Here we go with chapter seven. This one will get all of our characters back on their feet for the start of the second "trial". I have several ideas in mind, as well as several trials planned for the near future. I'm unsure how many actual portions of the games there will actually be, but there's going to be some very interesting games coming up.

Last time we saw our team facing off against animals, so how about some humans this time? The games themselves won't be the same all the way through, and each objective for each portion of the games will be different. For example, some familiar game modes for Team Fortress 2 will be popping up. This chapter has one of them, but twisted a little to fit better with this particular scenario.

Chapter Seven: Run Boy Run

Jack jumped awake to the sound of Ludwig's cheerful voice. He didn't quite understand what he had said at first, his mind still trapped within a sleepy haze. He blinked and slowly sat up, looking around. The curtains around the bed were still drawn, but the Medi-gun had been switched off at some point while he had slept.

His ankle was fully mended from what he could see, not even a scar, and it no longer hurt him. He could hear Deil from somewhere on the other side of the room also groaning, reluctant to wake up again. Ludwig however didn't seem very put off by getting not much of a response from either of them though.

He pulled open the curtain around the table Jack had been sleeping on. Now that he looked at it, he realized he must have been exhausted. It didn't look very comfortable at all. He could only assume though from the way his stomach was rumbling that it was morning. And that meant that there was another challenge.

Ludwig, still in his element, just smiled and hummed to himself as he went over and opened the curtain around Deil's table as well. The Engineer looked far better than he had before, and though his clothing still had blood all over it, he definitely didn't look like he was about to die any time soon either. Which was definitely a huge improvement.

"Zhere now," the Medic called cheerfully. "It is time to get up. Zane vants everyone in zhe dining hall for breakfast and our newest strategy. Slowly now you two. I do not vant you to hurt yourselves again."

Both Deil and Jack carefully did as they were instructed. Ludwig came over to Jack first, holding out a hand to steady the boy. It was good he had, because though his leg didn't hurt anymore, he nearly stumbled on it. He had to stand there for a while, shifting his weight back and forth on it as he had been instructed by Ludwig, until he was sure the muscles in his leg remembered how to hold his weight. He wasn't complaining though.

His leg had just gone through several weeks to months worth of healing with only one surgery and in only one night. He couldn't expect it to work exactly well right away. Ludwig left Jack standing there, shifting his weight repeatedly and helped Deil onto his feet as well. As he watched the two though he seemed to not quite be satisfied with their progress. He slipped on the back piece that had his gun attached to it and turned it on them again.

He healed Deil first, who didn't seem to know what was really going on. The Medic continued to mutter to himself in German as he made his way over to Jack and do the same. Jack blinked as he tested his ankle again. Was he trying to speed up the healing process farther? Normally, even healed as it was, his leg would take much more time to get the muscles up to the proper strength that he would need to be running on it.

"Zhat should do it," Ludwig announced. "I have sped up zhe process of zhe last step of healing so zhat you vill be able to do vhat you used to do. Vhat kind of doctor vould I be if I let my patients go into zhe arena unable to do zhat?"

The smile that Ludwig gave them was his usual one, cheerful and perfectly friendly. Jack couldn't help but admit that he was glad that he'd be able to run. If he wouldn't, well he'd probably would have died today. Deil smiled as well.

"Thanks doc," Jack said.

"Now let me guess," Deil chuckled as Ludwig put his Medi-gun down again. "We're late?"

"Of course," the Medic laughed. "Zhey vere probably not expecting us so early zhough. Come, come. Ve vill surprise zhem, ja?"

Ludwig turned and led them out of the Sick Bay, right towards the other end of the long hall where the dining hall would be. Deil and Jack were close behind, both smiling. It was hard to describe how it felt after having been in so much pain the day before, but now with no pain and able to move easily like nothing had happened. The room in front of them was largely silent as they reached it.

Peering inside, Jack couldn't help but wonder if anyone had gotten much sleep. Travish was drinking as usual, and Maksim seemed to just stare at the table. Mun-Dee appeared to be completely awake, which could either be because of their delay or because he hadn't slept. Leander seemed to have a new anger on his face, and Henry was hard to read with that mask on. Zane was pacing as he waited, scowling silently.

Ludwig made his way into the room first, smiling at all of them. They all seemed to jump and turned to him, worry evidently etched into all of their faces. They seemed to calm a little though as they saw the usual smile on his face, possibly brighter and happier than before.

"Vell now," he said. "Zhe whole team is here. Ve are ready to start."

Deil gave Jack a playful cuff on the shoulder, getting a mischievous smile from the boy as well. They both stepped forward, just giving everyone else the smiles they were both so well known for. The whole team seemed to suddenly relax from under a huge weight and smile in relief at their two friends. The heavy air in the room seemed to dissipate suddenly. Jack couldn't really blame them though. He'd probably be just as worried if he'd been in their shoes.

"Mmmpfmpf mmpf," Henry said from behind his mask. Jack just smiled and shook his head.

"You know we can't really hear you with that thing on, right?" he asked. Henry just gave him a thumbs up instead.

"It's goo' to see the two of you up," Mun-Dee said.

"AAH goo' firs' day and the-" Travish began, though the rest of his sentence was mostly just incoherent murmuring until he drowned it out with another swig from his bottle.

"Welcome back, mon ami," Leander said simply.

