Lisa swallowed hard as she observed the buildings around her. Her heart beat steadily like a dull drum in her chest and her hands trembled slightly before she clenched them willing herself to get a grip.
She glanced at Miss Pauling who was calmly arranging her papers before clipping them together and placing them in a folder in her bag.
"It'd probably be best for me to handle the introductions." Miss Pauling said easily and Lisa gave a nod.
"Before we go in…you mentioned that all the mercs are called by their job description. Well, what's mine? You've said I'll be a jack of all trades, but you never actually gave me a name." Lisa pointed out confusedly. "That's kind of important, wouldn't you say?"
Miss Pauling slapped her hand to her forehead.
"Ugh! I knew I was forgetting something crucial. You'll be referred to as- "
"Miss Pauling! What brings you out here? I didn't know you'd be stoppin' by today!" A voice rang out.
The two of them turned to see an energetic, young man walking quickly towards them. He wore a red, T-shirt and faded baseball style pants with tall white socks and black running shoes. His hands were wrapped in white bandages. A necklace with dog tags jingled softly in time with his brisk pace. A cocky half grin lit up his face and his blue eyes glanced past Miss Pauling to meet Lisa's green ones with a touch of mischief.
"Scout." Miss Pauling greeted cordially. "I'm actually here to introduce the new member of the red team. This is…"
"Woah! Wait…You?" Scout asked pointing at Lisa incredulously. "But you're so…small. You look like a strong breeze could blow ya over. No offense…"
"Scout that's-" Miss Pauling started.
"No, it's alright. I agree. I mean…I am small. I'd probably say the same thing." Lisa admitted with a shrug.
"See, Miss Pauling? No harm done." Scout said with a wink and a smile thrown in Lisa's direction.
Lisa tightened her ponytail as Scout proceeded to casually ask Miss Pauling about her day and how she's been. She stretched her arms over her head and exited the van as Miss Pauling did the same; with Scout talking her ear off the entire time.
Lisa followed behind the pair quietly as she took in everything with wide, curious eyes. They entered a garage like area where another van was parked. Machinery of every sort lay in the rafters and random bolts and nails were lying haphazardly on the ground. In the middle of the room lay a strange metal contraption. It let out the occasionally hum and whir. Lisa was tempted to go closer to take a look but Scout and Miss Pauling were already entering a door into the building. Lisa picked up the pace to keep up just behind them, staying just as quiet as before.
Lost in her own thoughts she was brought back to reality when Scout glanced over his shoulder and asked,
"'Ey! You good back there?"
"Hm? Yeah." Lisa responded her eyes pulling away from her surroundings and to the man gazing back at her with a curious expression.
"Hm. Alright. You're just so quiet. Forgot you were there for a minute." Scout replied with a shrug of his shoulders and going right back to speaking to Miss Pauling.
Lisa bit her lip in annoyance at the young man but was otherwise silent. Silence kept her safe. The quieter she was, the less information she would give about herself. She forced her hands to remain at her sides as she walked and tried to keep her back straight. All she wanted to do was rub her arms in a self-soothing motion and cry to be fully honest. However, her grandfather's voice rang through her head.
'Back straight. Chin up. First impressions matter. People make their first assumptions of you based on your body language. You're small, Lisa. You always will be. Let them know that it won't stop you from defending yourself.'
"Is everyone in here, Scout?" Miss Pauling asked the young man pulling Lisa once again from her reverie.
"Yeah, just about anyway. No mission today, so everybody's been drinking and playing cards. Except for Medic. He's in the lab. I have no idea about Spy or Pyro though." Scout answered.
"Well, best get as many as we can in one go, right?" Miss Pauling asked rhetorically with a smile.
Before Lisa could interject, Miss Pauling opened the doors and they were ushered into a dimly lit room. From over Miss Pauling, Lisa could make out several forms hunched over a table.
"Stop tryna' cheat off ma cards ye walloper." A Scottish voice grumbled lowly.
"WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF CHEATING! THAT IS UN-AMERICAN!" A loud voice boomed.
"Guys…" Miss Pauling tried to interject.
"What's 'Un-American'? Cheatin' or me accusin' ye of cheatin'?" The Scottish voice smarted back.
