So hooray! I am FINALLY out of school. Well, I was out a month ago, and I don't go back until the end of August. Now I have plenty more time to work on my fanfictions, especially this little gem. I ish so proud of it. Enjoy, guys. We'll finally get to see Jody in action. Well...hopefully I can execute this well.
4
"...Ugh, what I wouldn't give for a Gameboy right now. Or even some jacks."
Lily, back pressed to the concrete walls of her 'prison of boredom,' let out a long sigh, playing with a lock of black hair. Ten minutes had already passed, and possible activities to keep herself occupied were limited to staring at the Scattergun, now a good two feet away for her own safety, gawking at the now torn-up wooden door to the room, or playing with the hem of her tank top and wondering if she would get to shower. Wait - if she would get to shower? She had to be able to keep herself safe from the BLUs first. Maybe if she didn't die...
Well, that was certainly a train of thought she wasn't ready to board...
"Man, I wonder what Bianca is doing." Lily inhaled slowly, letting the breath out through a pair of pursed lips. "Probably freaking out 'cuz I never showed up for chicken wing night." Green eyes darting down, she was again reminded of her predicament by hearing a growl in her stomach. "Oh shut up, you. You're the last voice I need to hear right now."
As two more minutes ticked away, the twenty-year-old became more and more impatient. Her stomach had left her alone, but the thoughts of what was going on outside were enough to be considered torture. The only thing she could hear was the faint sound of what had to be a Level 3 sentry gun in the distance. Would venturing out of the barracks to go and catch a better look really hurt...?
No. Lily had made a promise to Theodore, and she was going to keep it. Even as she got up off her bottom and picked up the Scattergun. Even as she headed toward the door and grasped the handle. And even as she opened the door and headed out into the hallway, hearing the door close behind her.
"...Dammit, Lily..."
Letting out a groan, and pressing her face into her palm, Lily fell back against the door, and sank to the dusty linoleum floor. Curse her toddler-like curiosity and her inability to make a commitment. Sure, she could go back into the room, but there were two very big problems with that action. One, the guilt would still be there. Two, now that the guilt was there anyway, she might as well live out the moment. Though not without adequate protection. Placing the Scattergun in her lap, she reached into her pocket and pulled out one of the pellets. She shoved it inside the gun, and gave the barrel a brief pat or two, as if it were an animal. Six shots. That would be enough, if she needed them. And if she could aim the gun correctly.
Feeling her shoulder twitch from a light tickling feeling, she rolled her eyes and pushed her hair back, before resting her hand in her lap. "I should probably get back in the room...no matter how badly I want to see those BLUs go boom," she muttered, looking down and pressing up on her heels to stand back up. Yet something stopped her in her tracks. Something that should be the least of her worries at a time like this.
"SPIDER!" Practically screaming bloody murder, Lily bolted onto her feet, shaking her hand so the harmless arachnid would detach itself. Still, to no avail. Cringing, she turned her hand over and pressed it hard against the wall, delivering a one-hit kill. Lily panted in relief, before glaring down at the mess on the back of her hand. "Ew...nasty little bastard."
As she wiped her hand on her jeans, Lily could soon hear the sounds of footsteps coming down the hallway perpendicular to the one she was in. Looking up, gun clutched in her hands - and rather clumsily at that - she let out a sigh as the RED Pyro appeared, who stopped in the hallway the second he saw her. "Oh, dude, thank god it's you," she said, starting to chuckle. The Engineer, no doubt, was probably busy building and repairing his equipment for the team. He had probably sent the Pyro to keep watch over her, or even bring her somewhere safer.
However, something seemed rather...odd, and it silenced her quickly. One, the Administrator hadn't warned the others of a BLU in the base. Then again, that was no surprise; she loved surprise drama. Two, someone on the RED Team, Engineer or not, would only come to her if that were the case. And three, all the Pyro did was stare at her, as if he had completely forgotten meeting her the previous day. Lily cocked her brow in confusion. "Pyro...it's me. It's Lily. You okay?"
"Who ze hell are you?"
Lily's eyes went wide, and a gasp tried to force itself from her throat. A Pyro with a perfectly audible voice, and one with a French accent? "Oh my god, a S-Spy..." she croaked out. Her grip on the Scattergun began to loosen, even though her brain screamed to her hands to keep steady. She could have fainted when she heard the fake Pyro chuckle and morph right before her eyes into the more recognizable form of the BLU Spy, clad in blue pinstripe suit and matching mask. With a grin, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarette case, helping himself to one of the sticks of toxic material held within. He obviously wasn't too worried about this.
"Heh, so I take it ze Scout is trying damn hard to lose his virginity, no?" he asked, the sides of his mouth twisted into a grin that made Lily want to throw up.
"One, t-that's disgusting," she stammered. "I h-hate him. And t-two, you better run. I have a g-gun, and I will use it..."
