"There bette' be a good reason for wakin' me up so early in the mornin'." Scout grouched, rubbing sleepily at his blue eyes. His wrinkled pajamas could attest to how well he had been sleeping before Soldier had been barging in prattling on about an emergency meeting or something. The clock on the nearby wall read 2:15AM.
"Aye! What's ta meanin' of this?!" Demo slurred with a belch, clearly having been woken from an alcohol induced slumber.
"I agree with them. What's this whole emergency meeting about…and where is Backup?" Engineer agreed as his eyes trailed about the room beneath his goggles, searching for the missing teammate.
Sniper stood silently in the corner, taking in his surroundings cautiously before landing on Spy who walked to the front of the table in the meeting room. The light flickered dully above the table as the moon's rays shone through the window slats. Pyro sat next to Engineer's feet petting his unicorn plushie and looking generally oblivious to the strangeness of the current meeting. Heavy sat at the table in a white wife-beater and boxers with red hearts on them, if he was embarrassed by his current state of dress, he didn't show it. Sasha sat on his lap and he pat the top absentmindedly. Soldier stood at attention dutifully to the side. Scout yawned obnoxiously loud before leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the table in front of him. Medic entered the room each hand holding a vial of some unknown substance bubbling in it is test-tube.
"Vhat is it?! Vhas there a breach?!" Medic demanded while carefully eyeing the vials in hand.
"Of a sort." Spy answered, lighting a cigarette and looking towards the window contemplatively.
"Well…" Engie started with furrowed brows, pulling out his PDA and tapping it a couple times before shrugging and glancing up. "None of my sentries have been tampered with or disabled."
Spy blows out a puff of smoke with a dry chuckle.
"This saboteur did not sneak in here in a…conventional manner."
Everyone stared back at Spy trying to figure out what he meant before Engie gave an exasperated huff and threw up his hands,
"Really? This again? I thought we've been through this!"
Spy's smirk was smug as he met the Engineer's incensed gaze steadily and observed his cigarette with false innocence.
"Ever the champion, what did she do to earn such loyalty I wonder?"
The room erupted into confused shouting and angry allegations.
"Wait! Time out!" Scout interrupted throwing his hands up in the shape of a T. "What exactly is goin' on here? I'm lost."
"As am I. Is enemy in base or not?" Heavy demanded deep voice rumbling half in confusion and half in annoyance.
"Well, if Spy is done accusin' me of bein' a TWO-FACED BACKSTABBER…" He clenched his jaw and fixed Spy with a meaningful glare before continuing. "then I suppose he won't mind sharin' what he's learned with the class."
Spy smirked disconcertingly before stating,
"Gentlemen. It seems our newest member is not being fully honest with us…"
Engineer muttered under his breath and Pyro pat his leg to comfort him. Sniper folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall in a more relaxed stance as he waited to hear what Spy had to say.
Demo's single eye flashed in irritation as his fist hit the table with enough force to startle Scout into dropping his feet to the floor.
"Enough with'a theatrics! Get to the bloody point!"
"Very well." Spy stated tapping his cigarette into the ash tray on the table and gazing back at the group.
The group waited in almost palpable anticipation as Spy took another long drag of his cigarette before speaking, "I happened to notice Backup outside with Pyro by the burning bin this evening."
Pyro gave an excited laugh at having been mentioned in Spy's story.
"So what? Leetle mouse and Pyro are close comrades, da? Not strange to be together." Heavy pointed out with a guarded expression.
Pyro gave a few happy noises of agreement before turning back to his unicorn toy.
"Of course, I know this." Spy hurried with a tinge of agitation. "However, when the laborer called Pyro away, she seemed…skittish. So…I cloaked and went closer to see if she was hiding something."
"Ya sure it wasn't the fact that she was outside, in the dark, by herself and a Spy was trying to sneak up on her?" Engie inserted with a raised brow.
"She has played her part well, I see. Do not be troubled, laborer. Your weakness for the fairer sex is a testimony to your southern manners." Spy jabbed eyes glittering maliciously.
Engie took a step forward, clearly ready to fight when Sniper firmly grabbed his shoulder gave a sharp shake of his head. Engie's shoulder was stiff under Sniper's hand before relaxing with a long, tired sigh.
"What'd ya learn, Spy?" Engie asked defeatedly.
"Well, as I got closer, I realized she was making sure no one was around so she could burn what looked to be letters. The first one was already in the flames before I could do anything about it. I went to grab the second one from her, but my cloaking device ran out and she turned upon hearing the sound. She did not see me, but she had dropped the letter. When I was able to re-cloak and return to find it, I found her looking around for it, but it was gone. The wind must've taken it." Spy ended contemplatively putting out the cigarette and flicking it into the ash tray.
"So…she burned some paper…and she's our enemy now?" Scout questioned in disbelief.
"That's part of it." Spy acquiesced.
"You woke us up….to tell us that Backup used the burn bin…to burn stuff?" Scout clarified his lips twitching into an amused grin. "Hate to break it to ya pal but that's the point of a BURN BIN."
Medic, Demo, and Engie let out a chuckle at that and Spy threw an icy glare at Scout before opening his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by Soldier.