"BOTH! THE FACT THAT YOU EVEN INSINUATED THAT I WOULD DO SUCH A THING IS ABSOLUTELY…"
"All I'm sayin' is that it's 'ighly suspicious that ye keep knowing what I'm about to lay down before I lay it…" The Scottish man's voice trailed off in a taunting manner.
"Hello?! Guys…" Miss Pauling tried again.
"YOU'RE JUST UPSET THAT I HAVE BESTED YOU IN CARDS YET AGAIN BECAUSE I AM CLEARLY BETTER!"
"Come on now, fellas. There's no need to fight over this." A southern male's voice chimed in trying in vain to diffuse the situation.
"That…or ye're cheatin'." The voice answered smugly ignoring the southerner's sensibility.
There was a crash as the table was flipped and a voice cried out,
"MY DIGNITY HAS BEEN INSULTED; I WILL SETTLE THIS IN THE GOOD OL' AMERICAN WAY…WITH MY FISTS!"
"BRING IT ON YE LAVVY HEID! I'LL BEAT YE SO 'ARD YOU'LL FACE WILL BECOME THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE!"
"GENTLEMEN!" Miss Pauling yelled interrupting them as Scout gave a piercing dog whistle. This, finally gaining the attention of the men in the room.
"Miss Pauling. What could possibly be so important that you would interrupt a man's fist fight for his honor?!" The louder American male's voice rang out in a demanding fashion.
"The two of you may beat each other into pulps after I say what I need to say." She replied with an air of authority.
"Well, spit it out, lass." The Scottish voice responded in irritation.
"As you may know, the Administrator has decided to add another member to the team here." Miss Pauling started.
This received a few noises of agreement from the other men in the room.
"The Administrator has chosen them herself and I expect you all to respect her decision and do your best to get them acquainted with the various tasks that they will have."
The men muttered in agreement though there was a tense feeling of suspicion as well as curiosity in the air.
Lisa rubbed her arm self consciously as her heart raced. She was fighting the urge to bolt from the room…though she knew deep down she wouldn't get far. Her eyes glanced longingly towards the door behind her but was quickly brought to face forward again as Miss Pauling said,
"Well, then. Everyone, meet Backup…the tenth member of your team."
With that she and Scout stepped aside, exposing her to the critical eyes of everyone in the room. The faces she saw were a mix of shock and disbelief and amusement as they saw her for the first time.
Oh, she should probably speak.
"Um…hey. Nice to meet you all."
'You absolute imbecile. Um and then hey? Might as well just nail a sign to your chest that says 'HEY! I'M SMALL AND WEAK! EVERYONE, MURDER ME!' Lisa's mind berated her as she nervously gaged the room around her.
A smaller man stood up. He was a few inches taller than Lisa. He wore a hard hat and goggles and shot her a friendly smile before walking over and offering a gloved hand for her to shake and saying,
"Nice to meet you too, darlin'. I'm the Engineer, though most people call me Engie."
"Pleased to meet you, Engie." Lisa replied returning the handshake. She could almost see her Grandmother's pleased expression at her sure display of manners and her confidence rose a small fraction at the interaction with the kind man.
Engie moved aside for others to introduce themselves and the next to come forward was the largest man Lisa had ever seen. He walked towards her and Lisa had to fight every inclination to step away from him or lean back from his towering frame.
He sized her up and Lisa fought every instinct in her body telling…no, screaming at her to run.
"Hmmm." The man hummed thoughtfully looking her over. "You are very leetle. Could crush you in one hand."
"Ummm yeah. That's a fair assessment." Lisa muttered back looking back up at him. "But, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not be crushed…please."
"Girl reminds Heavy of leetle mouse." Heavy continued turning his gaze to meet her eyes and asked lowly. "Tell me leetle mouse…how can you fight against big men on battlefield?"
"Very carefully?" Lisa replied back with a wince cursing her big, sarcastic mouth.
To her relief, the large man's mouth twitched in amusement as he said,
"Leetle mouse is clever."
Then his expression fell back into a more neutral expression as his gaze roved over her once more.
"Let us hope it is enough."
With that, the large man roughly patted her shoulder and left the room.
Lisa watched him leave, heart pounding and adrenaline rushing at his ominous words.
