In which things get worse. Standard disclaimer.


RED Medic exchanged a quick glance with BLU before starting toward the doors. "Vhat is it?" he asked a bit sharply. "Who is in zhere?"

BLU Medic followed, stepped further into the room than RED and stopped. And swallowed hard. "I hope to Gott zhat is zhe clone," he said very quietly.

"Vell... eizer vay I doubt zhere is anyzhing vhe can do." RED Medic knelt beside the prone figure of the Administrator to take a pulse. After a moment he shook his head.

There was a murmur behind them as the teams craned to get a better look, one that quickly turned horrified as people saw what was there.

BLU Medic moved forward. "Any sign of vhat it vas? Zhere's no blood-not violent, zhen."

"No, nozhing like zhat... but look at zhe position of he cadaver." RED Medic stood up, head to one side. "Odd position, on von's face, vith zhe arms splayed out like zho. Actually... could you check zhe mouth?"

BLU Medic did as told. "Ah," he said. "A seizure-zhe tounge is obstructing the airway. Bitten, I zhink. Neurological problems?"

"Ja." RED Medic grinned; he couldn't help himself. "Und of course ZHAT points to some sort of preexistent neurological weakness, ja? Vhich vould mean..."

"Zhat it's zhe clone. Have you got a scalpel? Ve can check zhe ventral cluster here-zhe Heavy-clone had it..."

"Alvays." RED casually pulled a scalpel handle and a blade still in its packaging from his pocket, then handed both to BLU.

"Excellent." BLU made an incision in the corpse's arm, and peered at it. "Ja, look zhere. One of zhe relays zhere."

"Ha, zhen vhe vere right. It seems our decapitated friend has been doing some very shoddy vork all around." RED Medic turned smugly to the Spies. "Zhis is only a clone, as you have heard."

"Merde," BLU Spy said flatly.

RED Spy nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. RED Medic's smile lessened just slightly. "Was ist los?"

"There are some very unfortunate implications that can be made if indeed this is a clone of the Administrator," BLU Spy replied. "Namely, that they definitely have clones of people besides us."

"Vell... yes, but zhat vas obvious from zhe-"

"Mon Dieu, just THINK about that for a moment," RED Spy snapped. "Think about who ELSE they might 'ave cloned!"

RED Medic's face was blank for a moment. Then he paled. "... mein Gott."

"Vell, zhey break down..." ventured BLU Medic. He stood up. "In any case, vhat next? Do we seize control of zhe recording machines and tell zhe vorld zhat zhere vas a hostile takeover? Zhat ve intend no destruction?"

"I think we'll need Miss Pauling or the real Administrator for that," said the BLU Engineer.

"Indeed," said RED Spy. "And who is to say that they will believe us if we do tell them?"

"Well we need ta do SOMETHIN'," BLU Demo put in.

"Ja," said BLU Medic. "Ve can try. Ve already have zhe entire United States army on zhe doorstep. Can it get vorse? Really?"

BLU Pyro groaned and put her head in her hand. "Hurrf huff hu hurrf huff..." (Now you've said it...)

RED Medic gave BLU a disapproving look before turning to the others. "My advice is zhat vhe regroup vith zhe ozers as quickly as possible und try to find a vay out of zhis mess. Coming here has accomplished very little, unfortunately."

"Ozzah zhan doing zhe army's vork for zhem," said BLU Medic.

The BLU Spy crossed his arms and peered at the bank of computers. "What we will need to do is find Miss Pauling and then have her be the one to make the announcement. Quite evidently, one of us doing so in the Administrator's place will have little credibility, but Miss Pauling will carry rather more authority. Besides—" he tapped the side of one of the computers, "I would not care to attempt to access these without the proper codes. I strongly doubt that the security systems here are any more benign than those on the building itself."

"Indeed," RED Spy said as he turned toward the door. Suddenly he paused. "Can any of you... smell something?"

BLU Spy let out a cry and threw himself forward toward the door. At the same time both Engineers and RED Demo joined him. All had their hands clamped on the edge of the door, which was resolutely sliding shut.

RED Medic looked up to a set of 'speakers' in alarm, a suspicion entering his mind. Sure enough, a greenish-yellow gas was filtering in.

"CHLORINE! ZHEY ARE GOING TO POISON US VITH CHLORINE?!"