"The Spy speaks the truth! Backup's behavior has been suspicious! I found THIS when I was out feeding Lieutenant Bites his nightly rations!" Soldier exclaimed before slapping a charred and crumpled note on the table.
Spy picked up the note gingerly to read it before a smile slowly spread across his face,
"Good work, Soldier. I must admit…I am…almost impressed."
Soldier beamed and saluted before standing on guard on the side of the room again.
"Well…what's it say?" Scout demanded impatiently.
"Some of it is unreadable…but it says, '-can't get into base…come out…meet me around midnight tonight…Vincent.'" Spy read aloud.
The group was dead silent after he read it. The heaviness of the allegations against Backup hung over the group like a dense fog. Engie collapsed into his chair his face a myriad of conflicting emotions. Medic looked away from his vials to the group. Heavy was analyzing Sasha, his blue eyes lost deep in thought. Sniper's lips curled into a snarl and he cursed beneath his breath before pushing his hat up and rubbing his forehead. Scout looked positively confused and Pyro hugged his toy tighter to his chest sensing the cloying negativity perforating the room. Demo's exhaustion seemed to disappear instantly. The drunkenness in his eye giving way to an acute shrewdness. Soldier continued to stand at attention off to the side, but even he radiated some of the same nervous energy that his coworkers were.
"Still believe that mademoiselle is innocent, laborer?" Spy challenged taking in Engie's defeated expression.
"I…I dunno what to make of it…" Engie admitted looking away clearly conflicted.
"This ties in well with what I was going to share. Around midnight, Backup went outside to meet someone…this…Vincent…" Spy shared as he casually paced in front of them. "He could not get past the sentries stationed in the front…so she met him by the road."
"What'd you hear?" Sniper spoke up, his eyes dark behind his aviators.
"I could only catch pieces. He wants to snoop around here…I think he's going to try and infiltrate the base…but they seemed…comfortable with each-other." Spy offered.
"So…she's in kahoots with an outsider try'na sneak into the base?" Sniper assessed grimly.
"That is what I have gathered so far. I want to keep an eye on her and see if she has any more secret meetings with this Vincent." Spy informed them carefully.
"Maybe the lass has herself a chavie?" Demo offered with a raised brow.
"A what? A chevy?" Scout questioned turning to Demo with a puzzled expression.
"No. Not a chevy. Chavie. Like a lover…a boyfriend." Demo informed him with a shake of his head.
"Nah…I don't think…well, she hasn't mentioned a boyfriend to me." Scout answered scratching his head as he mulled over the information.
"And why exactly would she tell you if she has a boyfriend or not?" Spy asked derogatorily. "Moving your sights from Miss Pauling to her?"
Scout's face turned red with anger at the accusation and quickly rebutted,
"No! She's…she's cute but she's not my type."
"Wasn't aware ye had a type. 'ere I thought you'd chase anything in a skirt." Demo chortled in amusement.
"I do not!" Scout huffed crossing his arms. "I have standards."
The entire group let out a series of guffaws and laughs at that and Scout's face turned even redder as he became flustered.
"Yeah! Yeah! Laugh it up, you guys! But Backup and I bonded, and she didn't say anythin' about no boyfriend." He grouched looking away from the group petulantly.
"And how exactly did you two bond?" Spy asked raising an eyebrow in amusement.
"What?! No! Not like that ya pervert." Scout snapped before he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I…I told her a bit about home, and we bonded some over family. Alright? Nothin' gross. Just two friends talkin' 'bout their life."
"Seems the laborer isn't the only one swayed by her. You've known her for less than a week and call her friend." Spy scoffed.
"We bonded! Alrigh'? In fact, I'll prove it to ya since ya don't believe me. Her family is from New York and she talks 'bout her grandparents a lot. She doesn't have any brothers or sisters, howeve' she has a cousin she's close to. He's thirteen years older than her and they spent a lot of time togethe'. And what else…Oh! Her grandpa would take her to Wollman rink in New York City to go ice skating." Scout rambled off before glancing around the room with a pleased expression. "See? We really did bond. She's really started to open up to me."
The room was silent as everyone stared at Scout. Scout's pleasure at being the center of attention quickly turned to defensive concern.
"What? Why're you all lookin' at me funny?" He asked straightening up.
"When did she tell ya all this?" Engie questioned.
"Ummm…. yesterday. After trainin'. She said she had a good time playing dodgeball wit' me and-"
"Wait…hol' up. Ye both played dodgeball?" Demo interrupted incredulously.
"What is wrong with dodgeball?! IT IS AN HONORABLE AMERICAN SPORT-" Soldier jumped in emphatically.
"Yeah thanks, Solly." Scout waved before turning back to Demo. "You ain't a Scout. I ain't a Demo. I don't question your teaching methods…don't question mine."
Demo shrugged before saying,
"'s'not a bad idea. How 'bout real grenades instead o' baseball?"
"'eyyyyy! Now we're talkin'! Let's do that in a couple wee-"
"Back to the matter at hand, gentlemen!" Spy interrupted with a stern and focused expression. "Scout…did she share anything else with you?"
"Uh…not that I can remembe'? Why?" Scout replied cautiously.
"Engineer…did she tell you any of this?" Spy asked turning his attention to the Engineer sitting at with rapt attention.
"Uh…no. I never asked." Engie admitted.
