Here is Chapter 2, please enjoy! Sniper makes his first attempt to catch Scout, but things don't exactly work out the way he expected...

On With The Story!

When he woke up at his usual time, before the Teufort sunrise, Scout had temporarily forgotten about his bet with Sniper. He went about his usual routine of flopping out of bed, pulling on a loose pair of shorts and one of his many red muscle shirts, and heading out of the base to go for a run.

With the amount of running that he did during every battle, anyone else would think he was insane for using up energy so early in the day. But Scout always woke up with so much pent up energy that if he didn't burn some of it off, he would wind up fraying the nerves of even his most even-tempered teammates with his non-stop chatter and incessant movements.

And he didn't even touch BONK! in the mornings.

Even though the sun was barely breaching the horizon at that point, Scout's body was already beginning to heat up as he ran out into the desert, weaving around rocks and cacti to give himself more of a challenge. He considered how different Teufort was from where he had grown up, especially in the summer.

Thankfully, it was still early spring, and the desert had yet to reach the blistering temperatures where the sand seemed to turn to molten fire, and all of the mercs were forced to take as much cover from the sun as possible during battles, lest they get heatstroke. It had happened to Scout more times than he would have liked to admit.

Summer battles were one of the few times when Scout wished he had a less active role on the battlefield, one that allowed him to stay in one place more often like Sniper or Engineer-wait!

"Snipes!" The memory of the agreement he had made the day before interrupted the runner's stream of consciousness like a bat upside the head.

Steps faltering slightly, he scanned the barren terrain around him for any sign of the Australian, or the red light of a scope tracking him. When neither came into view, he nonetheless picked up his pace, wanting to put a little more distance between himself and the compound while he figured out a plan to return without encountering the Sniper.

Although he was still confident that his friend would not be able to catch up with him, he cursed himself for forgetting about the bet, and giving Sniper any type of advantage on him. If Sniper had seen him leave the base, then he would have an idea of the direction that Scout would be returning from, and would potentially be able to intercept him as he returned.

Moving purely on instinct, the runner turned around, swinging wide of the base so that he would be entering on the opposite side that he had left from. It was far from the safety of his room, but it was also the furthest point from Sniper's camper, making it the safest choice. Suddenly he wanted to get back to the base as soon as possible, just to confirm Sniper's location.

Besides, the marksman absolutely detested waking up early, so the later it got, the more likely it became he would encounter the Sniper before reaching his room or the showers.

The closer he got to the base, the more the feeling of being watched crept up on Scout, despite the fact that cover was slowly becoming more available in the form of rocks and buildings. He usually finished his run with an all-out sprint, just to make sure that he was worn out, even temporarily so that he could be slightly more mellow while the other mercs woke up (emphasis on slightly).

When he still saw no sign of Sniper, or any signs of life for that matter, the young man decided that getting back inside as soon as possible was his safest bet. That way, at least, he wouldn't have to constantly scan rooftops and towers for a tall, lanky shape.

When the metal door to Engineer's workshop came into view, Scout leaned forward slightly, digging his toes more forcefully into the ground with each footstep. He would have to cross a stretch of open space to reach the door, but with any luck, his speed would help him cover the distance in only a few seconds.

But before he could burst out into the open, one of the shadows on the awning to his right moved slightly. Doing a double take, Scout skidded to a stop when he saw Sniper sitting casually on the awning, coffee in hand.

How had he missed him? Sniper was used to holding incredibly still to land his shots, sure, but how had he just melted into the shadows like that? Scout decided to blame it on the rising sun, which was covering the landscape with a hazy glow.

Although he couldn't see it, Scout could hear the playful smirk in Sniper's voice as he called down "Mornin' Roo!"

"Heya, Snipes!" The runner called back, mimicking his casual tone. "What're you doing up there?"

The Australian shrugged. "Just waitin' for my target to come by."

"Oh yea? Anyone I know?"

"Yea, ya moight. He's a real fast little bugger, got a mouth on him like you wouldn't believe, always getting himself into trouble. Thinks he's smart too, but I'll get'em-I always do."

When Sniper made no move to descend from the roof, Scout laughed a little and took a few steps towards the door while still keeping his eyes on the marksman.

"We'll you're gonna have ta try a little harder than dat, Stretch! You ain't gonna catch anyone just sittin' on a roof!"