Pulling out his trusted Zippo lighter, the Spy lit his cigarette and laughed between closed lips, before inhaling. "I can see zhat, ma cher," he said, exhaling. "And I am sure you know how to pull ze trigger on it. But I also know you won't do that." He took one step forward.
Seeing this, Lily countered by taking two back. "And why do you think that?" Seeing him draw closer, she stepped back a few more times. She could almost feel the cold radiating off the concrete walls getting closer to her.
"One, I can almost hear your heart beating in your chest, and I know you would miss. Two, I don't plan to harm one hair on your adorable head, as long as you cooperate." One more step forward.
Two more steps back. "What do you want...?" Daring to take another step, Lily let out a squeak of fear as her back hit the icy wall. How incredibly cliche.
The Spy's grin grew even more as he moved forward, resting one gloved hand against the wall, mere centimeters from the right side of Lily's head. The other hand reached into his pocket, and his captive could hear the sound of his knife's blade unsheathing itself. "First," the Spy purred, running the blade ever so tenderly down Lily's right arm, attached to the hand that still held the Scattergun, "why don't we put the gun down?" As he said his last word in a slick yet threatening tone, the tip of the knife pressed firmly into the back of Lily's hand, piercing the skin. With a yelp of pain, she let go of the gun, hearing the metal 'clank' as it hit the linoleum. It wasn't long before she could feel blood drip down her fingers.
"That's better," the Spy said, chuckling. "Now, why don't you tell me where ze Intel is?"
"I...don't know where it is." Lily's green eyes glowed angrily at him. "I barely know my way around the RED base. I don't know where any of it is." She knew that there were more than one Intel for her team, and she didn't know where any of them were hidden yet.
The smirk on the Spy's lips quickly faded, and his eyes narrowed at her. "I'm not playing games, little girl," he almost growled. "You either tell me where I can find ze Intel, or your hand won't be ze only thing zhat's cut up."
Lily felt herself shrink a few inches in size. The most she knew about the Intel were the possible parts of the game maps where 'Capture the Flag' games usually took place, but the actual suitcases could be anywhere. And because of her lack of knowledge, she was in danger. Because of her curiosity to see the battle outside, and her overreaction to the spider which gave away her location to maybe a less-than-flawlessly-trained Spy, she was most likely going to die. She had to think of something, anything, to either distract the Spy so someone could come save her, or throw him off-guard and get her gun.
"Girl, speak up!" The Spy spat out harshly, leaning in closer before blowing a puff of nicotine-filled smoke into her face, making her choke. "Where is ze Intel?"
"I don't know!" Lily felt as if her body were about to explode in fear. Her brain, however, triggered something in her leg and forced it to do something rather surprising: cut right through the air, position itself quickly between the two of them, and send the foot on the end flying powerfully into the Spy's groin. She closed her eyes as she felt the impact, afraid that for some reason, it would have no effect. Several seconds later, she was reassured of her victory by the sound of a whimper rising in the Spy's throat, followed by a choked cough. Peering through one now-open eye, she saw her captor's legs begin to wobble as he struggled to keep himself on his two feet. He was failing miserably.
"Mon...dieu" was the only thing he could get out, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he dropped to his knees. Feeling a rush of relief sweep over her, Lily then spotted the Scattergun at her feet and rushed to grab it. Forcing it up, she pointed the barrels at the Spy's temple, panting from the adrenaline coursing through her veins, but smirking even still. "I wouldn't move if I were you," she said, her voice cracking a few times. While she did have the upper hand, she knew Spies were tricky, and he could still take advantage of her inexperience in combat at any moment. "You're on the ground, and I h-have a gun pointing at your skull. I could easily blow your brains out right now."
Trying to catch his breath, the Spy, sat up slightly, wasting some of his energy on laughing and shaking his head. "You...you have guts, girl. I'll give you zhat..." Behind his back, his hand clutched the trusty knife he had used to oust many victims before this one. Attractive female or not, she was getting on his last nerve. "Unfortunately, you're not like ze others on zhis battlefield. I can tell you don't have experience with a gun. How good for me..." Evil grin equipped once again, the Spy swung his hand out, to swipe at Lily's calf and hopefully bring her down hard.
"Lily!" BANG!
The young girl cringed as the sound of a gunshot rang through the halls, leaving behind a haunting echo. Opening her eyes quickly, she spotted the Spy's hand, dripping with blood, the knife on the floor. Backing away a few feet, she turned and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the one person she never thought she'd be so happy to see: Theodore. Panting in exhaustion, he ran over to her, placing his glove-covered hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"
"I am now," she said, giving a small smile. "Dude, you saved my ass."
Theodore sighed. "Yeah, I guess." He then looked down at the Spy, smirking a bit before pressing the end of his shotgun against the back of his head. "You might wanna stand back, honey. Don't wanna get blood on your clothes."
