A/N. Sorry for not updating as quickly as you would like, but my birthday got in the way of me writing at all. That aside, it's July and Camp NaNoWriMo has begun, which means you can expect me to be writing a lot more! I'm hoping to push out at least 20,000 words by the end of this month, which doesn't mean much, but going at about 1.7K words per chapter on average (I guessed that), you'll have nearly 10 chapters more! I can maths!

"If you imbeciles think that plan is going to work, then I am calling Ms Pauling and telling her to take me back to Teufort," Spy huffed, smoking away a cigarette while his steely gaze switched between each mercenary.

Engineer frowned at his teammate. "Well we didn't say it would work, but it's not like we got a lot of time for planning and all that. We don't know what Gray could be doing to them this very moment, or if they're even alive at all."

"At the very least," Spy sighed, pulling the cigarette from his mouth for a moment to blow smoke from his mouth, "have somewhat of a plan. Think it over, find your entrances and exits. Remember, we're in his territory now. He knows the place much better than we do, and you have to be the biggest idiots alive if you really think you're going to run in there and get them and run back out with all your limbs. If anything, you'll probably die the moment you step in there."

Heavy nodded along, although he only caught the gist of what Spy was saying. "Leetle man has good point. You are all stoopid."

Scout scowled from where he sat. "Oh yeah fatty? And ya got a better plan?" He stood up, swinging his steel bat over his shoulder. "I don't know about you guys but I'm gonna go save their asses. Y'all can come as backup."

Demoman had to grab the Scout by the back of his collar and pull him back before he could actually leave. "Spy's right. Ye are th' biggest bloody idiot around here."

With an exasperated sigh, Spy put his head in his hand. "If you idiots are done, you can finally get to work and think of a plan."

Every minute seemed like an hour. An hour of staring at nothing but the walls of the holding cell and his hat and mask on the table out of reach. Part of Pyro hoped the Medic across him in the next cell wouldn't wake up and look at him, but he knew he wasn't getting out on his own.

He had made attempts to burn his way out, but whatever restraints and chair this was, it was fireproof. Smart.

Movement across the room had Pyro's head snapping up, watching in anticipation as Medic started to stir, effects of the drug finally beginning to wear off. He tried to hide his face with something, anything at all, but there was nothing to hide behind and all he could do was steel himself as Medic raised his head, blinking slowly as he attempted to clear his eyesight.

"Fucking hell," Pyro muttered under his breath, refusing to look at Medic. It wasn't that he didn't trust the man - well, part of him didn't, since they were originally from opposite teams - but he was not comfortable with showing his face to a BLU.

Pyro bit his lip in discomfort as Medic's eyesight finally cleared, the man taking a moment to look Pyro up and down before realising who he was, from the asbestos suit. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't make any other gesture to show his surprise.

"Herr Pyro?" The doctor asked, just to be sure.

"Surprise, surprise," Pyro scowled. "I'll have to congratulate you on being the first BLU to see me this… exposed."

Medic looked around, trying to find something to say in return to the maskless Pyro. He had clear, distinct features. A prominent nose, deep-set crystal blue eyes that said American genes, a slightly square jaw. At a glance Medic would have thought him purely American, but something about his voice hinted at a slightly British upbringing. Mixed parentage, perhaps.

"I haff to congratulate myself for finally seeing a Pyro maskless. I don't zhink you did zhat yourself, did you?" Medic asked.

"No," Pyro snorted. "If I was okay with this I would have taken it off a long time ago." His attention was averted to the door in Medic's cell opening, and Gray coming in with a Sniperbot. Neither of them held weapons, which was a good sign, supposedly.

Medic watched the two of them with a hard, cold stare, something he'd picked up from his officers back in the cold of Germany. He would have scowled or said something, but having no idea what the old man before him would do made him keep an expressionless face, say for the slight frown.

"Good to see you are awake, Mr. Ahlbach. How are you feeling?" Gray asked casually as if they were nothing more but friends.

