Here we go with chapter eight. Several things are going to happen in this particular chapter, some things that were asked for me to bring in pretty quickly (or at least mention), and something that not everyone may have realized yet, but will now know for certain. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story so far and continue to enjoy it.
Chapter Eight: The Light Behind Your Eyes
Leander closed the door softly behind him, just watching Jack for a long moment. His dark blue eyes seemed to bore into him for a long moment as he watched the boy. He motioned to the boy's bed, which was the only thing they could use to sit on at the moment. Jack quietly sat down on his bed, looking at the floor and trying to process what was going on in his head. He'd killed someone. Not just one person, but at least two, though he may have helped to kill more. He felt sick. How was he supposed to recover form something like that? What would his family think?
Jack was sure that Brian hadn't even killed anyone. He was in the rebellion against the games, but he doubted he'd ever managed to make himself kill anyone. Thinking of Brian made Jack said. What was he doing now? He'd probably quit the resistance at this point, feeling like his brothers had been right. He, and his other brothers, probably blamed themselves for Jack getting taken here. His mother...he didn't want to think about his mother. Was she holding up? He got the feeling that if he did die she wouldn't be able to.
There were so many things going through his head right now, and he just felt more stressed out than ever. What was he supposed to do? Say it was okay? How could he ever just tell himself that he was going to be okay? He took off his hat and headpiece, running a hand through his hair and letting out a quiet sigh. The bed creaked mournfully as Leander sat down next to him. He heard him light another cigarette and take a long drag on it. Smoke soon wreathed his face as usual.
Jack had to admit that seeing such a familiar sight did calm him a little bit. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that Leander was trying to be here for him. The man didn't really understand how to be, since he was a trained assassin. But it made Jack feel better, though he did cough a little as he inhaled the thick smoke. Slowly the Frenchman turned his head to look at Jack, watching him quietly for a long moment.
"Are you okay, mon fils?" he asked. Jack thought about it for a long moment.
"No," he replied. He really wasn't. He wasn't sure what to make of any of this or what to do. It was hard. The Spy just nodded.
"Zhere would be somezhing wrong if you were," the man replied. "You are a boy Jack, a sixteen year old boy in a world he never should have grown up in. Zhere is nozhing wrong with not liking killing. Even I detest killing."
"Ya do?" Jack asked in surprise.
It wasn't something he'd ever really thought about. The RED Team's Spy, an assassin in every right, didn't like to kill? He supposed he'd rather be near a man like that than one who did like to kill, in case he got bored and decided to kill all of them. But he'd never really thought of him using a word like "detest" when talking about his own job. Jack slowly looked up at the man, wondering why he was doing this kind of thing if he hated it.
"I truly do," the man replied, his dark blue eyes meeting the Scout's. "I can tell you are wondering why I do it if I hate it so, non?"
Jack couldn't bring himself to say he did wonder. How could he just ask this man, who kept everything about himself so carefully guarded, to reveal all of his inner most thoughts like that? It's not like he had a right to. He didn't know this man and never would have known him if it hadn't been for the games, right? Somehow as he watched the man silently struggling with what to do in this situation, Jack realized that he wasn't so sure that was the case.
"Perhaps," Leander said quietly. "perhaps it is because if I can bear zhe pain of zhis world, zhose I love will not have to. Does it surprise you to hear zhat, mon ami?"
"Not really," Jack said with a shrug. "I mean, we all got people dat we wanna keep safe, right? I guess I can kinda understand what you're talkin' about. I think...I think my brothas did da same thing. And we all keep fightin' because...well we have ta."
"Except," the Frenchmen prompted gently.
"Except," Jack said slowly. "I just...what do I do? I killed someone. What does dat make me?"
"Human, Jack," the Frenchmen said quietly. "Human. Zhere have been plenty of men who have killed before you, and zhere will be more after. Zhe only question you have to ask, is why you did it."
Jack stared down at the floor again. Why he did it? He wasn't sure. He had been scared and he pulled the trigger. Part of it was wanting to protect his friends. If he didn't kill this person he'd kill one of them, and in a place like that even one single loss like that could hurt all of them badly. He supposed it was to protect himself, his friends, his family watching back home. It wasn't because he deserved to live any more than these people, but because he couldn't die.
"I guess," he said quietly. "ta protect everyone. If I died well...it wouldn't be good for everyone else. So I did dat ta make sure dey were all gonna be okay."
"It was not for greed?" Leander asked, looking at the boy pointedly.
"No," Jack replied, giving him a confused look.
"Not for money or lust?"
"Dere's not exactly much of dat here."
"Not because you like it?"
"No."
"Zhen zhere is no need to fear yourself," Leander said simply, taking another long drag on his cigarette. "or what ozhers will zhink of you. A man willing to protect ozhers is still a good man, and a good man with zhe ability to kill when he has to does not make him any less good. In zhe past, zhis kind of zhing was frowned upon. But in a world as corrupt and broken as ours, zhere is nozhing wrong with a man who is strong enough to protect zhat which he cares for most. You would have let zhem live if you could have?"