Without a second to spare, Lily took off, heading toward the end of the hallway from whence Theodore had come. "Call me when it's over!" she squeaked out, before turning the corner and pressing her back to the wall. The last thing she wanted to see was a death. This wasn't the same game where getting a headshot would make her smile. This was her life for the time being. Hell, the proof was now embedded in her hand, blood still pouring from it. Lily listened for that last gunshot, which made her whole body jolt, before turning her head around the corner. "Is he dead?"
Brushing himself off, and wiping his blood-covered arms on his overalls, the Texan looked up and nodded, trying to offer a comforting smile. "Yeah, I got 'im," he replied, heading over to the girl. This left Lily feeling rather unsettled, how he treated taking out a man as if it were just squishing a bug.
"Alright, you got a lot of explaining to do, Theo." She snapped out of her discomfort and crossed her arms, cocking one eyebrow, and looking as if she were a parent about to discipline her child. "How the hell could that Spy get into the barracks? I thought you put a sentry up."
Once again, the Engineer sighed. "I did, Lil'. Then again, if you know about this war so much, and who we are and how we work, you can explain how he managed to get by." Reaching into the pouch attached to his belt, he held up the Spy's Electro Sapper, looking slightly charred from a job well done.
"...Ah, he sapped it." Letting out a sigh of her own, Lily shoved one hand into her jean pocket, while the other held the Scattergun.
"Yeah. I saw that it was taken down, and I came runnin' to check up on ya. Now it's my turn to yell at you." Theodore crossed his own arms now. "What the hell were you doin' comin' out into the hall? I told you to stay hidden; this war is damn serious."
With a groan, Lily's head lightly rested against the wall behind her. "I know, Theo, I know. I just...got curious is all. The only reason he found me is 'cuz of the spider that crawled onto my hand. I hate those things..."
"...So you gave your cover over a spider?" He raised a brow, which was somewhat hidden beneath the rim of his hardhat, as if expecting an actual answer. However, when none came, he just pushed his hand through the air. "Eh, you're a girl and it's the desert. Don't sulk on it. But, uhm...could you tell me at least what happened?"
"I walked into the hallway to get to a window where I could possibly watch what was going on, but a spider hopped onto me. I screamed bloody murder, then what I thought was our Pyro found me. The idiot blew his cover when he got confused as to why a girl was in the barracks, not to mention I heard his accent and knew what was up. The bastard cut my hand when I told him I didn't know where the Intel was-" Lily held up her bloody appendage with an emotionless gaze. "-and I kicked him where the sun don't shine. Thought I had the bastard when he was on the ground and I had the gun to his skull."
Though goggles covered them, the Engineer's eyes held a look of absolute surprise. He chuckled. "Did you really do that?"
"Uhm...yeah. Heh, I guess I did."
"Lil', I'm impressed. Spies are some of the most intimidatin' guys in this business. He coulda' taken ya out easily."
"...The dude blew his cover to me. I think I just caught a lucky break."
"Maybe, or maybe you're a pretty tough lil' lady." Letting out a short laugh, Theodore picked up his hand and gave Lily what he thought was a light pat on the back. For her, however, it felt like someone was trying to force a piece of invisible, trapped food from her throat.
After straightening her back from the 'blow,' Lily tugged lightly on the hem of her tank top, before looking down once again at the Scattergun. "So what does this mean then? You gonna babysit me until the rest of the team returns from Fastlane?"
"Unfortunately, no..." Tipping the front edge of his hardhat up, the Engineer brought up his bare hand to scratch his temple. "The guys need me out there, and I don't have the time to look after you and patrol the barracks for anymore Spies, as much as I'd like to. It's gonna be risky, but I'm gonna have to bring you out to Fastlane with me."
"Crazy say what?" Lily's eyes widened in a look of absolute terror.
"You heard me," Theodore said, rather impatiently. Oh, now he was in a rush. "An' now, crazy says 'c'mon, we gotta go.'" He reached out once again for Lily's bony wrist, and began to pull her along in a hustled run. Within moments, they had exited the barracks and had returned out onto the scorched Badland terrain. The sun had grown much more intense, and Lily brought her hand up, covering her eyes with the gun. It was the best she could do, seeing as how she had absolutely no control over her left arm.
"So, what exactly do you have planned? I'm gonna go out there and stand by a dispenser and hope I don't get blown up or set on fire?"
"Well, act- ...yeah, that's it." Theodore moved around the supply room, searching for a few things. Lily had already been in possession of the Scattergun, and a holster containing a fully-loaded pistol was attached to her belt the best it could be. The Engineer knew that someone new to the battlefield would need a Plan B once one weapon ran out of ammo. However, in Lily's case, she probably couldn't carry that much weight in firearms. She was far too small for a Minigun (not to mention, the Heavy would never let anyone touch his guns), and Theodore didn't necessarily trust her accuracy with a sniper rifle. Lily had eyed the Spy's Ambassador, which he had left behind in exchange for the standard Revolver, but Theodore had strictly told her to leave it be.
