EDIT (7-30-16): Wow, so it's been a while, almost 2 years. I haven't forgotten about this story. In fact, I still have several big ideas, but those won't really show up until much, much later in the story. And I will say this, chapters 6 and 7 are in progress, it's just taking some time for me to string it all together. But with everything else that's going on in life, it's hard to find the time to work on this story. And a lot has happened the past 2 years for me. Anyway, this fic isn't dead, more like in a coma. I also went and tweaked a few sentences in the first chapter, since a few parts contradict with my current ideas. There are still some contradictions, which probably means I will have to re-write it, but I'd rather focus on writing new chapters than revisit old ones. Hopefully, I will be able to make some progress.
(THE OLD OPENING COMMENT) Before you start reading the story I'd really appreciate it if you read these few beginning notes.
I'm very new at this. This is the first fanfiction I'm writing, so I'm a little self-conscious about it and the way I write. I've had an idea of writing a Team Fortress 2 fanfiction for almost a year now about a Spanish (Not Mexican) mercenary. Why Spanish? I don't know, it may or may not have to do with a Spanish class I took last year. Eventually I started thinking of a back story for Elena (who hopefully isn't a Mary Sue. It wasn't my intention) and how she tied in to the main story, and then it just snowballed into... this. She was supposed to speak more than just basic Spanish in this first chapter, but the idea's almost a year old now, I'm not in Spanish anymore, and everything I learned last year pretty much went out the window.
Also if I offend anyone with my lack of Spanish knowledge, I am so sorry. That really wasn't my intention.
Anyway, my writing style is a little weird from my perspective, but still, enjoy!
Disclaimer: Team Fortress 2 and its characters do not belong to me.
Madrid, Spain. October 1969.
Her day was getting weird the moment her father called her, inviting her over to the villa that evening. He didn't tell her what for, which only made her feel uneasy.
Elena Ramirez was just about to pack her things and leave the lab to head over there when Enrique, one of the scientists stopped her, likely to inform her that the results from her recent test were complete.
She was eager to hear the news. Her dark brown eyes implored him to give her the details, but then she remembered she had to be somewhere at the moment and had to leave. Elena shook her head. "Actually, just give me the notes. I'll look over them on the way home."
"Miss Ramirez, it's raining outside. The notes will get too soggy for you to read by the time you get home. Besides, it's news that I'm sure you've been waiting to hear for quite some time. I'll try to make it quick."
Now her interest really was piqued. "Really, Enrique? Do tell."
"So we've been working on a toxin that the subject won't build up a natural immunity towards."
Elena nodded.
"Well recently, we've tested on mice and after curing them with the vaccine you gave us multiple times, we haven't observed any resistance toward the poison's effects."
"Ah! ¡Muy Bueno!" This was very good news for Elena. She couldn't help but jump.
Enrique chuckled at her short burst of joy. "You seem very happy. Either way, it appears your mother's notes were correct after all, Miss Ramirez." He gave her the files. "Now what do you say we go get some coffee to celebrate your big achievement?"
She inwardly groaned, then shook her head. "Enrique, I have to head over to my father's place. I'm sure he expects me as soon as possible. Plus, I have to head back to my place to pick up a few things, so I really can't get coffee with you now."
Enrique frowned. Elena couldn't tell if he was disappointed or not. "Well, how about tomorrow?"
She knew he was going to persist, especially after working with him for several years. As she was making her way to the door, Elena finally gave her answer. "Alright, I suppose that will work." She said, trying to smile politely. "Now, I really should be going."
Enrique gave a small wave goodbye. "Hasta mañana, Elena."
"Hasta mañana." She closed the door.
•●•
As soon as Elena stepped outside, she immediately wished she had brought an umbrella. It was nearly pouring.
At least my apartment isn't too far away. She thought to herself. It only took around seven minutes to get there if she hurried. And she was in a bit of a hurry. Good thing there weren't a lot of people walking around in the streets in this part of town. Not that it wasn't run down or creepy or old, mostly just unpopulated.
Elena really wished Enrique would stop being so nice to her. He couldn't make it any more obvious, she knew exactly what he was trying to do. Enrique wanted to court her. But she didn't want that to happen, she couldn't let it happen. Not to mention she just didn't have any romantic interest in him.
