Lisa found herself wrapping her jacket around her waist as they stepped off the plane in the hot, arid desert of Arizona. She glanced down at her pale arms and groaned. The desert sun was not going to be kind to her poor, Canadian body.
"Here. You'll need it." Miss Pauling said handing her a bottle of sun lotion.
"Merci." Lisa responded eagerly grabbing the lotion and applying it generously to all her exposed skin.
Miss Pauling watched in poorly concealed amusement as Lisa rubbed the sunscreen into her skin. When Lisa seemed satisfied, she handed it back to Miss Pauling.
"Finished?" She asked.
"Yeah…I'll probably apply some more again later. I burn easily…I'm not used to this kind of heat…or sun…" Lisa muttered glaring up at the sky.
"Well, hopefully you'll adjust quickly." Miss Pauling replied tucking the lotion bottle into her carryon bag.
The two of them walked away from the small, private jet that had brought them here and headed towards a van marked 'RED BREAD.' It didn't have doors and looked old and rusty.
"Alright, get in. We have a long drive ahead of us." Miss Pauling called to Lisa as she got into the driver's seat.
Lisa looked at the van suspiciously.
'I've been blackmailed, kidnapped and am now willingly getting into a sketchy van. These last thirty hours could not get any better.' Lisa thought glumly as she reluctantly got into the passenger seat.
If Miss Pauling noticed her reluctance, she did not comment on it as she turned the keys in the ignition and the van shuddered to life. The ride to Teufort was…boring to say the least. Lisa's curly, blonde locks stuck to her sweaty face and neck. With an annoyed huff, she pulled the mess of curls into a messy ponytail and took in the scenery. It all looked the same. Bright desert sand reflecting the sun, along with large, brown colored rock formations that stretched far into the sky above. The occasional vulture would circle in the sky and Lisa sincerely prayed that it wasn't an omen of her future. She glanced down at her crumpled work uniform. 'AnTEAques' it read in bold on her shirt. Her skirt was wrinkled from the ride and her heels had become uncomfortable a long time ago. The sweat was also making her smell rather unpleasant and she took some pride in her appearance, after all, she was the face customers saw if her Grammie and Grampie weren't at the store locations. She handled most of the orders as well as delivery to both locations in New York City and Montreal. She felt a stab of homesickness as she realized it would be a long time before she'd see these places again…if ever.
"Miss Pauling, is there any way I could get a change of clothes before arriving at our location?" She asked sincerely hoping the answer was yes.
"Hm? Oh yes. If you want to go ahead and walk into the back of the truck, I have a new uniform for you." Miss Pauling answered gesturing to the back of the vehicle.
Lisa cautiously stood from her seat and headed to the back, the fear of falling from the moving van evident in her mind. She saw an outfit set neatly onto a box in the corner and with unsteady steps moved towards it. As she stripped, she noted that there was also a stick of deodorant and a comb. She made a mental note to thank Miss Pauling for anticipating her needs. She pulled on a red, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of brown pants. She then found a pair of brown, combat boots and she laced them up over the pant leg. The final item was a brown and black bullet proof vest. Lisa picked it up cautiously and let her fingers glide over the thick material and the reality of where she was going and what she was hired as began to set in. The van hit a bump in the road and Lisa yelped and steadied herself by bracing against the wall with her forearm.
"Sorry! I didn't see that pothole. Are you doing alright back there?" Miss Pauling called from the front.
"Yeah! I'm alright!" Lisa called back and then her green eyes flicked back to the jacket in her hand and she quietly murmured to herself. "I'm alright."
Having the jacket snugly fastened around her torso, she used the comb to try to get a few of the knots out of her hair before throwing it into a neater ponytail. She folded her old uniform and set it with care on the box. She hesitated with her jacket before reaching into the pocket and taking out her valuable keepsake. She rolled it around in her fingers. The cold metal soothing her sweaty palms. She sighed and held it close to her heart before tucking it into a pocket on her vest and making her way back to the front of the vehicle.
As she sat down, Miss Pauling threw her a few glances before smiling and saying,
"Hey! Now, you're looking like a real RED mercenary! I'm glad everything fits. You have no idea how hard it is to get someone's measurements from twenty yards away."
"Yeah, about that…how long have you been stalking me?" Lisa questioned with an unamused raised eyebrow as she glanced in Miss Pauling's direction.
"Not important." Miss Pauling replied waving a careless hand in Lisa's direction. "However, debriefing you on what you'll be doing is VERY important."
"So far, all I know is that this…RED company thing is hiring me to fight as a mercenary in a…Gravel war? They're fighting over gravel...because the BLU company wants this gravel too for whatever reason. Is the gravel special?" Lisa asked leaning back to look at Miss Pauling with an inquisitive look.