Sniper's only response was "I think I'll do alroight, mate."

Relaxing, Scout gave him an off handed wave and continued walking towards Engineer's door, his laughter ringing across the compound. "Keep telling yaself dat!"

He was still laughing when the ground crumbled under his feet and sent him sprawling into a crudely dug hole.

"What the fuck!"

He could hear Sniper's gravelly laughter coming from above him. "So that's where I dug my hole! Thanks for findin it, mate!"

The runner stood up quickly, brushing himself off. The hole wasn't deep enough for the fall to do much damage, but it was still at least 7 feet deep, probably more. His hands scraped at the walls, searching for footholds. Getting out was going to be a challenge.

"When did ya have time ta dig this?" he shouted, hoping to buy himself a little time.

"Last night, after ya went ta bed. Worth the sleep I lost, I'd say." Sniper sounded unbearably smug, something Scout wasn't used to from his laid back friend.

His pride commanded him to continue digging at the walls, the sand constantly crumbling under his fingers. He couldn't let Sniper win, especially not like this, not so soon!

"It's alright, Roo, I'll come get ya out." The marksman sounded almost affectionate now. "Just say still while I get off this roof." he chuckled a little at the irony in his statement .

The knowledge that the other man was coming down to capture him spurred Scout to attempt to think of an alternative way out. If Sniper had dug the hole, then he had to have climbed out somehow, and he was smart enough not to have dug footholds into the walls of the hole. That left a rope, or a ladder.

If he had used a ladder, then that knowledge wouldn't help Scout at all, but if the marksman had used a rope, he would have needed to secure it to something. Possibly something Scout could reach.

Using his strong legs to jump as high as he could Scout did his best to take stock of his surroundings. At first he saw nothing, but then a rock roughly the size of a soccer ball caught his eye. He had to jump again to be certain, but the rock appeared close enough to the hole that if he jumped (and honestly was very lucky) maybe he could grab hold of it and pull himself out.

The hole itself was about 5 feet wide, which didn't give Scout much room to gain momentum, but he didn't have a choice. Muted footsteps in the distance signaled Sniper's approach, which meant he had to go now!

Bending his legs and swinging his arms back, the runner pushed off the ground as hard as he could, reaching out for the rock with both hands. His fingers brushed the rough surface, but he slipped back into the hole, scrabbling for purchase.

Taking a few steps backwards to give himself more of an angular jump, Scout moved to step into the jump, hoping it would give him the distance he needed.

He could hear Sniper's amused voice coming from behind him, volume increasing as the man got closer. "What're you doin', Roo-Hey!"

Scout had managed to clamp his right hand onto the rock, the sharp edges biting into his palm as he did so. Bracing the other hand on the edge of the hole, he dragged himself out and jumped to his feet, barely glancing behind him before taking off towards the building.

"Oi! How did you do that, ya little-" Whatever name Sniper was about to call him was muffled by the heavy metal door as Scout slammed it behind him. Thank god Engineer hadn't locked it.

As he shoved the bolt into place, hands shaking slightly, Scout wondered if Sniper was coming after him right then. Had Scout ruined his entire plan, or did Sniper have more traps throughout the base?

Whatever, he could handle it, the runner thought as he slipped out of the workshop and into the main hallway. He had just proved that he could escape whatever Sniper could throw at him, not that he ever doubted that he could.

Keeping an eye out for the marksman, Scout walked purposely towards the showers. He really needed one now after dragging his body through the sand.

Scout was just stepping out of the shower for the second time that day when he heard whistling coming from around the corner. Slightly suspicious, he gripped the towel around his waist with one hand, making sure the other was free in case the person happened to be Sniper.

The older man had been watching him both before and after the match that day, but he had left very quickly after the match was over. Scout was a little apprehensive about what the marksman was up to, if he was being completely honest with himself.

He made a mental note to be more careful where he walked from now on.

When he turned the corner to where the benches and lockers were located, he relaxed immediately when he saw the man standing there. Engineer, who was running a comb through his short hair (why did he feel the need to do that?), shot him a little grin.

"How's it goin', Scout?"

"Aw, ya know. Just the usual." Scout said casually. He wasn't entirely sure yet if Engineer knew anything that he didn't, even though Sniper usually wasn't the type to share his plans with anyone. Still, showing any feelings of apprehension would be a mistake.