"Tiny babies feel better?" Maksim asked, seeming to have perked up significantly. He gave out the booming laugh he was so well known for, smacking the end of the table and making the other end pop up a little.

"Zhey are all clear and perfectly heazhy again," the Medic informed everyone.

"Good show, boys," Zane said, though he was also smiling a little. "All right, take your seats."

Jack and Deil both returned to their normal spaces at the table and turned to look at Zane. The man was smiling more than normal, though no one seemed to really be able to not smile at the moment. Deil and Jack were glad to be alive, Ludwig was just acting how he normally was, and everyone else was just relieved that no one had died. All of their friends were all right, and for right now, that was a small blessing. They needed all of those they could get right now.

"Well," Zane continued. "Looks like we've taken a vote. Everyone agrees that we need to change our strategy and keep them guessing. Obviously, there are some pairings that work more than others, but playing it safe like we did last time won't keep us...well safe anymore. They'll be expecting to see us take it slow again, so we need to catch them by surprise."

The smiles left their faces as they turned to him, their faces now full of focus. As glad as they all were to have survived the first challenge, it was only Tuesday (a full week from the day Jack had been dragged out of his home to play in these games). There were still three more days until the first ceasefire, and there was a lot that could happen in that time period. If they were going to make it out of here, they were going to have to be completely focused.

"We need to be more aggressive," he said. "It's the only way we'll survive. Do you know why that is? They want good television, and they expect to see us fighting with all we've got. If we give them that, they'll want to keep us alive longer. They will of course, make the challenges harder to test us, to try and kill us. But if we want to get out of here, there's no choice but having to give them everything."

Zane carefully looked around the table, eying them all. As usual, his eyes seemed to linger on Jack the longest. The youngest. Jack saw a new look in his eyes, not quite pity, not quite sorrow, but something else. He felt his throat get strangely dry as he looked at the man. What was he thinking about? What was he going to say?

"This won't be easy," he said, his eyes still on Jack. "You'll have to put your full trust in everyone else, especially those of us rushing right out to the front lines. We'll have to be ready for any trick, any thing we need to do. Including killing people."

Jack felt himself pale a little and stared at the table. Killing people? He knew there was always the possibility, but how was he supposed to justify killing someone? He was aware that he wasn't the only one at the table who looked unnerved or even sick at the idea. Henry started shaking his head, and Deil looked ready to puke. Ludwig too was staring at Zane with wide eyes. There were people here who'd have no trouble killing anyone, but others who did.

"Listen blokes," Mun-Dee suddenly chimed in. "I'm not sayin' tha' it's easy. It won' be. But if you're not ready to figh' then we migh' as well stay in here."

"Think of it zhis way," Leander suddenly said, his eyes flashing. "It's going to be you, or zhem. Don't think of it. Think of our task. Zhen when zhat is done you can think on it."

"It's hard to explain to people who haven't killed before," Zane said with a slight sigh. "But it is possible to remain a good person when having to kill in self defense. That's what all of this ends up being. But if you can't bring yourself to do it, then trust us when we say it needs to be done. I hope we won't have to have that problem so soon, but there's no avoiding it in this place."

Silence once again fell over the table as those who had killed before looked over at those who hadn't. What were they? Some were assassins and soldiers, or else had killed before when they needed to. The others however hadn't so much as even really hurt someone badly. Ludwig? The closest he'd ever gotten was probably having someone die on his table. Deil? The man was a Rancher and an Engineer, not a murderer.

Henry? If anyone had ever died around him, it had been in the same accident that had scarred his face. Jack? He'd never even so much as really hit anyone hard enough to make them bleed, except once on accident when he'd hit one of the twins if the nose with his bat. But killing someone? There were so many people wanting him to come home, no matter what it took, and he wanted to go home. But the thought of killing someone, of ending their life, made him sick.

Leander had definitely killed someone. He was the Spy of the Team, and was obviously not unnerved by the thought at all. Mun-Dee had most likely killed someone, considering he was a Sniper. He was probably an assassin for hire. Zane had fought in the army, and even if had only been a civilian in some sort of training accident, he'd killed someone.

Travish was almost always drunk, so maybe he felt bad about whoever he'd killed? Or maybe it was an explosion of some kind. Maksim was so protective of his friends and family no one was really surprised that he seemed fine with the idea of having to kill someone. Jack however was not.

Maybe it was him or them. Maybe they did have orders to kill him on sight, and maybe they wouldn't be showing him any mercy. But they were still people. What made them any less worthy of living than he was? How could he simply do something like that and still be him? If he did that, then wouldn't he change? What would he become if he had killed? It would never be as easy as flipping off a switch and doing it.

He could feel the others watching him and the others who didn't look so keen on the idea. Had they changed? Leander liked to laugh as well as the next guy. Maksim loved to help people even if it was with something simple. Mun-Dee was one of the most friendly people Jack had ever met. Zane was kind, in his own way, and Travish was always one to smile. Could he trust them to say he wouldn't change?

Maybe change wasn't the right word. Evolve might be better, a gradual switch and move forward. It seemed like one hell of a leap though. Could he really just forget his own values to protect his own life? Would he be the same person after that? He did trust his friends, and he acknowledged that they were right and it was probably a necessary evil at this point. It didn't mean that he wasn't scared of the thought though.