"Y-Yeah," Jack replied. "I mean, if dey weren't gonna kill me, I wasn't gonna kill dem."
"Zhen zhere is even less reason to worry about it," the Frenchman said. "You are a man who is strong enough to kill, but smart enough to know when killing is not zhe only option. In many ways, you have always been smarter zhan me when it comes to zhat, mon fils. An assassin cannot ask why, only preform zhe duties zhey have been given. If we survive zhis, zhen I zhink I would like to go home. I have neglected my family for far too long."
Jack looked up as the man seemed to put on a thoughtful and sad face, looking down at the ground at his feet. Jack got a strange sense of deja vu as he watched the man, feeling like he'd seen that kind of look somewhere before. He was also surprised to see the amount of raw pain on his face at these words, and couldn't help but wonder why he'd let down his guard around Jack of all people. He knew he'd mentioned he had a song his age, but it still seemed odd.
"Do you feel better, mon ami?" Leander asked suddenly, looking up and meeting Jack's gaze again. Jack jumped.
"Y-Yeah," he replied, then blurted something else out. "Dough I gotta know, why do ya keep callin' me dat?" The Frenchmam paused and looked up slowly at the boy, and Jack awkwardly looked away from his intense eyes. "I-I mean, you don't call anyone else dat, at least dat I've seen. And you only do it when it's just you and me around."
"Zhat," Leander said quietly, a new emotion coming across his voice suddenly. "is what I wanted to speak to you about, mon fils."
Jack looked up in surprise at this, noticing that the man's eyes seemed sadder than ever as he looked at him. Talk to him about? The Spy talking to the Scout? What on Earth for? As he saw the man's eyes though, he couldn't help but get the feeling he'd seen that kind of look before, a long time ago. He couldn't recall it, and it wasn't something he could see in his waking memories. Yet he knew he'd seen it before. The more he looked at the man, the more he was sure he'd seen him before. And out of everyone, why did the Spy help him first more than anyone? Leander's sad eyes seemed to bore into him more than ever before.
"Do you remember your fazher, mon fils?" Leander asked quietly. Jack blinked, confused.
"Huh?" he asked. "No, not really."
"Hm," the Frenchman said quietly. "Did you realize zhat your last name, Barreau, is a French name?"
"I-I," Jack stammered, getting an odd feeling now in his stomach. "I mean, it's not dat weird for Americans ta have names from all ova da world..."
"I believe you have begun to understand," Leander said softly. "Jack, I do not just have a son about your age zhat I have not seen in years. You ARE zhat son."
Jack just stared at him for a long minute, watching him and waiting for him to start laughing and saying it was all a joke. Except Jack was the one who pulled practical jokes and pranks, and it made way too much sense. Why did he always help Jack in particular? He hadn't seen his father in years and he DID have a French last name. He'd always seemed to act just a little more gentle when it was just Jack around. But of all the places to meet his father, in all the circumstances, why here?
Leander just watched the boy, seeming to wait for his verdict on the situation. His eyes seemed far sadder than Jack ever remembered seeing them, and as he watched the man reached up and pulled the red mask off of his face. He ran his hand through his hair, taking another long drag on his cigarette as he laid the cloth mask down on the bed. Jack took a minute to study his face.
It was almost like looking in a mirror, though obviously the man was in his late thirties and Jack was only sixteen. The five o' clock shadow he always seemed to have on his face too made him look older. His eyes were blue like Jacks, though a darker shade than Jack's were, and his hair was brown, a slightly lighter shade than Jack's. He was tall and thin, and his skin was rather pale. Jack's face looked a lot like his too, longer and thin, definitely handsome as well. In fact, looking even just at the contour of the man's face, he wasn't surprised he felt like he had known him. Anyone looking at them could spot that they were related by blood.
"Where do I begin?" Leander asked himself quietly. "I had become an assassin at a young age because my fazher had fought the system, much like your brozher Brian was. Only zhey were not so kind to us, and zhey killed my family. I managed to escape, zhough I am still unsure if anyone else survived zhat. I became zhe Spy zhat you see today, but on a mission in Boston I saw your mozher."
The man's eyes seemed to change a minute as he talked about her. His hand went instantly to the rose colored pin on his tie, and he laid his fingers on it almost without realizing it. Jack's eyes followed them down and he looked at it quietly. So that was from his mother? She probably knew how to contact him by letter, and she probably had no idea he was in here with her son. He couldn't help but wonder if the game makers knew their relationship, or if they'd only gotten a hold of the letter from the mailing address associated with him.
"We fell in love," Leander continued, seeming to shake his head and awkwardly pull his hand away from the pin. "I zhought for a while zhat I could forget and move on. Only zhat was not possible, and I never got to be zhe fazher I wanted to be. Zhere were zhings I had to do, and zhings I had to protect. I know your brozhers never forgave me for zhat, leaving zheir mozher when I promised not to. But zhey did not know who I was, what I was. So I left wizhout saying goodbye. It was far better to keep so many children away from zhe life zhat I was leaving, even if I had to break zheir hearts to do so. Your mozher understood, but she had always understood."
