Each person of the same class has a few things in common. A sniper is a deadly sharpshooter. A medic is a medical know-it-all. A spy is secretive. A heavy is muscular and carries big guns. An engineer can build all kinds of stuff. A demoman can make anything into a bomb. A pyro knows a lot about fire. A soldier is a frontal assault, and the scout… a scout is known to run.
The other classes make fun that a scout carries their emotions on their sleeves. If that's true or not, Jack cannot tell. All he knows that he fits with the first part of his class. He knows how to run, but rarely has that skill come from a place of joy.
Jack ran away from his family, and not long after, he ran into battle along with his Magisterium comrades. Didn't take long before he ran away from them too— barely got away and his daemon still bears the scar from it. He kept running into battles as that was all he knew. That's was when they found him, in a fight he had picked. Jack didn't knew it then, but that man with a sort of goat for a daemon— gentle and honest. It was one of the Elite and his savior.
That man offered him direction, a choice to run with a new brand of soldiers. He took it and ever since, he's been running with outsiders like himself. Challenged in ways his younger self would get a meltdown for. Jack's life hasn't been easy; he will admit that. But from the team he later was chosen to lead, he found genuine relationships— a family, forged by battles, hardship, but most importantly; respect.
Jack loved working with his team, so for several of them to be torn away from him like that. It took its toll on him. He is a soldier, trained to know that comrades die and continue the fight was all he could do. It has happened before; Jack has lost team members, but not like that. They tried to avoid it but still fell into the trap set by their enemy.
Jack knows it's survivor guilt; he knows they did everything they could to withstand the attack and was lucky some of them got away. But… it still does not change the fact that Jack feels like he'd let them down!
They trusted him, and because of his choices, his comrades are dead.
He stops his "scouting" run on top of a small hill, but Jack cannot see his surroundings, only the flashing images of how Pyro got mowed down before he could even pull out his flamethrower. How Soldier got hit, Medic trying to save him, only to be blown up by a grenade. Demo got hit by the soldiers' bullets; they could do nothing but hide— watch him bleed out. Jack told them to run at that point, realized that defending their base was a death wish. It was where Spy got hit, Heavy wanted to pull him out, but Spy told him off. He had looked right into Jack's eyes. He gave him a look, one that said Spy knew he was going to die but wanted his death worth it. Jack made sure it wasn't in vain. He commanded the rest to flee, Engie and Heavy had at first refused, but he forced them, and they left the others behind.
"Jack, it wasn't your fault." Adara speaks softly up to him. It took Jack by surprise to hear her voice, forgotten what she sounded like, really.
"Daemons shouldn't speak. Their voice is but a distraction." His father used to say, and Jack has to bite his lip so not to tell his daemon to shut it. His higher officer would punish them if he heard a daemon speak, so Adara stayed quiet. Until now.
Jack glances down to her, 'Am I such a dark place that she needed to make her voice known?' he wonders and not sure how to feel about that. Only… it's nice to hear her voice again. "I could've done more." He replies, fisting his hands from the grief that five of his battle-brothers are dead. "If I had been more vigilant, set stronger protections up around the base..."
She walks up in front of him, her brown eyes soft. "What chance did we have against such a big army?" Her face twists from her barring her teeth, "It wasn't you that shot our comrades."
No, it wasn't. It was the Magisterium soldiers, the same army that wanted the silence of Adara and her to stay in the form of a shepherd dog. Her talking, it's a kick to the Magisterium's balls, just as it was when she changed shape. Jack does not know what caused it or how it was even possible, but the moment she turned from dog to fox; it was like he knew who he was again.
Thanks to Team Fortress Resistance, Jack gained the freedom to figure out who he is and got people he considered family. For that, he is their loyal warrior, and for the Magisterium: "They took something from us." He turns his gaze to the area, now able to see what surrounds him, thanks to the clarity of his daemon's voice. He sees the nearby city, but what catches his gaze; is a fancy antenna.
An idea, one that will reclaim some control over this area. Jack smirks, it's daring, but he needs to kick some enemy ass. Jack hears it can be quite therapeutic.
Adara follows his gaze, her ears go slightly down, "Now we will take something from them." She voices, barring her sharp teeth slightly.
Jack nods and turns around to make up plans before the Nomad Sniper and Conagher move on.
Honestly, Jack does not trust Conagher at all, but the man was giving the First Mark by the Sniper, a veteran that has been in this fight for a really long time. That Sniper knows who to trust into their ranks. Besides, Jack has been wrong about someone's character before, but hopefully, this Engineer won't start throwing wrenches at him.