Engie chuckled. "Not quite the usual, kid. I saw the way you and Sniper were thrown' glances at each other, like ya knew somethin' we didn't. He catch you already?"

"Na, he tried though." Scout tossed out. "He dug a hole, I fell in, and I got back out before he could even get close, no sweat."

The Texan looked a little startled, but shook it off quickly and laughed. "Good for you, kid. When'd he find the time ta dig a hole?"

It was a benign question, so Scout relaxed a little and started drying off. "Apparently tha wombat stayed up last night diggin', if you can believe that. He did a good job though, it was a deep fuckin hole."

The runner yanked on his pants and started roughly drying his hair when a thought struck him. "The hole's still there, outside of your workshop. Watch out for dat by th'way, ya might have a harder time gettin out."

Plunking his hardhat back on his head, Engineer flashed him an easy grin. "Will do, thanks pardner."

He gathered his personal items and headed for the door, sneaking a glance over his shoulder at the younger man. Scout was pulling on the rest of his clothes, looking relatively content. There was no strain or hesitation in his movements, so clearly he hadn't been too seriously injured in his fall.

In fact, the only thing out of the ordinary about Scout was how quiet he was as he shook out his hair (which he never combed). No whistling, no humming, no stream of consciousness chatter…nothing. Instead, Engineer could see the wheels turning inside the boy's head as he,for perhaps the first time since the Texan had met him, thought strategically. If Spy could see him, the man might have been proud.

But strategic thinking would not be enough to save him, no matter how determined Scout was. Engineer felt bad for thinking it, but there was only so long one could get by with speed and luck before falling to someone more experienced and prepared. Especially someone as experienced and patient as their Sniper.

Still, Engineer thought as he let the locker room door fall closed, Scout's resistance would certainly make things more interesting for all of them, including Sniper himself. He would have to tell the other mercs what had happened, and that Soldier's chances of winning the betting pool were not looking promising. He could only imagine the boisterous rant the older man would go on when he found out, but hopefully the other American would not interfere in order to win the bet. Neither Scout nor Sniper deserved that.

Now that the Australian was on his mind, Engineer let his thoughts wander to what he had in store next for their youngest mercenary. Whatever it was, the Texan doubted Scout would be able to escape as easily. Engineer didn't know much about Sniper, the man kept to himself most of the time, but he would wager that he didn't give up easily, especially after someone had shown him up.

Little did Engineer know that his ponderings would be answered as early as dinner that evening. The mercenaries took turns cooking for the entire team, so that meant a great variance in both quality and style of food. Tonight was Pyro's turn to cook, a night that the men usually dreaded since the firebug only seemed to know how to burn things.

However, once Spy had taken it upon himself to show Pyro how to flambé, they had taken to it instantly, and began to flambé every meal they made with gusto. Even though Demo bemoaned the loss of some of their whiskey or brandy, even he admitted that the food was much better.

Tonight's meal was chicken, flambéd in brandy, and all of the team had gathered around the table, drawn in by the smell. Even Spy had emerged, claiming that he had to partake in a meal that offered 'a hint of culture and civility'.

However, the protein filled meal wasn't the only draw to the dining room that night-all of the mercenaries watched as Scout chose a seat near Medic, at the opposite end of the table from Sniper. Although not an unreasonable move, it did change the order of seating around the table, since the runner usually sat close to if not next to Sniper. The talkative man was usually the only one who could coax any dinner conversation out of him.

It was Pyro who took Scout's usual spot: they weren't much for conversation either, but they wanted a front row seat to anything Sniper might be planning.

Scout was halfway through his chicken before he realized that the room was bereft of the usual idle chatting, drunken ramblings, and obligatory noises made by men who didn't have the best table manners (excluding Spy, of course). He glanced up from his plate to see that almost everyone at the table was either glancing or blatantly staring at him.

Pyro was either engrossed in their food, or just couldn't see what was happening due to their lack of peripheral vision. Spy was, as usual, completely disinterested in what everyone else was doing. But the rest of the team kept sneaking glances at Scout, while Sniper was staring directly at him across the table, eyes intensely focused as though he was looking at Scout through the scope of his rifle.