She turned back to the group and said,
"Anyone else have an ominous and terrifying introduction prepared?"
"Bonjour." A voice said as a person materialized beside her.
"CRISS!" Lisa yelped without thinking as she jumped back from the man who had materialized in front of her.
She could see Miss Pauling from the corner of her eyes tense slightly as Lisa realized she had just cursed in French.
'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.'
The only sign that Spy may have caught her slip was the slight uplifting of one brow under his baklava.
"Jumpy, are we?" He asked in poorly concealed amusement.
"Only when invisible people decide to introduce themselves." Lisa shot back, her green eyes glaring unamused.
"I think you will find¸ it is much more terrifying when the invisible people do not introduce themselves, mademoiselle." The man stated with a self-assured smirk. "As you may have guessed if you have been debriefed at all, I am Spy."
"It's…nice to meet you, Spy." Lisa replied hesitantly.
The Spy eyed her critically.
"Hmmm…we shall see."
Lisa didn't know how to respond to that as Spy continued and began to circle her.
"Tell me. What is your weapon of choice?"
"Ummm…a pistol, I guess? I'm not sure why this is any of your…"
"Do you have a preferred fighting style?" Spy continued with his interrogation.
Lisa didn't like the way Spy was circling her. It reminded her of the vultures she had seen on her drive here in the desert. Just watching…waiting…for one moment of weakness and then death.
"That's confidential." She responded raising her chin defiantly.
The Spy stopped in front of her, his eyes dancing in amusement.
"Is it? Or are you as frail as Heavy said? What were the words he used…little mouse?"
She couldn't stop her eyes from flashing in shock at his perception…as well as his audacity. She knew he had caught on to her discomfort when he tilted his head and his smirk grew. He opened his mouth to continue questioning.
"Spy. Enough. Her past is none of your business." Miss Pauling intervened, and Lisa had to keep her shoulders from sagging in relief.
"Of course," Spy agreed taking a drag from his cigarette. "However…"
Lisa tensed at those words as her attention was brought back to the man studying her.
"It is my experience that little girls do not survive very long on battlefields. If mademoiselle is not being truthful about her skills…well…" His gaze turned back to meet hers and Lisa fought a shudder. "I doubt she will be here for very long."
With that, Spy passed her and left the room. Lisa's body felt cold and numb as she tightened her jaw and clasped her hands in front of her.
"Hey, don't pay attention to him. Spy's a dick. Alright?" Scout said to her throwing the direction Spy went a dirty look.
"Eh. It's alright." Lisa said trying to ignore the acute discomfort that had settled heavily in her chest. Though she was very appreciative of Scout's support. "I am a small woman joining a team of experienced male mercenaries…it's expected."
"It still wasn't right of 'im, lass. In my experience, a woman is jus' as terrifyin' as any man on the field of battle. He should meet me mum. She woulda broken 'is legs o'er a remark like that." A Scottish voice piped up. A large, black man walked up to her. He was wearing an eye patch and he held a bottle of beer in one hand. He threw her a toothy grin and thrust out the other hand to her.
"I'm Demo-man. Most of the lads 'ere jus' call me Demo."
Lisa managed a smile and shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Demo. I'm…I'm Backup."
"Look forward to workin' with ye lass." He said throwing her a one-eyed wink before heading to the fridge in the corner of the room, presumably for more beer.
"I AGREE WITH THE SPY AND HEAVY!" A thunderous voice rang out.
Lisa turned to see a strong man with a helmet covering most of his head making his way towards her and the next thing she knew, a finger was pointed in her face.
"THE BATTLEFIELD IS NO PLACE FOR A SOFT CUPCAKE LIKE YOU! I'D BETTER SEE YOU TRAINING FOR AT LEAST TWENTY-SEVEN HOURS A DAY EVERY DAY!"
Lisa barely had time to process what he was saying before he roughly grabbed her arm and shook it experimentally.
"LOOK AT THIS! FLIMSY NOODLE ARMS. A DISGRACEFUL MOCKERY OF AMERICAN PHYSIQUE…UNLESS…" The man quickly turned a critical eye towards her and got directly in her face. "UNLESS YOU'RE NOT AMERICAN. YES! THAT'D EXPLAIN IT ALL! WHERE'D YOU COME FROM YOU COMMIE?!"