After several detours, in case he was followed, Jack returns to the base. The many run around plus the heat of this desert, it sure heated him up, but even with a dry throat. Jack rather not waste any more time, so he whistles loudly into this former mine after a quick drink. His team knows what it means, that he wants them to gather for a meeting. The Nomad Sniper and Conagher hesitate, both a bit confused. They both need a moment to realize what is going on, but quickly gather with the rest of them. With them all over at the makeshift table, and although Jack does not trust that other so-called Engineer, he figures this is an excellent way to put Conagher's' loyalty on a test. "Alright, people, I know some of you are still grieving." Jack states out, well aware the remaining of his team are still dealing with the loss of their comrades.
Even though some parts of him want to show extra sympathy to his team's Engineer, Jack forces himself not to. Yes, she lost a family member, but Black Rose hates it when people consider her lesser, and the last thing Jack wants is to piss her off. He still got a bump from the previous time he underestimated her. Jack is not proud of it, but it took him forever to change his views on women; something the Magisterium had drilled into his mind.
The Church considers women below men, and sure, they might be physically weaker, but Jack thinks the opposite gender sure makes up for it with sheer willpower— but back to business. "But I need you all back out on the field," He eyes each of his team members, his comrades. "and let those fuckers know that no one— and I mean no one screws around with us." As hoped, his words raise some morale or at least give his team a reason to fight. Engineer especially has fire for vengeance in her dark eyes. The two others seem they want to do something other than sitting around and feel depressed. "But we are low on people; we cannot do our usual work." As much as he hates to say it, Jack states out, but his thirst for vengeance won't blind his caution. Turning around, Jack finds the map of this sector. "Instead, we are going to take something of theirs." He draws a rough sketch of the building and points at the location where the antenna is located. "This antenna is one of their main communication sources, and we are going to use it for our own."
"You mean strengthing our own communications?" Engineer asks.
Jack nods that she is indeed correct. "Not only will it enable us better communication with what teams that remains, but it should also allow us to tap into the Magisterium intercom— if only for a short while." They will at one point figure out they have been tapped into and then change the signal code. "So, Engineers," He eyes the two of the same class, "You think you can build us something of use?" adding mostly to Conagher. "Without alarming these fuckers some of us are still kicking."
If that remark hit a nerve or not, Conagher didn't show, though his golden beaver daemon did bristle her whispers. "If my fellow engineer can make a long-range antenna." The man smiles to his team's Engineer, "I will make it a disguise not even the Church head engineer can see through." Jack raises a brow at that promise but quickly brushes that jag at Conagher's father aside. He honestly does not care what's the deal with that family; all Jack wants is for this 'fuck you' mission to work.
His team's Engineer grins. "That I can!" And she's off to the makeshift workshop she made. Conagher is not far behind, having the same zealous smile on his face.
"Better not screw us over!" Jack calls after the man, he will respect the Nomad Sniper's choice, but that does not mean he should like it.
The man stops and turns his head to him; however, it's his daemon that speaks: "Relax speedy, we wouldn't be here if we agreed with the Church." She said in a cheeky condescending tone, which did annoy Jack but also eased his wariness. After all, a daemon cannot lie. Jack figures that's why the Church wanted the daemon to stay quiet.
Feeling a bit more at ease, Jack turns back to the rest. "Right, while the engineers are working; I want the rest of us prepared for the distraction." He points at the spot on the map, one his remaining teammates know quite well. "Before the attack, we stole from this ironwork. Napped their ingots and used it for ourselves." Jack explains the Nomad Sniper. He feels pretty proud of how much his team could take from the ironwork and right under the Church's nose. They may not have been a powerhouse team, but they sure knew how to make a successful heist.
"Ah, I recall my partner and I once should transfer a whole truck with these ingots." The Nomad Sniper remarks as if it was another mission. Jack does not know much about what that Sniper and Spy usually do, but won't be surprised if they spent most of their time moving whatever the teams got out from their mission. Nomads usually deal with transferring supplies between the teams.
Not it matters at the moment, and besides, Jack does not have in mind doing the usual raid– with their aggressivity turned to eleven. "But due to current events, I do not think they deserve that factory anymore." Jack points out, his arms crossed and is unable to remove the vengeful smirk on his lips. "Less so when they are spitting out trucks of ammunition to the local soldiers."
The Nomad Sniper nods, but as he checks the map, he starts frowning. "That ironwork belongs to Mann Co." As if that's going to be a problem.