Spy put his hands on the table and let out a long deep breath before raising his eyes to Scout and saying,
"I cannot believe I am saying this but…Scout…we need you to gain more information from Backup."
"What? Who?" Scout questioned then slowly pointing to his chest in disbelief. "Me?!"
"Unless there is another person in this room who goes by 'Scout' then yes. I am referring to you." Spy sighed in exasperation.
"Wait. Hol' on jus' a sec. I was jus' bein' nice and she tol' me all this. I ain't no interrogator." Scout spluttered.
"We're not asking you to be one. Just…continue being friendly with her and then relay back to us what you learn. If what she said is false, then we will eventually find a hole in her story." Spy placated in a quiet voice as if speaking to a child.
"I…I dunno how I feel 'bout it." Scout grimaced leaning back in his chair. "She's only been nice to me. This feels…wrong."
"Odd time to grow a conscience." Spy snorted. "We're mercenaries. She is posing a threat. We figure out who she is and what she's doing. Simple as that."
"Can't believe I'm sayin' this but…" Sniper started as eyes turned to him. "I agree with the Spy. The sheila 'as been strange, no' like any mercenary I've eve' met."
"And that's a bad thing?" Scout asked. "Maybe she really is just a rookie? Ya know? We all had to start somewhere."
"Her backstory is odd for a mercenary though. She has two loving grandparents and a cousin. She claims to be from New York. Her accent is not from New York though." Spy shared as if putting together pieces in a puzzle. "I have heard it before but…I cannot place it."
"I do not like this." Heavy spoke deeply as the room gave him their attention. "Does not matter where is from or what did before. Now is mercenary. Past life is private and hers to share only."
"Unless it's an act and she really is a threat to the whole group." Spy pointed out viciously.
"Leetle mouse has poor mercenary skills. She is like baby bird who cannot fly. She is not traitor." Heavy insisted quietly.
Heavy having made his point, picked up Sasha carefully and left the room. The room was quiet after their comrade's words and Spy asked,
"Anyone else?"
The room looked at Engineer and he scratched the top of his head.
"I think she's sweeter than a Georgia peach…but…she can't be sneakin' strangers into or around the base. If we don't stop her…the Administrator will."
They all murmured in agreement.
"So, the plan. Scout, try to dig for some more information. Whatever she tells you, you relay back to us. We will meet once a week to inform the group what we have learned." Spy informed them with a small smile.
"…and if it turns out that she's innocent, what then?" Engineer quickly inserted and all eyes turned to Spy for a response.
"If I happen to be wrong…which I very much doubt given the evidence acquired…an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You're familiar with this phrase, non?" Spy asked with an elegantly raised brow.
Engineer sighed and lowered his head in acceptance.
"Very well. Whatever information you find, report during our meetings. Oh, and also…" Spy started as everyone began to rise from their chairs to leave. "This is a delicate matter. It must be handled subtly…with finesse. You understand?"
Spy turns his gaze directly to Scout and Soldier.
Scout fidgeted beneath his intense gaze and Soldier gave a quick salute. Scout gave a half-hearted salute with his fingers before hurriedly leaving the room before Spy could dissect him. Medic gave a small chuckle shaking his head as he left the room his vials still in hand. Soldier left with Demo and Pyro tugged on Engie's shirt before pointing to the door.
"Yeah…I'll be out in a bit." Engie informed him.
Pyro shrugged and waved to Sniper before leaving. Sniper sighed heavily and headed out after him. His head was pounding from the lack of sleep and the stress from the heavy topic of the meeting. As Sniper left, Engie turned his gaze to Spy who casually observed him.
"Something wrong, laborer?" Spy asked tossing the leftover ashes from the tray into a nearby wastebin.
Engie went to say something before clenching his jaw and muttering, "No."
"Well then…I bid you adieu." Spy nodded to him before heading out.
Engie stood alone in the room for a while before lifting his eyes to ceiling and cursing, "Dagnabbit."
Lisa awoke to Soldier's terrible bugle playing and groaned before covering her head with a pillow. The sun was just ascending over the horizon and managed to peak through the slit in Lisa's curtains before she angrily shut them tighter. She grumbled to herself before fluffing her pillow and relaxing back into her bed. She had slept so much better after setting up her room properly last night. Even if she only did technically finish setting it all up a few hours ago. The bumpy mattress now had a soft comforter on it and some warm blankets. Her new pillows were soft and springy. The mattress was now off the floor by a few feet, held up by a sturdy wooden bed frame. The Mann Co curtains, although thread bare and a dull grey, did their job and held back the sun from tired eyes. Her mind began to drift away into dreams when a loud knocking was heard on her door. Her exhausted bloodshot eyes shot open and she muttered darkly under her breath before calling out,
"Who is it?"
"Oh…uh…Hey, Backup! It's Scout!" Scout's voice called back.
Her brow furrowed and she looked at her new clock on her recently constructed nightstand.
"It's pretty early, Scout. I didn't think we had training or anything…isn't it a ceasefire day?"
"Uh yeah it is. I just wanted to let ya know that breakfast is ready in da mess hall. Soldier made pancakes but you bette' get up now if ya want any. They're goin' fast." He informed her.