Leander's eyes just looked sad again. Jack continued to say nothing, just watching the man quietly. He was almost a little surprised that he felt he had to explain everything to him. But it seemed like Leander really did care about him, and he felt like he probably hated him. He wanted him to understand, and some part of the killing machine in the room with him still wanted to have a family and be a father. Jack could understand his confusion though. How could he possibly expect Leander to switch to a loving father when he'd known bloodshed for so long?
"Let me see," he said quietly, as if Jack needed more convincing. "Zhere are nine of you, non? Brian is zhe oldest I believe. Zhen Liam and Peter. Zhe twins would be next, zhen Rick and Sam. Zhen zhere is John and of course you. Zhey all have zhe last name Pybus, while you of course have mine. You mozher, Sharon, she still has my last name. She always did like to keep in touch. I wonder how she would react to knowing zhat we are bozh in zhe games?"
"She'd probably be really relieved," Jack said with a quiet laugh. "I mean, how many times have ya already saved my ass? And it's only da second day..."
Leander seemed to turn his head and look at Jack for a long moment, though Jack still had trouble making out his expression. For knowing what he already did about the Spy, and what had just been told to him by his father, it didn't make him seem less mysterious. There was just something about the man that made him seem far more hard to read than before.
"You believe me?" he asked.
"Well," Jack said, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, yeah. Ya kinda proved it with everythin' ya know. And well, I guess I already kinda knew in a way. Besides, we've already been through some real tough crap. I already know I can trust ya, and it makes way more sense."
"Do you hate me?" the man asked, his eyes glued to his face.
"Nah," Jack replied with a sigh. "Not really. Afta everythin' dat's been goin' on, I don't think I could hate anyone, except maybe da game makers. I guess I can undastand why ya did all dat. I mean, I think I hated ya when I was younga, but dat was before I really knew ya. You're kind of the Spy and all dat, so it's not like I'm dat surprised."
Leander watched Jack for a long moment, some other unidentified emotion rippling across his face as he watched the young man who was his son. He reached over and pulled the boy into an embrace, just holding him. Jack paused a moment, wondering if it was okay if he hugged him back. Eventually he did hug him back though, just sitting there and for the first time in his life that he could remember, drinking in the embrace of his father. He was surprised at how utterly gentle the Spy was being, as if he couldn't believe that he was capable of it. Kindness? Definitely. Gentleness? Was it even possible for a man who knew how to kill people in a million different ways to be that way? For his son, it probably was.
It still struck Jack as odd. What were the odds that, out of all people in the world and only nine of them here, that his father had been the masked man who had been so close to him all along? He couldn't help but smile a little though as he hugged his father for a while. It was as if that simple motion, that simple trust between him (though honestly mostly on Jack's end), gave them back all of the years they had been apart.
It wasn't the same as if he'd been there all along, but if the father and son who had been separated so long could begin to grow so close again, who's to say that the broken relationships that the others on the RED Team had couldn't have the same thing happen? Almost reluctantly though, Leander pulled back and the tender moment was over. Leander pulled his mask back on and took another long drag on his cigarette, his face becoming the usual black and mysterious one he always wore.
"I never have been much of a fazher," Leander said. "but if zhere is anyzhing you need, I will help you. I will have to start now to make zhings right. And I will keep you safe."
"Thanks," Jack said, giving the man a small and mischievous smile. "Dough, what're ya gonna do when ya need MY help?" The man's mouth twitched slightly into a smile.
"Call for help and watch you come running," the man replied. "But you already do zhat, mon fils. You are a more wonderful young man zhan I could have imagined."
"Cut tha mushy crap," Jack laughed. "People will think ya've gone soft, old man." The Frenchman chuckled this time.
"Perhaps," he replied. "Come zhen, mon fils. Let us see how zhe ozhers are doing."
Jack supposed he knew what that meant now. Mon ami was used when he spoke to all of them, something meaning, "my friend". He used this with a far more gentle voice than he used when normally speaking, and especially when speaking to strangers. With those kind of people he was often hostile, showing Jack just how deeply he had been hurt to not trust so much to become the Spy in the first place. Mon fils though was something he used only with Jack, something that made his voice take on yet a gentler tone, a kinder and far more fond tone. That was something that only Jack would ever be called, "my son".
The Spy stood and fixed his tie with one hand, making sure too that his mask was on tight. He walked over to the door, his cobalt eyes flashing as he took another long drag on his cigarette. As his hand laid on the doorknob though he paused, simply seeming to watch the door as if he could see something else on the other side of it. Jack put his hat and headpiece back on, standing and walking over behind the man. Slowly the Spy looked over his shoulder at him.