"Alright, pop quiz." He grabbed something from one of the shelves of the surprise room and headed over to the young woman. "First off, what kind of shoes are you wearin'?"
"Converses, professor."
"...Which are?"
Lily rolled her eyes. Converses existed in the 60s. Where the hell had he been? "Basketball shoes."
"Oh...nice. Now, you've handled a gun before, correct?"
"For the second time, yes."
"Alright, alright." Theodore put his hands up defensively. "Just checkin' again for good measure. So now, how fast can you run?"
This, Lily couldn't help but grin at. "Oh, how fast can I run?" she repeated in a cocky air. "Let's just say that I run track back at my school...and my fastest time running a mile was five minutes and forty-three seconds."
"...Damn. After this job is over, remind me to make you an' Scout race each other." Bringing the item he had clutched in his hand into view, he placed it on the girl's head. It was an extra cap that was tossed to the side, which looked like a mixture of a newsboy cap, and a baseball cap. "To protect your eyes from the sun, honey."
"Thanks, dude. And I'll pretend you never said that." Lily's eyes narrowed, but a few seconds later, she began to grin. "Speaking of our dear friend, the Scout, what's his real name? Since y'know, I'm gonna learn everyone's name sooner or later."
"Well, everyone except for Pyro's," Theodore countered. "And...it's Benjamin."
Lily stood in absolute silence the second the word 'Benjamin' passed into her ear and rested in her brain. However, that silence was short-lived by the sound of her hysterical laughter. "Benjamin?" she cried, as if the answer to her question were far too funny to be true. "He's a Benjamin?"
"...Are ya kiddin' me, Engie?"
Turning their heads, the next things the two saw, as coincidental as events could become, were the open metal door to the supply room, and the Scout's scowling face. "You did not jus' tell 'er my name."
"Uh, yeah he did...Benjie." Lily snickered a bit, not caring how angry the Scout was now or would be later.
"Oh, shuddap." Eyes almost on fire, the Scout then turned to Theodore, who couldn't possibly look any less intimidated. "Why didja tell 'er my name? Now I'm gonna have t' deal with her makin' fun of me."
"I'm not making fun of you, little league. Cool your jets."
The Scout turned back to her, pointing an accusatory finger. "You were just laughin' at me!"
"Because I didn't expect you to be named 'Benjamin.' Yeah, it is kinda...cutesy. I expected you to be a Brian, or a James...or even a Joshua. Not a Ben-"
"I get it!" Growling, the Scout headed over to the supply locker, and grabbed several pellets, jamming them into his Scattergun. "Now c'mon, Engie. A BLU Pyro took out a Sentry neyah' our point right outside the buildin'. Ya gotta get t' work on it."
"Since when did you become my mother?" Grumbling something under his breath, Theodore walked over to the same locker and pulled out more ammo for his shotgun, then grabbed his toolbox which rested on the ground. He then turned and looked at Lily. "You ready?"
"Whoa, whoa! She's gonna be out theyah' with us?" Benjamin, by now, was ready to blow a gasket.
"Well...yeah. But I'm gonna have her put by a dispenser so she don't get herself killed."
"She's nevuh been on the battle field, Engie. She'll get 'erself hurt! Not that I give a damn, but c'mon!"
"Listen, Benjamin." The Scout growled, but Theodore continued. "Someone could easily come into this buildin' while we're out there an' easily overpower 'er. An' she already knows how to use a gun. She got a Spy trapped back at the barracks."
"...Bullshit." Benjamin's eyes, already narrowed, darted over to stare at Lily.
"It's true, little league," Lily said, glaring back at him. "I left the room, got a Spy to unmask himself, kicked him in the nuts, and had a gun held to his head before Theo came and found me."
"Pfft, whatevs'." Rolling his eyes, the Scout gave his Scattergun a quick look-over, before running to the door and back outside. "Now get out heyah' soon, Engie!"
As the door opened and lowered once again behind him, the Engineer simply sighed and shook his head. "Stuck-up kid..." Motioning with one hand, he then made a hustle for the exit, in a rush to repair that Sentry Benjamin had mentioned. "Let's go, Lil'."
Nodding, Lily did as she was told, following Theodore out of the supply room in a soft hustle of her own. To her left was a control point, the lit center glowing a bright red, which the girl couldn't help but gawk at. "That's...just awesome, dude."
"Uh, thanks, we try." Chuckling a bit, the Engineer led her down a short corridor connected to the right of the large room containing the point platform, and then to the left out of that hallway. In front of them were two garage-like doors, and the faint sound of gunshots could be heard in the distance. As the two approached the door to the right, it opened automatically, and both stepped out into the 'fresh' Badland air. There were plenty of shady places around the RED Team's building, which would probably make Lily want to whine a little less. Not to mention that the hat on her head would give her face enough shade. The one thing she hated the most about hot water was her sweat seeping into her bangs so they hung wet in her face.