Friends did not tie each other to chairs. "I'd definitely be better if I vas not ah, tied to a chair. Do I not get the courtesy of a name as vell?"

Gray smiled. "Oh yes, where are my manners?" He nodded to the Sniperbot, who pressed a button on a panel at the side of the room that lowered the plexiglass wall that segregated both cells, merging them into one. Pyro could now hear the conversation going on. "Gentlemen, I am Gray Mann. I suppose you would know me as the man attacking your precious company with robots." He said it with such ease, as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. To him, there probably wasn't.

"I'm fairly certain you would like the attacks to stop. Now, I'm a persuasive man, or so I'd like to think, so I have a very simple deal. In exchange for me stopping attacks on your precious little Mann Co., I'd like for both of you to just work with me for a little bit, help me get what I want, and you can go."

Pyro narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "And what exactly is it that you want?" He asked. If it was just money he could easily just fork over the cash, but if it was money Gray wanted, he wouldn't make his robots run on it.

"I want to harness the abilities the both of you have. I understand that you're probably thinking that you were born with it and therefore it cannot be transferred from one person to another. I agree, it's not that simple. But being a maker of machines, I have designed a device that will assist the process. Problem is, I've never actually tried it with someone who holds true power. So the both of you will have to stick around for a bit, let me work out the kinks of the machine, and once it's done, you can both go, and I will stop attack Mann Co."

"Und if ve say no?" Medic piped up, raising an eyebrow. He was getting tired of all of this old man's ramblings. He was fairly convinced he could easily walk out if the second he was released, and he was sure the Pyro would snap this man's neck as well.

Gray smiled, his grin evil like a cheshire cat. "I was hoping you wouldn't have to ask, but if you say no, then I will very well have to use force. Either way, Mr. Ahlbach, I will get what I want." He headed for the door. "I'll give you all a little time to think it over. I don't want to use force if I don't have to, so let's just cooperate, hm? Makina, stay here and try to… convince them. However you'd like to go about that."

The machinery genius left the room, leaving the Sniperbot behind to watch them. The robot stayed silent for several minutes, waiting until he was certain Gray would be going elsewhere to do other things, before he spoke up.

"You're not going to actually do it."

"Is that a statement or a question?" Pyro asked, wriggling a little against his restraints. Had he not had his gloves on, the skin around his wrist would have been chafed raw.

"It's a statement. Listen, Gray's not making a deal he would actually follow."

"As if ve don't already know zhat," Medic muttered darkly from his end of the room.

"So I have a less risky deal to offer."

Pyro raised an eyebrow. "And… we would trust you because…?"

"Because I'm not like the rest. If I was, I wouldn't be standing here or speaking to you. I'd only know how to recite the responses programmed into me. I wouldn't know the both of you by name. Axel Bigarsky and Horst-Dieter Ahlbach."

By that point both mercenaries were stunned by how much this robot knew. They stared at him, unblinking, wondering how much more this metal Sniper knew.

"The deal is simple. We help each other get out of here. That's all I'm asking for. I can release you two, and you two can help me and a friend get out of here," Makina said.

Axel narrowed his eyes in uncertainty, but leaned to the side to take a look at Horst. So that was his name. For a moment they locked gazes, discussing silently if they should take up the offer. How well could a robot, no less Gray's robot, be trusted? They came to a general consensus to keep the offer on hold and talk about it properly later.

"Ve… ve'll talk about it," Horst said, refusing to look at the robot. Something about him unnerved the doctor. Maybe it was the lifeless LED eyes that just glowed. It was… creepy. Creepy like the time Soldier came into his study naked and covered in honey, complaining about bear bites. Correction, that was downright terrifying.

Makina nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll come back later."

He left the two mercenaries, two Soldierbots coming to take his place. Once he was out of the cell, he felt a surge of excitement - or electricity - through his body. He and Medibot had a lot to talk about.