She checked her bag to make sure it was closed tight. Fortunately it was, and Elena continued walking. She wasn't particularly concerned for the data Enrique compiled, but more for the fragile vials inside the bag. In those vials contained a deadly poison that when absorbed through the blood stream, caused death that was just about immediate, at least to a weak, frail subject. Elena didn't know what would happen if the toxin was exposed to rainwater, but she wasn't about to find out herself. Or if the vials broke and the toxin got all over the inside of her bag… actually, the results wouldn't be catastrophic, but she would probably have to make sure her notes were fine, and then burn the bag later, just to be on the safe side. As far as she knew, the poison didn't have any special reaction to fire.
Those toxins were a result of her mother's work, a clever chemist, Angela Ramirez. Several years ago, when Elena was about five years old, an unknown organization commissioned Angela to create a toxin that was generally harmless when exposed to skin, but deadly if it got into the blood stream. Their reasons were unknown, possibly for war purposes though it seemed a little dark even for that. As the months dragged on, filled with hours of research, testing, notes, and compiled data, Angela finally found the recipe for catastrophe. She refused to tell anyone the secret, however, and her notes were hard to decipher. Only very few trusted scientists knew about the project in general, and even then they were sworn to secrecy. Angela was that serious about keeping it from falling into the wrong hands.
That was only the first prototype, however. The final product had yet to be finished. But before Angela could see her chemical's creation, something tragic occurred when Elena had just turned 10 years old. Something that caused her father to never be the same again. Something that Elena dreaded to think about. Her fist tightened for a brief moment.
Angela's work didn't die with her. It would be a disgrace to the Ramirez family honor. When Elena came of age, it was clear she demonstrated the same knowledge in chemistry as her mother. So she took up the project, trying to perfect the chemical and have it reach its most deadly potential… And now she finally did it. After all these years of hard work and certainly frustrating… frustration, she finally completed the project her mother worked so hard to try to finish. Would she be proud of her daughter? Elena hoped so.
After about eight minutes of pondering about her recent achievement and even occasional memories of her mother that Elena tried to push out of her head, she reached the door of her apartment. Pulling out her key, she unlocked and opened the door.
Her apartment was a little on the older side, but it was quaint, homey, and had an antique style that Elena took delight in. Plus, it had a basement that was polished up as best as possible so it could be used as a lab for her to practice chemistry. If she didn't have her license, she would feel like she was doing something illegal and still occasionally worried if she still would be. The smell of all the strange chemicals was slightly unnerving to her now that she actually had something extremely deadly. Carefully taking the toxins out of her bag, she began to fashion a few poison darts, loading them into holsters. It was apparently a minor part of plan her mother was commissioned to do, much easier than making the poison by far. And just for kicks and giggles, she decided to put one of the holsters on her right wrist.
Suddenly, Elena heard something behind her skitter by. Probably a rat or mouse- she had noticed them getting into her house more frequently each day which made her wonder if it was an infestation. Turning around to see that it actually was a mouse, Elena almost jumped in surprise, but still launched a dart at the mouse from 7 feet away.
A direct hit.
A few seconds passed. Then the mouse started spazzing out, as if it was having a seizure. If mice could cough or gag or choke, Elena guessed that the mouse was doing it right now. She watched as the mouse slowly tried to escape back into the hole it came from, but it was as if the mouse had forgotten how to move its own feet. Then it stopped moving. She would've felt guilty, but her house was practically infested with the vermin and this was at least one step closer to solving the problem.
Elena checked the time. She didn't want to keep her father waiting. She locked the holster (so it wouldn't accidently launch any darts), slipped on a jacket, and made sure to lock everything in her house before she left.
•●•
Elena called for a taxi. There was no way she was going to walk to her father's house. It would take way too long. Mr. Ramirez lived just outside the city. Finding some other faster way to get there was much easier.
Elena hopped in the back seat of the car. Once she told the driver where to go, he immediately figured out who she was.
"Off to see your father today, Elena?" the taxi driver asked her.
Elena just nodded. "He just told me to drop by after I finished working. But… I don't know what he wants." Hopefully it's not just to yell at me for who knows what.
"Maybe it has something to do with your last bullfighting match. You were flawless as always. He may want to congratulate you or a job well done." Everyone in the city knew Elena was a professional bullfighter. It ran in the family. Even tourists far and wide would come to the arena to watch the Ramirez family put on a show.
"My last match was over a month ago. If he wanted to congratulate me, he would've done it sooner. Besides, he doesn't congratulate me. He already knows how well I do." Elena smirked. The driver must have seen it from the rear view mirror, as she heard a "Heh," from him.