"I must tell you, mon fils," Leander said. "We should not let zhe ozhers know yet. Part of zhe games are to unmask zhe Spy, to figure out more about him. If zhey were to find out zhat you were my son, well I am not sure how zhey would react. It would be worse if zhe game makers found out. Zhey would put you in danger just to see how I would react. I would not like to take zhat chance. It could very well be zhe end of both of us. For now, zhis must remain our secret. NO ONE can know."
"I get it," Jack promised with a nod, his face far more serious than normal. "I won't say a word."
"Zhen we are agreed," the Spy said. "For now call me by my name. I do not care if you get into zhe habit and never stop calling me by my name. As long as we can bozh live to see tomorrow I will never care."
Without another word, the Spy pulled the door open and stepped outside, taking a long drag on his cigarette as he did so. He stepped out of the room as if nothing had happened and they had discussed nothing more than how Jack was going to adapt to what he had done. Jack had to admit, he wasn't really thinking about it anymore. He was far more distracted by his rather mysterious father in front of him. He supposed though that his father had always been there when he needed him to be. Nothing else in his life seemed to live up to the fact that he was in the games. And the fact that his father always had his back and always helped him made him feel a lot better.
Jack followed his father down the hallway, where all the other rooms were already abandoned. Evidently it hadn't taken much time to calm everyone down and get them to come to grips with the fact that they could kill and not change completely. He supposed it made sense that he was the last, and there was a reason no one had overheard him and his father talking.
Everyone assumed that since Jack was the youngest he'd take adapting to it harder, so no one had said anything. Sure enough, as they turned the corner to enter the main living room where they'd all first met, they saw everyone sitting in the various chairs and couches around the television and watching the recap of today's games. Had it really been that long? Apparently it had been a few hours though because the anthem to begin the games was beginning as they walked in.
Mun-Dee was relaxing on the couch, just kicking his feet up on the table in front of him. Maksim was sitting in a chair next to Ludwig, patting his shoulder and making the Medic's shoulder bend under the weight of his hand. Ludwig seemed like he was doing better, though he was also frowning. Maksim didn't look happy about the situation still.
Henry was sitting and quietly arranging flowers in a vase (a habit he had when he was nervous) but seemed better now than before. Deil was sitting in a chair between Travish (who was upending a bottle of his alcohol as usual) and Zane who was scowling (also as usual) at the television in front of his face quietly.
When Leander and Jack entered the room, they were the last two to come inside. Neither of them said anything for a minute, just watching the scene. Then Leander cleared his throat, making the others jump and look towards them. Leander gave them all a rather mysterious smile, and Jack managed a small but nervous smile back. They probably thought it was because he was still taking it kind of hard. He was really wondering how he wouldn't accidentally let it slip.
"Gentlemen," Leander greeted. The others all managed smiles (or at least Jack assumed that Henry did. He never took that mask off).
"Ther' you two blokes are," Mun-Dee said, inviting them both over to their normal places on the couch.
"It'll be easier for you ladies to accept what happens when you see it more," Zane explained, his voice sounding far gentler than normal. "Take a seat."
Jack wasn't exactly sure how that would work out, since it seemed kind of counter productive. Maybe Zane thought it would drill what they had been told by the rest of their team if they could see it again from a less attached view? Maybe it was from his own personal experience. Either way, Jack and his father quietly took their seats on the couch next to Mun-Dee. They all turned their attention to the television as the anthem ended and the man and woman from the first video appeared on screen, smiling again.
"Hello," the woman said with a smile. "I'm Theresa Smith."
"And I'm Jake Jones," the man said with a huge grin too. "And welcome to the second day of the Fortress Games. Let me tell you folks. Today's challenge was...well quite unexpected. It's the first time in years that the RED Team has won this particular challenge with such apparent ease."
"That's right Jake," Theresa said with a smile. "What a spectacular upset! The team we saw yesterday didn't compare to the one we saw today, and we'll show you why. We're about to report on what happened in the arena, which as always, we'll be seeing at the same time you are."
"The game makers like to keep things interesting," Jake explained. "So we'll be seeing this for the first time. But we have one more piece of information for you. The death count for last night was..."
Jake paused for dramatic effect, looking down at the paper in his hands as if looking for the number. Jack knew this would be the hardest part for his family, his friends back home, and his girlfriend to watch. They'd be staring at the television with tears in their eyes, hoping that what they were dreading wasn't true and praying he'd be all right. Under normal circumstances he would have died, and the team would have then been down two people. Finally Jake looked up with a smile on his face as usual. Jack wished he could punch the man.
"Zero," he said. "That's right. No one died. That Medic is apparently a remarkable surgeon."
"I don't doubt that the gun he carries helped," Theresa said with a smile to Jake. "I mean, we got to see what it could do in battle. But, without further ado, let's see today's games."
The camera changed to the room where they would wait for the RED Team to come inside and get ready for the day. Ludwig came in first, turning and looking right at the camera. He gave it a knowing and self assured smile, then turned and readied his weapon. The rest of the team calmly followed, with Jack and Deil coming in last. Jack knew his family would be rather nervous to see this, wondering why he was up on his feet. They both prepared for the day with the rest of the team.