"Yeah, we might piss off the owner of that company, but it's not like the guy can sue us." Jack points out in his dry, joking manner. He has heard talk about some teams having agreed with Mann Co's owner that they would leave those factories alone, but at the moment; Jack does not care who owns that factory. It's a crucial building for the Magisterium and Jack wants to hit them where it hurts. The Nomad Sniper snorts a small laugh at his words, but makes no sign he wants to argue with him.
Jack will fully admit that they don't have the manpower to close that place down, but that's not what this mission is about. "I don't expect we can destroy the place, but I want the rest of us:" He eyes the two snipers and one heavy, "to cause as much havoc as possible. Whatever it takes to avert the Magisterium gaze from the two engineers. Giving them time to install the bug and get out without waking suspicion."
"Sounds like a plan, but I'm against how you made the teams, mate." The Nomad Sniper speaks up, his arms crossed.
Some parts of his training from the Magisterium still lingers, like how a lower-ranking soldier shouldn't speak against the leading officer. But not only being in a Resistance team is much different compared to a military army, most of the members were disgruntled civilians that wanted to change the world. They weren't trained to obey a higher ranking officer, and even though each team has a leader, that person is chosen by the team— not handpicked by the higher-ups. But this Nomad Sniper is a second mark like him: making him equal in rank— even though ranking holds little to no status in the Resistance. It still grinds Jack's gear; he prefers a transparent ranking system, but he has been working hard to accept this fluid way the Resistance makes the teams. "Then what do you suggest?" Though still annoyed, Jack tries not to let it show too much. He has learned that such criticism can be constructive and the different views from other members can help him see parts that might have been overlooked.
The Sniper with the red kestrel turns, allowing his gaze over to the two working engineers. "My comrade might be good at machines, but he's still too green when it comes to stealth." The man turns back to him; his slightly obscured eyes behind those yellow aviators are somewhat narrowed. "Let one us Snipers go with you Engineer." Jack raises a brow, not sure if a sniper is useful for such a situation. Snipers are best when there's a distance between them and the enemy, and attaching the bug puts a sniper smackdab in the middle if it comes to a fight.
The man does voice why he voted either him or Garry for this part of the mission. "I may not be a spy, but I know how to move undetected— my fellow Sniper included. You will need that if this part of the mission should succeed." Not at all hinting this because the Sniper wanted to protect his team's Engineer.
Jack wishes he could be as unbiased as this man when it came to the opposite gender, but that is still a work-in-progress. Now, to what the Nomad Sniper had said, he eyes his Sniper, who replies: "He makes a good point, both he and I are hunters at heart. We know how to move through the land without waking suspicion." The Nomad Sniper nods in agreement. "I can go with Engie," Garry suggests and points at his current folded bow. "if it comes to a fight, I figure my arrows are of more use."
"Less likely to warn the whole army." The Nomad Sniper speaks up, Jack figures the same, a gun isn't made for stealth missions. They are stupidly loud, so Garry's use of bow and arrow gives him the perk to make a silent kill.
That small fact makes up his mind. "Sniper," he eyes Garry, so the two knows who he's addressing. "you will go with our Engineer." The man nods, Jack is reluctant, but he figures this is a good time as any to see Conagher in a fight. Eyeing the Nomad Sniper, "You and your engineer friend will accompany us to the ironwork. Let's see how he will do in a fight."
"As long he got a sentry, he should do fine." The Nomad Sniper remarks with a wry smile. Jack raises an eyebrow, not sure what's that about, but as long Conagher hits Magisterium soldiers and not the team, he does not care what that man does.
Heavy speaks up, but Jack does not know what the man is saying. He does not know Chinese, but from how Heavy is chuckling to himself, it seems the big guy didn't expect them to understand. Heavy turns to him, and Jack responds by; "Let's gear up" while doing the hand sign they are heading out for battle. It's annoying, but the only way to communicate with this stubborn oaf. Heavy nods and follows the two Snipers to where their gear is located. At least, what remains of it. Does remind Jack, "Hey Nomad," the sniper turns to him. "You got ammunition for a minigun in your vehicle?"
"Should have a crate with linked ammunition." The man replies and leaves to presumably check. Jack sort of hope he got this crate; otherwise, Heavy will have to rely on that assault rifle he tore away from a Magisterium soldier six months ago.