"Soldier! Let go of Backup!" Miss Pauling directed sternly.
Soldier reluctantly let go of Lisa before looking her directly in the eyes.
"I don't know where you came from…but I doubt it's America. AND I'LL GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT…"
With that Soldier left the room in a fast march.
"He's certainly…patriotic…" Lisa offered to the people in the room.
"Yeah, I did try to warn you." Miss Pauling offered.
Lisa nodded tiredly before looking at the last person in the room. The man was still sitting in his seat a wide brimmed hat lay tilted over his face and his eyes were hidden behind aviator glasses. He quietly sat up, pushing his chair back, and made his way over to her. Miss Pauling's description of him was accurate. This man was tall…almost lanky. He was muscular though, Lisa noted as he came closer…not overly so as compared to his Australian counterparts.
"I'm Sniper." He said in a deep gravelly voice, simply reaching his hand out to shake hers.
She reciprocated.
"Nice to meet you."
"Eh." He chuffed as his grip tightening on her hand almost painfully.
Lisa winced and tried to slip her hand from her grasp, but he held tight.
"Your hands are soft."
"Ew, man. That's a creepy thing to say…especially to a girl." Scout stated eyes flicking back and forth between the two, watching the exchange with obvious discomfort.
Sniper's eyes met hers behind the aviators and Lisa couldn't look away. They were a cold blue. They reminded her of a clear sky on a cold day. He eyed her like a wolf does a lamb. Lisa had never felt more exposed…not even the Spy had made her feel so vulnerable.
"Experienced assassins don't have soft hands." Sniper stated releasing her hand from his grip.
Lisa rubbed her hand trying to regain some feeling before turning fearfully back to him.
"Let's hope you're a quick study." He growled as he left the room.
The room was quiet for a bit, aside from Demo popping the cap from a cold beer and taking a few swallows.
"Well…" Miss Pauling said clapping her hands together. "That's most of the team, it honestly went better than I was expecting."
Lisa turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"This was better?"
"Oh yeah. It could've gone way worse." She said cheerfully.
Lisa rubbed her temples wearily.
"I should probably escort you to the Medic. He'll be wanting to get your heart replaced ASAP…assuming all the papers are in order Miss Pauling?" The Engineer said wiping some sweat off his forehead from under his hard hat.
"Yep! Everything's in order!" Miss Pauling said quickly browsing through her folder.
"Alright, darlin', I'll escort you there if you'd like me to." Engie offered kindly.
"Oh…yes, please. I'd really appreciate that." Lisa said gratefully.
"Alright. Follow me." Engie said with a smile as he headed out the double doors.
Lisa threw Miss Pauling one last look while Miss Pauling just smiled encouragingly. As she left, she could hear Scout saying.
"I hate to say it…but the poor kid is in for a rough time here."
Scout's parting words echoed in her ears as she and Engie walked through the winding hallways of the base.
"Hey, don't think too hard on what happened back there." Engie said interrupting her thoughts. "I don't know why you're here and I don't need to. If you ever need some help, I'll do my best to assist you."
"Thanks…I really appreciate that." Lisa murmured eyes downcast, rubbing her arm. "I honestly feel like a fish out of water."
Engie hummed in reply and then eyed her before asking.
"You really are brand new to this huh?"
Lisa sighed.
"Yeah…I'm pretty new you could say. The…Administrator, I think she's called, apparently handpicked me for this role."
"Well, if that's true, then I have no qualms about you being here. She's usually right." Engie said simply as they turned down a flight of stares to the lower levels of the building.
Based on the cold draft, Lisa believed them to be underground. The floor was red and grey mixed together. That was when, to her horror, she realized that it was blood stained pavement.
"Alright, we're here." Engie stated as they stopped before a pair of swinging double doors.
"Medic!" Engie called.
"Ja?" Came a male voice from inside.
"The new member of our team is here…they need a heart transplant ASAP." Engie stated before smiling at her and saying, "Good luck."
With that Engie turned and walked away, leaving Lisa alone.