Miss Pauling's mouth twitched as if she was trying not to laugh when she answered,
"No. The gravel is just gravel. Don't worry. You are on the right track. Two brothers inherited land from their father, and they don't want to share or make a business deal. So, they have hired mercenaries to fight over this piece of land instead. One brother is Redmond Mann and the other is Blutarch Man. If you haven't put it together, Redmond Mann is who you work for, and Blutarch Mann is who mercenaries on the BLU team work for."
"This is just…a lot of work for gravel." Lisa muttered glancing at the bland scenery.
"It is, but when you're rich, you can do what you want. They pay handsomely and you will be well compensated for your time working for them." Miss Pauling added with a soft hum.
"As a mercenary, what will my job entail?"
"Well, I briefly explained it back when you were detained. You will have a variety of jobs. The other mercenaries' tasks are much more…specific to their role. For example, we have an Engineer. His job is to build machinery and weapons for the RED team and keep our machinery in the best shape possible. Then there's a medic…he heals wounds and injuries obtained on the battlefield. Speaking of which, can you sign this document? It's your contract." Miss Pauling asked handing Lisa another document.
Lisa's brows furrowed as she read it.
"Reliable Excavation and Demolition (RED) co. does not hereby take any responsibility or legal liability for any and all injuries obtained on the field while working as a hired mercenary. This includes lacerations, decapitations, limb amputations, strangulations, spontaneous or any other kind of combustion…"
Lisa's eyes widened and she felt sweat trickle down her forehead as her hands shook slightly.
"I hereby give my permission to MEDIC to perform any and all body modifications in order to ensure the best quality of performance in my work as a mercenary…"
Her eyes then shot to the bottom and saw the line where she was supposed to sign her name.
"Miss Pauling…am I going to die?" She asked in a small voice.
Miss Pauling threw her a look.
"Well, of course you're going to die. They all do."
Lisa's vision swam and her heart beat hard in her ears. As if realizing her mistake, Miss Pauling backpaddled quickly,
"Oh…no, no! I didn't mean it quite like that…I mean, kind of…but…It's nothing to worry about! You'll be alright! Listen!"
Lisa took a deep breath and turned towards Miss Pauling, having half a mind to throw herself out of the moving van right then and there before this crazy lady could take her to her ultimate demise.
"The Medic performs a surgery on every new mercenary. It's a heart replacement. You need it to-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Miss Pauling shrieked using one hand to grab the back of Lisa's shirt and the other to steady the wheel as Lisa attempted to throw herself from the van.
"A HEART REPLACEMENT?! WHAT PART OF THAT IS OK?! YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY IF YOU THINK I'LL-" Lisa shouted struggling against Miss Pauling, wanting to take her chances in the open desert rather than face her future with a different heart as a mercenary.
"Just-LISTEN ALRIGHT?!" Miss Pauling yelled back finally pulling most of Lisa back into the van.
Lisa sat on the edge of her seat ready to leap again should she feel the need to as Miss Pauling sighed and smoothed back her mussed hair and straightened her glasses.
"As I was saying." She said casting an annoyed glance in Lisa's direction. "The heart surgery is crucial. You'll need it. There's this thing that both our Medic and Engineer created. They call it the Respawn Machine. With the heart replacement, the Medic will attach a mechanism to the heart that will allow you to come back through the machine should you die in battle. It takes about eight minutes to respawn, but you come back whole…no physical wounds. Good as new. It also allows Medic to Ubercharge you on the field…it makes you bullet proof. It's one of his finer achievements and he will talk about if for hours if you bring it up to him."
"You guys…figured out how to bring people back from the dead?" Lisa murmured in horrified awe.
"Sort of? I am not completely sure how it works, and I am not sure I really want to know. But it's the Engineer and Medic's brainchild. It has saved RED millions and millions of dollars. They don't have to hire different mercenaries until they retire." Miss Pauling responded.
"Why isn't this technology more public? We could save so many lives on the battlefield. The military could really benefit from something like that." Lisa stated with a slight bit of desperation in her voice.
"Oh, there's also a clause in that contract somewhere about secrecy and such. You aren't allowed to tell anyone about this technology." Miss Pauling stated blithely.
"You just told me…we've created technology that can beat death…and a company is using it to revive mercenaries that are fighting over…gravel?" Lisa asked her voice quiet with barely suppressed outrage.
"That's exactly what I'm saying." Miss Pauling countered with a colder edge to her voice. "Everything you see and hear working for this company is secret. I believe I warned you back at the border, but I will warn you again. If anything, and I mean ANYTHING, regarding your work here and what you see gets out to your family or friends, you will disappear and so will they. I will personally see to it."
Lisa's pink cupids bow lips squeezed firmly together and she turned away with gritted teeth.
"Understood?" Miss Pauling questioned authoritatively.
"Oui. You've made yourself very clear, Madame." Lisa responded her Quebecois accent slipping out with a sharp bite to her words as she scribbled her name at the bottom of the contract.
She handed the contract back to Miss Pauling and turned back to watch the scenery. Her heart ached thinking about the moral ramifications to what she now knows. How many soldiers die on the battlefield…how many families have suffered from their loss…how her own has suffered…
Her heart clenched as she shut her eyes and her hand rested over her keepsake in her vest pocket.