Jack walks over to the two engineers and gives them a brief description of what the plan is. "You will be accompanied with Sniper to the antenna, and you," He eyes the last person he expected to work together with, "will come with the rest of us and cause a lot of havoc at the ironwork. Be sure to bring a sentry, but you better not activate it before the civilians are out of the way." it's an annoying law, but Jack can see why the Elite put it up. They can't change the world if they act like how the media describes them: a bunch of trigger-happy madmen. But casualties are always inedible; sometimes people just get stuck between the forces. The teams can't give the Magisterium soldiers the advantages by waiting for those people to move out of the way.
Conagher nods and resumes work on the bug for the antenna. Jack leaves them, doing a silent prayer that his distrust won't be warranted against this man. That the son can redeem the sin of the father.
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The moment they finished the bug and made sure it worked properly, he quickly used the leftover parts and an unusable gun to put together an idea that struck him during the antenna bug's creation. Dell knows this little invention won't be perfect, but he can always tweak it later. Make it better for its purpose, but right now; there's not enough time for fine-tuning.
"Gear up, you two!" The Scout calls, making his fellow Engineer put the bug in her bag and leave to grab her choice of weapon.
Dell hands the new invention to Naria, letting her do the finishing touch while grabbing the box that holds a portable sentry. He disguised this crate to look like a large toolbox, figuring it would be easier overlooked by that and so stop the enemy from destroying it before the Engineer can activate the deadly machine. He joins the others, and Lawrence throws him a shotgun, speaking in a low voice only meant for his ears: "Harder to miss with this gun." Dell chuckles weakly, embarrassed at the reminder that he's not a very good shooter. Hopefully, he will get the time to change that.
Strapping the shotgun over his shoulders, Naira suggests deviously. "See if you can hide your new hand." Dell knows what she's hinting at. If someone gets right up his face, Dell will have a slight advantage that the enemy does not know about his now much stronger right hand. He returns to the worktable and grabs a right-hand glove, which he puts over his now robot hand, concealing it for the world. "Done," His daemon says and hands him the little invention. "not perfect, but better than nothing." She remarks, and he agrees, figuring; "Should make it easier instead of turning the whole sentry." Naira snorts a laugh at his words, and she trots over to where the others are. Dell puts his new toy in his pouch and follows, joining the others for this vengeance mission.
At Scout's command, they move out. At first, they stick together, but right as they reach the town's borders, his fellow Engineer and the hooded Sniper split from their group. Engineer watches them trots off for a moment, "Best of luck, you two." Naira muses before he moves on along with the others. Engineer, painfully aware he is the green one of this team and in some way the weaker link. He makes sure to stick close to Lawrence and do whatever his friend does, though he knows he soon will have to play the part of the class he chose to become. They don't move directly over to the ironwork but stick to the lone roads and shadows of the town, clearly to stay out of people's gaze. It's easy enough to know they are approaching their target. For no matter where they go, Engineer can see the smoke from the ironwork's chimney, a beacon that will lead them to their target.
Closing in the ironwork, Scout activates his walkie-talkie, "We're at the target. Wait for the signal." he tells the two others and his team's Sniper responds; "Copy." with that, Scout points on a rocky hill. "Sniper, I want you up there. If any reinforcement arrives, tell us straight away."
"Right." Lawrence replies calmly, as if he has been through this song and dance many times before. However, Engineer notices that Laraine is shifting around his friend's shoulder, so he is uncomfortable about something.
Doesn't have time to ask, for Scout commands the rest of them to move. So giving Lawrence one look, he follows the two others over to the ironwork. Close to one of the gates that separates them from the factory, Scout lifts a right-fisted hand and Heavy stops. A bit confused, but figuring that sign means stop, Engineer does the same. He blinks when Scout suddenly runs off and baffling how easily he gets over the gate with some mean climbing skills. His grey fox daemon has no trouble getting past either; she squeezes between the bars making the fence and quickly follows him to where the patrolling soldier is walking. Right before the soldier notices them, Scout grabs the man from behind and chocking the man with his whole arm. The little fox jumps at the larger Doberman and bites the dog around the muzzle, keeping it from barking. Both man and dog struggles, but soon the soldier passes out, and the dog goes into the passive state, where she won't do anything other than stay close to her human. Scout drags the soldier over to the wall, hiding him so well he now can.
Scout then does two sharp waves forward and Heavy begins to move; Engineer follows, still impressed how Scout took that soldier out. He knows that climbing over a fence isn't something he ever can, but 'I should ask Antoine if he knows about that chokehold trick; it sure works quicker than putting both hands around the neck.' that's the only way Engineer knows how to knock someone out— that or a solid punch to the face.
