It's been pointed out that I made a very obvious, and quite embarrassing, mistake. BLUs push the cart on Badwater, not the REDs. -_- It was something that totally passed my mind while writing it. And because I've already had these RED team members imaged in my head, I can't really change the story around. But if you didn't notice? Then just pretend you didn't read this. :3 Thanks, and enjoy.
"C'mon tough guy!" the RED Scout shouted, almost awakening the whole base. It had been a couple of days since the new guy had joined, and the two scouts were currently practicing their swings in the middle of the night atop the RED base. Scout had found the other wandering around in the middle of the halls at night on his way to the bathroom, and figuring he didn't sleep much, invited him to some light hearted practice. "Ya call that a swing? My Ma could swing harder than that!" He chuckled, as the smaller scout swung the bat back and forth before just shrugging, head bowed. "Is it weird not bein' able to talk? I mean, not to offend or anything, but I couldn't THINK what it'd be like without these vocals of mine, ya know?" Scouts smile faulted, as he realized he wouldn't be getting the answer he was quite expecting. Throwing his ball up into the air, he pulled his arms back and swung, hitting it hard. "I mean, it just seems tough, an' everything." As Scout turned back around, due to lack of motion, he saw his practice partner getting down from the roof. "Aye! I didn't mean anything, or nothin'!" His shouts had no effect, for the scout just walked right back into the base, without even motioning he'd heard him.
As the sun rose over Badwater the next morning, the REDs gathered in the mess hall for another defense strategy, readying for another day of loss and defeat. Medic sat at the end of the table fiddling with a new type of syringe, mumbling to himself. Heavy stood in the corner of the room, when he noticed someone very important hadn't showed up for their first battles debriefing. "Where is little, baby scout? Is not fighting with us?" Engineer joined the conversation and stated that, due to the new scout's lack of experience, would just be watching and observing the battle field. "Well that aint bloody fair at all! You're sayin' we gotta be runnin' around down here, with no sodding idea what's goin' on, and that Scout just gets to sit back and enjoy the bloody show?" Sniper stood up abruptly as Demo piped up, "Well, aye, think of it this way," he hiccups and readjusts himself in his chair, "The little lad won't be getting in yer way, now, won't he? Ya know, if yeh fire off any shots with yer gun, there." Enraged, Sniper told him to piss off and walked out of the mess hall, passing the Scout who had woken up a little late. "What's his freakin' problem?" Striding into the room, he sat back in a chair and threw his legs up onto the metal table. Looking around he asked where the new guy was at, receiving multiple sarcastic and annoyed answers.
That same morning, after the long explanation to Scout what was going on, Engineer decided to climb his way up to the living quarters and have a talk with the younger Scout. As he walked closer to the prior empty room, there was a faint clash from somewhere below. He figured it was just Demoman in another drunken state of another argument. When he reached the new scouts room, knocking on the door and announcing it was him, the door slowly swung open. "Sorry to interrupt yah, but I wanted to ask you some not so minor questions, if yah don't mind." The scout just shrugged and, almost uncomfortably, sat at the edge of the bed. Closing the door behind him, Engineer spoke again. "Well, I was talkin' to the boys down there and all, an' I got to thinkin'," He looked at the scout, whose head was down, hat falling down just above his eyes. "Have you ever had the unfortunate occurrence of going through respawn?" The scout shook their head, he didn't think so. "Ah. Well, what about fightin'? You ever done any of that? Or what about the respawn injection?" Again, the only response he received was a shrug. Engineer shook his head in disbelief. "You're gonna need to change that…" He stood there in silence, thinking of how this child could have gotten into this whole ordeal, not that it was any of his business. Though he couldn't help but think something was up. He explained to the scout that he'll take him down to the Medic later that day to receive his injection, before excusing himself back downstairs where the battle was about to start.
"Yeh freakin' dumbass! What right mind did yeh have, runnin' out there like that? It's just embarassin' at this point." Scout was gripping his shoulder while the gouging gash in it oozed. He walked into the empty part of the base after another loss, followed by Demoman and Pyro. "I mean, really? Try leavin' the drink at home, Cyclopes." "Awh, shode up, ya little lad. Take it – hiccup – like a real man."Demoman shrugged off Scouts anger, as Spy strode by. "You two are quite incompetent." He dusted himself off and lit a cigarette, "Now, which one of you wants to tell me what zat scout is doing upstairs? Heh? Because I, unfortunately, did not happen to meet zeh BLU Spy anywhere on zeh battlefield today." "And what's that gotta' do with the newbie?" Scout didn't feel too concerned. Spy looked at him intently, "Well… we wouldn't hear him scream or alert us if he had seen anyone now would he?" Pyro, in some type of panic, ran up the stairs into the living quarters. The rest of the team just stared off as Pyro's muffled yells of hysteria got quieter the farther he went. Scout was the first to break the silence by laughing, soon joined by both Spy and Demoman. "Well, I knew zumbody would fall for it." Engineer walked in then, wondering what the commotion was about, Medic followed in behind him, healing up Scouts shoulder with his medi-gun as he walked pass earning him an appreciative nod. The base settled down for the evening as the normal activities pursued. Soldier was planning, Medic in his lab, and everyone else in a large, almost empty, room just north of the living quarters.