"What's this?" Jake gasped happily. "that's the whole team."
"That's not all Jake," Theresa pointed out. "Look at them all. The Engineer and Scout were heavily injured, but look at him lift that box of his with ease!"
"And the Scout looks ready to run," Jake said. "He's putting his weight onto his injured foot. Apparently there's absolutely nothing wrong with them now."
"That Medic's certainly good then," Theresa praised, making Maksim lay a hand on Ludwig's shoulder and smile. "And that's going to be a big bonus for the team. Having a full team will help them against today's challenge."
"Let's certainly hope so," Jake agreed.
"Opening the doors in three," the announcer said. "two...one! Grab the Intelligence!"
Jack knew that his family would be absolutely horrified to hear those words. This had always been one of the ones that their mother refused to watch. This was a brutal game, and this particular challenge always ended in deaths. However he knew that they'd be surprised to see them all running out aggressively into the arena. The RED Team scattered different directions and began countering the surprised mercenaries. Jack spotted himself see Mun-Dee running off and running off after him, skidding to a stop on the leg that had been injured and launching off that direction.
"Wow," Theresa said. "Look at them go! The RED Team seems to have given up on their careful approach and has turned aggressive. It's not often that we see this so soon in the games!"
"Look at that," Jake said. "The Scout put all of his weight onto his injured leg there. He's obviously not injured at all. I wonder what got his attention to make him turn so quick?"
The camera didn't follow after Jack instantly though, and instead turned to look at Zane and Travish as they fired, pushing the mercenaries back, who were beginning to recover from their surprise and were only just wary of the explosives. It switched to Henry who was busy lighting someone who got to close to the Engineer who was already building a sentry on fire. It then switched to Maksim who was mowing down a line of mercenaries who didn't get out of his way quick enough. Ludwig was following along behind and healing him.
"The Soldier and Demoman are already setting their explosives across the battlefield," Jake commented. "A good strategy. That'll keep most of the fire focused away from the rest of the team, giving someone a chance to flank. Let's hope they take that."
"Looks like the Engineer is already setting up a sentry," Theresa pointed out. "And that Pyro. I certainly wouldn't want to get on his bad side. This is the first time we're seeing him use that flamethrower on any people, and he's vicious."
"He needs to be to survive though," Jake added. "They all do. The Heavy and the Medic are paired up again to take on the enemy. Those mercenaries who aren't quick enough to duck for cover are getting mowed down by this powerful duo."
"Seems like they heard us saying they should pair up," Theresa said with a laugh.
The screen switched again to Jack and Mun-Dee in their predicament with the mercenary with the mini-gun. You could clearly see them talking, and Jack looked scared but soon pumped his Scattergun with a determined face and nodded to the Sniper. Mun-Dee shot the mercenary, distracting him and letting Jack run out to evade his bullets and get close enough to shoot him. Before the camera could pan away again, the Spy soon joined them in the room and stepped closer, starting to talk to them. Jack was suddenly aware that the rest of the RED Team was watching closely at this point.
"Looks like the Sniper and the Scout are in a tight spot," Jake said. "They're discussing something and...wow I didn't expect this kind of approach!"
"The team is overall much more aggressive," Theresa said. "The Scout killed the mercenary! They've all got to be aggressive to win, but that was not the kind of attack I was expecting. That kid's what...fifteen, sixteen?"
"Looks like the Spy's joined them," Jake said. "They seem to be making some sort of plan. I'm interested to see how this plays out. It seems like an odd group, but probably one of the best suited for this particular mission. The Scout's fast enough to run in and grab that Intelligence, and with the Spy and Sniper for support it could certainly turn the tables."
"Even so it won't be easy," Theresa reminded him. "They've still got to get past those mercenaries."
Leander turned the corner and disappeared into thin air as usual, and Mun-Dee and Jack were following carefully behind him towards the BLU Team's base, where they'd be able to make their move for the Intelligence. The rest of the battle was now clearly shown to them as on the far side the Sniper and the Scout moved carefully forward.
Now they could see Mun-Dee taking out a mercenary as Zane and Travish retreated behind some rocks and lobbed explosives at them. Henry killed another mercenary who'd destroyed Deil's sentry, and the Engineer was quickly working on another one. Maksim was slowly retreating with Ludwig behind him, yelling at him to back up as a wave too big for him to handle came forward. Hearing their distress, Zane and Travish turned to help them, and Ludwig was forced to pull out his bone saw to save his own life. All the while the Sniper and Scout advanced towards the BLU base.
"The Spy's disappeared again," Jake noted. "He's very good at that. Looks like the Sniper and Scout know where to go and...yes it looks like they're going to edge around the battle and into the BLU Team's base. Are we seeing a push here?"
"Looks like they're having some trouble over there," Theresa said. "The Pyro's got his hands full trying to keep the mercenaries off the Engineer. Looks like the Heavy and the Medic are getting cornered, but the Soldier and Demoman are coming to help."