Scout grabs the keys from the guard and opens the gate, "Alright, time to make some noise." He speaks quietly and eyeing Engineer. "You have to wait a little while before activating the sentry. One of the more annoying laws says we should allow the workers to get out."
Engineer does recall Antoine mention this law, and how it is a double-edged sword for the teams. On the one hand, it makes it harder for teams to go all out, giving the Magisterium some advantages, but on the other, it should keep members in check. Making sure they remember their humanity. And that's something Engineer would like to keep, "I got that covered." He pulls up his new toy; it's an intercom for the sentry and will allow him to remote control the deadly machine. It might look silly, having a small radar with what remained from the construction of the antenna construction, all of which was put onto a broken pistol handle. Scout stares at the contraption as if it's a joke. Yeah, it looks silly, but if it works, then who cares how it looks like? "It should allow me to remote control the sentry." Engineer explains the other man, like Scout, keeping his voice quiet.
"Should?" Scout repeats, and Engineer has to sheepishly admit: "I uh, didn't have a chance testing it out." The man groans and rolls his eyes before signing Heavy to move out. Engineer follows with the thought; 'Better do what Scout said, I don't know if the Wranger works.' The last thing he wants is the blood of some innocent people.
Scout speeds over to a door, kicks it open and starts shooting up to the ceiling, catching everyone's attention. Engineer figures the man started the fight none lethal hoping that would scare the workers out, and it seems to work. People start screaming but do run out from the building. Except for the soldiers stationed here, they run over to where Scout is. Heavy notices them, but he does not aim his dragon-head minigun at them, presumably because of the stream of fleeing workers. Scout, however, engages with them. He shoots at the soldiers, forcing them to seek cover behind a truck.
Several workers did the same, though quick to take the run for it again when realizing Scout is only aiming at the guards.
Heavy run inside, and Naira asks him. "Should we follow or put the Wrangler on the test here?" Engineer is not sure if it will be wise to put the sentry at this spot. The sentry won't have much area to shoot at. It will be risky, but Engineer wants to be of use— prove himself for one of the teams of the Resistance, but he does not want to get the terrified workers caught in the crossfire either. When it seems the last civilian has fled or at least covering somewhere the sentry's scanner won't see them, Engineer puts down the container and activates it. It does take a moment for the sentry to be fully functional. So while it folds itself out, Engineer grabs his shotgun, finds cover behind a cart filled with iron, and begins to shoot at the guards.
Getting one of them, though, is unlikely. Engineer hasn't been allowed to shoot his father's guns back at the farm, and wife— now ex, would throw a fit every time he suggested to even practice using one. After that, he unofficial joined the resistance where he let Lawrence, Antoine, and back then Scottie practice with his weapons. Engineer knows his aim is terrible, but honestly, he does not have to hit them. Simply shooting their direction will make them less likely to come out and shoot at Scout and Heavy.
One of the guards peaks out for just a moment, but that's all the time someone needed, for next, the man jerks with a cloud of blood around the head and right as the daemon disappeared, the echo of Lawrence gun can be heard. That scared the two others enough to stay down, now that they are aware there is a sniper nearby.
Right about there, the sentry is up and ready for battle. However, since there's no enemy in its sight, the machine merely goes in standby mode, constantly scanning its range for possible targets. Engineer grabs the Wrangler. "Let's see if how this works." He activates the controller, and after a moment, the sentry stops scanning the area and instead aims where he points the Wrangler. Engineer grins at the victory; he turns on the laser he borrowed from Lawrence's rifle scope, and that made it so much easier knowing where he's aiming. Pushing the button, and the sentry fires several guns at the truck the guards hide behind.
Both Heavy and Scout turn to him, surprised, which he returns with a confident smile, now that he's more in his element.
The Scout hesitates, seems to debate with himself, but after reloading his scattergun, "Keep them pinned." the man commands him, signs to Heavy and the two head inside the factory. Engineer takes that command is Scout approves his invention and is carefully testing how trustworthy he is.
"Still wary of us." Naira remarks. Engineer agrees that it does not go unnoticed how Scout's daemon keeps glancing over to them, tense as if she's expecting him to turn the sentry at them. "Can't blame him." he replies his daemon and shoots at the truck again when one of the guards peeked his head out. Sure made the man go back to hiding. "I have seen what your teeth can do to a chair." So he can imagine how it must've hurt for Scout when his old man's daemon sank her teeth into that grey fox.