They talked the rest of the way about bullfighting. Much to Elena's surprise he didn't mention "the accident," something she dreaded talking about to others. But he seemed easy to talk to, she felt a little disappointed when they pulled up to her father's house.
"Muchas gracias, señor." Elena made sure to pay him extra. He nodded, not really noticing how much she even paid him. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw him waving. Some taxi drivers just weren't as easy to talk to or get along with as others.
She walked up to the door and took a deep breath. There wasn't any bother knocking, since she once lived here anyway. When she opened the door, she noticed that the lights were turned off, everything was quiet. It was as if no one was home. But then why would her father tell her to come here? He wasn't one for practical jokes.
Elena wandered around. She couldn't help but feel this was a little too eerie. "Hello…? Is anyone here…? Papá, are you home…?" She tried a few rooms; the library was filled with books and she noticed the smell of smoke from the fireplace. Someone was here recently, probably her father, but they weren't here now. She checked the study; there were notes and papers all over the desk from when Elena was here last time. No one must have bothered to clean up her things, but she still found nothing.
She wasn't expecting anyone to be in the next room she decided to check; mostly she was just visiting for old time's sake- her bedroom. It hadn't been used since she moved out, and everything was gone, save for her bed, a nightstand with a lamp, and a few old family pictures. She picked up the single picture on the nightstand, a photo of herself and her mom and dad from almost 11 years ago. Mr. Ramirez had his arm around Angela's shoulder and a little 9-year old Elena stood in front of them. The three of them looked so happy, smiling and laughing together. A single teardrop fell on the picture. Elena clearly remembered that day several years ago. The photo was taken on her tenth birthday, one of the last times she could remember her life being normal. Her mind wandered off to more happier memories with her family: she remembered dancing for her parents when she was 8, throwing a rotten tomato in her mother's face during Tomatina when she was 6, and the three of them curled up in the very bed in front of her, reading a story to her and then tucking her in as they were about to say good-night…
She was ripped out of her world of reminiscence when she suddenly heard a booming laugh that could be heard throughout the house. She had forgotten someone actually was here.
When she got to the kitchen and dining room, she heard the noises again. A small flicker of light was beaming through the door. As she got closer, there was no doubt in Elena's mind that it was people talking. One definitely sounded like her father. But there was also another person in the room, so her father wasn't alone. She crept closer and put her ear against the door, trying to listen to the conversation her father and this other individual were having. She heard her father asking a question, but she couldn't make out exactly what he was trying to say. As Elena listened to the reply of the other person, she noticed he had a French accent. If it really was who Elena was thinking, she wasn't exactly sure why he was here. But she couldn't confirm it really was who she was thinking of. She noticed the conversation getting more and more tense. Was someone trying to blackmail her father? Then she heard someone shout "No!" as they slammed the table. Elena wouldn't allow it. She flung the door open…
…Only to find her father playing cards with someone else.
"Ha! I told you 34 times already, Pedro, you cannot beat me at this game."
Her father frowned. "I guess you're right. I should have stopped trying after the 17th time." He sighed.
A few moments passed when they both turned their attention to Elena and the stunned look she had her face. She glanced at her father for a moment, and then focused on the other man. He was wearing a red suit and tie. But even more peculiar was the red ski mask he had covering his face. And although she was standing more than 7 feet away from him, she could smell cigarette smoke on him.
Most daughters would still be surprised if they found their father playing cards with a strange man wearing a ski mask. But not Elena. She knew who this man was. Snapping out of her initial shock, she ran over to the RED Spy and tackled him in a hug.
"¡Señor Tío!" Elena shouted, using the name she gave him when she was little. "I haven't seen you in ages!"
The two men chuckled at her sudden burst of energy. "Surprised to see me, aren't you Elena?" The spy said as Elena tried to regain her composure.
"Ay, sí. Very much… if you couldn't already tell." She nodded. "Papá, this isn't the reason you told me to come, is it?"
Her father shook his head. "Actually, it's something different. But… it can wait until after dinner, which you just so happen to be in time for."
•●•
The conversation at the dinner table was as lively as it could be for three people. Elena and the RED Spy were wrapped in a conversation, mostly about what he does as a spy. Elena found his work interesting and somewhat exciting and asked him to tell her as much as he could. Much to her surprise, he actually did tell her about what he had been recently, although he wouldn't give her any classified information.