"Oh," Jake cried. "Look at that cut! That was clean and placed to kill. Looks like that surgeon knows how to take people apart if he needs to! The whole team appears to have learned the hard way to be vicious to survive."
"The Scout and Sniper are taking it slow and steady," Theresa said. "But they're getting close now. Let's see what they're up to inside."
The camera switched to one inside as Jack and Mun-Dee carefully made their way into the base. There were corpses of mercenaries skillfully dispatched. The two of them paused only a moment and then continued on their way, slipping towards the staircases. Mun-Dee went up and Jack remained on the floor level. The camera changed to inside where Leander was destroying the mercenaries. The crate that Jack was hiding behind was barely in view, meaning you couldn't see the Scout from where the camera sat.
"What?" Jake asked, sounding a little unnerved. "What happened here? Looks like someone's already slipped inside. Looks like it's the Spy, seeing how the Sniper and the Scout don't seem very worried. They're splitting up now, the Sniper obviously going for a vantage point in the Intelligence room and the Scout appears to be waiting at the door."
"The BLU Team is having trouble with that Spy," Theresa said. "It's easy to see why. Look at the way he fights. This man is no stranger to killing, and doing so efficiently. In a game like this, where keeping a strong team is a matter of life and death, this can be really important."
Mun-Dee came into view, sliding into position and dropping one the mercenaries. Leander killed three more, and the rest turned to flee, slipping out of Mun-Dee's sight, who ran to cut them off. Leander chased after them, and the two sandwiched them and killed the rest of them. They cast the room a quick glance then nodded to Jack, who was still waiting off screen. They turned to leave, and the camera changed to the one it had been before when they'd entered the base. This time though they were facing the camera and had their guns ready.
"Flawless teamwork there," Jake praised. "The Sniper and the Spy have got this on lock. We're waiting to see the Scout coming in now. But where is he?"
"They're back outside where the Scout appeared to be waiting," Theresa said, sounding surprised. "But I can't see any sign of him."
Several mercenaries came into the base, running towards the door where the two members of RED Team were guarding the door. Upon seeing their dead compatriots they started to attack. There were only a few of them, and they were quickly killed. But suddenly both men smirked as there came the sound of the announcer's voice.
"RED Team has taken the BLU Intelligence."
"Looks like they've got company," Jake said. "They don't seem to have trouble with- wait what's that? When did they get the Intelligence?"
"Looks like the Scout was hiding out of sight," Theresa said. "Smart boy. Now though, to have any chance of surviving this challenge, let alone winning it, they've got to get it back to their base."
Nearly instantly many of the mercenaries came swarming into the base, looking to kill whoever had their Intelligence. They came face to face with the protective Sniper and Spy though, and soon they were dropping like flies. The two were under fire but kept their cool and only moved slightly to avoid bullets, firing with deadly accuracy to take out those who got to close. Within seconds Jack shot between them, the Intelligence on his back. He didn't look back and just ran, Leander and Mun-Dee just behind and killing mercenaries who came to close. Outside again you could see the whole battlefield, and the mercenaries and RED Team began to disperse to fight for their own respective teams and kill the opposition.
"Here come the mercenaries," Jake said. "Looks like the Sniper and the Spy are cool under pressure, but they don't seem to want to move."
"There's why," Theresa pointed out. "They're covering for the Scout who's got the Intelligence. He's going straight home with that."
"Looks like it's time for the battle to really start," Jake said. "Everyone's coming together as the Scout tries to make the final push home."
The two teams began to collide as Jack ran past Travish and Zane, who began to lay suppressive fire. Mun-Dee and Leander began to make their way towards the two, Leander disappearing into thin air right on camera. Jack kept running past Deil, who had moved his sentry higher up and was adjusting it as it fired so that it hit more of the mercenaries. Jack ran past him but ran into the ambush and ducked behind the rocks. Henry, who had fallen back for help from Ludwig, spotted this and ran forward, setting one of the two men on fire. He then leaped forward and blasted the other one back, right into Jack's pissed off father who killed him quickly and disappeared again into the battle.
"Here we go," Jake said, watching carefully. "Looks like we've got the Soldier and Demoman keeping everyone back. The Sniper seems to be doing okay but-wait what? Where did the Spy go? Did he just disappear?"
"The Scout's still going," Theresa continued. "The Engineer seems to have gotten a better vantage point. Ooh there's an ambush waiting for the Scout though. The Pyro's seen it. That's one down."
"I'm actually kind of impressed that the Scout didn't even flinch with that flamethrower so close to his face," Jake said. "Looks like it has a secondary attack that pushes people back. Air maybe? OH! There's the Spy! That mercenary's done! Looks like our Spy's got a few tricks up his sleeves."
"Going invisible will certainly make things more interesting," Theresa agreed. "He's already hard enough to deal with as it is. This just adds a whole new level to the playing field. It makes you wonder what else this team has hidden from us."