"Listen lads," Travish suddenly said, taking another swig and giving them all a serious look. "Its no' easy. Bu' the kind of people we'll fin' in her'? They're all crazy. They're her' for the money. If you kno' wha' you believe in, you won' change a bi'. In her' you have to figh' for your beliefs. Because if you don', no one else will."

Jack blinked a little at the insight that Travish had just given them all into the inner workings of his mind. What kind of man was he really? He seemed hard to read, almost, though not as much, as hard to read as Leander. Jack understood what he meant though.

It wasn't really about killing someone. It was more than just ending a life or whether or not they all had the right to live over these people. It was about what was inside of them, what they held onto that made them who they were. They could kill people without liking it. They could kill people and still be themselves because if they had a firm foundation something like this wouldn't break them. So what exactly did Jack believe in?

What kept him going? Well going home of course. Going back to his family, and his girlfriend (that part still kind of caught him a little off guard) obviously. But what more was there before? He'd always seemed to just live in the machine that was his life. Going through the motions and simply existing in the place he'd been put into without question. He'd even not really questioned the games. Now that he was in them though, he realized how much he really hated them.

Why should someone have to fight for their lives in this hell hole in he first place? Why should anyone think they were above anyone else as to go so far to televise their deaths for the whole world to see? He hated the games, and yet he was one of the most powerful people in the world. Why? Because the longer he lived, the longer he proved these people couldn't control them. If he and his team were to survive the games, there would be no end to what they could achieve.

He knew why Brian wanted to end the games now. Who would ever want their family to have to face something like this? There was a war going on, one that had been going on for far too long. The resistance had been trying to fight, but even without the strength of the military might of Mann Co., people just needed hope. That's what Jack wanted, the end of the games. So no one else would have to face it, and those who had died within these walls would finally be avenged.

It didn't make having to kill someone really any easier, but it made the thought more bearable. He looked up slowly at the others, who gave them sad but encouraging smiles. As everyone sat their quietly, Zane went and brought them some of whatever it was he had cooked up. Jack, Henry, Ludwig and Deil all seemed to eat their food without really thinking about it. Jack only realized he had finished when the cup had been drained and the bowl was empty. They didn't have much longer to try and sort out their thoughts though.

"Red Team," the announcer's voice came loudly over the invisible speakers. "Proceed to the starting area. Today's events will begin shortly."

Everyone seemed to move more slowly than usual as they all returned to their rooms and grabbed their weapons. Jack did his best to wipe the emotions off his face however, putting on the same brave face from before. He even managed a bit of a smile for the camera. They wanted a show? He'd give them that by giving them a cocky little smile. He met the others in the hallway.

Without a word they all followed his example. Deil seemed to give a smile as well, and Ludwig held himself straighter and looked more self assured than ever. The others pretty much just looked like they always did, and nothing much had seemed to change. They wiped the fear of the previous conversation off of their faces and turned instead to making their way through the hallways. As they reached the front room the Medic stepped forward and turned to the camera in the back of the room. Giving it a pointed and self assured look.

As he turned away the others made their way inside, Deil and Jack bringing up the rear. No one else looked at the camera, as if the very thought of doing so was beneath all of them. Jack couldn't help but hope that his family would be able to get some rest now, knowing that he'd survived at least one more day. And he knew that the game makers were going to be talking all about Ludwig and his amazing skills as a surgeon. Especially when Jack and Deil were both out there in the action and as aggressive as the others.

They all lined up like they had before, readying their weapons as they had done before. Even the people who were going to be filming them would be able to see the difference in the way they held their weapons and watched the door, waiting for it to open. There was more than just a few brave faces on right now. Their were determined faces.

Anyone watching could clearly see the concentration on Leander and Mun-Dee's faces. They could see the spark in Travish's remaining eye, and the scowl on Zane's face that was deeper than usual. They could see Henry's body language had shifted, showing he was far more alert than before. Ludwig was looking over everyone carefully, his Medi-Gun already raised. Maksim looked furious and ready to tear anything apart that came within his sight. Deil had a gun out, his box with his tools and parts under one arm.

Even Jack didn't look like he had before. He didn't look so nervous. His eyes were glued on the door in front of him as he held his Scattergun at the ready. His legs were already tensed, completely prepared to rush out and get right into the thick of things. Of course, they weren't going to abandon all logic or reason, but they weren't going to be nearly so reserved or careful either. They were done being scared of the games, and they were going to show that to everyone watching the games, whether they were their family or the game makers. They were ready for whatever it was that they were going to throw at them. They wanted fighters? They'd give them a good fight.

"Opening the doors in three," the announcer said. Jack crouched and tensed to run. "two...one! Grab the Intelligence!"

The arena looked far different. It was still bright and sunny here, though there were a few clouds overhead. The ground was dusty and worn in places where there were clear paths, but there were also many patches of grass. A building sat opposite of their base, looking much the same except with the BLU Team's insignia and painted with blue lines instead of red. There were buildings along the tall walls made of wood and mostly looked largely abandoned. The space between the two bases was no man's land, studded with large rocks and other such features.

As soon as the doors had slid open enough Jack was already moving. He wasn't the only one however, and he saw Leander duck just out of his view and disappear from sight as usual. Henry was already standing guard over Deil as he worked to make whatever it was he was hoping to get done. Mun-Dee already had his rifle raised to his face, and both Travish and Zane were ready to light anything they saw up. Maksim was moving out as quickly as he could, his mini-gun already spinning, and Ludwig was close behind him.

