(Flashback)
Three Months Ago…
"Gentlemen, you may be curious as to why I've called you all together today." Miss Pauling stated looking at the group seated in the recreational room staring back at her expectantly.
"It has come to our attention that you all have not been…as successful as you had been previously on your missions. BLU has been winning consistently…the last five matches have been dominated by them. Anyone know why?"
There were some murmurs and a couple of them rubbed their necks in embarrassment.
"I think I speak for everyone when I say, we genuinely have no freakin' clue what we're doin' wrong." Scout piped up with a raised hand. "It's like…they became suddenly…betta outta nowhere. We aren't losing our touch are we?! I've even been goin' on extra runs and stuff to stay in shape…heck, I haven't had a bucket of fried chicken in WEEKS!"
"I don't think it's us. The BLU team got an edge…what exactly? I'm not sure." Engie piped up with a confused look on his face.
"Well, I do have an answer for you and a possible solution." Miss Pauling chimed in.
Everyone turned their gaze to her, eager to have answers.
"As you are very aware, every team is balanced. A Spy for a Spy…an Engineer for an Engineer. I know for a fact that RED's Engineer and Medic are always looking for ways to improve the team in any way they can. However, we must take into consideration that BLU's do the same."
"What are you getting at, Miss Pauling?" Soldier demanded impatiently.
"Have any of you noticed anything strange with the BLU's respawn time?" Miss Pauling asked.
The RED team was silent, and she could practically see the cogs whirring above their heads.
"Those bastards." Engineer gasped. "They've created a more efficient respawn machine."
"They have. They have cut their respawn time nearly in half. It takes you all eight minutes to come out of respawn…it takes them four and a half minutes now." Miss Pauling filled in.
The room was silent as everyone tried to process this new information.
"Engie…Medic…how long would it take you to create a respawn machine that can do the same?" Miss Pauling inquired.
"The same? It's difficult to say…it'd be easiest to just steal some of their intelligence. Their blueprints if they've got any. Tryin' to figure out how they've done this from afar could honestly take years." Engie stated with a sigh.
Medic nodded in agreement.
"So…not only do we have to focus on gettin' the briefcase with their crazy fast respawn times. Now we gotta try to snatch some blueprints for their respawn machine too?" Scout asked in exasperation.
"That won't be easy, Miss Pauling." Spy jumped in. "The briefcase is in the same, specific place because it is a key part of these…matchups. The blueprints, however, will be hidden under lock and key…they'll kill us all before we could even begin to find it."
"I am aware of this. Which is why the Administrator and I have come up with a possible solution." Miss Pauling said nodding to Spy.
"Well?" Demoman asked eagerly.
"You need to get these blueprints in order to make a faster respawn machine. You can't do that if you are all dead." Miss Pauling stated before taking a deep breath and saying, "The Administrator has proposed adding…a tenth mercenary to the team."
The team was quiet for a bit before Soldier said,
"Uh…Miss Pauling? How will another person help?"
"Yeah, uh, no offense or anything." Scout added with a nervous chuckle. "But, wouldn't that just be another person in respawn?"
"Not necessarily. If this person can complete the role assigned to them well, they could be an excellent addition." Miss Pauling rebutted.
"What is this new mercenary's role?" Spy questioned slowly.
Miss Pauling smiled.
"Backup."
(A Month before Lisa's Kidnapping)
"Administrator? I've done what you asked."
"Good. How does she look?"
"There's not much to her." Miss Pauling stated honestly tapping her earpiece while glancing at the girl currently unloading boxes of baked goods from the back of a commercial van.
"Describe her to me." The cool voice of the Administrator demanded.
"I'll be sending in pictures soon." Miss Pauling replied.
It was quiet on the other end of the line and Miss Pauling breathed deeply knowing that the Administrator was not satisfied with her answer.
"She's…dainty. Probably no more than five foot four. She has curly, blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. She's stronger than I thought at first, considering the size of the boxes she's carrying."
"Go on." The Administrator said in a disinterested tone, though Miss Pauling knew better.
"There's…honestly not much to her, Administrator. She is small but fairly toned. Seems to get along well with others." She noted as Lisa Fournier struck up a conversation with some employees and guests. They laughed at whatever she was saying, and they all went their separate ways smiling brightly and Lisa began humming to herself and continued unloading crates.