"Miss Fournier…I apologize." Miss Pauling stated her voice softer than before.
Lisa didn't turn towards her but listened resignedly.
"I forgot that you've suffered…loss. I was insensitive in how I handled it. For that I apologize. However, you must know the gravity of your position. The secrecy you will be exposed to with this job must remain confidential at all costs."
"How do you know so much about me? How do you know about..."
"I know just about everything there is to know about you, Miss Fournier. Please, don't take too much offense. I understand that it's an invasion of privacy but I'm just doing my job." Miss Pauling explained.
"I understand." Lisa murmured her hands fussing over the cool metal and feeling herself calm over the familiar feeling. "I accept your apology…and you don't have to worry about me. I will keep everything I see quiet."
"Thank you." Miss Pauling reciprocated as she tucked the signed contract into the bag beside her seat.
After remaining quiet for some time, Lisa finally broke it.
"Who are my coworkers?"
"There are nine mercenaries besides you. You will refer to them by their job title as their names are kept confidential for their own protection. There is Engineer. I told you a little about him earlier. He keeps everything running smoothly. Next there's Demoman. He's Scottish and has one eye. He specializes in explosives and is typically drunk. I don't think I've ever seen him sober. Hmmm…I think Scout's around your age. Maybe a year older? He's from Boston and is very…loud, I guess is the word? You'll know him when you see him. He's the fastest on the team and he hits people with a metal bat. Medic, we've briefly discussed him as well. He's German, and he really loves his job. Very enthusiastic. He's…eccentric to say the least. Pyro is…Pyro. He lights stuff on fire. The only one he really hangs out with is Engineer. There's Spy, he's French. Super mysterious. Well dressed. Always smoking. He's going to probably be the most insistent one on figuring out who you are, where you're from and why you're here. Don't feel like you have to tell him. Everyone's history is confidential…old habits die hard, I guess. He makes it his job to know everything about everyone. He's intimidating, but I believe in you. Heavy is our Heavy Weapons Expert. He's Russian and has a giant machine gun named Sasha. If you value your life, you will never, and I mean NEVER, touch his gun. Don't even breathe in its direction. That thing is like his child. He loves it. Soldier is a loose cannon. He loves America…LOVES America. He has a rocket launcher. He's Xenophobic to say the least. So be careful what you say around him and he has a pile of heads on a fence post that he talks to occasionally. Just fair warning in case he wants you to meet them. Lastly, there's Sniper. As you may have guessed he's the guy who shoots the enemy from far away. He keeps to himself mostly. He's a man of few words. He takes a lot of pride in his job."
"…and where's Sniper from?" Lisa asked numbly trying to process all the information she just heard.
"Oh, he's Australian." Miss Pauling replied.
"Great." Lisa groaned. "Most of these people are going to HATE the fact that I'm Canadian."
"Yeah, personally I'd just try to avoid mentioning that fact if you can. I'm not sure how many secrets you're going to be able to keep from Spy. But for everyone else, if they insist just say you're from the north. You've been to New York enough that you could fake it." Miss Pauling advised.
"Got it. I'm supposing that I should probably cut back on the French too?"
"I'd advise it. Spy is from France and I don't speak French, but from what I understand Quebecois speak French differently. Like American English vs. British English." Miss Pauling replied glancing towards Lisa.
"I wouldn't go quite that far, but there are some definite differences. It really only seems to come out with my temper." Lisa replied gazing at the open road. "My grandma is from Montreal. She's who I learned to speak it from…that and just picking it up from other French speakers around me. I'm not sure where my Grandfather is from. I've never asked."
Miss Pauling nodded.
"I understand. I hope for your sake that it doesn't slip out. Spy will never let you rest if he finds out you speak French fluently. I mentioned before that Solider is Xenophobic so definitely try to keep the Canadian thing under wraps."
"And…the Australian?" Lisa asked.
"Sniper? He's usually by himself. He shouldn't be an issue. Not super gung-ho over weapons, though he does love his sniper rifle. He's different than most Australians I've met. Not super beefy or aggressive. Quiet and reserved."
"Alright…I'll keep these things in mind." Lisa said with a nod as she fiddled with a clasp on her vest.
"Good. Because you're about to meet them." Miss Pauling said casually.
"What do you mean? There's nothing here." Lisa wondered aloud looking around at the nothingness around her before shrieking as Miss Pauling took a sharp turn across a fake cardboard cactus and through a painted sheet.
Ahead of them was a series of metal and wood buildings. RED was painted on the side of every one of them.
"Are you kidding me? All of this is hidden by a sheet and a fake cactus?" Lisa demanded.
"Hey, it works. You didn't see it, did you?" Miss Pauling pointed out.
"Touche." Lisa acquiesced.
Miss Pauling parked the van and then turned to Lisa with a half grin.
"Ready to meet the team?"