Lisa jumped as the doors swung open to reveal a man in a bloodstained lab-coat. He wore circular glasses and he had salt and pepper hair. His blue eyes landed on her and after a moment of confusion, his eyes lit up like a child on Christmas Day.
"Are you the new recruit?" He asked in barely concealed excitement.
"Um, yes, sir. I'm Backup. It's nice to meet you." Lisa stated wide eyed as she took in the state of the small clinic. There was a metal gurney in the middle of the room, lit up by a single light and there was blood EVERYWHERE.
"Come in! Come! Come!" The Medic stated excitedly ushering her in.
Lisa tried to unwind her tense shoulders but found she couldn't as she was quickly ushered into the metal gurney and her eyes blinded by the light right above her head.
"A woman…an interesting choice for the team. An exciting one, none the less! I've never performed the heart surgery on a woman before!" The Medic chattered excitedly as he began to fetch a variety of sharp instruments.
"Tell me, fraulein." Medic stated grabbing Lisa's wrist and checking the pulse without warning. "Do you have any medical conditions I should be aware of?"
"Not that I'm aware of." She stuttered out with frightened eyes as the Medic released her wrist and flitted to and fro in unrestrained excitement.
"Good! Good!" The Medic stated before lowering the gurney so that Lisa fell onto her back with a soft 'oof!".
"If you would like to remove your vest and shirt, I would suggest doing so." The Medic stated casually facing the other way.
Lisa blanched as she realized that Medic would see her chest and as she removed the vest she cautiously asked,
"May I get…a gown or something?"
"Well, fraulein, I understand your apprehension. But let me assure you, that I am a doctor. I will not take advantage of you. I am here to assist you." He stated with a smile that was supposed to be reassuring, but the way the light of the room reflected off his glasses, it only made him look sadistic.
Lisa carefully removed her shirt and folded it and set it on the small table next to the gurney. She shuddered as her bare skin lay on the cold metal beneath her and she fought the urge to cover herself with her arms.
The Medic then walked over to her and began placing lines on her chest with a marker.
"I am marking where the incision should happen for surgery. Then I will apply the local anesthetic…you won't feel a thing I assure you."
"Wait…" Lisa asked panicked. "You're not going to put me to sleep first?!"
"Would you prefer that?" The Medic asked curiously halting his assembly of a rather large and intimidating needle.
"Yes, please." Lisa stated trying to keep her voice from trembling.
"Let me find the anesthetic…ah, here it is!" Medic stated pulling a long, metal bat from a shelf.
Lisa yelped and began to try to scramble off the gurney but was quickly halted by a strong hand grasping her upper arm.
"Now, stay still, Fraulein. It'll only be a moment." The Medic stated trying to hold her still in one hand while balancing the bat in the other.
"I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU HAD ANESTHETIC?!" She shrieked struggling against the hand grasping her arm.
"Well, chemical anesthetic is very expensive, and I can put my medical budget to far better use. Besides, this works just fine. I usually succeed on putting the patient under in one swing…very rarely does it require more." The Medic stated matter of fact as he rolled the metal bat in his gloved hand.
"I'm good. I'm good. Just apply the local anesthetic." Lisa replied shaking as she eyed the bat with apprehension.
"Are you sure? You will be awake during the surgery." The Medic warned though his eyes glimmered with interest.
"Yes…please…let's just get it over with." Lisa stated closing her eyes tightly to fight back tears.
"Alright. It's your choice." Medic shrugged carelessly throwing the bat over his shoulder. It landed with a loud clatter on the floor and Medic began to whistle happily to himself as he prepared to inject the surgical site.
Lisa felt tears roll over onto her cheeks as fear clutched her heart in a vice.
'What had she done to deserve this? All she wanted was to take care of her grandparents and run their bakeries…continue their legacy. What sin had she committed against God to put her here? Are her grandparents alright? They're probably worried sick…what if she never sees them again?'
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft 'coo' and she opened her eyes to meet two black beady eyes staring down at her. A dove with bloody feathers tilted its head curiously at her from it's perch on the gurney just above her.
"Hello." She said dumbly at the bird staring at her.
"What?" The Medic questioned before turning and seeing what she was looking at. "Oh, that is Archimedes. He is fascinated by surgery almost as much as me!"
