In Hindsight…

A TF2 Fanfic

Chapter 7: Spy

There was something wrong today. Normally his footsteps were greeted by a hopeful sound, or a scared whimper. Today, though, all was silent. As he rounded the corner, Spy noticed two things. One, there was a piece of paper tacked to the ground next to the grave. Two, there were spatters of scarlet on the ground, like some macabre Jackson Pollock painting. But these wild patches of angry red were not paint—they were fresh blood. Spy broke into a sprint, stopping at the edge of the hole in the ground and looking down. What he saw there made his blood run cold.

The girl was there, lying in her bed of loamy earth as always. But her eyes were open halfway, her lips were parted, her hands lay coiled into fists—and there was a bullet hole through her temple. Spy sank numbly to his knees. Not her. Oh, please not her. He threw his head back, then, unable to look at the body of the child any more, and voiced all his sorrows in a chilling, keening wail.

…...

Somewhere far away, the Administrator smiled as the faint sounds of a soul in agony reached her ears. The assassin had done his job. The girl had been killed. And now the Spy would never fall out of line again. Everything was going according to plan— just like it always did.

….

Medic was at the scene first, as usual. He saw the Spy at the border of the map, one hand clenched around the wrought-iron fence and the other hand over his face. Medic noted that the hole in the ground looked decidedly like a grave, human-shaped and deep so that it would not be disturbed. He knelt beside the Frenchman, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Herr Spy?" he asked gently. The Frenchman did not move, only sat as though he was a weeping statue, carved and stony and frozen in eternal sorrow. Medic peered over the edge at the body in the grave and his eyes widened. Had Spy been twelve years old and female, that was what he would have looked like. Yes, the dead child was certainly family, and Medic, remembering his own losses, felt deep sympathy for the spook. "Who was she?" he murmured. Spy did not reply for a long while, and the other REDs started to gather around, whispering words of sympathy and sadness.

"She was my niece." Spy said, his voice raw and hoarse from crying. "But I raised her. She's the only family I have left." He raised his head, not even bothering to try to dry his eyes. Swallowing hard, he picked up the paper on the ground, reading it silently before letting it fall to the ground. Medic picked it up.

Spy,

This is a reminder: Pets are not allowed.

Sincerely,

The Administrator

Medic shivered and glanced over at Spy, noticing for the first time how painfully thin he was. He must have been giving all his food to the girl to keep her alive, and now she had been struck down by the Administrator. Rage welled up inside the German and he stood, removing his hand from Spy's shoulder.

"Her death will not be in vain, my friend." Medic vowed. He turned to the other team members—tired, homesick, slowly losing their minds and everything they loved. And it was all the fault of the Administrator. This was the last straw, and as he looked around at the faces of his teammates, he saw a silent agreement form. They would be free, or die trying. Soon they all left, leaving Spy alone at the graveside.

The sun continued its slow progression across the sky and now the sky was lit with crimson, red as blood. Spy stood, dusting off his suit and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I'm so sorry, Heather." He murmured, taking a handful of dusty earth and scattering it into the grave. "In hindsight, I ought to have made you leave this place. Then again…" He paused, turning away. "Everything is clearer in hindsight."