Jack unfortunately knew what she meant by "Intelligence". It was a very particular mission, one of the so called "classics". It usually was never brought out so soon, but it was obvious the game makers were looking to see how far they could push them. It meant going into the BLU Team's base and grabbing a BLU briefcase and bringing it back to their base safely. It was a dangerous game and in this game, the BLU Team was a bunch of mercenaries trained to kill.

Looked like he'd be testing if he could actually make himself kill someone or not before he'd really be ready for it. He pushed the uneasy thought down, remembering what Leander said. He had to focus on the task at hand. The crack of the Rifle sounded off close to his ear, meaning that obviously he had already taken the shot on someone. Jack scanned the area in front of him as he looked for the sight of whoever it had been.

He saw two startled mercenaries ducking out of sight of his Rifle as they ran back into their base to regroup with the others. They'd caught them off guard by their change in aggression. It was obvious that they'd seen yesterday's episode, and they weren't expecting to see them emerge from their base so ready for battle, let alone all nine of them. Jack glanced over towards Mun-Dee, seeing him hurrying to get a vantage point as far up as he could.

He wasn't too sure, but he thought he saw a flash of blue in that direction. He dug his feet into the soft dirt as he skid to a slight stop, only long enough to turn and dash off in the same direction that Mun-Dee had been going in. Right now he just had to focus on keeping himself and his friends alive. He shot off in the same direction he had seen Mun-Dee heading a few moments earlier.

Yes, they wanted to surprise everyone with their aggression, but they needed to also make it clear that they were still a team and refused to be divided. Jack knew just how to do that too, and as he ran along the ground of the building Mun-Dee had gone up in he heard the Australian assassin give a yelp of surprise. Jack didn't hesitate to leap up the side of the building and haul himself in through the window. He followed the sound of gunfire.

He quickly found them. The Sniper now had a cut along the side of his face, but the mercenary had apparently managed to get the guns Mun-Dee had been holding out of his hands. Mun-Dee's eyes were flashing dangerously as he lifted a machete in his hand, making the weapon look far more menacing than it would have normally. The other man still had his gun in his hand. Jack forced himself to not think about the consequences his actions could have.

He dashed around the corner long enough to shoot the Scattergun and dash off. He aimed it just to the man's left, so he mostly escaped injury. The Scout didn't want to hurt the Sniper though on accident with this weapon, so he purposely aimed this way. The mercenary was startled by the sudden attack though and whirled around to face Jack, seeing him just as he was disappearing around the corner. Before the man could raise his gun to follow and strike back though, there came the sickening crunch of bone and a scream.

Jack paused a moment to catch his breath, peering around the corner as Mun-Dee pulled his machete out of the man's torso and swung his Rifle back onto his back. The Assassin didn't say anything for a while as the boy processed the fact that he'd helped to kill that man. He hadn't been the one to kill him, but he'd certainly helped. Mun-Dee straightened his hat and glasses, turning to look at the boy and nodding to him.

"Thanks mate," he said quietly. Jack just nodded silently.

Before the Sniper could attempt to say anything comforting to the boy however, another one of the mercenaries came into the area to investigate the sound they had heard. Jack and Mun-Dee both ducked out of sight as he started firing bullets at them, though he also noticed how the Sniper shoved him farther away from the door than he was. Mun-Dee ducked around the corner for a second and shot his Rifle, which was now in his hands at him.

He didn't really aim at the man with scope, seeing how there was no time. However the crack of the Rifle could clearly be heard, along with the sound of a grunt and just a few moments of pause in the gunfire before it began again. The mercenaries were trained warriors who ignored pain and kept pressing on. As long as they continued to get paid, they would keep fighting until the end. They were as about as well suited to fighting together as the RED Team was. However unlike the RED team, this BLU team didn't care about each other.

Mun-Dee took another shot and ducked around the corner again, obviously having missed this one. He snarled a little as he glanced out at the man. This particular mercenary carried a smaller gun than Maksim, but one very much like it. He wasn't coming at them fast, and obviously wary of the Sniper, but his nearly endless barrage of bullets kept them away from him too. The Australian man's brows furrowed together as he snarled and glanced towards him again.

"I can' ge' a sho' on 'im," he growled. "Jack...think you can ge' 'im?" Jack's eyes widened as he looked up at the man.

"But I-" he managed.

"I know," the Sniper soothed as best he could. "Bu' at this poin' if we don' ge' 'im, he's goin' to ge' us. I'll stop 'im from shootin' tha' big gun for jus' a few seconds. Then you go' to finish it before he recovers. You're the only one fas' enough for this. I trus' you can do it. Can you trus' me on this one, mate?"

Jack silently stared at the man, unable to keep the disgust and horror off of his face. He'd already helped kill one man, what made him think he could kill another? The older man gave the boy a long hard look though, just asking him to trust him. Zane had said the same thing earlier, to trust them when they said it was possible to not change and still be able to kill. It wasn't that Jack's life was worth any more, and it wasn't really that it was him or them. Jack knew that he'd already promised himself that he was coming home, and there were people waiting back home for him. Could he kill someone if it meant he knew they wouldn't be crying?