"I asked the employees about her earlier, and they had nothing but good things to say. It could be because her grandparent's own the place…but they genuinely seemed to like her, even love her." Miss Pauling stated thoughtfully as she watched the girl disappear with the final box into the bakery.
"Her grandparents are older. Possible early onset of dementia? They don't come to the New York location of their bakery as often anymore. They typically stay in their home in Montreal and if they work, it's at that location." Miss Pauling continued as she blended into the bustling streets.
"Hmmm…so they shouldn't be an issue?" The Administrator questioned.
"I don't believe so. They seem to be highly respected in both communities. Here in New York City and Montreal. Just about everyone seems to know of their bakery."
"Hmmm…we have to be careful then. This girl's disappearance could start an uproar if it got out."
"Understood, Administrator." Miss Pauling hesitated before asking, "Administrator…are you sure this is the right one for the job? She has extraordinarily little experience with…well, mercenary work. She bakes cookies and cakes and takes care of her elderly grandparents. Not the markings of someone with the job qualifications to be an assassin."
She could hear the Administrator take a long drag of her cigarette before answering her,
"Miss Pauling…have I ever steered you wrong?"
"Uh, no ma'am. Never." Miss Pauling stammered.
"Then why do you doubt me now?"
"Um…well…I'm so sorry for how this sounds. But ma'am…this position is already highly experimental. I just thought we would be looking for someone with more experience and qualifications then…a baker." Miss Pauling replied with a wince.
"As I have asked previously, Miss Pauling." The Administrator said with a soft sigh. "Why do you doubt me now?"
Miss Pauling straightened her shoulders and a determined glint settling in her eyes.
"My apologies ma'am. When would you like her to be recruited?"
(Present Day)
Lisa groaned softly as the bright light above her pierced her sensitive eyes.
"Ah! You're awake!" An excited voice chattered. "That is good! I was beginning to think you were in a coma!"
Lisa fought off another groan at the loud voice making her ears ring.
"Where am I?" She mumbled.
"Here." The voice said as a cup of water was thrust into her hands.
Lisa was helped into a sitting position and the world swam dizzyingly.
"Drink. It will help." The voice soothed.
Her vision cleared and she was suddenly acutely aware of the throbbing pain in her chest. She put a hand over it and whimpered softly, doubling over. As she rubbed, she realize that her shirt has been placed back on.
"Drink, fraulein." The voice said firmer this time.
Lisa started to sip and then quickly began to guzzle the soothing, cool water.
"Heiliger-! Do not gulp it down, you silly girl! You will make yourself sick!" The medic stated snatching the glass from her hands.
Lisa grimaced as the pulsing pain in her chest weakened to a dull ache.
"Your surgery went quite well after you passed out. Let me know if the pain persists. Take deep breaths and take it easy for the next couple of days while your body adjusts." The medic advised as he adjusted his glasses and wiped his hands on his shirt.
"Noted." Lisa grumbled wincing and rubbing her chest. She pulled her shirt collar away to glance at her chest. She braced herself for a horrible scar…only to find, nothing.
She gaped in confusion and her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Looking for a scar?" The Medic asked amusedly. "You won't find one."
She quickly let her shirt snap back into place and turned her quizzical gaze to medic.
Medic walks over to the end of the room and taps a machine not to far from the gurney. In the excitement of the earlier surgery she had failed to see it. It was a large machine…unlike anything she had ever seen. It looked almost like a small cannon.
"Impressive, ja?" The Medic asked looking at her with a bright expression.
"What is it?" She asked wide eyed.
"This…is my Medi-gun." The Medic said beaming, a manic glint in his eyes.
"And…it healed me? Just like that?"
"Just like that." The Medic agreed with a nod.
"That's…that's incredible." Lisa managed.
"Oh, it is nothing." The Medic waved, though clearly preening under the praise. "You haven't experienced the Uber-charge or the Respawn machine yet. Those experiences are incredible."
"The respawn machine…that brings us back from the dead. Correct?" Lisa asked for confirmation.
"Correct." The Medic affirmed.
"I had no idea any of these things were even possible. I am not sure what an Uber-charge is but I look forward to seeing it."
