Crisp leaves crackled and crunched underfoot, embers of recent flamethrower blasts floating in the air. The smell mixed with the recent storm that had hovered over the property for weeks, leaving the atmosphere foreboding. Tracy paused to watch a leaf curl up into cinder until it was nothing but dust. She flinched as a bullet passed close by, leaving an impact in dirt. The blast of a thruster caught her attention as the BLU Pyro flew through the air from behind her, propelling themselves ahead. Tracy sighed, wishing she had as much mobility.

It had officially been a month since they arrived at Harvest, but Tracy still had no idea how long she had been with them. She really should have been keeping a calendar or something. She had always meant to start a journal to help her keep track of everything, but she could never commit, and she was awful at organization. Her estimate was four or five months, but she couldn't be certain. Coldfront had completely confused her track of time, she hoped she wasn't the only one who associated snow with the end of the year. She assumed Christmas was soon, but she wasn't certain. She needed to ask someone, but at the moment she was preoccupied by something else...

That damned RED Sniper had been watching her ass the entire round, following her from a distance. He was either right behind the shed on his side of the field out of her line of sight, or up on the second floor of his base keeping tabs on everyone. Tracy didn't know why he had such an interest in killing specifically her, maybe she was just that easy of a target. It wasn't like this was her specialty, the Pyro seemed to be the best Class for this property since Mann Co. released their new Thermal Thruster. The first time she saw the Pyro blast off like the Soldier or Demoman, she felt pity for the enemy team. The Pyro was a formidable foe on their own, but now they could FLY?

Shaking her thoughts away, she decided her best option would be getting advice. They had enough time on the round, deadlocked as Pyros cleared the point and eventually got killed themselves. Stepping away from spawn, she made her way upstairs and around the corner, keeping a careful watch for the dot of a sniper rifle sight.

"Hey Snipes-" The Thief was cut off as the Australian's kukri flew past her face and was embedded in the wall just a hair away. "Christ."

He chuckled, tipping his hat in apology. "Sorry mate, had a few too many run-ins with the snake. What can I do for ya?"

The two of them stepped away from the windows, taking a seat on a couple of wooden crates. To her dismay, a few bottles of what she now knew was piss littered the floor, some half empty. The Sniper followed her gaze and gave her a weak, sheepish grin, unsure of what to say. All Tracy knew was she really worried about the state of his bladder.

"Well, your little counterpart over there has been a real pain in my ass this entire round." Tracy began, purposely ignoring the wince on the Sniper's face. After she saved RED Tracy's life, she couldn't see what point there was in trying to hide the connection between them all. She knew, and she knew the others did as well, that they were all connected even if they weren't the same anymore. She really needed to talk to someone who was willing, and who was intelligent. Especially with something that was hypothetical at best. "I can't get close enough to RED to get up there, too many people going in and out for me to sneak in."

He nodded, rubbing his lower lip with his thumb. She had to tear her eyes away from the movement. She liked the Sniper, in a friendly way, but she didn't really know all that much about him. He was certainly attractive, Tracy couldn't deny that, she noticed how other women's eyes would linger on certain members of their group when they were in public. But apart from his last name and their jobs, he never volunteered any more information. Not that she blamed him, but it would be nice to get a little closer to her team. She felt like she was so close to all of them, but there was something missing. Something integral to their bond that she had just started down the path to.

"Well, if you need tips 'bout sneakin' 'round, I'd talk to the Spy himself. He's probably the closest in Class role." The Sniper finally replied.

"Class role?" She questioned.

"Well, we're all different classes but we have group roles. I'm a Support Class, just like the Spook and the Quack. I'm assumin' Pauling never told ya 'bout this?" Tracy nodded. "I figure you'd also be a support, since we're specialized. The rest of the team? Soldier, Scout n' Pyro are Offensive since they rush into the attack. Big man, One-eye, and Tex are defensive and hold 'em back. The rest of us can't usually hold a fight on our own, so don't get discouraged. If ya can't hold position, fall back and wait for us to mount a bigger attack."

Tracy gave this some thought, a small smile growing on her lips. The Sniper, for his antisocial nature, was a very thoughtful man. Even if he didn't give too much away about himself, he was always thinking of others. Even if it was sometimes about how to kill them. "Thanks. I think I will find him... Any idea where he is?" They laughed, understanding the futility in the question. Unless he was found out or already roasted alive, it was a chore to find the Frenchman.