Lisa contemplated telling him she wasn't hungry and just wanted to sleep when her stomach loudly protested her current train of thought. She sighed and rubbed her aching eyes.
"Ok. I'll be there in a bit."
"Ok! I'll walk ya over!" Scout exclaimed with a little too much eagerness.
Lisa's brows furrowed as her tired mind sluggishly processed the strange quality to Scout's voice. Then again, it is Scout. He was probably just being weird. She clumsily put on her uniform and stifled a yawn as she opened her door and zipped up her vest. Scout quickly took a peek at her room before she closed it and she eyed him warily.
"You ok?" She asked looking him up and down in concern.
"What? Oh yeah! I'm great. I'm sure you're doin' great too after the night of sleep you've had." He replied energetically bouncing on the balls of his feet as his focus quickly shifted from her room to her.
"Actually, I didn't really sleep that well." Lisa admitted.
"Oh yeah? Why not?" Scout asked far too quickly.
She glanced at him.
"Didn't you see my room? I have brand new furniture in there now, but it didn't come fully assembled. I spent most of the night setting up. Only fell asleep a few hours ago."
"Oh…right. Assembling furniture. Is that all you did last night?" Scout probed looking everywhere but her.
Lisa tilted her head at him in confusion as they walked toward the mess hall.
"What do you mean is that ALL I did last night? Was I supposed to be doing something else?"
Scout threw up his hands in a motion of surrender.
"No! No! Not at all! I was just curious if you had done anything else yesterday night…that might've made you tired."
"I mean, it was a long day. Had training with Demo and….wow…I had no idea there was so many intricacies to being a demolitions expert. He really knows his stuff. It's kind of like studying with Engineer though. It makes my head hurt after a while." She said with a good, humored chuckle.'
Scout half heartedly returned it and Lisa's eyes squinted in confusion.
"What? Why're you lookin' at me like that?" Scout demanded nervously.
"Are…are you ok? You've been acting weird." Lisa told him as they approached the mess hall.
"What? Me? Nah. I'm normal as eve'. You're bein' weird." He deflected lamely as he opened the door to the mess hall for her.
"Well…if you say so." Lisa shrugged entering the mess hall.
To her surprise, there were a few faces in the mess hall for breakfast that she normally did not see at mealtimes. Demo sat at the table with a newspaper and a half-eaten pancake. Spy stood at a window nearby staring out contemplatively as he held what looked to be a cup of coffee. Soldier was sitting at the table with a tall stack of pancakes on his plate and an indecipherable concoction of condiments lathered on top of it and dripping down it's sides. Scout sat at the table and gestured for her to sit next to him. She noticed Soldier's gaze never leaving her as she went to sit at the table in the seat next to Scouts.
Soldier's gaze stayed fixed on her with alarming concentration as he grabbed her plate and stacked pancakes on it. She was too afraid to tell him that anything more than three pancakes was too many for her.
He then plopped the plate in front of her and set a bottle of maple syrup in front of her.
"Uh…thanks…Soldier…" Lisa murmured hesitantly as she looked at the six pancakes on her plate in front of her.
He continued to stare at her.
"Can…Can I help you with something?" She asked feeling her heart race in alarm as the unstable man eyed her critically from beneath his helmet.
He then set honey, jam, peanut butter, butterscotch syrup, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise before her and then looked at her expectantly.
"That's…a lot of toppings." She stated looking at the bottles. "Thanks for offering?"
She grabbed the maple syrup and began to pour it when Soldier hit the table causing her to spill it on the table too.
"SHE CHOSE THE MAPLE SYRUP! ONLY HIPPIES AND CANADIANS CHOOSE MAPLE SYRUP!" He bellowed.
Her heart leapt in her throat at the accusation. As bizarre a claim as it was…he wasn't as far off as she would have hoped.
"I put…syrup on my pancakes…and this makes me a traitor or something?" She asked slowly tilting backwards from Soldier's form that was leaning towards her from the other side of the table.
He continued to lean forward and said menacingly,
"Alright you cowardly Canadian…tell me…WHY'RE YOU HERE?!"
Lisa looked around in alarm at the others and to her relief found that they too seemed annoyed and perplexed by his claims.
Spy let out an irritated sigh and rubbed his temples. He muttered something about idiots in French and took a sip of his coffee.
"Uh…Solly. Lots o' Americans put Syrup on their pancakes." Scout pointed out in confusion as he reached for the syrup bottle and poured onto his pancakes.
"Do you know where maple syrup comes from, son?" Soldier asked zeroing in on Scout.
"Uh…maple treeth…right?" He guessed thickly through a mouthful of food.
"NO! CANADA! THOSE DANG CANADIANS ARE TRYING TO HIJACK OUR AMERICAN BREAKFAST WITH THEIR SICKLY SWEET CONCOTIONS OF SOCIALISTIC DECEIT!" Soldier responded passionately before pointing to his pancakes. "I HAVE PUT ON EVERY OTHER CONDIMENT IN ORDER TO PROTEST MY AMERICAN RIGHT TO ONLY CONSUME PURE AMERICAN PRODUCTS!"
Scout gagged his face turning green.
"Oh my god…Solly…is that ketchup?"