Scout swallowed what was in his mouth and glowered at his team. "What's the matter with all ya? Never seen someone eat before?"

Some of the mercs looked awkwardly away from him, shuffling with their food or adjusting their clothes, but Soldier would not be deterred. "What is the status of your field exercise with our marksman, Private?"

When Scout didn't answer immediately, he rounded on Sniper. "Have you made the capture yet?"

"Nah, mate." Sniper's voice was slightly strained. " Had 'em for a moment, before 'e popped out of that hole like a roo an' ran away."

Soldier was nonplussed. "Inconceivable!" He turned back to Scout. "Explain your methods!"

Realizing that there was no escaping from the conversation, Scout went back to eating. "Soldier, if I tell ya that, he's just gonna dig another hole. Which I'd still get out of, just so ya know. This way, he hasta change things up a bit, be more creative, ya know?"

He downed half of his can of BONK! before meeting Sniper's eyes, which were still trained on him. "Can ya do that, Snipes?"

The Australian's gaze didn't waver at all as his voice dropped into the same growl Scout had heard the day before when he had challenged Sniper. "Oh, I'll give you creative…"

A slight shiver ran down the runner's back at the gravelly tone, but he pushed back, refusing to appear nervous. "Oh yea? What're ya gonna do, dig another hole, maybe make it deeper this time? Wooow, so creative."

Sniper's face continued to give nothing away, but Scout could see his tanned fingers gripping the fork a little more forcefully than before, knuckles turning white. Sniper was a pretty laid back guy most of the time, Scout usually found it very hard to rile him up without actively trying to. And even then, the man didn't have many things that really got to him.

But when someone discredited his skills, or called him incompetant or unprofessional in any way, they were lucky to still be standing after delivering their insults. They were a dead man, plain and simple. But they hadn't had Scout's set of skills, nor something to prove as he did.

Since he had finished his food, Scout pushed back his chair to stand up, pausing when Sniper immediately copied his movement. "What're ya doing, Snipes? Ya barely ate."

The Australian ignored him, and began to round the table at a slow, deliberate pace that unnerved Scout even more than if Sniper had charged at him. The runner immediately started to back away, thankfully the exit was directly behind him. But before he could get very far, a hand reached out and grabbed his shirt to drag him back.

"Vait a minute before you run off, both ov you!" With his other hand, Medic appeared to be holding back Sniper from continuing to walk.

Scout yanked at his shirt, trying to get free. "Butt out man, this don't concern ya!"

The runner knew he'd made a mistake when a large fist slammed onto the table. "DO NOT DISRESPECT DOCKTOR!" Heavy bellowed, also standing up.

Seeing the imminent danger if he didn't fix things, Scout attempted to pacify him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, man! I didn't mean no disrespect, but can't this, like, wait a'while? We kinda got somethin goin' on…"

To his relief, Medic did not seem offended, but the man remained persistent. "It vill only take a moment, and it iz extremely relevant to your…situation." He glanced at Heavy. "Sit down Misha, it iz alright."

The large man grumbled, but sat.

Medic laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them, looking pensive. "I have realized that you two have made bet, but you never agreed on ze stakes."

Scout's eyes narrowed. Of course Medic hadn't gotten upset, the man had an agenda, and wore the shit-eating grin of someone who knew he was stirring up trouble and loving every second of it.

Medic pressed on. "You have decided how one ov you will win, but there vas no talk of what the winner actually gets." He glanced at Sniper. "Unless, ov course, you discussed it vhen you left last night."

Sniper looked like he was about to say something, but Scout, as usual, opened his mouth first. "Nah, we didn't, but what's it mattah? We'll figure it out eventually."

Medic smirked. "I'm avraid I disagree, young man. Zere iz no vay of knowing exactly if and vhen you vill be caught, so it iz important to, how you say, 'hammer out the details'. You vouldn't want ze loser to try to wiggle their way out of paying their dues, now vould you?"

Sniper sighed and rubbed his face. "Look, Doctor, you have a point, but Scout and I are doin' just fine like this, we both have enough motivation. I say I can catch 'im, and he thinks he can prove me wrong."

Medic's smirk now rivaled that of a shark's as he calmly stated. "Herr Sniper, I vould say he already has." The Doctor picked up his fork, knowing that he had successfully sown his seeds of conflict. "Food for thought…"

Medic's statement had gotten the ball rolling in Scout's brain. "Yea…ya know what, the Doc's right! Ya had the chance to catch me and ya couldn't do it!"