"Oh, you'll do more than just see it. You'll probably experience it at some point." The Medic said nonchalantly.
"Oh…alright." Lisa said before her stomach gave a loud gurgle.
Her cheeks flushed bright red in embarrassment and the Medic gave a soft, chuckle.
"No need to be embarrassed, fraulein. Most patients are ravenous after the surgeries. Your body has burned an astronomical amount of calories healing at such a fast rate. It's to be expected. I'm assuming you do not know where the mess hall is?"
"No, sir." She said shaking her head.
"Oh, please. No need with the sir. We are all equals here." The Medic said heading for the swinging doors.
Lisa grabbed her vest from the table and jumped off the gurney after him.
"I believe it's Heavy's turn to cook tonight. We haven't stopped in town for groceries in a bit, so it is probably sandwiches." The Medic said as Lisa shrugged her bullet proof vest on.
"I'd honestly probably eat anything at this point." She muttered fastening the straps.
The two of them stepped into the mess hall. Heavy sat at the round table with large sandwich on his plate. Scout stood at the counter by the fridge assembling his tall, stacked sandwich.
"This is where I leave you, fraulein." Medics voice stated from beside her.
"Are you not going to eat?" She asked feeling her stomach rumble again.
"Nein. I usually eat later when everyone is gone. I will see you later, Fraulein. If you experience any continuing discomfort in your chest after twenty-four hours…please let me know."
With that the Medic left and Lisa was left standing in the room. The Medic had been cordial to her and the loss of his presence was felt as she now stood in the room with the two other mercenaries. Heavy seemed to ignore her presence for the most part and ate his sandwich in silence.
"'Ey! Backup! Right?" Scouts voice called from the counter. "How'd the surgery go?"
"Ummm-alright I guess." Lisa said walking quietly from the doors further into the kitchen towards the assortment of sandwich products on the counter.
"Well that's good. At least the Doc didn't accidentally leave a pigeon in you like he did with me. That was a nightmare, let me tell ya." Scout said animatedly as he slapped the final piece of bread on top of his tower of a sandwich. "I'm done with the sandwich stuff and everyone else has eaten. When you're done how 'bout you pull up a chair and eat wit' me? Team bonding or whateve'?"
"Sure. If you don't think I'll be a bother." Lisa replied tamely as Scout balanced the sandwich to the table.
"Nah. I'd tell ya if you were annoyin' me. Don't worry about dat." He said taking his seat and taking a huge bite.
"Good to know." Lisa murmured as she began to assemble her sandwich. She got out two slabs of white bread and began spreading mayonnaise onto them.
"So…where you from?" Scout asked and Lisa nearly dropped the knife in shock at the forward question. "I mean…I'm from Boston if ya couldn't tell already. You have a neat accent and I swear I've heard it before."
"I have an accent?" Lisa inquired turning her head slightly to face him.
"Yeah, a bit. It's not super noticeable. You pronounce some of your vowels different. Like…I dunno…they're more exaggerated? It's not by a lot! It's not bad or anything! It's just…"
"Huh, guess I never really noticed." Lisa replied after watching him backpaddle while putting lettuce and tomato on the bread.
"It's probably because you are around people who sound the same. You should hear me when I'm home! My accent becomes WAY thicker." Scout exclaimed before taking another large bite of his sandwich.
"I can imagine. I've never been to Boston, you like it there?" Lisa asked trying to direct the conversation from herself as she added some turkey to her plate.
"Eh, it's home. Ya know?" He said with an indifferent shrug.
Lisa just nodded before placing the sandwich together.
"There's some beer and water in the fridge if you want one." Scout said helpfully.
"Thank you." Lisa said as she opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. She grabbed her plate and sat down between Scout and Heavy. Heavy sat at the far left hand at the table on the end and looked to be finished with his food. He was now reading what appeared to be a newspaper. Scout continued to take gargantuan bites of his sandwich.
Lisa sent a quick prayer over her food, lest the spirit of her Catholic grandmother appear out of nowhere and give her a stern scolding.
She opened her eyes after sending the prayer and began to eat her food quietly. She then noted Scout watching her quizzically from the corner of her eye.
"What?" She asked after taking a bite of her food.