The area surrounding them was just as Lily had remembered the Fastland map being when the world of Team Fortress 2 were still just a game to her. Before her was another control point, positioned on an area of higher, dusty ground. As she and Theodore headed up the hill to pass it, she looked behind her and took in the building she had just exited. To her right was a set of stairs leading up to a roofed platform. From the platform, a thin wooden catwalk was placed leading into an entrance to the top floor of the building. Around her, the building was attached to several small additions, which she remembered as perfect hiding places for her when she played as a Sniper, or as Pyro, when she would wait until several members of the opposite team would cross her path. From there, all of them were generously torched.
Across the hill, on a ledge close a doorway to the far right, the two could see the broken Level 2 Sentry in question, which was positioned right by an untouched Level 1 Dispenser. Those BLU Spies were definitely tricky bastards. Whipping out his demolition remote, the Engineer pressed a button with his thumb, and the pieces of his Sentry were blown to kingdom come. "Now that that's out of the way..." He then opened his toolbox, setting a new kit for a Sentry where the old one once stood. As the kit was placed down, he turned to Lily, motioning with his head to stand by the Dispenser. "Just park yourself by the Dispenser until I have this thing up, 'kay?"
"Can do, dude. Can do..." Lily tried her hardest to back into the corner the Dispenser was near, and it had come to her attention that her legs had begun to shake. With each step she had taken out of the RED Team's Fastlane building, the more her confidence began to drain. It was official to her: getting the Spy down was just a fluke, a stroke of incredible luck. She noticed something else as well: as she stepped close enough to the dispenser, a cool, effervescent air surrounded her, making her skin tingle. "Hey, Theo?"
"It's the medicine the Dispenser provides. You'll get used to it."
Suddenly, the sound of boots on wood could be heard, and the girl's eyes went wide in horror. She prayed to whatever god, or gods, in existence that whoever was about to cross her path would not have a BLU uniform. Bringing her gun up toward the doorway, she tried to keep her trembling hands steady, and the barrel pointed at a reasonable height, so she could at least get a hit in a torso if not a headshot. God, what were the odds of that? "...T-Theo...?" Lily began to whimper.
Looking for himself, the Engineer turned his head the moment none other than the Sniper came around the corner. Theodore sighed, but Lily was about to faint. She couldn't help but be angry at her situation. Perfect, Lily! 'Meet-your-maker' turned into 'make-yourself-embarrassed-in-front-of-crush.' Just step away from the Dispenser and put the gun to your head; you're boned.
"'Ey, truckie," the Sniper said, tilting his hat before standing by the Dispenser. His vest was decorated with a light spray of blood, and the knees of his pants were covered in dirt. Looking down, he spotted Lily, and his brow perked up. "Why is she out here?"
"Spy got into the barracks and found her. I had t' take her someplace safer, partner."
"Wot happened?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "I walked out of the room, screamed bloody murder when a spider crawled on me, a Spy found- oh, what does it matter?" She ended the statement with a snap, her body still shaking from the initial fear of a possible death being around the corner. When she saw the Sniper ease back an inch, she let out a sigh. "Sorry..."
"Quite alright, Lil'," the Sniper said, flashing a brief half smile and giving the girl a pat on the shoulder. He then turned his attention to Theodore. "We've only got one more point to captcha', but those bugguhs' won't budge from it."
"You sure their outside point is secure?"
"Yeah, the doc' and Dimitri had it covered."
"Dimitri?" Lily interrupted, a bit confused.
"The Heavy," the two men replied.
"Well, three down, six to go."
"ATTENTION! THE CONTROL POINT IS BEING CONTESTED!"
The three turned their heads in the way of a nearby loudspeaker, and soon all sported looks that could be best described as 'more than a little shaken up and nervous.' "Wot do we do with the girl? You can't just leave 'er here while we go and fight."
"...Point. Is the other Dispenser still up?"
"Yep. We gonna move 'er?"
"We've got no choice. We don't move fast, and that point'll-"
"THE CONTROL POINT HAS BEEN CAPTURED."
"...Son-of-a-bitch." Turning to the other two, the Engineer motioned for them to draw their attention back to him. "C'mon, we've wasted enough time. Can you cover her and get her to the Dispenser? I gotta go get more metal for this Sentry from the supply room."
"Huh?" Lily felt her body grown warm, regardless of the Dispenser's antibiotics.
"No worries, I'll get 'er there safe." Looking from Theodore to Lily, the Sniper gave her a small nudge away from the Dispenser, and began to walk rather quickly, heading through the doorway from whence he came. Lily only looked back at Theodore once, before taking off with her new escort, the sound of gunshots getting slightly louder.
After passing through another small addition to the buildings around them, the two made their way onto another clear area, surprisingly clear of any BLUs or fellow REDs. This time, however, one control point, also glowing red, was positioned in the middle, a roofed structure holding it. On either side were metal platforms elevated above the ground and paths below, where several blue bottles with red crosses printed across the front, as well as a few ammunition boxes, were thrown haphazardly. So much for the thought of seeing objects floating in midair. However, on one metal platform, sure as the Engineer had said, was a Dispenser. Level 3, too. Lily felt a small wave of relief wash over her. Maybe she would be safe, just as long as she wasn't left alone. Yet she couldn't help but feel terrible for making the Sniper look after her.
