A/N. I don't expect chapters to get posted faster, suddenly school work is piling on and I haven't started anything at all so…

The halls were definitely not deserted after all. As Axel and Medibot made a turn, they nearly crashed into a Demobot, ducking out of the way just in time. Knowing they couldn't say anything in case the Demobot picked up on them, they started to silently argue with each other in an attempt to decide whether they should turn around and go the other way, or fight the robot, take its weapons, and risk alerting other bots.

A lot of hand gestures and scowls were thrown around before the decision was made to fight the robot. There only seemed to be one, and if they went the other way there was the possibility of more waiting for them.

The Demobot stood perfectly still, not moving at all. It would have seemed deactivated if not for its central eye lit up. Medibot inched forward, as fast as he could go without his wheel making any noise, up to the corner of the wall they hid behind. He gave the Pyro an uncertain look for a moment.

On a silent cue, Medibot sprang from the corner and grabbed the Demobot, hauling it around to face Axel, who put a hand to its face and melted it clean through. The Demobot barely had time to scream before half its head had melted into hot, liquid metal. Axel snatched up its weapons and Medibot placed the bot against the wall to sizzle and steam.

Axel tossed Medibot the grenade launcher. "Alright, let's head up and see where the hell this place goes."

They continued to check every door, and a little something that felt like hope fluttered in Axel's chest when they found a stairwell that went up. The two of them entered the stairwell, Axel starting to climb up when he noticed Medibot was not following.

"Hey, you coming?" The Pyro asked, pausing on the stairs.

Medibot looked down at the step. "I ah- I can't… actually… climb stairs." He seemed almost guilty of that fact, if robots knew guilt. Maybe Medibot did, who knew?

For a moment they stared at each other, as each of them tried to figure a way to get Medibot up the stairs. "I could carry you, I guess. But it depends on how heavy you are." Axel could just manage to carry Soldier, and Soldier was a pretty big guy. He went back down the stairs and carefully hefted Medibot onto his back. He seemed just a little heavier than Soldier.

"Jesus, you're really heavy," Axel hissed under the weight.

"Vell what do you expect? I'm made of metal, Herr Pyro."

"Yeah yeah…"

Makina pulled himself away from the computer with a gasp, frustrated that it had contained nothing of importance, nothing of interest. "Damnit," He muttered, tempted to shove the computer off the table. The thought that the noise could attract some unwanted attention was his only restraint.

Of course, why would a simple computer in a place as drab and old ad this contain anything of importance? Makina shook his head as Freedom can running back, pleased with himself at having found something of interest with Horst.

"Mac! We found something! While you were looking through that damned computer of yours we found a stairwell and went up. It leads straight back to the factory floor!" Freedom seemed entirely proud of himself for finally having done something of use.

Makina gave him a nod. "I hope you didn't alert any of them," he said, remembering for a moment that Freedom could be… loud. He hoped Horst had the sense to keep him quiet.

"Nein, none of zhe bots noticed. If anyzhing, zhey seem distracted," Horst said. "If zhere is a good time to go back up, now vould be it."

Having nothing else to find in the oil control room, Makina nodded. "Alright, lead the way."

Freedom was more than pleased to lead back to the staircase they had found earlier, behind a rusted door with its dirty paint peeling off. Quickly, they headed up the stairs, passing only a single door before Freedom stopped, carefully twisting the doorknob and nudging open the door.

Robots seemed to mill around but true to Horst's word, none of them paid any attention. Instead, things seemed frantic, and it was barely a few seconds before alarms blared overhead and red alert lights flashed.

ATTENTION ROBOTS! MERCENARIES HAVE ENTERED THE COMPOUND! ALL MERCENARIES ARE TO BE KILLED ON SIGHT.

The message rang out in a robotic tone of voice, repeating its final orders to the robots on the factory floor. Around them things started to kick into action, and Makina knew very well it was time to high-tail it out of there.

Just as the mercenaries were about to turn and leave, one of the Scoutbots noticed the three of them. "Traitors!" It screeched, rearing its bat back. As if in sync, all the robots in the Scoutbot's vicinity seemed to turn their heads towards the three escaped mercenaries at once. There was a deafening moment of silence.

"Move!" Horst ordered, turning and starting to sprint away. Makina and Freedom followed behind, as the thundering sound of possibly a hundred robots chasing them began to clash.

They did not know where to run. Or at least, Freedom and Horst did not know, but Makina was sure to know the factory a whole lot better. The Sniperbot took the lead, sprinting past as many robots as possible. None of them had weapons say for Freedom's shovel, but that was all they had.

"We'll head down to the deployment area and lose them there!" Makina ordered. It wasn't a long way to the deployment facility, and if there was a carrier waiting there, they could use it to get out of the facility. Medibot and Pyro would have to find their own way out.