"The bloody battle has been over for hours, doesn't that scout have somethin' to report?" Sniper angrily intervened in a conversation between Heavy, Demo, and Scout who had been debating who would win an eating contest, and Engineer as he was trying to learn from Spy how he could help his sentries from being sapped. Engineer had almost forgotten about the scout, and without really replying to Snipers retort, excused himself from Spy and was off to take the smaller scout to get the respawn injection.
The respawn injection was an unknown substance created by the Australium infected Australians under pure confidentiality that was sold to Redmond, and later Blutarch, Mann that could be used on their great mercenaries and never need to replace them. Though, in their old, crazy stage of life, never thought of using it on themselves. By the time they had thought of it, it was already distributed to their medics, one of which had found out that not every member's body accepts the injection. Instead making them horribly sick, killing them within days. Figuring it wasn't worth it, the Mann brothers never did take it, though they were killed anyways.
As Engineer approached the scouts room on the second floor of the base, a noise was heard coming from within the scouts room. Worried he knocked fast and waited. There was a scurrying behind the door along with, laughter? As the door swung open, again with scout at its front, Engineer saw Pyro standing in the room as well. "How long ave' you been up here?" Pyro just mumbled his response back, patting the small scout on the back before walking out into the hallway. Engineer watched him in confusion before looking back at the scout. "When did you two become such good buddies?" He laughed, "Well, I guess nows the time, if any, to give yah that darn injection. I mean- If ya don't mind or anything." The scout walked out of the room and stood beside Engineer. "Well, Medics office is this way, if you'll follow me."
As the two walked down the bare halls, all Engineer could think about was how the scouts footsteps behind him made barely any to no sound at all. When they finally ariived before the Doctors lab, the scout stopped dead in their tracks. Turning around in confusion Engineer asks, "Afraid of shots?" He laughs, "Really now, whats wrong?" The scout stood there, head down, arms dangling down their sides. "It's not that bad, we've all done it, if that's what yur worryin' about." He pushed open the doors of the Medics office, and the smell of disinfectants and medicine blew out into the hallway.
"Ya know, Doc, I still don't understand how you can sit all day in here with this smell." Medic looked up from his desk, from Engineer to the scout, back to Engineer and smiles. "Oh, eets just one zeh amazing zings us doctors have zeh gift of enjoying. Now," Medic stands up and ushers them inside, "If you'll just com zis way, Scout, and lay down on zis table, here." Scout slowly walked near the hard, metal table. Turning to Engineer, Medic continued. "Now, if zeh don't mind, Engie, zis must be done in zey most secret of ways. Zeh can't know how eet's done." He nodded and wished the scout good luck before walking out of the swinging doors. There was a soft thud as the scout moved upon and sat among the large table. There was an uncomfortable silence as Medic scrambled among his supplies and the scout sat there with head down and body slouched; he asked if there had been any major injuries ever induced, answer of which being no. There were similar yes or no questions asked, and by the end of it, Medic swung around with a large syringe. "I will have to have you sleep for zis, unfortunately. As I had said earlier, you are not really allowed to know how eet is done." This caused the small scout on the table to get anxious. It wasn't the needles, but the fact of being alone with someone, anyone. Rather being alone, completely alone. There was a tense silence as Medic saw the squirming as something almost every patient, getting treated by him particularly, had done. As he walked toward the table, grabbing an oxygen mask on his way, the scout began trembling in fear. Trying to ask what will happen, how the injection works, believing no more that it's just a simple injection. But there was no way to get the words out; no way to tell the medic off, how there was no way an 'injection' like that was going anywhere today. As Medic approached, he stopped every kick or punch the weak scout threw at him, knocking over a metal platter that prior had been propped on a small stand for nearby assistance. The utensils and scalpels went flying, as the commotion in Medics lab preceded, the scouts panic rose out of control, going lightheaded suddenly, began feeling weak. Medic saw this as an opportunity to shove the anesthetic on the scout, pushing the body back onto the table. As the white room began spinning for the scout, eyes falling shut, and the feeling of arms and legs being strapped down, there was complete silence. Only to be followed by a sensation of darkness as Medic continued the procedure, only to find that this scout was not at all what he, or anyone else, expected.