"Alright, sheila," he began, clearing his throat as they stopped at the machine. "I didn't think I was gonna have to watch over ya, but I don't mind all that much. Ya scared?"
"N-no, I'm fine," Lily lied. She lightly chomped on her lower lip, and her cheeks began to glow a bright pink. "This is nothing."
Chuckling, the Sniper looked down at her, before reaching up with his free hand and pulling his orange-tinted sunglasses down. Lily froze the second her green eyes made contact with his steel blue ones. "No one's gonna hurt ya, hear me? Ya got me, we're near one a' truckie's machines, and we both have guns. We'll be fine."
"Sniper, you have no friggin' clue how hard that is for me to believe."
"Just stay near the Dispensuh', and nothin'll happen. Promise."
"...Uhm, thanks, Sniper." Yeah, like she was gonna feel any more confident. Him being pretty didn't do anything in regards to lowering her blood pressure or odds of passing out.
Hearing the sound of a Minigun getting closer, the two turned toward the building that separated them from the BLU Team's general area. While Lily let out a small, panicked yelp, the Sniper grinned and adjusted the rifle in his grasp, choosing to nix the scope. "Well, let's see who's a-comin' this way..." he said lowly, aiming the rifle.
Peering out from behind the Sniper, Lily felt her heart rushing once again, only to be calmed, to her annoyance, by the sight of the Pyro, who had come to hide around the corner in case any BLUs came around as well. Looking over, he spotted Lily and the Sniper, and was utterly confused. Waving at his fellow mercenary to get his attention, he then pointed to Lily.
"Engie couldn't watch after 'er any longuh," the Sniper said, giving a brief shrug. Seeing the Pyro only give a shrug of his own, then turn back to his task of hiding, he then peered back at Lily. "Holdin' out alright, sheila?"
"Uh...huh?"
"Well, watch this; it's gonna get good." Raising his gun again, the Sniper brought the scope to use and kept his eye on the path down below one side of the metal platforms. Lily looked, too, and gasped softly when she spotted a BLU Heavy, being pumped full of antibiotics from the Medic behind him. Straining her eyes, the young girl could also see that luckily, the Medic's Kritzkrieg wasn't glowing. As the seconds ticked down, the two RED Team members remained out of sight while the BLUs progressed more and more. When they finally turned the corner and headed up the hill, the Pyro charged, flamethrower ablaze. Cutting around the pair, he set the two up in flames, but concentrated on bringing down the Medic. That's when the Heavy turned toward the fighter in the fire-retardant suit, and began to fire his Minigun. Lily watched the whole thing in absolute horror, keeping her fingers crossed that the Pyro would make it back alive. Seeing the Medic drop to the ground, obviously having been killed, she then peered up at the Sniper, who ever so carefully moved his gun, aiming at the Heavy. "Covuh' ya ears, Lil'." And with that, the gun was set off, the bullet rocketing through the air and hitting the Heavy just behind the right ear, bringing him down.
"Gotcha, wankuh'," the Sniper said with a smirk, before turning to Lily.
"That...was fantastic!" Lily cried, laughing a bit. Her heart was still pounding, she felt faint, and she was pretty damn sure that she was on the verge of wetting herself, but never before had she felt such an adrenaline rush. "Eat that, fatty!" she called before blowing a raspberry. Still laughing, she was completely unaware of the look of confusion on the Sniper's face, wondering whether or not she had just gone completely mad.
"CONGRATULATIONS, RED TEAM. ONE POINT LEFT TO CAPTURE!"
"Thank goodness," the Sniper breathed, pushing the rim of his hat up to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "I think we can jus' take it easy now, little sheila. I think we have this mission in the bag."
"Oh, halle-frickin'-lujah." Lily let out a sigh and rested against one of the wooden beams behind her, sinking to the ground. "Sweet headshot by the way, Sniper."
"Thanks," he said with a laugh, though he kept his eyes out in the distance, rather than on her. "Now, I know ya got a little cranky earlier when I asked ya, but really, how did ya get a Spy down?"
This time, Lily smiled. "Well, I ended up in the hallway to hopefully see what was going on from the barracks, and a spider crawled onto me. When I screamed, what I thought was our Pyro came around the corner. He was a Spy who blew his cover when he didn't know who the hell I was, he cornered me, cut me up a bit, and then I kicked him in the happy sack and could've shot him in the head, if I had the courage."
"Where'd he bleed ya?"
"Just my hand." Lily held it up, giving him proof. By now, the blood from the cut had begun to coagulate and harden, forming a scab. However, her fingers were stained a slight red from the blood. "I'm okay. Just need a Band-Aid or something when we get back to the base."