Slowly Jack closed his eyes, just sitting there a moment and frowning to himself. He didn't have long to wonder, but apparently Mun-Dee didn't mind. They couldn't move without getting mowed down, and there was a good chance if he didn't decide to help they'd both die. But Mun-Dee respected his decision either way, and was ready to die with the boy if he couldn't make himself do it. That touched Jack in a way he couldn't explain. If he could trust him like that...well then he could help him. Jack opened his eyes and pumped the shot gun.

"Take tha shot," he said quietly.

Mun-Dee didn't hesitate a moment, and peered quickly around the corner, aiming for the man. He had been hoping for a head shot obviously, but since the man had managed to mostly dodge it had hit him in the shoulder. The instant the other man yelped and his gun stopped for a second, Jack was dashing around the corner and right at him. He was careful to move in a zig zagging pattern so that when the man saw him coming and started shooting he would be a lot harder to hit. A bullet grazed his shoulder but Jack didn't stop.

He winced, but as he drew closer he pulled the trigger on the Scattergun in his hands. The resulting shot was loud enough (and definitely recognizable enough) to be heard by any of their friends who were still close enough to spawn to come running. He pulled the trigger several times, forcing the man to drop his gun and drop to the floor. Jack hesitated only a moment before putting the gun to his head and pulling the trigger again.

He stared at the man a moment, wondering what had possessed him to finally kill someone. He felt strangely numb, and the gunshot sounded strangely loud in his hears still. He felt Mun-Dee lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he blinked. Jack shook his head as if to clear it and forced himself to think of other things. His family, his girlfriend, his friends back home, anything but that. The dead man's face kept appearing in his mind though.

"Gentlemen," came a voice from in front of them, making both the Scout and the Sniper jump. They looked up to see the Spy straightening his tie and looking at them closely. "Unharmed, I see?"

"As good as we'll be for now," Mun-Dee responded for both of them. The Spy nodded his understanding as he glanced at the boy.

"Very well," he said. "Zhere is somezhing I need your help with. Zhe two of you will be coming to help me get zhat intelligence."

"Wha?" Jack asked in surprise. "Why us?"

"To win today," he said. "we need zhat Intelligence. Zhe longer we are in zhis game, zhe longer all of our lives are in danger. Usually zhere would be at least one death after today, and if we want to make sure zhis does not happen, we need to get that Intelligence."

Jack knew this was true. Starting with this at the second game wasn't exactly looking good for the team, and he knew his friends and family would be absolutely horrified to see that this was the second challenge that Jack had to face. They probably thought it was a miracle that Ludwig had kept the whole team alive after yesterday's game, but today would be impossible. The mercenaries were trained killing machines that were paid by the number of members of the RED team that were dead, and they were paid a lot of each one. They'd be doing everything they could to kill them. So if they could grab that Intelligence and get it back inside before they got the chance to, everyone else could retreat and escape from them.

"All righ'," Mun-Dee said. "Wha' do you have in mind, mate?"

"A frontal assault," the Frenchman replied calmly. "I will go into zheir base and distract zhem. Mun-Dee, you and I will kill any zhat we see. Zhen Jack, you will grab zhat Intelligence and run. Just run boy. Zhe ozhers will catch on to our plan and help us, and Mun-Dee and I will guard your back. It is a simple plan, but one zhat I know will work. And do you know why?"

"Because dey won't be expectin' ta see only three of us," Jack replied knowingly, forcing himself to look away from the dead mercenaries. "It works because dey won't be expectin' us to be so aggressive."

"A frontal assault?" Mun-Dee asked thoughtfully. "A dangerous plan, mate."

"Naturally," the Spy replied. "So, are you in?"

"Let's do it," Jack said, nodding to the Spy.

"Ready when you are," the Sniper agreed. The Spy dropped the cigarette he had been smoking and twisted his foot over it to put it out.

"Zhen let us move, gentlemen," he said.

Jack nodded and leaped after Mun-Dee as he turned to silently lead the way to their front base. He had his Rifle raised and ready, and Jack had his Scattergun in his hands. They turned away from the Spy for two seconds and he had disappeared into thin air. At this point, Jack was beginning to suspect that he had some sort of secret gadget that let him do it, but he wasn't going to question anything. Ludwig had healed the terrible wounds he and Deil had overnight. His team was a strange one, and he was just going to go with it at this point.

The Rifle went off again as Mun-Dee shot someone down in front of them, the only mercenary to have seen them coming at this point. Jack stayed near the Sniper, his Scattergun at the ready as he glanced around for any signs of other mercenaries. The only ones he could see though were currently facing the rest of their team.

He saw as a few of the mercenaries tried to attack Diel, only to find out that the Engineer was willing to protect himself. He didn't look happy about it, but he pulled the trigger on his shotgun, killing one of them. The other two came face to face with Henry and his flamethrower. Henry didn't look happy about it either (or at least Jack assumed he didn't), but he didn't let them get up again.

He could see Zane scowling as he provided cover fire for Maksim and Ludwig. He also spotted Travish as the Scotchman smiled and saluted just before several of his Sticky Bombs went off and killed several of the mercenaries in the explosion. Ludwig was again healing Maksim as the huge Russian man was going right towards the battle, shielding the Medic behind him and mowing down anyone who stepped in front of his gun.