Jack took off running again for the base, glancing off towards his right where another mercenary was closing in. From the angle the camera was sitting at, it looked like the man might have hit him, and he went tumbling hard into the dirt. Maksim appeared around another rock though and unloaded his mini-gun into him, dropping the man dead in a couple of seconds. Ludwig was by Jack's side in an instant and pulling him to his feet. As another mercenary ran to attack them and Jack appeared to be recovering, the Medic shot his syringe gun into the man, killing him quickly.
"Not wanting to lose any time the Scout's already moving," Jake said. "He sees the other mercenary but- OH! That looks like it hurt! I think he hit him!"
"There's the Heavy," Theresa said, sounding highly interested in the situation. "Looks like he saw it. The Medic's on his way, and it looks like the Scout's okay if his reaction's anything to go off of."
"There's another mercenary," Jake said. "But the Medic saw him. Wait...is that a gun full of needles? Looks like whatever the Medic's got in them is deadly though. That's taking his medicine to a whole new level."
Jack leaped up and nodded to the man, who turned his Medi-gun to him and began running after him as fast as he could go as Jack ran to the base. Maksim followed them, backing up and gunning down any mercenaries who got too close to his retreating friends. Jack ducked into the base, and Ludwig followed behind, turning his Medi-gun to Maksim now who was refusing to move and taking bullets for the friends behind him. The others were getting slowly cornered by mercenaries and fighting hard now to keep living. They looked really relieved to hear the announcer's voice though.
"RED Team has captured the BLU Team's Intelligence."
"They've made it home," Jake cried triumphantly. "The Scout's not letting the Intelligence out of his sight. A smart move since it's been stolen in the past at this point. Looks like the Heavy's using himself as a shield for the two members of the RED Team behind him. I don't know if that's smart, but it's certainly very courageous."
"Looks like the rest of the Team's not doing so well," Theresa pointed out worriedly. "We might be seeing our first deaths here folks."
A red glow appeared suddenly from inside the base, where Maksim and Ludwig emerged. Bullets bounced right off, and temporarily invincible they went straight towards the enemy lines, mowing down anyone who got in their way. Looking surprised by thankful, the rest of the team ran past them as the mercenaries retreated. Maksim and Ludwig slowly backed up into the base again, and the door closed. The glow faded just before, and the camera cut off with the announcer's voice.
"Victory."
"What is that?" Jake gasped. "Wait is that from...the Medi-Gun? What exactly is that thing built to do? This probably has to do with that experimental medicine our Medic likes to do. There's probably a whole lot that goes into it, but it looks like they're not taking any damage."
"There goes the rest of the Team," Theresa pointed out. "They're taking advantage of the distraction. Now they Heavy and Medic are backing off. That's all of them! They all made it back inside! What a spectacular upset!"
"That beam faded too," Jake noted. "Looks like it can only last so long. Even so, that's a powerful tool in their arsenal."
The screen faded back to their smiling faces as they looked at the camera. The RED Team seemed to wake up, almost as if from a dream as they stared at them. It was strange seeing everything happening at once and knowing that so many things happened. The odd camera angles made things look like they happened even if they really hadn't, like when it looked like Jack had gotten hit. He supposed it was better than feeling embarrassed knowing the whole world saw him lose his footing and fall.
"That's today's challenge," Jake said. "And what a challenge it was! We haven't seen no deaths in this challenge in many years. This team is shaping up to be one of the most memorable in the history of the Fortress Games."
"It's only the second day of the games," Theresa said. "and already our Team's off to a great start. These challenges haven't been easy but the keep rising to the challenge."
"Now," Jake said with a smile. "As you know everyday we name a MVP or MVPs on the RED Team. There can be up to a third of the team named MVPs, meaning in this team up to three can be named MVP. MVPs can receive extra prizes if they win and are recorded in our hall of fame. Yesterday's MVP was the Medic."
A picture of Ludwig appeared on the screen, healing Maksim (who was barely on screen) and as hthe Medic snarled at one of the approaching Mega Pumas from the challenge yesterday. The picture changed however to a close up of Leander, Jack, and Mun-Dee. The Sniper was aiming down his scope to the left of the screen.
Leander was glaring as he was in the middle of pulling the trigger on his revolver. Both of these men were aiming at someone you couldn't see in this close up. Jack was between them, mid stride and looking determined, his Scattergun in his hands and the Intelligence on his back.
"Today's MVPs are the Scout, Sniper, and Spy," Theresa said. "The flawless teamwork to get the Intelligence and bring it home was some of the best we've ever had the privilege of seeing. The amount of trust they showed in each others abilities also allowed them to get the Intelligence to their base. Congratulations RED Team!"
"That's all the time we have for today," Jake said as the screen faded to the insignias of the Fortress Games. "Thanks for watching."
"See you tomorrow," Theresa said. "And as always, Happy Fortress Games!"
The anthem played and the television turned itself off. The RED Team seemed to stare at the screen for a long moment, simply trying to process all of the things that had happened. It was a lot to take in, but they all couldn't help but be relieved that it was over. Slowly Jack sat back on the couch and looked around the room at everyone.
