#05 - Potatoes
One day he walked in and she was just eating potatoes. Raw. like she was eating an apple. she only laughed and tossed him one from the canvas sack on her bench.
"Potatoes?" Sniper asked. Engineer watched him raise an eyebrow.
"Yup." She said casually, taking another bite. "Y'want one?"Sniper's face settled in on a concerned glance. It made her smile.
"No luv, I'm fine."
"They're tasty." She said, tossing it in the air out of boredom. He just shook his head and sat down beside her. She took another bite and resumed talking.
"Know what the french call 'em?" She said conversationally.
"No." He said. He still looked at her like she was from mars or something.
"Pomme de terre," She said, gesturing wildly in front of her for dramatic effect. "means 'apple of earth'"
"Huh." Was all he said.
"Really means 'sacr bleu! it is an apple in ze dirt! Non vraiment, an apple OF the dirt! A dirt apple if you will!'"She loved hearing him laugh. now was no exception. He shook slightly as he chuckled away.
"Nice one." He said once he got his voice back. She pulled out another potato and held it in front of his nose.
"Yer SURE you don't want one?"
"Pretty sure..." he replied, gently pushing the potato away. She shrugged as she put it back int he bag, but blinked a minute when he dusted some dirt off of his pant leg.
"Yer loss." She said, playfully punching his shoulder. Yup, thought so. He didn't hit back...just rubbed his shoulder and gave a strained smile.
"Ya know..." She said, glancing over at her drawing board. "I never did let y'see that new sentry design last time..."
His eyes lit up. "That's right!" he said, leaning in closer to her. "Think we can do that now luv?" She had to fight the crinkle her nose wanted to make right then.
"Yeah, certainly" She said, getting up abruptly and walking over to the drawing board. She subtly reached for her pipe wrench while he walked over to her.
Everything about the walk was wrong. He wasn't slouching, He was looking up at her, Hell the fact that he got up AT ALL was a huge red flag. But the sudden aversion to dirt, The fact that he still stank of cigarettes, but the scent of dirt, whiskey, and..well...HIM were all gone, and replaced by the smell of colonge? Oh no. This was not Sniper. He got to the table and blinked when he saw a blank piece of blue paper on it.
"There's..." He started. "No drawing on it."
"Astute observation Spy." She said, Swinging the pipe wrench around until it connected with his face.
He went reeling back. She rushed to her locker and pulled out a shotgun. When she had turned around to face him she saw a revolver pointed at her forehead. Sniper smiled as the disguise faded away and she was left in the room with the red spy.
"Wrong move." She said, her smile menacing.
"I wouldn't criticize my strategy in your current..."
*BEEP**BEEP**BEEP*
She watched the bullets from her sentry tear through his body like he was Swiss cheese. It'd been a good idea to stash a sentry in here. He fell forward and she let out a sigh of relief. She gingerly put the shotgun back and looked down at his corpse again. She hefted his body over her shoulder and walked out of her shop, kicking a potato to the side on her way out. Soldier was outside her door.
"I heard gunshots!" He said, in his normal full volume rumble.
She merely readjusted the corpse on her shoulder. He saw the dead spy and smiled, patting the shoulder not carrying a dead guy.
"Excellent work Soldier!" He said, giving a rare smile. "You make an American proud."
She shook her head and continued to the medical bay. Unfortunately There was already a body on the doctors table. When Medic looked up and saw her he only nodded in satisfaction.
"Ah." he said matter-of-factly."Zhat's vhat I zhought had happened."
"Is he dead?" She asked with caution. Respawn got turned off at night to save power. He very well could be. But if Medic found him, there was hope.
"Zhis one?" He said, nudging Sniper's shoulder, causing his limp arm fall off the gurney. "Only brain dead. I can fix zhat."
"Good t'hear." She said smiling, She gestured to the dead spy. "Don't suppose you'd like a cadaver?"
Medic's eyes lit up like a child getting a birthday present. "Zhat would be lovely Frauline, Danke!"
"Eh it's nothing Doc." She said, depositing the corpse on the counter. "It's the least the damn bastard deserves." She stopped to look over the body again.
"'Fraid anything in his abdomen won't be much use to you, what with all the holes."
Medic looked over the corpse himself, sizing it up. "true, true." He agreed. "His head looks fine zhough. Und zhats really vhat I need right now anyvay."
"Well he's yours then." She said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "If y'let me handle that one," she said, gesturing to the unconscious Sniper. "You can go an' get started on this." She said, looking at the corpse.
"Deal." He said, lifting up the corpse and carrying it off with an amount of energy and glee uncharacteristic of the Medic.
She turned back to Sniper, and walked over to the slab he was laying on. She'd watched the medic use it a dozen times. It was a fascinating piece of equipment. She reached for the overhead medigun, but remembered Medic was over six feet tall. Some swearing and a stool relocation later the medigun was fixed on Sniper's head and now all she had to do was wait a couple seconds. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a drowsy groan.
"Welcome back to the world of the livin' partner."She said, offering him a hand. He stared at it for a moment, then he took it, standing up.
"Last thing I remember is that spy..."
"Oh ah took care of him." Engineer replied casually. Sniper looked around the room and locked eyes with a nearby syringe gun.
"Really now?" He said, keeping a straight face. He calmly reached behind him for the syringe gun and held it behind his back.
He'd just woken up after all. That spy could still be alive...alive and right in front of him for that matter. so yeah, he'd play along, for the moment...
"Glad the Doc found you when he did." She said, glancing at some test tubes Medic had left on the counter. "No one likes waking up in respawn after all." He was right behind her now, Syringe gun drawn.
"Ain't that the truth." He said.
In one instant, she turned to face him, he slammed her into the counter, put the gun to her head, and fired three syringes. Three syringes that phased right through her head and clattered when they landed on the floor. Sniper breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sorry about that." He said, staring at the floor.
She only chuckled. "Now there's the paranoid bastard I know and respect."
Medic then opened the door to his office. "I heard my syringe gun." He said in a matter of fact manner.
"Spy check." Engineer replied casually.
"Ah." He said, the answer satisfying. "Good night to you two zhen." He said, closing the door again. They could hear medic power up some sort of saw in there. Their gaze eventually came back to each other.
"...Sorry about that." He said, stepping back to give her some space. Space she turned down by stepping away from the counter and closer to him.
"Don't be." She said, her face softening.
"You didn't know who I was who or what had happened..."
Sniper looked away here. "I didn't have faith that you could 'andle it."
"And what if you were right?" She said. Her eyes were digging holes in his skull.
"Way you played it, no one got hurt, and you had no doubts."
Sniper turned back to face her. "But still luv I..."
"If you ain't sure," she said, her voice assertive. "Ah want you to shoot." a small silence hung in the room.
"Alright?" She asked eventually.
Sniper took a moment to think. "Yeah, alright"
Engineer playfully punched his arm. "Good,"
He smiled and punched her shoulder. Her smile grew a little more.
She then looked him over. "Good god! You need to find a bed and get some shut eye."
"Care to join me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Just as she was about to decline, she took a moment to think. "Ya know a'hm not really doing much tomorrow..." She said with surprise.
"Yes." She said quietly, smiling up at him. "A'hd like that"