A mercenary slipped past Maksim to try and attack Ludwig, but the man pulled out a Bone Saw and quickly ended his life. Ludwig almost looked physically ill after that, but began to heal Maksim again with his Medi-Gun. They were all having to kill people today, and it didn't sit well with them. Just thinking about it made Jack sick. He quickly pushed the thought down though as the Sniper turned to look at him again. He had to focus, or they'd all end up dead.

"Come on, mate," the Sniper said quietly.

Jack nodded and followed after him as they began to quietly slip across the battlefield while the rest of the mercenaries they could see were distracted by the aggressive fire coming from the rest of their friends. Even Ludwig was killing people to protect himself, and Deil was too, though mostly it was that sentry that was doing it for him. Even so, Jack knew it couldn't be easy for people who had never killed before to be responsible for the death of another person.

They quickly but quietly crossed the last of the area of no man's land between their base and the blue base, pausing outside and both looking around for any signs of the BLU mercenaries. They didn't see any, though they could hear gunfire inside. Had Leander already beat them there? Was he already fighting them? Jack carefully looked to find any signs of the Spy, but he saw none. Looking out across the battlefield made Jack realize just how long the stretch between the two bases really was. It looked a lot larger here.

He shook the thought out of his head and carefully followed Mun-Dee inside. They crept through the halls carefully to avoid drawing any undo attention until they were ready. However as they made their way through the dark halls they could see several bodies around the area. Some had their brains blown out by a gun. Others had a single stab wound on their backs right over their spines. Both had been very effective ways of killing, the mark of a professional. Jack found himself more nervous of the Spy than he ever had been before. What was he capable of?

The two of them came to a branch in the hallways, where a set of stairs went upwards and a hallway that went towards the sound of gunfire. There was a matching set on the other side, both doors obviously leading to the same room and the stairs both leading to an upper area. They paused only a moment before Mun-Dee tipped his hat to the boy and carefully went up the stairs. Jack pumped his Scattergun again and carefully slipped into the hallway.

He inched forward until he could see into the large room and then crouched, casting a glance behind him and around him for any signs of enemies. He couldn't see any, and when he dashed into the room and hid quickly behind some huge crates it soon became obvious as to why that was. As he peered out into the large and mostly empty room, he spotted Leander. The room was white with blue crates that would be loaded onto a train, as well as a raised platform where the Intelligence sat. That was on a rolling cart in the middle, where it could be clearly seen from all throughout the room.

What commanded the scene though was the Spy and the mercenaries. Leander obviously knew what he was doing, and he moved in a way that made it obvious that he'd dealt with enemies mobbing him in battle before. He almost seemed to dance between all of them, his butterfly knife flashing in his hands, or his revolver giving off a retort in the air.

Either way, when he moved through the few living mercenaries trying to kill him and defend the Intelligence, a flash of red and death was sure to follow him. Jack almost didn't believe what he was seeing. Was it possible that the RED Team's Spy was just too good? He blocked attacks with ease, incapacitating enemies at the same moment by wrapping his arm around theirs and producing a loud crack from their shoulders, or else just dodging and lashing out when they weren't ready for his attacks to come.

The crack of Mun-Dee's Rifle soon announced that the Sniper had gotten into position somewhere above their heads. At the unexpected death of one of their comrades, the mercenaries all winced and cast quick glances around for the Sniper. That moment's hesitation was all that it took for Leander to work his way through three more of them before they had recovered, by which time the Rifle had gone off again and dropped another.

The rest began to retreat, coming in the direction that Jack was in, obviously just looking to get out of the sight of the Spy and the Sniper. Leander looked after him, and his eyes flashed as he spotted the Scout in the same direction. He leaped after them, raising his revolver and expertly dispatching him. Mun-Dee had come back down the stairs, and coming through the door way, killed the last with an expert slash from his machete.

The two cast the room one more glance around, before nodding in Jack's direction and running back out the door to cover him from anyone else trying to sneak in after them. Jack prepared for the run ahead of him, knowing that he had to be fast. He silently eyed the Intelligence he was after, a blue suit case with a strange code locking it and straps on the back of it like a backpack. At least it would be easy to carry.

He leaped forward and ran right to the platform, grabbing the Intelligence and throwing it over his shoulders. He'd done this before when he'd slept in and had been running late for school. He just threw one arm in and then the other, and in a moment he had it on and was dashing off towards the door his friends had gone through earlier. As soon as the briefcase touched his back, the Announcer's voice came in loud and clear for everyone to hear. This is where things got messy.

"RED Team has taken the BLU Intelligence," she said.

Now it was a race against the clock. Plenty of teams, even if they were working together, had died because of that one announcement. The mercenaries would be making their way back towards the room with the Intelligence to try and stop anyone in there, and their fire would be focused on the person carrying the briefcase. As rounded the corner he could see Leander to his left, shooting his revolver at one of the mercenaries. Mun-Dee was to his right, his Rifle raised to his face and aiming at someone who wasn't aware he had seen them.

They had just enough space between them to let Jack through, and he shot past them with no hesitation, carrying his Scattergun at the ready to shoot at anyone who tried to get in his way. He had to make it out of the base for now, then across no man's land. He ducked as bullets flew past him when a mercenary spotted him with the huge blue briefcase that was about as large as his torso. The crack of the Sniper Rifle behind him though had Jack's path free again, and he was bolting across the area between the two bases, the Spy and Sniper just behind.