Not entirely sure what the two were doing, as he's too busy keeping an eye on the guards, but whatever it was, it sure makes a loud racket. So loud that Engineer almost didn't get the message from Lawrence: "Heads up! You got four right up your rear."
"We gotta hold them off. Engie and Sniper haven't given the signal." Scout responds back through their radio transceivers. Not long after, the speedster runs over to him. "Aim at the fence." and while the man signs Heavy by pointing at a specific spot. "Let's hope you shoot better with the sentry than with the shotgun."
That remark would've stung if it wasn't true, and definitely something Engineer wants to be improved in the near future. Well aware, he won't live long if he cannot hit whatever is trying to kill him. "Heh, yeah, I reckon I can hit something with my sentry by now." Engineer lets out a small laugh.
"At least makes it hard for them to approach." Naira comments and gives the fox a smug smile, which the fox daemon returns with a scowl.
It didn't take the reinforcement long to arrive, and unlike the guards, these people were trained and way more aggressive. So much that it forced them to seek cover. Two of the soldiers left their cover and charged over to where Heavy is hiding, but quickly changed their mind when they saw what kind of gun the big guy held. And it seems they knew; "Watch out, they got a heavy!" one of the soldiers cry and they both turn heel to flee. Heavy's boar daemon did stop one of them from getting away; she charged at the dog and bit the rottweiler's hindleg hard. The dog howled in pain and the man staggered from what she felt.
Engineer wishes he could help, but he got his hands full in keeping the others at bay. Did do that Heavy couldn't finish the soldier off, the other soldier started to shoot, forcing Heavy's daemon to let go and return back to her human, allowing the soldier to seek cover behind the same ingot cart Heavy is hiding behind.
Scout clearly shared the same thought that the soldier is too close to their big guy for comfort, so he jumps out from his cover and fires at the man. The soldier tried to get away but got several of the scattered bullets into him and after staggering steps, the soldier drops and a moment later; the daemon disappears. The two guards retaliate with a rain of bullets, the other soldiers moved to do the same, but Engineer quickly gave them other ideas by firing at their current location.
It gave Scout the chance to get away and hide behind the smelter once again.
A glint from the hill and not long after, the echo of Lawrence rifle, didn't hit anyone, but Engineer gets the feeling, 'He's not aiming to shoot, more to remind them he's there' which diffidently worked. It made the soldiers reluctant to charge at them again, but that shot revealed Lawrence's location.
Engineer hears one of the soldiers yell something, but it's hard to hear with the constant sound of guns fired and bullets exchanged between them.
Does get a good idea what that soldier said, for one of them starts to run towards the hill, at an angle where Lawrence cannot hit them. "Incoming Sniper!" He warns his friend and turns the sentry at this person, but right there, the man that made the command throws a grenade over to his location.
"Watch out!" Naira cries; she does not have to say that twice.
Engineer takes the run for it, ducking down in an attempt to avoid the bullets fired at him. Fortunately, none of them hit, and he gets past the door right at the grenade blows, taking the sentry out. "Sentry down!" He informs the others through the radio, breathing heavily from the sprint and adrenaline that he just avoided a grenade. Still, even with a loud humming from the blood rushing past his ears, Engineer draws his pistol and starts firing at the soldiers, mostly just to make them stay put. The soldiers have other ideas though, they leave cover frequently, clearly emboldened by the destruction of the sentry gun.
"Mission complete." The static voice of this team's Sniper, and right after, Scout calls out: "Move out!" through the factory and radio. Engineer empties his round at the soldiers before he turns heel and starts running the way they came. Heavy is not far behind, doing the same trick by firing at the soldiers, keeping them from following. Scout merely runs, and when he's out, Heavy sheathe his gun and follow. The soldiers did try and follow, fortunately, Lawrence gave them a quick reminder that he's still there.
Activating his radio, "Did you get the soldier?" Engineer asks, worried if the soldier that went after Lawrence is still lurking.
"Yeah, girl saw him a mile away." His hunter friend replies, sounding quite amused by it. "But I still appreciate the heads up, mate." It eases Engineer to know that he made his friend aware of the danger, but is certain Lawrence could've dealt even if he hadn't. "I'm leaving the nest." In other words, they no longer have his eyes or gun to keep the enemy away.
"Roger that, return to base." Scout responds, and barely has he returned the walkie-talkie into its pouch before things happened scarily fast.