"Well, one, the Medic'll look at it. No worries. And two, I'm impressed. Maybe he did blow his covuh', but he could've easily killed ya. They're some of the best in the business."
"Dude, trust me, I know," Lily said, laughing. "But, if I take down a BLU Heavy, then you can be impressed. I just caught a lucky break."
Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, the Sniper took one minute to turn and look at her. "Whatevuh' ya say, sheila. But I still think some commendin' is in orduh'."
"Well...thanks. Really... Now, get back to watchin' that corner. I don't think my Scattergun can reach that far and still be accurate if someone comes around."
"Gotcha." With a half smile, the Sniper turned back around, surveying the area for any movement. After a few seconds, he could have sworn he heard footsteps, the delicate click of heeled boots, but no person had come by to claim possession of the sounds. Maybe the heat was getting to him, or perhaps the fact that he hadn't had his second cup of coffee in the morning.
Meanwhile, Lily had been sitting with her head down, one leg bouncing lightly up and down on the ground to keep it from falling asleep. Her hat was tipped down slightly, shading her face more from the desert heat. The melody to a song or two by Queen were stuck in her head. One foot was propped up on the side of the Dispenser, giving her direct contact to the medicine pouring from it. As it coursed through her, it almost felt like she were dropped in a glass of seltzer water.
Deciding to close her eyes and relax, Lily soon became aware of the fact that the amount of medicine was drastically changing. Decreasing. Opening one eye, she stared at the device in confusion, looking it over. "What the hell is go-... oh, shit." Right there, resting just a few inches from her bottom, was another Sapper. "U-uh, Sniper?" Lily scrambled to her feet, moving quickly away from the Dispenser, before she spotted it covered in a spiderweb-like veil of blue electricity. "There'a another Spy walking around here..."
"Another a' those wankuhs'?" Growling, the Sniper made a 180-degree turn and looked around. "Now, where is he- AHH!"
Lily's green eyes darted to the Sniper's forearm, and gasped at the sigh of flowing blood. It wasn't from a knife, but a bullet, which was lodged in the Sniper's arm, right below the joint of his elbow. "Piss..." he hissed out, trying to hold onto his rifle even still, though the pain wasn't starting to numb anytime soon. The young woman at his side soon stood in front of him, but decided against the gun and instead pulled the Sniper's machete out of its sheath in his belt. The Spy was more of a fighter to attack from close proximity rather than from a distance.
"I g-got your back, dude," she said, hands trembling and eyes locked on the area in front of her. What was it today, Revenge of the Spies? Biting on her bottom lip, hand dangerously loose on the wooden handle of the Kukri, all she could do was wait.
"Lil', I'm fine," the Sniper finally protested after he stopped trying to figure out where this sudden burst of courage was coming from. "Get behind me an' put your back to mine. He won't be able t-" Seeing Lily put two and two together faster than anticipated, dashing behind him and resting her back to his. "...Right then."
Lily whimpered softly, looking left and right. She could hear her own heartbeat, pounding fiercely against her eardrums. Her breathing became louder, and each exhale felt as if a simple loss of carbon dioxide was more like a loss of her energy. "H-hey, Sniper? If he can't stab us, what makes you s-so sure that we won't be picked off at all? I m-mean, the d-d-dude has a...gun." One more breath, and she began to cough. The smell of cigarette smoke burned in her nostrils.
Cigarette smoke? Lily's heartbeat grew faster. He's right in front of me, isn't he...?
"That'd be right," the bushman said with a nod, feeling a drop of sweat trickle down his neck. That was all he said, all he was able to say. By taking the back-stab option off the list of 'ways to oust victims,' they took away his fun, and therefore would irritate him. After that, it was really a question as to what would be more fun: staying invisible and wiping them out, or popping out of thin air, making the girl scream, and therefore ruining the Sniper's unusual calmness. Decisions, decisions. Maybe for now, he could just enjoy breathing down on Lily, and maybe get her to faint.
"...S-Sniper...?" Lily felt the world form a whirlwind around her. This was torture. The next thing that she heard was a crash, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the rifle had been dropped to the ground, and the Sniper was seething in pain.
"Lil'... I'm sorry about this..." Slowly, he slid his hand into his vest, reaching for something: a Jarate. Grinning, he spun around, and gave Lily a hard push, causing her to tumble to the ground. "Bombs away!" Stepping back, he threw the jar of urine to the ground hard, the fluid inside and shards of glass going everywhere. The Spy in question, now completely furious and soaked, was now unveiled, and growled at the bushman. Dropping the Ambassador in his grasp, he settled for his knife, pulling it from his coat.
"Why you disgusting-"
"Lily!" The Sniper backed away, losing the chance to pick his rifle back up.