Jack of course was much faster than both of them, and he was soon running ahead of them, dodging around rocks and making sure to run in a serpentine pattern to avoid the bullets that were already flying at him. Several grazed him as he ran with the briefcase, others smashing into the case itself on his back. Either way he didn't stop, and there were moments where the gunfire would lessen as the mercenaries met with the two friends behind him.

The rest of the RED Team was already on the move though to help them. There was no doubt in Jack's mind that when they had heard the announcement that they'd picked up the briefcase who it was that had picked it up, seeing how they would instantly be able to tell that three of them were missing. As Jack rounded a corner and quickly leaped away from the mercenary he came face to face with though, there came a rocket flying into the man, killing him nearly instantly.

Jack just kept running, right past Zane and Travish who both looked worried and furious at the mercenaries. They continued to lay down suppressive fire to cover Leander and Mun-Dee behind him as well as give him a chance to keep going. Jack was worried about all of them trying to cover him as he ran onwards. They were his friends after all, and if those mercenaries couldn't get to him they'd be looking to kill them instead and get their money's worth. Jack knew though that to give them any chance, he had to make it back to their base.

Two of the mercenaries managed to flank him, obviously having been lying in wait for him to come towards them. Jack skid to a stop and leaped to the side to avoid their bullets, firing his Scattergun at them and ducking behind the nearest rock. It wasn't very good cover, and they knew he was there. Even so, it was better than getting gunned down. He slowly edged around the rock and glanced out, but quickly had to duck back around behind it. They were circling around either side of the rock, obviously to kill him. He couldn't run past them with them coming ever closer.

Jack snarled a little to himself as he quickly reloaded his Scattergun, pumping it quickly. He was willing to kill these guys if it meant that his friends would be okay. It wasn't just about him anymore. If he died here, he wouldn't be the only one in trouble here in the games. Then there was just the fact that any progress they had made would be completely lost up until now. Before he could get ready to shoot the first that came around the corner, there came a scream from around the edge of the rock and Jack had to leap back because of the flames shooting in front of his face. Obviously Henry had spotted him and had cut off the first with a rather painful assault from his flamethrower.

The second however was focused on his task of killing Jack. He came around the rock, pointing his gun at the boy. Jack spotted him and quickly turned, hoping he could get a shot off before he killed him, but at this point he was so close that he was probably going to kill him anyway. Jack knew that's what his friends would be absolutely dreading to hear. If he died the announcer would come over the speakers again, saying that they'd dropped the Intelligence. This only happened if the person carrying the briefcase died.

Henry appeared around the corner at about the same time, thrusting his flamethrower between Jack and his assailant. A blast of compressed air whistled past Jack's face and slammed into the man, throwing him backwards. Before he could recover however, there came the sound of something powering down. Jack watched with wide eyes as the red, still somewhat see through outline of the Spy appeared behind the man. By the time Leander had fully appeared he looked furious, and his knife had been raised. In one swift motion the mercenary dropped dead.

Jack supposed he knew why Leander was so good at disappearing. Even if he was good enough to disappear in broad daylight without whatever gadget he was using, he could literally disappear when he wanted to. It explained why he had been able to slip so quickly past Mun-Dee and him to begin engaging the enemy at the base. In fact, it made a whole lot more sense than before. Jack wasn't exactly complaining though. He'd probably just saved his life.

There was no time to thank either man for helping him though because bullets sprayed the rock above Jack's head. He leaped up and past Leander, who already had his revolver raised again. Jack took off running as quickly as he could back towards their base, passing by Deil who had moved to a higher location and had erected a sentry gun again. This one was firing at the mercenaries who were already drawing close enough to get into it's line of fire. Deil waved the boy onwards without another word, readying his own shotgun for the battle that was drawing ever closer. Jack once again didn't look back. He couldn't afford to.

Another of the mercenaries was slipping closer to him and getting closer to him, and Jack spotted him out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head just slightly and distracted for a minute he slipped and went tumbling onto the ground. Before the man could come finish him off though a very pissed off Maksim came running as fast as he could from around yet another rock, yelling loudly and unloading his Mini-gun into him.

Ludwig ran over to Jack and lifted him onto his feet again, quickly turning and shooting a strange gun filled with syringes that Jack hadn't seen him use before. There was something highly unnerving about the fact that he killed a man by overdosing him in seconds with the amount of syringes and chemicals he was pumping into his body.

"Zhat vas not medicine," he said quietly to himself, looking horrified.

"Thanks," Jack managed.

Ludwig seemed to jump as he heard Jack's voice, glancing once more at the man and then putting away his syringe gun to pull out his Medi-gun. Even if he wasn't enjoying having to kill anyone even more than Jack was, he was still the doctor first. Jack felt almost instantly better with the gun on him again. He wasn't injured nearly as bad as he had been yesterday, but it still felt much better. Maksim began backing up towards them, still firing at any mercenary who got too close to his two friends for his liking. Jack turned to run the last stretch to the base.

He quickly outran both Maksim and Ludwig behind him, but ran right to the door of their base. It opened quickly to let them inside, and he ducked inside. Breathing heavier than before he ducked into the corner and stopped to catch his breath. Ludwig quickly ran next to him, breathing a lot heavier than Jack was. He turned his Medi-Gun to Maksim instead, who was stubbornly standing in front of the door and firing at the last of the mercenaries who were trying their hardest to kill RED Team, and obviously especially Jack.