"OF COURSE, IT'S KETCHUP! NOW HAD SHE CHOSEN THE MAYO SHE WOULD MOST DEFINTELY BE RUSSIAN!" Soldier rebuked Scout as if stating the obvious.
As Soldier was busy bellowing at Scout, Lisa had gingerly grabbed the syrup bottle and was reading the label quietly.
"Ummm, Soldier?" Lisa spoke up timidly.
"QUIET SCOUT! SHE'S ABOUT TO CONFESS!" Soldier said turning to her excitedly before pounding the table with his fist. "WELL? OUT WITH IT!"
She quietly turned the bottle towards Soldier.
"This syrup was made in Vermont."
The room was dead silent after that. The only noise being Soldier's loud breaths.
She held it out to him.
"Vermont is the State's biggest maple syrup producer. Not all maple syrup is from Canada."
Soldier snatched it from her grip before reading the label quietly.
"I see…" He mumbled after a while. "Well…your knowledge of American maple syrup has saved you from my wrath for now, rookie. BUT I WILL SOLVE ALL YOUR SECRETS SOON ENOUGH!"
With that statement, he sat at his chair and took a large bite of his pancakes of abomination.
Lisa attempted to throw a reassuring smile at him, but it was difficult when he was eating his revolting pancake concoction. She took a bite of hers and was pleasantly surprised at how soft and fluffy they were.
"Well, anyways, now that that's over…" Scout stated before downing some orange juice. "Let's play a game!"
Lisa glanced at him from over her meal incredulously.
"A game…now?"
"Yeah! Like twenty questions. I'll ask you two questions and you 'ave to pick one and answer it honestly." He proposed.
"Ummm…ok. Is anyone else going to play?" She asked taking another bite of pancake.
"Nah. They don't 'ave to. I'll just ask you questions." He replied finishing off his final pancake.
"Do I get to ask you questions?" Lisa probed her face scrunched in confusion.
"Oh…uh. Sure. If ya want." He acquiesced with a shrug.
"If not…then it's not really a game…it's just you asking me questions." Lisa pointed out as she poured some orange juice from the pitcher into her glass.
"Ha ha! Good point!" Scout laughed his voice tinged in nervousness.
Lisa sighed as she took a sip of orange juice. She was way too tired to deal with whatever the team was on today.
"Ok. I'll go first." Scout started before glancing at his hand. "Question 1, what's your favorite animal. Or question 2, what are your parent's names?"
Lisa nearly spit out her drink in shock. She managed not to, but she choked at the abruptness of the question. Scout patted her on the back and said,
"Oh, crap! Are you ok? You chokin'?"
"No. I'm fine…just…what did you ask me?"
"Uh…what's your favorite animal or what are your parents' names?"
She blinked at him a couple times before answering,
"I like the platypus. It's like if you combined a duck with a beaver."
Scout's face turned to confusion before he said,
"Oh right. Yeah. Ok."
"My turn?" Lisa asked feeling unsettled with the conversation.
"Yeah. Go for it." Scout answered looking at his hand again.
"What's your favorite weapon? Or, your favorite baseball player?" She asked trying to brush away her nerves at how invasive his previous question had been.
"Ah man. You're openin' wit' that? Jeez." He muttered tapping the table in thought. "Ummm…hmm…I gotta say I really like my bat. Nothin' like gettin' up close and personal and takin' someone way bigger than ya out in a swing."
Lisa nodded as she finished her breakfast.
"Alrigh'. My turn." Scout replied looking at his hand. "Question 1, what's your favorite color? Or Question 2, what's your social security number?"
Lisa stared at him as she stopped chewing.
"Are…are you serious right now?"
Scout lost his confidence and the color in his face.
"Whad'ya mean?"
"I mean, you need better questions. I'm obviously not going to answer super personal questions when you pair them with easy ones like favorite color or animal." She retorted standing with her plate and setting it in the sink.
"Ok then. Question 1, what are your parents' names or Question 2, what's your social security number?" He amended.
Lisa stared at him for a second not believing what she was hearing. She let out an exasperated sigh as her tired, eyes flickered in annoyance.
"I'm way too tired for this. I'm going back to bed." She stated as she left the room.
Scout winced as the swinging doors swung hard behind her and Demo let out a chuckle from where he sat turning his gaze away from the newspaper.
"Real subtle, Scout. Yer intentions weren't obvious at all."
"'ey, pal! I'm tryin'! I'd like to see you do bette'!" Scout retorted his chest puffing up in indignation.
Scout showed his bandaged hand to the group and they could make out pictures of what looked to be different question topics.
"See?! I even drew pictures on my hand so I could remember the important stuff."
"Bet I'll find out more than you by this comin' Friday." Demo challenged setting the paper down to meet Scout's gaze.
"Oh yeah?" Scout replied rising to the challenge.
"Yeah. Maybe yer not as "bonded" as ye thought." Demo giving a self-assured half grin at Scout's easy irritability.
Scout went to reply when Spy's voice cut in.
"Scout. That was horrible."
"What?!" Scout spluttered. "And NONE of us are gonna talk about Soldier's performance?!"
"WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY PERFORMANCE MAGGOT?!" Soldier cried indignantly from where he had just finished his meal. "MY PANCAKE NATIONALITY TEST NEVER LIES! I KNOW A CANADIAN WHEN I SEE ONE!"