Medic then began to slice open her chest and Lisa felt like vomiting. It didn't hurt, but the sound of tearing flesh and the smell of fresh blood wafted to her nose nearly making her gag. The feeling was worse. It was numb, but she could still feel the layers of skin being stripped away leaving her bare.
She kept her eyes focused on the beady black eyes of the curious dove above watching every move the Medic made with keen interest.
"He likes to nest in freshly opened body cavities for some reason. I think he likes the warmth. I'll keep him from doing that though…they're filthy places to nest and no good for his health." Medic said conversationally.
"Wouldn't want that." Lisa croaked out sarcastically.
"Here, I know a way to relax you. How about a story?" Medic asked his eyes alight with glee as he used a small hammer to crack open her breastbone with a sickening crack.
"Sure, why not?" Lisa murmured closing her eyes and focusing on keeping bile from coming up her throat.
"A long while ago, in Germany, there was this doctor, ja?" The Medic began as he continued working methodically on her chest. "He was well known for being a…dare I say it…miracle worker in this area of his country. People came from far and wide to see him and they would leave cured. No matter the ailment, he always seemed to find a solution."
Lisa listened idly her eyes shut as the Medic's voice continued.
"Some said that this man possessed supernatural powers to heal. Some say a gift from God and the others say he made a deal with the devil himself. Whatever the reason, this man was extraordinarily gifted with medicine. One day, a man walks into the doctor's office. Now, this man complained of every pain imaginable. He said his very bones ached. The doctor was puzzled as he could not find a source of the pain and began to think it was psychosomatic."
Medic paused for a bit as if to see if she was listening, so Lisa asked,
"Was it?"
The Medic laughed,
"To everyone it would seem so. This man was a well-known hypochondriac based on his previous medical records and off of other doctors and nurses who had treated him. Now, the man knew this. He knew it was psychosomatic. However, he had heard of the near God-like powers that this doctor possessed and hoped that he could by some miracle heal him."
"I thought hypochondriacs made up their pain. I didn't know they actually experience it." Lisa admitted becoming more invested in the story than she wanted to admit.
"It is a great mystery of the medical world. Very few truly understand it, but yes. They do experience their pain…there just is no apparent cause for it like an injury. It's because of their brains." Medic informed. "So anyways, the man is pleading with the doctor to help him and the doctor is in a bit of a predicament. If he cannot cure this man, his reputation is ruined. He will be seen as a fraud and he would no longer be the greatest doctor in the world. He concocts a plan. He decides to perform surgery on the patient to fix the problem."
The Medic set down the tool he was using in favor of another and continued.
"The biggest complaint the patient had were his bones. So…the doctor removed them."
Lisa's eyes opened in confusion and she blinked a few times before refusing to look down at her chest and closing them again.
"So…the man was experiencing pain in like…his hands? So, the doctor removed some of the bones?"
The Medic cackled.
"Ach. No, fraulein. The Doctor removed all of his bones. The whole skeleton in fact!"
Medic chose that moment to remove some of the bone fragments from Lisa's chest cavity and her stomach heaved uncertainly.
"So, the patient wakes up and he says I feel so much better! And walks away content. The doctor speaks of how he cured his patient to no one and continues his practices. However, other doctors were curious as to how he managed such a feat and convinced the patient to have a series of x-rays done. The patient agreed to undergo extensive research via X-rays and he fell asleep during their multiple tests. When the patient woke up, he realized his skeleton was missing and the doctor who did it was never heard from again!"
The Medic laughed heartily at the ending and Lisa managed a small chuckle at the sheer idiocy of it all. Imagine…removing an entire person's skeleton and them never noticing…it's not even physically possible…
"And, that's the story of how I lost my medical license." The Medic stated brightly.
Lisa's eyes flew open and she looked at the medic in horror.
"WHAT?!"
"Oh, do not worry. It's just a license and the man was no longer in pain, ja?" The Medic said waving a bloodied hand carelessly in her direction.
He then pulled her heart from her chest and said,
"This is your heart! Isn't it extraordinary?"
With that Lisa promptly blacked out.
Author's note: Hey everyone! Hope you are enjoying the story so far! I recently got into the TF2 comics and I am in love with them. The characters, the story…yes. Let me know what you think! I am excited to continue!