One moment, the man is running; next, he gasps and tumbles to the ground, blood already showing on his still-healing left leg. A soldier appears from nowhere, ready to fire the next shot at Scout's head. Dell didn't think, he simply reacted to the danger towards a man that might have started hostile but has been trying to accept him as part of the ranks. He must've come at the soldier so fast, for the man didn't shoot, at least Dell didn't hear a gun, only the rush through his ears and his right arm thrust the man's head into the nearby wall. A loud crack! and the dog daemon only makes a whimper before she drops to the ground, completely out cold. That actually took Dell by surprise, enough to drop the knocked-out soldier, revealing a dent where he broke the skull and causing one severe concussion. He's more focused on the also unconscious deamon. Usually, when people get knocked out, the deamon becomes extremely subdued, not doing anything other than being close to their human.
"Guess concussions are the exception." Naira remarks, and it seems like it. Dell leaves the soldier and over to where Heavy already has gotten Scout slumped over his shoulder.
It's apparent the speedster does not like being handled like that, but he does not make a fuss. Most likely because he knows that he cannot stand on the wounded leg. They begin to move and right as they trots through an empty alleyway. "Thanks." Scout speaks up.
Behind the goggles, Dell blinks, but meeting Scout's eyes, he realizes that this save has earned him this man's respect.
"Don't mention it." He brushes the man off.
About a kilometer from the town, Lawrence, his fellow Sniper, and the female Engineer meet up with them, and the moment they saw Scout carried by Heavy. "How bad is it?" Sniper asks, with his team's Engineer looking mighty worried.
"I live but most likely won't walk for a goddarn month..." Scout grumbles, more annoyed than worried about his injury. Dell quietly hopes that this Scout will make a full recovery. He's a survivor, that's for sure. "Sniper," the man points at his team sharpshooter. "Make sure we're not followed." The man nods and leaves the group.
Apparently, not even an injury will stop that guy from being vigilant or throw commands around. For some reason, it amuses Dell and Naira too as she quietly chuckles. They get back to base without a hitch, and while the Heavy tend to Scout's wound, Lawrence pulls him over to this team weapon table. "Saw what you did with the sentry." Lawrence speaks as he grabs a few extra bullets to his sniper rifle. "Nice job you did there, mate."
Dell lets out a small chuckle at the praise, proud he could be some aid for this team, but they both know he can do so much more. "You're still going to teach me how to use a gun. I can't depend on a sentry all the time."
"Less so when those wankers priorities it's destruction." Lawrence hums in agreement. He takes off his yellow-tinted aviators, letting them hang in his red uniform. "When we find Spook and get the alethiomist, I will put you through training. But until then," The sharp brown eyes meet his, revealing that this sharpshooter is worried about that glaring issue. "Use whatever tool you have."
Like the Wrangler, yeah, his ability to create something from scrap will have to do, at least until his friends can teach him other ways to defend himself. Dell nods to his friend, and although he is starting to like these people. Being part of this team is not where he belongs; Antoine's kid needs him— needs all of them. "We better get moving," He suggests the other man, "before Sleek cuts off the Alethiomist's throat."
Lawrence nods, and he walks over to where Scout being tended by the heavy. It looks to be painful from how the man is winching, biting his lips. Understandable, Dell can see the Heavy is not gentle. "Scout," Dell follows his friend, getting over right as Lawrence speaks to the other man; "We will be leaving. Got to finish our own mission."
The man opens his mouth but is interrupted by a hiss of pain from Heavy bandaging the gunshot wound. With the procedure over, Scout turns his full attention at them. "Before you head out, I got a few questions for Conag— for your Engineer." He corrects himself.
Dell jerks ever so slightly but is pleased to hear that Scout has accepted him as part of the resistance and not just a pawn of his father. Lawrence eyes him; he gives his friend a nod and Lawrence leaves. Dell grabs a nearby crate and takes a seat before Scout. The man's daemon still shows signs of wariness about him. She's avoiding Naria as if she got rapiers but has stopped growling at her. The two daemons do come to a subtle peacemaking by lying beside their human and pretending the other does not exist.
Scout lets out a sigh, and with a struggle, he sits up, though avoiding putting any weight on his wounded leg. "I gotta be honest; I still don't fully trust you, but what you did today. Well, let's say I am carefully optimistic that you spoke the truth about your agenda."
"Appreciate it." Dell replies, he notices Naria seems to voice something but tactfully keeps her mouth shut. He gets the sense she wanted to express his thoughts; as long this Scout does not try to shoot him, they can work together.
However, Dell highly doubts this is the reason why Scout wanted a private conversation. "Now, what is it you really want to talk about?"
