not wide enough to miss me entirely. The sword lodged itself in the gap of my shoulder joint. Before the robot could jerk the sword free, 0031 was on him again. Two more hits brought my attacker down, and the sword went with him.
0031: Herr Engineer, are you all right?
I tried to stand up on my own and failed. He caught my arm.
E-001: I've been better.
0031: Ach, here, I will get-
Soldier unit: BEEP BOOP METAL CUPCAKES, I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU!
Demolitions unit: JANE YE GREAT ARSE, DON'T-!
I looked over my shoulder just in time to see a chassis-rattling explosion. Bits of robot and Soldier's bloodied box-head went flying past us. Demoman started cussing up a storm, while 0031 just stared in disbelief.
0031: Your friend just self-destructed. Also... also we should move.
He pulled my good arm over his shoulder while I shook my head.
E-001: Yeah... he does that sometimes.
The sounds of battle intensified as we slowly made our way toward our escape. A steady rhythmic clanking I took to signal the arrival of reinforcements sounded behind me, along with a not even a little bit sane laugh from Medic. Last time I'd heard him laugh like that he was dissecting a RED he'd managed to capture.
The memory jarred something in my brain.
E-001: Wait... wait, my body-
0031: Shh, I will get it. First we must load you into the helicopter.
E-001: No, I could carry it!
0031: No you could not! Not in this condition!
I refrained from arguing with him, though it was tough. The Demoman and the Medic would only be able to hold the enemy off for a finite amount of time. Jawing at 0031 would do nothing but waste that valuable resource.
It didn't take long to get there. Spy materialized next to the helicopter door and held it open for me while 0031 pushed me inside as best as he could. Then he reached into his pocket and dropped Drei in my lap. She chirped in protest.
E-001: What-?
0031: Just hold her while I retrieve your body, bitte! Just in case!
Spy unit: Listen to your friend, Engineer.
Spy ran around to the pilot's seat so we could take off as quickly as possible. Meanwhile 0031 wheeled his way back toward the fight.
Medic and Demoman were keeping the robots from getting too far out from the stairs, but it didn't seem like they'd last much longer. Demoman had apparently run out of ammo and was now wielding a sword dropped by one of the robots. As I watched he lifted a head he'd cut off a Heavy into the air with a bellowed string of cussing I could hardly make out. It got their attention at least, and as Scouts and Pyros and Soldiers turned his way he charged.
Demolitions unit: THIS ONE'S FOR JANE, YE GREAT FECKING TIN CANS!
I don't know if he was trying to draw them away from 0031 on purpose or not, but it had that effect. The Medicbot kept going, businesslike, and finally pulled up next to my body. It struck me how ashen it looked there lying against the asphalt in a puddle of its own blood. My own blood, I mean.
E-001: Come on, hurry up...
Spy unit: You do realize he cannot hear you, yes?
E-001: You do realize that I'm about a second away from slapping the sass clean out of your mouth, yes?
Spy unit: Touché.
I ignored him for now. 0031 had it over his shoulder now and was heading back my way. I couldn't see Demoman, and the robots he'd been fighting were starting to disperse. It looked like Medic might be the only human left besides Spy.
Medic was standing between the line of advancing robots and us, a rictus grin on his face. Oil was dripping from his lab coat in great splotches, and a little bit of blood was dribbling out the corner of his mouth. He wiped it off on the back of his hand and held it up, possibly so the robots could see. His next words came out in a shriek.
Medic unit: YOU WISH TO THROW YOURSELF ONTO THE MERCY OF DER FLEISCHMANN? VERY WELL, I CAN ACCOMMODATE YOU!
And he just jumped at them with his saw and his syringe gun out, cackling. The robots jumped back to get out of his reach, but he still managed to knock a Pyro to the ground, pin him down with a boot on his neck, and fire needles point-blank into his face.
Medic unit: DOES THAT HURT, HERR PYRO? DO YOU WANT MORE? SPEAK UP BITTE, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!
It was enough to make most of them give him a wide berth, but it didn't keep robots from slinking around him toward us and 0031. Several Soldiers readied their rocket launchers as they approached.
Spy cursed quietly and started up the helicopter.
E-001: Hold up, we ain't leaving without 0031 and my body!
Spy unit: If they open fire on us we may not have a choice, Engineer. It is better to be prepared.
E-001: Like hell it is!
I scooped up Drei and dropped her in Spy's lap before swinging open the door.
Spy unit: What are you doing? You are going to blow this entire-
E-001: You won't leave without me, so you won't leave without him either!
Spy glared at me and began extricating himself from the pilot's seat, but I was already limping across the asphalt. I couldn't hear Medic's laughs anymore. Looked like my only allies left were Spy and 0031.
0031 looked up as I approached. He wasn't far from the helicopter now. My body wasn't looking too hot, and the Medibot was a little banged up. His unoccupied hand was clutching his dripping bonesaw, which he waved at me irritably.
0031: Herr Engineer, get back into your seat! You are in no condition to-
Then he stared at something over my shoulder and just stopped moving. His hands started shaking.
I turned around to see Gray Mann standing there, a revolver in his hand and a cold, hard glint in his eye. The gun was pointed at 0031.
It didn't make any sense. Gray wouldn't get into the middle of a fight like this. In my confusion, I didn't do anything. I just stood there like I couldn't do anything.
0031 backed away from him a pace and dropped the saw. I've never seen him look more terrified.
0031: I-I... please, Herr-
The gun went off. 0031 fell backward with a cry of surprise, sprawling on top of my body, a great dark hole in his chest spurting oil everywhere. His eyes flickered.
The disguise faded. Gray wasn't on the roof with us; it was just a Spybot who was a little too clever for his own good.
This time it wasn't peaceful, just cold and purpose and a hard anger I'd felt before too many times. I moved forward mechanically. My damaged leg didn't matter. My arm didn't matter either. All that mattered was that stupid smug machine that was swiftly slipping another bullet into his gun.
I caught his neck first. And maybe I am just a machine, maybe I don't have adrenaline anymore, but when I squeezed I felt the plates under my hand dent. I stared into his eyes. 0031 had said they recorded everything they saw and sent the images back to Gray. He could be watching right now.
E-001: You're dead, you ugly son of a bitch.
I ripped his head off. Not sure how, with the one hand, but I did it. Didn't waste any time watching him fall either, I just turned around to check 0031.
His eyes weren't lit up.
0556: SURRENDER NOW MAGGOTS, AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED!
Several rockets detonated nearby, almost sending me off balance. I needed to get back to the helicopter, with just one good arm and one good leg. I looked down at 0031 sprawled over my body, the skin almost gray and its breathing shallow.
I wouldn't be able to carry them both.
I grabbed 0031's arm and started dragging him back with me, mind numb. I couldn't think about what this meant for me until we were out of harm's way.
Even then it didn't look like we were going to make it, but soon enough I heard robots screaming and the tell-tale crackling of a sapper. Spy was keeping them from focusing their attacks on me. That was good, because I needed all the help I could get.
The door was open just like I'd left it. I started trying to push 0031 in.
Spy unit: Allow me.
He appeared beside me, a shallow gash in his abdomen but otherwise unharmed, and helped push the Medibot inside. As I climbed in, he looked around at the ground nearby.
Spy unit: Your body-
E-001: We won't be able to get it. There's too many of them.
Spy unit: I see. Very well.
He shut the door behind me and climbed into the front. We lifted off the ground none too soon, as the robots were regrouping and firing on us. I didn't pay much attention to any of that though even as we left Gray's base far behind us.
I'm not going to be human again, and I don't know if I can fix 0031 or not.
/entry_25