Sniper's brow furrowed, he looked almost hurt, until Engineer cut in. "Now hold on a minute! Ya said five days, ya can't just drop out after one, that ain't right!"

Soldier, on the other hand, backed Scout. "As I understand it, the bet was that Scout couldn't escape Sniper's capture!" He rounded on Sniper, unknowingly adding fuel to the fire that was raging under the Australian's surface. "You had him trapped in a hole, and he still got away from you! If he had been a target, instead of a teammate, you would have been in deep trouble, son!"

Sniper looked frustrated, which Scout knew meant that if he was any other man, he would be ranting and threatening them all by this point. He was playing with fire, but he sidled closer to the marksman and grinned at him.

"Whaddya say Snipes, want to call it quits? Even though I won, I won't ask for anything from ya. Ya did you're best, but-"

He was cut off by his empty plate being picked up and thrown against the wall, where it shattered with a crash.

There was a collective "Whoa!" from around the table as every stared down Sniper like one of Engineer's unpredictable turret prototypes. The marksman had thrown the plate against the far wall, in the opposite direction of where everyone was sitting, but it was still an uncharacteristic move.

Scout blinked at the small stain on the far wall, darkening the already depressing grey-blue wall paper. "Ya could have just said no…that was an option…"

Sniper looked slightly embarrassed, no doubt having realized that throwing a plate against the wall wasn't 'professional' behaviour. But everyone in the room could hear the edge in his voice as he muttered "Ya got lucky, and ya know it. If that rock hadn't been there, you'd have been trapped."

Scout glared at him. Sniper was partially right, if the rock hadn't been there, he wasn't 100% sure what he would have done to escape, but he would have thought of something. The fact that Sniper automatically assumed that he had only found the rock out of sheer coincidence and dumb luck bruised his ego, and his hackles raised.

"It wasn't luck!" he snapped back, dangerously close to shouting.

This harsh response seemed to calm Sniper down, as he regained control of himself. He crossed his arms in a move that resembled Scout, and uttered "Prove it then."

Scout opened his mouth to shout back that he would, he would last the whole five days without the Sniper so much as touching him, but the Australian cut him off. "And so ya don't try to pull this backing out shit again, if I don't catch ya in four days and four days only, I'll do anything ya want. Only one thing, mind ya."

Scout, along with the rest of the team, looked intrigued. "Anything I want?"

Sniper shrugged, looking entirely calm now. "Yea, anything mate, except one: I'm not being a test subject for whatever the Doctor has cookin' in his lab ri'now."

Medic did not comment, but the corners of his mouth turned down ever so slightly.

The runner grinned widely as a thought struck him. "Foine then, I already know what I want ya ta do, Snipes. It's actually not that hard." He added when a nervous look flashed across Sniper's face.

He took one step closer to the marksman, feeling emboldened. "In four days, once I've won, all you have to do…is admit that I'm better than you."

Sniper surprised the whole room by chuckling. "Alright ya cocky bugger, but if ya lose, and ya will, you have to do one thing I chose… and I ain't going to take it easy on you."

Scout took another step closer, a challenging smile on his lips. "Don't you fucking dare."

Sniper looked down at him persnively. "Ya sure ya want to stand that close ta me, mate?"

The runner frowned a little, and took a couple steps back. "I guess not…dat doesn't mean I'm runnin scared away from ya though!"

Sniper laughed, more quietly this time, as Scout slipped out of the door and turned right, towards his room. "Of course not, roo."

The marksman walked casually back to his place at the table as though he hadn't just smashed a plate and spoken more words than the team usually heard from him in a week. The rest of the team, including Spy this time, stared at him incredulously.

"Are you just going to let him get away?" Soldier asked loudly, still hoping to win the betting pool.

"Course not, mate." Sniper grabbed his beer, making no move to follow Scout.

"Then why are you-"

The Australian raised a hand. "Give 'im a second…"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" came echoing from the hallway. Sniper laughed throatily.

"There it is." Putting down the beer bottle, Sniper headed towards the door that led outside, tossing causally over his shoulder: "I wouldn't leave that way if I was ya."

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