Spy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance before saying,
"Subtlety is key. Get close to her. Be friendly. Don't go obviously digging for answers. What were you two doing when she shared about her home life?"
"We were sitting on the steps lookin' at the desert. We were just talkin'." Scout shrugged as he turned to Spy.
"Then do that. Apologize for your behavior during breakfast today and just…be yourself." Spy said before grimacing. "Just not…too much like yourself. Make her comfortable."
"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I got it. No more twenty questions." Scout replied as he left the room.
Demo glanced at Spy and said,
"We'd bette' get to the bottom of this e'fore he blows it."
Spy sighed as he lit a cigarette and set it in his mouth before quietly muttering,
"I agree."
Lisa was annoyed to say the least. After a short nap, she had tried to go about her day at the base, but Scout was near constant shadow. He brushed over his actions at breakfast and said he'd try to make it up to her at Scout training. Currently, there was no Scout training going on…just more poorly disguised questions about her life.
She sighed in annoyance from where she lay on the hard ground and tossed the baseball in the air before catching it.
"Scout, I already told you earlier. I don't know exactly what I can and can't tell you. I have to ask Miss Pauling for a copy of my contract, so I don't break any rules."
"But breakin' rules is fun! Come on!" Scout implored flopping onto the ground next to her. "At least give me somethin'."
"Why're you so obsessed with my life all of a sudden?" She asked rolling the ball to him and sitting up.
"I'm not obsessed." He retorted picking up the ball and rolling it around in his hands.
"Right…did Soldier put you up to this? Or Spy?" Lisa guessed brushing dirt off her pants.
"WHAT?! NO!" Scout responded quickly, his eyes widening. "What makes ya think that?!"
"Because earlier you respected my privacy and I respected yours. When I said something regarding your family yesterday that you weren't ready to share, I didn't pry anymore. I'm asking you to please do the same. Especially since I don't remember the terms of the contract I signed." Lisa recalled shielding her eyes from the sun to gaze at a few whisps of clouds overhead.
Realization washed over Scout's face and his shoulders fell as he sighed,
"When ya put it dat way…sorry, Backup. I won't pry anymore."
"I want a copy of my contract to keep for myself. You said Miss Pauling doesn't stop by often?" Lisa asked.
He sighed dejectedly and grumbled,
"Yeah. She stops by once every two months or so. Usually, quick visits to check up on da base…make sure everyone is performing well. She makes sure that we have enough supplies. She's here for a few hours and then leaves."
"When do you think her next visit will be?" Lisa questioned, a sad look washing over her face. "You said you get to contact your mom and…I wasn't told if I could contact my family or not. I…I really miss them, Scout."
Scout stopped fiddling with the baseball to look at her and his expression quickly became panicked.
"I'm sure Miss Pauling will work somethin' out wit' ya. Jus'…don't cry. I dunno what to do when girls cry."
Lisa gave a soft laugh at his expression and reassured him,
"Don't worry, I'm not going to cry. I just…miss them a lot, you know?"
Scout sighed and sat up hugging his knees.
"Yeah. I get it. Miss Pauling comes more frequently to check on newbies progress, so I'd give it a couple of weeks before she gives you a progress report."
Lisa nodded taking in the information before standing up and brushing off the seat of her pants.
"Well, since we aren't really doing Scout training today. I think I'm going to go find somewhere quiet to read."
"Reading? Dat's boring." Scout scoffed.
"I enjoy it." Lisa shrugged. "It's a way to escape the world you're in and go somewhere else."
"I can understand with comic books where you can see the pictures…but not borin' ol' reading books." Scout answered his nose wrinkling in disgust.
"Suit yourself." Lisa replied turning to head inside before asking him, "I know you don't enjoy reading but is there anywhere here with books?"
"Good luck with dat." Scout snorted. "We're mercenaries. Does it look like any of us read much?"
Lisa stifled her disappointment and headed back towards the base. As she walked through the base to her room, she could her raucous laughter coming from the meeting/game room. Sounded like Demo and Soldier were playing cards again. Lisa entered her room which was one of many supply closets lined up in a row the most upper floor. The hallway was lined with windows, so it wasn't dark and depressing at least.
Lisa smiled upon entering her room. It was finally beginning to look like a bedroom. The cobwebs and dust bunnies had been swept away and the rows of boxes of moldy bread had been carried out to the dumpster behind the building to be dealt with. The sun shown through the single window at the end of the room, giving it just enough light to keep it from being gloomy. The only thing Lisa could do without was the single flickering lightbulb on the ceiling as her light source when it got dark. She could live with it though. She was just thankful to have soft pillows and heavier blankets again. Lisa pulled her well loved book 'Stuart Little' from under her mattress and left the room to find somewhere with a better light source.
After thinking for a bit…the only places with decent light sources were the kitchen…the game room…and outside…
Seeing as the kitchen wasn't the cleanest place to read and the game room was occupied…Lisa went to head outside. She wandered to the steps and glanced at the wall to see metal rungs running upwards towards the roof. Curious, Lisa tucked the book under her arm and climbed onto the roof. A smile spread over her face as she saw the view. The golden desert valley lay stretched out before her and the sun was still high in the sky but slowly making its way to descend over the horizon. Lisa walked forward to find a better spot to sit and read and take in the amazing view when a voice interrupted her thoughts with a growl,
"Whadd'ya doin' up 'ere, sheila?"