All the halls and all the corridors seemed the same to Horst and Freedom. Freedom had not been up here on the factory floors in months, and things had changed since then. For a moment he was confused, and a little determined to find something he recognised about the factory, but the stampede of bots behind him kept him running.

As soon as they were into the deployment facility, Makina slammed the door shut and rolled down the shutter. It would keep the bots out and away, at least for a little while. Just a little time was all he needed to obtain a deployment carrier and get the hell out.

Freedom gave his surroundings a look as Makina began to tap into a computer and Horst leaned against a wall to recharge a little. Yeah, he remembered the place. He remembered the first time he had been deployed to Bigrock. It was a mere five months ago, but yet to a bot as old as he was it seemed like decades. He had been silenced into awe and mesmerisation as he wandered around the deployment facility, remembering all the old times.

"Perfect. There's a carrier coming back in about five minutes. In whatever time we have, we need weapons. They should have some around here." Makina tapped around the computer a bit more before standing up in triumph.

"Vait- vhat about Herr Pyro and Medibot?" Horst asked. There was a slight sinking feeling within him. All this time he had been running, fighting, for his own life, that he had forgotten about the very man he was trapped with in the first damn place.

At that moment Makina felt the first pang of guilt. Being a robot was great - you never had to experience bad feeling like loss, guilt, regret, sadness. And while Makina was glad he was capable of experiencing some - albeit a rather limited range - emotions, guilt had never crossed him until that point. It felt odd.

He looked away for a moment, unsure of how to reply. It was his and Horst's freedom over the lives of Medibot and Pyro. "I… we can't. There are possibly a thousand bots or more outside, waiting for take your head and throw me into an incinerator. Pyro and Medibot are capable of finding their way out on their own. Even if we go back, we'll likely die as well."

Horst scowled. Had this happened while back in Teufort, he would not have minded leaving a RED. He was a BLU, Axel was a RED. He didn't have to care. But after months of fighting robots with the Pyro, something a little like friendship had formed. And he was no psychopath like a number of his teammates.

"I don't care vhat you do, once vay or anozher ve are going back for zhem," Horst hissed. He stepped up to match Makina's height, his icy eyes holding a silent threat within them. Makina held the stare for a moment before turning away.

"Fine. We'll go back for them, but not like this. At the very least, you need your teammates if you want even the slightest chance at fighting Gray's robots. He has an endless army. Plus your teammates, and assuming the other two are alive, all we have is… nine of us. "

Horst considered Makina's words for a moment. He was right. He didn't even have his Medigun or Ubersaw, which meant all he had as healers or weapons were his hands. He continued to stare at his hands for a moment.

"DOC!"

Something fairly heavy suddenly slammed down onto Horst's back. He stumbled for a bit, throwing whatever the hell was on his off. The doctor spun around on one foot, ready to fight, all muscles tense. He only relaxed when he recognised the young man in a blue shirt, and a familiar animal-head bonnet.

Scout leapt in front of Horst, pointing his scattergun at both Freedom and Makina, who backed off a little. "Man, who the hell are these guys? Doc, why aren't ya beatin' them apart?" Scout demanded, ready to shoot. Horst grabbed the gun and pulled it away from Scout's hands before he could shoot.

"Dude, what the hell is ya problem? Man, did they do somethin' to ya noggin?" Scout hissed.

Horst returned the gun. "Zhey're allies. Do you see zhem trying to kill me?" He snapped in return. "And how zhe hell are you here? Vhere are zhe rest?"

"The rest?" Scout repeated dumbly. "Oh yeah! Well we split up. Oi Spy! Come out, ya crazy frog!" He called to seemingly no one.

Spy? Since when did we have a Spy? Horst thought. A RED Spy clad in a smart suit and a hood that shaded his facial features materialised from the shadows, stepping up behind Scout.

"Surprise, surprise, the doctor isn't dead," Spy snorted. "And you know Scout, I bet the old man already know we're here, what with all your shouting." He gave Makina and Freedom a quick and wary glance. "Who are these two?"

"Allies," Makina stated flatly.

"Look, vhere are zhe rest of zhe team?" Horst demanded. if anything, they should be looking for Axel and Medibot.

Scout shrugged, leaving Spy to answer. "They're entering the facility from different areas. If all went according to plan, Engineer and Heavy should be entering from the west end of the facility and Demoman should already be inside. Where's Pyro?"

Medic frowned. "Truth be told, Herr Spy, we haven't see him in some time. I vouldn't know."

The five mercenaries lapsed into silence for a moment, before a metal hand jammed itself under the shutter and began to haul it up. Spy gave the hand a look.

"I don't suppose you have weapons," The Frenchman commented. He removed his revolver from his jacket and tossed it to Horst.

"Now let's go. If I'm correct, and I usually am, there are about three hundred robots waiting outside. At the most my sapper can take down about at most, fifteen of them and I don't know how many I could stab in that amount of time, but I doubt there is another way out of here so…"

Makina swept his gaze around the room.

"Get ready to fight."