Scout learns a bit closer to him, his blue eyes tense, the small scar over the right eyes stands much more out this moment. "Do you have any information about the Magisterium we can use? Their inner workings— something we can exploit?"
Ah, so Scout is hoping he can be some kind of a mole for the Church, but unfortunately, Dell never got that deep into the Magisterium before his grandfather's "push" made him leave everything he knew behind. "I think you know the Magisterium's inner workings better than I do." He replies with a frown. Gesturing at himself, "Last time I was inside one of the Magisterium buildings was on a "take your child to work" day, and after I finished my education… well, let's say I saw the ugly side of the Church." Naira shudders from the mere thought about that place.
Scout frowns, out of confusion though, "What ugly side are we talking about?"
"How they treat daemon." Dell replies, he's about to explain further, but a certain look in this other man's eyes made him pause. Made him realize something, "Is that why you left?"
Scout shakes his head. "No, I left because I felt too restricted. Trapped by their rules." He chuckles, Dell is not sure why but waits patiently for a possible answer. And the man grants him the answer. "I had an entire future ahead of me, and I threw it all away." Scout eyes his daemon, she looks back up to him. "The best choice of my life."
"Yeah, I recognize the feeling." Dell muses, he might still be chained by his family's tradition, but thanks to his grandfather, the chains have become durable.
"At least your old man didn't try and kill you for it." Scout remarks.
He chuckles, but it does quickly come to a halt. For if Dell knows his old man right, "He might when he realizes I've joined the other side." but worst of all… his son is going to pay for it.
"So much for family bond." Dell nods slowly, and Scout asks; "What will you do when you meet?" Not if, when.
Dell does not like the thought at all, he has long known the day might come but still dreads the outcome. His father is a deep follower of the Church; his loyalty is stronger than family. When they meet, Dell fears that he will be forced to kill his own father. If he doesn't, then his father will kill him. "I guess… it depends on him." Dell answers the Scout slowly, though not truly worried about this inevitable fight. Dell knew it would one day come down to it the moment he decided to support Team Fortress Resistance.
No, what truly worries him is the fate that awaits his son. The moment his father realizes he's with the Resistance, Frank will turn his attention on Logan. Do anything to mold him into the next Magisterium head engineer, and unlike with Dell. His old man will not let Logan go.
The thought of letting that happen to his son, the immense expatiations— the chains that will tighten by each attempt to be his own person. Dell won't have that happen to his son, but as it stands now, he can't even get near his boy without dealing with that woman he once called wife. And when she discovers this choice of his, she will do anything to make Logan hate him, mold him into whatever his father wants.
What Dell truly fears with this choice of his; if he stays in the fight for too long. Then maybe, one day, he will have to stand before his son. Forced between the choice of pulling the trigger or let Logan takes the shot.
He does not want that nightmare to become a reality.
Logan, his son. He's the main reason why Dell has to fight. Dell wants his son to grow up, not chained by the Church's ideals, instead be free to choose his own path, let his daemon decide what shape she wants to settle in.
Eyeing the man before him, one who has also seen the darker side of the Church and wants to change it.
"Why did you join this side?" He asks.
The slender man lies slightly back down on this makeshift bed, pondering about the answer. Then, with a bit of hesitating, "I have always been running towards something, took me one hell of a long time to know what."
"Which is?" Naira asks. Scout turns, Dell follows the man's gaze and sees Scout's comrades. The man does not speak, but there's no need. Dell understands. "They are good people."
"That they are." Scout nods slowly, his voice somber and hands fisted. "All of them." Dell agrees on that and will miss some of the team members he got to know. No regrets joining, but Dell does regret he never got to see the faces of Scottie and Kreel. He only heard Scottie's voice, but not Kreel, he only knew her second-hand, but that was still enough. Scout moves, which snapped Dell back to the present. "Wish I could offer you supplies, but we're pretty low on everything." The leader of this team makes a small salute, "God-speed on the two of you."
"Stay safe." Dell replies and with that, he leaves Scout. Shakes hand with the female Engineer, the Sniper, and returns the bow the Heavy did. With that, he joins Lawrence at the entrance. They simply exchange a nod before heading back to the airship. They still got a long way to go before they can join their third friend.
I remember I made the mistake of making Jack and Dell share too much information with each other in the former version of this chapter. I changed that, making their conversation less talking and carefully coming to trust one another. The battle at the ironwork was pretty hard, but I think it came out well enough. Fewer died this time around, but I try and be more realistic with this series.