Lisa jumped and nearly lost her footing on the shingles of the roof before regaining it and looking to her left. Sniper sat with one leg sprawled in front of him and the other knee bent. His hat was tilted over his forehead. One arm lay resting over his bent knee and the other hand rested on the roof beside him.
"S-sorry. Didn't know this spot was taken." Lisa stammered.
"Didn't answer m' question." Sniper replied darkly gazing at her.
"I-I just came up here to read." She replied quickly showing him her book.
He was quiet as he observed her and looked at the book held in front of her like a shield and back to her fearful face.
"I'll go find somewhere else to read. J-just don't kill me or push me off the roof."
He seemed amused by her assumption that he would kill her for staying and gave a quick jerk of his head back the way she came.
"Then get."
She hurried away quickly and scrambled down the metal rungs as quickly as she could without falling. She began to speed walk back to her room keeping her head down.
"Terrible light source or no…I am staying in my room to read from now on. Better to develop terrible vision than to be killed by a territorial Australian on the roof-" Her soft grumblings were interrupted as she collided with a large object.
She bumped off of the object and looked up to see Heavy looking at her with an impassive expression. She paled. She had not had much interaction with the large man but the few she had experienced had been terrifying. Just her luck to run into Sniper and him back-to-back.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you." She apologized.
"Is alright. Heavy is far too large for you to hurt." He replied sounding unbothered.
"Thanks. I wasn't really looking where I was going." She explained to him her cheeks turning a soft pink in embarrassment.
Heavy glanced at the book in her hand and back to her,
"Is going somewhere in a hurry?"
"I mean-I was just going to go back to my room. I'm looking for a place to read and the roof was taken. I didn't want to bother anyone else, so I was trying to get back there as soon as possible."
"Who have you been bothering by wanting to read book?" Heavy asked with a tilt of his head.
"Ummm…I suppose just Sniper. My room doesn't have very good lighting so I was going to read on the roof, but he was already there."
Heavy gave a soft hmm of acknowledgment.
"Sniper enjoys being alone. Alone is safe." He turned his gaze to appraise her. "Leetle mouse enjoys reading?"
Lisa clutched her book tighter to her chest fearing Heavy's reaction.
"Yes. I do like reading. This is the only book I have to read."
"What is book name?" Heavy questioned glancing down at it.
"Ummm…Stuart Little. It's a children's book but it was a favorite of mine growing up." Lisa supplied showing him the cover.
Heavy's lips twitched in amusement.
"Leetle mouse enjoys reading story about leetle mouse?"
Lisa's cheeks burned with embarrassment, but she laughed,
"Yeah…I suppose so."
"Would like more books to read?" Heavy asked contemplatively his gaze searching her face.
"I would, yes!" Lisa replied eagerly before her face fell. "Scout said there isn't anywhere with many books here. He said most of the mercenaries here don't like to read."
Heavy chuffed and Lisa looked back to him.
"Scout does not read. Heavy does. Come."
With that, Heavy turned and began to head down to the lower levels. On the second floor was a series of doors. From one door, Lisa could hear an old familiar French song from a record and Lisa's heart clenched as she remembered sitting on the stairs as a child watching her Grandparents slow waltz to their record player in the living room. Her grandfather tried to speak French, but his pronunciation and accent were terrible. Her grandmother started teaching her French early on as their own secret language so they could say things without Grampy understanding. It became a fun game between the three of them and became the catalyst between many inside jokes in her family. Between school and her grandmother insisting she learn and making it fun, she became very proficient in both English and French. The soft tune of the song faded as they continued down the hallway.
"This is where most mercenaries have room. Sniper sleep in campervan. Engie and Medic have rooms on lower level by workshop and clinic. Pyro have room by Engie as well." Heavy informed her as they continued to the one furthest down the hall. Heavy procured a key from his pocket and gingerly twisted it in the lock. Lisa's jaw dropped as they both walked into a cozy reading room. There was a fireplace and large, beautiful bookshelves were built into the wall all around. A bear skin rug lay by the fireplace and two red velvet chairs sat next to the fireplace. On one sat Heavy's minigun, Sasha.
"Cannot read Russian, da?" Heavy asked as he began to peruse his books.
Lisa nodded as she looked around. So many books. The shelves looked to be made of oak and glistened as they had been well taken care of. A beautiful chandelier hung from the ceiling and Lisa smiled taking it all in.
"Leetle mouse enjoys reading room?" Heavy chuckled looking at her as he drew a couple of books from the shelf.
"Yes! It's amazing! It's like your own private library." Lisa replied enthusiastically with a bright smile.
"Heavy is glad you like it. Not many here who enjoy reading like Heavy." He told her as he read the titles of the books in his hand. "Mouse enjoys fiction books, da?"
"Yes. I do prefer them. Nonfiction books are alright, but I enjoy escaping from life…nonfiction can hit too close to home sometimes." She admitted turning her gaze to the warm flames dancing in the fireplace.
"Heavy will give you good nonfiction to read sometime. Fiction is good but nonfiction have many good lessons." He hummed putting the two books back and tracing his fingers over a few more covers.