"Nothin'. Just haven't seen anyone pray over their food in a while. You religious?"
"I was raised Catholic." Was all Lisa answered before taking another bite. Her stomach rumbled softly in contentment and she swore that a sandwich had never been so delicious.
"Really? Me too! Though I suppose that's not an uncommon thing in Boston. We went to mass occasionally and to church on Christmas Eve."
"Yeah, mine too." Lisa said with a smile while opening her water.
"Heh! What are the odds?" Scout chuckled before picking up a piece of pickle that had fallen off and popping it in his mouth.
"Well…a lot of the north is traditionally religious so it's not that improbable." Lisa replied hiding a smirk hoping he would take the bait as she went in for another bite.
"Ah ha! Knew it! So, you ARE from the north huh?" Scout stated slapping the table with his hand triumphantly.
"Yeah." Lisa shrugged taking a sip from her bottle.
"Which state you grow up in?" He asked taking a swig of his beer.
'Perfect. He fell for it.' She thought as she finished swallowing her water.
"New York."
His face morphed into confusion.
"Really? You don't sound like it?"
"People from upstate sound different than in the city." Was all Lisa offered as she continued to eat.
"Aw yeah! Dat makes sense." Scout replied finishing his sandwich off in a final bite.
Lisa went to take another bite when Scout said,
"Listen. Ya seem like a nice girl so imma give you a chance. Howeve'…if you tell me the Yankees are betta than the Red Sox we're gonna have problems."
Lisa blinked a few times as her brain tried to come up with an answer. It clicked.
"Oh…baseball? Sorry, never really got into it so we should be fine."
Things were not fine.
Scout's mouth dropped and a horrified look took over his face.
"Ya…Ya never got into baseball…"
"Umm…no…sorry. I never really got into very many sports." Lisa apologized as she watched him carefully.
The poor boy looked like he was about to have a heart attack.
"You're from…New York…and you don't know ANYTHING about BASEBALL?!"
"I didn't say I don't know anything. I just never really got into sports. I was always really busy." Lisa replied, though her poor, Canadian heart longed to tell Scout that she loved hockey.
"With what? Seriously, baseball is the foundation of modern American culture. How do you not…" Scout trailed off looking in depressive shock at his empty plate.
"I'm really sorry." Lisa consoled taking another bite while watching Scout's brain whirl.
"Nah. Nah this…this isn't alright. You've…you've played before haven't ya? Please tell me you have." Scout pleaded.
"No…I don't think so." Lisa muttered cautiously slightly afraid of the young man's reaction.
Scout closed his eyes and took a deep breath before laying a hand on her shoulder and saying in the most serious voice she'd ever heard.
"The next time both of us have free time. I'm taking you out to da pitch and imma teach you some baseball. Then, I am going to educate you on why the Red Sox are a fa' bette' team than the freakin' Yankees."
"Ummm…ok…sure?" Lisa replied her eyes flitting to Heavy who was watching the exchange.
Heavy only offered her a shrug in response and she turned her wide eyes back to Scout.
"Sounds good, Scout…just…don't tell Soldier. Ok? He already thinks I'm a commie spy." Lisa begged quietly, genuinely afraid of what could happen should soldier find out about this fact.
Scout's eyes widened as if he had just been burdened with the greatest secret in the universe.
"Yeah, no. Of course! It's between you an' me. Nobody will know. We'll have you educated on the greatest American sport in no time."
"Thanks, Scout." She said gratefully before finishing her meal.
"Heavy. Dat goes for you too!" Scout said pointing a finger in his direction while clearing his plate.
"Da." Heavy said noncommittedly while flipping the page in his newspaper.
Lisa cleared her plate soon after and Scout snapped his fingers and said,
"Oh! Almost forgot. Miss Pauling said to meet her and Engie in the garage after you eat."
"Alright. Would you mind leading me there? I'm not sure where it is." Lisa asked apologetically.
"Yeah! No problem. Follow me." Scout said turning and walking with a brisk pace out the kitchen.
Lisa jogged quickly after, cursing his fast pace.
Author's Note: Next chapter should be exciting. Lisa's role will be more explained and she will receive her weapons. If you are enjoying my story, please leave a review! It really helps motivate me and I would love to meet more fans in the TF2 community!