He flicked his hat up and adjusted his sunglasses, a cool breeze flowing through the window. A strange sensation filled her. A strange sensation of longing and sadness she had never felt before. The longer she looked at him, the stronger the feeling became. She felt like she was going to cry, she blinked and it was gone. Tracy didn't understand where it came from, but the more she thought about it, the more familiar it became. She wanted to follow that thought, chase that feeling again, but she was cut off by the Australian's rough voice.

"I'd just hang around the respawn, he'll eventually have to pop up. He's not as perfect as he puts on." He rolled his eyes, a smirk on his lips. Standing up, he grabbed his rifle and kneeled down next to the window, peering through the sight. "Now, I need to keep up my score. Do ya mind?"

Shaking her head, Tracy laughed and made her way down the stairs once again. She found the whole scoring thing to be a little macabre, but it was supposed to be some sort of coping mechanism. She didn't really know if it was a healthy one per se, but she considered the Sniper to be one of the more sane of the group. Stepping outside once more, she was greeted by the Heavy lumbering in her direction. His expression was one of agitation, but he hid it behind a barely perceptible smile. As if he were trying to be comforting despite his anger.

"Leetle man is needed by Spy." He said simply, pointing to the spawn room. She nodded, quickly spotting the BLU Spy through the window. It looked like he was talking to someone on one of those massive AMPs phones she had seen Miss Pauling use. Stepping inside, brushing past the Soldier and Engineer, she caught part of the Frenchman's conversation.

"Are you absolutely sure this is a good idea madam? He's hardly been on the team as long as ze Lapin was when he was given his first mission, and you know how ZHAT went." The Spy paused, noticing her arrival. He held a hand up, rudely in her opinion, and listened intently to the person on the line. "You expect the little raton laveur to sneak in all on their own?"

Despite the crack of gunfire and explosions in the background, Tracy could swear she heard Miss Pauling reply, "Well, what do you propose?"

The Spy conspiratorially peered over his shoulder at Tracy and turned his back to her, whispering as best he could without being drowned out by the cacophony outside. "Perhaps I could accompany him, show him ze ropes as you say? If the task at hand is as you describe it, he would need help to get in at this hour."

There was a long pause before Miss Pauling replied, although the Thief couldn't hear it. The Spy nodded a couple more times before whispering a goodbye, turning to address her.

"Well, it appears it is finally your time my little raton. And I shall be your guide on this adventure." He dipped his head, placing a palm graciously on her shoulder. Tracy rolled her eyes and picked up his hand sarcastically, dropping it back to his side. He smirked and continued, "Our gracious benefactor has need of your abilities. Your task is to infiltrate ze enemy base, find a specific document inside ze Medic's infirmary, and bring it directly back. I shall help you enter the facility, but zhat is all zhat I can do. I must keep up appearances, and with you busy, I'll have to take up your shadow as well."

"What do you-" Tracy began to ask when the Frenchman pulled out his disguise kit, and slipped on a simple paper mask. Instantly, he turned into an exact copy of herself- almost. She could see the outline of her team's spy through the BLU color of her turtleneck sweater. It was strange, but seeing different versions of herself was becoming less and less surprising the more she was exposed to it. A small shiver went down her spine, but she quickly shook her head and got over it. Spy took off the mask, and the illusion dissipated.

"As you can see, it is not perfect, but it will be good enough for zhose at a distance. Now, prepare quickly." The lean man stepped closer to the window, peering outside. "Zheir team will be busy on the battlefield, so zhis will be our only opportunity."

Tracy could feel her heart beginning to pound as the idea took root in her head, a knot forming in her stomach as she stepped toward her locker. She had always relied on her team whenever she went into battle. She took in a deep breath, trying not to show her fear. She had been training for this her entire life, really. She was a thief, it was practically in her blood. And besides, she knew this was going to happen anyways, Pauling had been up front about that much. Refilling her ammo, she hesitated before closing the locker door.

Tucked into the corner was the little bag of smoke bombs she had never really used. She practically never had the opportunity, every time she had taken them out she got blind sided by the enemy and her first instinct was to grab her shotgun or her screwdriver. They seemed useless to her at the time, but now she felt she needed to learn how to use them. She couldn't be a detriment to her team, especially if she was one of the "specialized" classes. Even if that meant she was only good in certain scenarios, she wanted to be really good at those scenarios. Maybe if she was good at that, it would just bleed over into other matches.

Steeling herself, she grabbed the small package and stuffed them into her pocket and slammed the door closed. Turning, she nodded at the Spy and turned towards the spawn room door. For the first time in awhile, she felt determined.


raton laveur means raccoon in french ^^

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