"RED Team has captured the BLU Team's Intelligence," the announcer said to the whole arena.

Jack could only imagine the relief that everyone must have felt, knowing that he'd made it back here in one piece. The problem was though, the rest of them had to made it into their base as well before the gate was closed. This was where the final blood bath for the day began, and he certainly didn't want any of his friends to die. They'd been doing well up until now, but getting everyone back inside was going to be a challenge.

Jack had managed to catch his breath after a few minutes, and he felt his unease increasing as he did so. He didn't dare take that Intelligence off now, knowing that someone could run in and take it, and then the progress they'd made would all be for nothing. He couldn't help but want to go out and help the others though. He knew this was probably what the mercenaries were hoping on, the fact that he would go out, or Ludwig or Maksim, to help their friends. Then they'd kill whoever it was that stepped out. Jack ducked from bullets flying past his face.

Maksim wasn't looking so good. He was taking a lot of bullets for Ludwig and Jack behind him, but also refusing to move out of the way. He was the kind of person to do anything to protect his friends, and that included getting himself killed. As he continued to fire at the enemies though, Jack could see him looking up towards no man's land several times.

"Team needs help," he told Ludwig and Jack.

"We've got ta go help 'em," Jack said. To his surprise though Ludwig glared at him.

"Nein," he said. "You vill stay back zhere."

"We can't just let dem die," Jack growled back.

"Of course not," Ludwig replied, giving Jack a small smile. "I've got somezhing up my sleeve for zhat. You recall my gun's secondary use, ja? I am fully charged, Herr Heavy. Get ready."

Jack's eyes widened a moment as he watched the Medic. He did remember him mentioning something about it yesterday at their meeting. He wasn't sure what that was, but it probably had to do with something about the fact that he'd operated on all of them, doing the same thing to himself, and mentioning that his gun had this second use.

As Jack watched, he saw the man's Medi-Gun begin to spark red from the front of the barrel. The pack on his back and the gun itself began to shake. He reached forward and flipped a switch on the gun itself, and the meter on the back of the pack on his back switched all the way up to "uber". As he pointed the gun to Maksim, the stream seemed to envelope both of them. Now their bodies were glowing RED and almost looked to be made of metal. Their eyes glowed an eerie yellow, and the Medic's smile looked far creepier than before.

The bullets flying at Maksim now seemed to bounce off of him though, giving the man no damage at all. Apparently able to sense this strange new change, Maksim stepped out of the base and began swinging his Mini-gun in great arcs, cutting down the mercenaries. The shocked mercenaries forgot all about the rest of the team, now focusing their fire on the Medic and the Heavy. However the bullets bounced off of both without any damage.

The rest of the team came running back into their base, gasping for breath. Even Leander, who usually looked so calm about everything, was staring with wide eyes back out towards Maksim and Ludwig. The Heavy was just mowing down anyone in front of his gun, and Ludwig was following behind, simply keeping the charge of his Medi-Gun on him. They began to retreat though, slowly moving back towards the base.

The mercenaries that remained were far smarter than their fallen comrades, and let them retreat and simply watched the door close behind the team. The charge ran out at that point, making both of them return to normal. The rest of the team couldn't help but reach for their chests, where the pain had been before. What exactly had Ludwig done to all of them, and what was everyone else going to think about the already strange team. Slowly, Jack took the Intelligence off his back and sat it down. Everyone else seemed to sigh.

"Victory," the announcer said, followed by a click meaning the cameras were now off. Recording for the day was now done.

Everyone was pretty roughed up, and they all seemed to have taken quite a beating. However no one was going to die right now, and Ludwig's night was going to be a lot easier than last time. Jack knew he should probably be elated, seeing how they had survived this particular mission so early on. He felt a sick feeling rising in his stomach. He had killed someone. He had done it to help his friends, and that had eased it a little, but he still wasn't sure how to feel about it. Looking around though, Henry, Deil, and Ludwig didn't look much better.

"Come on," Zane said gently to them. "Let's go inside. We'll get some rest and get healed up, physically and mentally, as much as possible. Then we'll take a look at that Intelligence. It will definitely help us."

Slowly everyone seemed to make their way deeper into their base, putting their weapons away as they did so. Jack paused as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Leander looking down at him.

"Come, mon fils," he said quietly. "I must speak with you."

Jack wasn't sure what he wanted to talk about, or why he had called him that again. The Spy seemed strangely distracted though, and Jack was sure he sensed something he'd never seen before in his demeanor. Was it possible it was tenderness? Jack didn't know, but he let the Spy steer him down the hallways and into the Scout's room. Just before he closed the door, he spotted Zane going into Deil's room, Mun-Dee into Henry's, and Maksim into Ludwig's. It was probably to comfort their distressed teammates, but it didn't help the odd feeling that Jack got in the pit of his stomach.

Well, what did you guys think of that chapter? I'm not too sure how many mercenaries I actually had on the BLU Team, but it was definitely not a fair amount. Of course not. It is the Fortress Games after all. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that chapter.

Next chapter will have Spy and Scout's conversation. I wonder if you guys can guess what Spy needs to talk to Scout about? Then later we'll have them watching part of the broadcast about the day's events (mostly making fun of it) and then looking through the Intelligence. Should be fun right?