"Well," Zane said. "that went well. We'll have to make something special for dinner tonight. But first let's take a look at that Intelligence."
Everyone slowly turned to watch as Zane stood and grabbed the blue briefcase, which the others had apparently gotten open at some point when Jack and his father had been talking. The briefcase was laid on the table where Mun-Dee had been propping his feet up before, and it was opened. Mostly it was empty apparently, but what little paper they did see there was full of writing and diagrams of different sorts. It was some sort of reward for making it this far.
Leander of course was the first to reach in and pull out a piece of paper. This one was the smallest and most unassuming, however he seemed to stare at it for a long minute. Ludwig pulled out another two pieces paper and pushed his glasses up as he looked at them, his eyebrows shooting up as he handed them over to Deil. The two of them seemed very interested in what they were looking at.
"Zhis is a hint about our next challenge," Leander told everyone else.
"Read it then," Zane prompted. Leander nodded and turned his eyes back down to the paper.
"Zhere are two teams, RED and BLU," the Spy read aloud, making everyone else turn their eyes to look at him. "but only one will survive. Zhe next challenge is not easy, and will require all of zhe skills you have. Zhe arena will change and zhe seasons will turn, taking on zhe bitter winds of zhe north. But you won't be zhe only zhing running around wizhin zhese woods. Somezhing else stalks zhe forest, somezhing large and white."
For a minute everyone was freezing. What could any of that mean? There was something about it though that made Jack uneasy, something about the "something else" that stalks the woods. What could that mean? The only thing that seemed to come to mind was one of the game makers favorite games, where they would unleash dire wolves on them. He couldn't help but hope this wasn't the case. Why would they be white?
"'Bitter winds from the north,'" Zane said thoughtfully. "Does that mean it's going to be winter in the Arena? But what else could stalk the woods?" Jack felt himself growing more scared than ever before. He knew what could.
"Dire Wolves," he said quietly, making everyone look towards him. "I think dat...dey're gonna set Dire Wolves afta us."
This obviously didn't sit well with anyone in here. Dire Wolves were another mutation that had been created to fight the system. These creatures however were not something you could train easily and were enormous wolves. Since it would be winter in the arena, they would probably be white as well. Their coats changed with the seasons.
There were stories of young Dire Wolves deciding to follow around a human, and it was said that they could be very loyal companions. But it had been hundreds of years since anyone had ever tried, and Jack wasn't sure he ever wanted to get close enough to one to find out if it liked him or not.
"Well," Zane said, obviously trying to cheer everyone up. "We'll have to bundle up in our winter uniforms and get ready for a fight. We'll do fine boys, if we're as careful as we can be. Anyway, it looks like Ludiwg and Deil have found something."
"Y-Yeah," Deil quickly said, glad for the distraction. "It looks like some weapons or somethin'. Somethin' called the Dead Ringer, specifically for the Spy, and somethin' called the Crusader's Crossbow for the Medic. It looks like somethin' we'd have to tinker with to get to work, but it was left over from another team."
"Do you think you can get them to work?" Zane asked.
"Eventually, yeah," Deil replied. "The Dead Ringer works with the cloak and can make it to where the Spy would appear to die but would be able to run off unharmed. That could get tricky. The Crusader's Crossbow though uses a serum to heal wounds in an instant from shooting a syringe like in a crossbow into the injured person."
"Getting zhe serum right zhough could be tricky," Ludwig said with a sigh. "It has to be strong enough to heal minor vounds quickly. Zhat kind of serum ve vould all have to build up an immunity to, or else it vould kill us. Zhat being said zhough, it could also be used as a veapon. Zhat kind of serum could heal zhose who vere immune to it, and kill zhose who vere not."
"Sounds like a very interesting weapon, mon ami," the Spy said thoughtfully.
"Think you could ge' it to work?" Mun-Dee asked.
"Vith enough time and effort, yes," Ludwig replied.
"Well then," Zane said, looking around the room again. "it looks like we've all got a lot to worry about. For now though, let's get some food and then we can start work and get some rest."
Slowly everyone stood. Today had already been hectic, but it looked like tomorrow was going to be even more so. Jack took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, pausing when he felt the Spy lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. His father didn't look at him, and instead took another long drag on his cigarette before smashing it into the ashtray and walking towards the dinning hall.
Jack reminded himself that he wasn't as alone as he thought he was anymore, and whatever was going to happen, he wasn't going to die. It owed it to too many people to get out of here alive, his mother, his brothers, his girlfriend, his friends, and now his father. Jack turned and followed the Spy, the others just behind him as they made their way into the dining hall as well.
What do you guys think of this? By the way, there was a hint/foreshadowing in this chapter (besides just the hint about the next challenge) for next chapter. We're slowly approaching the first ceasefire and the insanity that will soon be ensuing because of what's going to happen next chapter. This should be fun.
Did you guys see that coming for what Spy wanted to talk about? What do you think about how everyone else is going to react to it about it when they find out? Anyway, feel free to leave a review below as usual.