Lisa observed him as he continued to search through his books.
Heavy finally decided on two books for his new friend.
"Heavy has chosen books. You will read, then we will discuss. Heavy wants to test Mouse's critical thinking skills."
Lisa's eyes widened at this.
"Is…is this Heavy training?"
Heavy smiled at her.
"Da. This is Heavy training. Does not take much skill to shoot big gun and kill people. Takes much skill to understand war and people."
Heavy approached with two books.
"First book is 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand. Is fiction…maybe not as happy as mouse book but is fiction." Heavy told her as he handed her it and then read the second one's title. "Second book…will wait for later."
Lisa held the new book in her hand and observed it carefully.
"How long do I have to read it?"
Heavy put the second book back and turned to her.
"I give Mouse two week to finish book. Take notes. Then we will discuss. You may read here."
Lisa perked at that.
"Really? You'll let me read in here?"
"As long as leetle mouse does not create mess or destroy books…yes. Mouse may read in Heavy's reading room." He permitted with a nod.
Lisa gave an excited laugh and quickly went to a vacant spot on the floor and opened the book beginning to read. Heavy chuckled and went to go sit in his armchair not too far away.
"If Mouse continues to enjoy books…Heavy will get chair for her." He said putting on spectacles and opening a book lying on a small table between his and Sasha's chair.
Lisa's heart sung with joy at her current state of being. Who would have thought Heavy was so kind…and an avid reader at that? The room was nice and warm from the fireplace and smelled of old books and ink pens. She sighed and opened her book to begin reading.
'Who is John Galt?' was the first line as she began to read quietly with her new friend.
(BLU Base)
"I'm sorry. RED recruited her far more secretly than any of the others. I don't have any DNA to give you guys." Miss Pauling apologized through the screen to the BLU team. "You're going to have to obtain it yourselves if you want it in the next few months."
"Miss Pauling. Not to disappoint you but the last time I went to obtain information from the RED base, their newly hired Medic kept my head in his fridge for three weeks." The BLU Spy spat in annoyance.
"To counter that we sent a legion of Soldier clones to get him back. The Administrator then forbade the use of multiples of any mercenary at once." The BLU Engineer stated in frustration. "It took two weeks for our Spy to die and go into respawn for us to get him back."
"And another four for you to arrive with their Medic's DNA." BLU Sniper accused.
"I'm not sure what to tell you guys. I was unable to trace their newest member and acquire any DNA as of yet." Miss Pauling tried to placate. "Give me a month or two. I'll find some way to get it. The Administrator herself has asked me to figure this out and quickly. I promise I'll get it to you. It's just going to take time."
The team was noticeably unhappy with the news but didn't say anything more.
"What's her role? Can ye tell us that at least?" The BLU Demo asked his face stern.
"From what I have gathered, her codename is Backup. Her role is to fill in for whatever teammate is down in respawn." Miss Pauling supplied.
The team growled in anger at this new information.
"They figured out that we have a faster respawn machine." The BLU Engineer supplied with an angry shake of his head.
"That's what it seems like. I'll call you guys back with any information I gather. See you soon, guys." Miss Pauling said quickly before cutting the line.
The TV fizzled with static as the BLU team swallowed the new information.
"So RED is fundin' an entirely new class of mercenary to counter it?" The BLU Scout asked before sitting back in his chair with crossed arms and scoffing. "Dat's just cheap….or expensive…ya get what I mean."
"She can fill in for anybody's role? That makes her dangerous." The BLU Engineer muttered.
"Non. She's inexperienced at best." Spy supplied with an amused snort. "Her fighting skills were abhorrent, she was easily incapacitated. Unless she learns quickly, she should not be a problem."
"Let's not underestimate her. Even if she lacks experience, she's an extra person on the field that we don't have." The Engineer countered stroking his chin in thought. "She did blow up, Solly."
"A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS THAT WILL NOT BE REPEATED!" BLU Soldier snapped incensed before sitting back in his chair. "I thought her grenade was a dud…how was I to know it would explode the second I got near it?"
"'cause that's what grenades do. They explode." BLU Demo-man snarked with a grin.
Soldier growled at him before Sniper interrupted.
"So, what're we gonna do? They'll be after our tech soon enough."
"Well…I say we guard our equipment extra well." Engineer offered. "The RED Spy has been more successful in his infiltration attempts than ours."
BLU Spy threw him a dirty look as Engie continued,
"We should try to gather intel on the new girl. Whether that's through matches or…"
"Infiltration, perhaps?" The BLU Spy offered bitterly.
"Well, if you're offerin'. We all know how ya feel 'bout it…and we won't make ya go." The BLU Engineer offered sympathetically, and the rest of the team nodded.
"Yeah, mate. Wouldn't want ya to end up in a fridge again." BLU Sniper added.
The BLU Spy shuddered almost imperceptibly before lighting a cigarette and taking a breath before saying,
"I will do it, but we need a plan."
They all nodded and began to discuss some ideas on infiltrating the base and gaining information on the new Backup.
Author's note: Hey guys! Not as long a chapter as usual but very plot heavy. Thank you for your patience and let me know in the comments what you think! The plot is finally starting to pick up. Hope you all enjoyed it!