But the girl had already figured things out. As the Spy came into view, she had crawled hastily to the Scattergun she had dropped to use the Kukri instead. Pulling it up, she pointed it at the Spy's back, and pulled the trigger without hesitation, screaming as the gun went off. As the residual noise echoed through her ears, Lily felt a rush of air against one side of her body, and didn't realize that she was falling. Yet, as the dusty terrain hit her hard in the side, the world around her dissolved.
I'm dead. I died in my favorite video game world. And to make matters worse, I'm dead and covered with the piss of the one game character I obsess over. Game over, Lily. Game over.
"She alright, doc?"
"Ja, just a bit shaken-up."
...Theodore? The Medic? Did they not make it either?
"Man...I can't believe the chick wasn't bullshittin' me."
Benjamin's here, too? Aw man, I'm in hell! But wait, it doesn't make sense. Let me just...
Letting out a soft groan, Lily fought to open her eyes. The first thing she was greeted with was a blinding light, which brought her to groan even louder. "Ugh...the hell...?"
"Hey, she's wakin' up."
Biting her lip hard, the young woman pressed her palms against whatever she was lying on, and forced herself to sit up. The blur in her green eyes began to dissipate, and the next thing she saw surprised her. She was in what looked like a hospital bed, and the Medic, Dimitri, Benjamin, Theodore, and the Sniper stood around it. She backed up abruptly, until she hit the metal framing behind her. "Whoa, claustrophobia much."
"How you feelin', honey?" Theodore, who had taken off his hardhat and let his goggles rest around his neck, smiled at her.
"...So I didn't die?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"Shut up, Benjamin," the Medic snapped, before sighing heavily and returning his attention to Lily." Qvite the opposite, fräulein. A few scratches, und your hand vas close to getting an infection, but it's wrapped up now."
"Oh?" Looking down, Lily took a gaze at her hand, and saw that it was wrapped up with possibly two feet of cloth bandage, held together with surgical tape. Two smaller bandages were placed on her arms, and another larger one was put on her right ankle. "Uhm...thanks, doc."
"It's nothing," he countered in a quite matter-of-fact tone. "It is my job."
"Still, thanks." Lily smiled, before looking at Theodore. "So, if I didn't die, what the heck happened out there?"
"Had your first kill, honey," he said with a smile, which made Lily shudder. He laughed. "Yeah, you took down a Spy."
"...Did I?" Lily turned to the Sniper, eyes begging for the truth.
"Too right, little sheila. That shot a' yours saved me."
"Bullcrap. You had to have killed him."
With a sigh, the Sniper crossed his arms. "How could I do that, when ya swiped my Kukri an' I couldn't get my gun fast enough?" His brow rose.
Lily opened her mouth, trying to think of a protest, but finally gave in and just pouted. "Just another lucky break..."
"Luck had nothin' to do with it, Lil'," Theodore said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I dunno how the hell it happened, but you ended up safe. After you shot that Scattergun, you passed out. It's a shame, 'cuz you missed hearin' that we got that last point."
"Oh, awesome."
"Yep. Believe it or not, other than him-" The Engineer pointed to the Sniper. "-the only one to see what you did was Benjamin."
"...And this is where the plot thickens still." Grinning, Lily turned to the Scout, and grinned widely. "Believe me now, you nagging son-of-a-biscuit?"
"Yeah, I do..." he admitted, lips slightly pursed and head hanging low as if he were a young child who had just lost a game. "Still, I ain't apologizin' for anythin' I did or said earliah'. Ya made fun of my name, an' ya just plain piss me o-"
"Leetle Scout needs to be quiet," the Heavy announced in a low tone, placing his thick hand over Benjamin's mouth. "Voice will give girl, and everyone else, headache."
"Aw, Dimitri." Lily squealed slightly in delight. "You're too kind." She then looked down at the Scout, who was fighting his hardest to push the Minigun-sporting man's meaty hand away from his face, yelling out muffled curses against it. Finally, after thirty seconds or so, he silenced, eyes narrowed in unadulterated loathing at the girl, which made everyone else in the room laugh.
"Hey, I'm just messing with you, Ben," Lily giggled. "Don't get your panties in a bunch."
"Lily." The Medic spoke up, and everyone turned and looked at him. "You should probably get some more sleep. I know you're not seriously injured, but you should stay in bed and relax for a few more hours." He then turned to his fellow team members. "That means all of you need to vacate ze infirmary."
"Gotcha, doc," Theodore replied, answering for everyone. "Let's go, guys. Feel better, Lil'."
"Thanks, The-" Guuurguglrhlgrll. Lily let out a small, embarrassed whine, before looking down at her stomach, mentally cursing it. Her appetite always had to kick in at the most inappropriate of times.
Theodore heard the growl, and blinked once or twice before giving a hearty laugh, shaking his head. "No worries. I'll go get ya somethin' to eat."
I hate fight scenes. GRAH! I really hope I did get this done at least semi-well; I'm just used to drama and romance, not this stuff. Anyways, R&R, blah blah blah. Y'all know the drill. And for those of you with Macs, you better start playin' TF2, or you're just missing out.