Pedro and the RED Spy had been friends for as long as Elena could remember, at least that's what she assumed though. On some occasions he would bring top secret materials for Angela to use for her important chemistry projects. At other times he would drop by when he wasn't working just to say hello to the Ramirez family.
There was silence as the three of them were eating when Elena popped the main question. "So señor, what exactly are you doing here? I really wasn't expecting you to be here."
The Spy looked at her. "And why would that be, hmm?"
Elena looked away, "Well… it's just, you've ceased communication with us for around a year now, I guess because it has to do with your… most recent mission. And then, all of a sudden… Surprise! You're here."
She turned to her father. "Papá, weren't you surprised when he showed up?"
Pedro stroked his chin. "I guess I was at first. But then he filled me in on what he came for."
Her father didn't seem to have much emotion in his face. Then again, he rarely ever showed much emotion, something Elena unfortunately picked up on. But the facial expressions were different now. He seemed almost… exhausted. Elena wondered what happened before she showed up.
She munched on a churro. "So what did he come for?"
Pedro grimaced. "Elena, this isn't really the easiest thing to talk about…"
Her heart started pounding. "Wait. What thing? What's going on?"
"Don't waste yourself on the details, my daughter."
"What details? What aren't you telling me?"
Her father raised his voice. "I haven't told you anything yet."
They were about to get into an argument when the Spy intervened. "Maybe it's best if we just tell her."
Pedro sighed. "Ay, very well… but you do the explaining."
The Spy stood out of his seat. "Elena… recently I've been working as a mercenary."
"A mercenary? You've been fighting…? For money?"
"Well yes, that is what mercenaries do. I've been working with 8 other comrades and we've been fighting to take our opponents' land." The Spy said to her.
"You make it sound like some sort of joke." Elena remarked.
"Believe me, you have no idea." He muttered to himself.
Her father spoke up. "Recently the team has been considering hiring a Tenth mercenary to get the upper hand…"
"…And I've decided to take it upon myself to find this mercenary." The Spy continued.
The pieces were starting to come together in Elena's mind. And she dreaded to think about the reason why the Spy was here.
"So… are you asking my father to help you find suitable… mercenaries?"
There was a sad look in both their eyes. Finally the Spy shook his head. "No Elena. Your father is the mercenary."
Elena was stunned for a moment. The only thing she could utter was, "Wha-what?"
The Spy held a top secret file. "Your father's name shows up in the list of candidates. And since I've seen his skills firsthand, I know he is the one we're looking for."
"S-so then…"
"I had to tell you this sooner rather than later, chica." Her father said. "I've accepted the job and will be going to America as the tenth mercenary."
Elena tried to hide the fact that there were tears welling up in her eyes. "B-but… when do you leave?"
"As soon as I get my things packed together. And as soon as I say good-bye to my daughter."
She wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Lo siento, Elena, but I cannot tarnish the Ramirez name." For once, her father looked genuinely sad. Not because of the family name which he was obsessed with, but because of the fact that he was leaving his daughter.
"I'll leave you to it." The Spy walked away. Elena noticed him pulling out a cigarette. He was going out to the porch to smoke. Of course he would.
•●•
"B-but you're leaving? Just like that? Why…? Why are you doing this Papá?" Elena kept badgering him for answers as she followed him to his room. They weren't particularly close as a father and daughter, but she thought it was ridiculous for him to take a mercenary job out of the blue.
"I cannot let anything happen to Ramirez family name in any way, shape, or form."
"And there you go again about the 'Ramirez family name.' Don't you ever give it a rest?"
"You're just as guilty as I am when it comes to taking pride in that matter."
Elena groaned. He got her there. She took pride in her name as much he did. "But what does mercenary work in western America have to do with our family name?"
His voice became dangerously exasperating. "More than you know, Elena."
They were both silent until they got to Pedro's room, when she started questioning him again. "But what sort of experience do you have in this line of work? There's no way you're serious about doing this!"
"I've fought bulls before, it can't be any different!"
"Yes it is! You're fighting people, of all things! They're smarter, they have weapons and they'll stop at nothing to kill you!" All of a sudden in her frustration, she accidentally bumped the holster lock and a poison dart flew into the wooden floor.
Pedro walked over and picked it up. His voice was calmer, but still dangerous. "What is this, Elena?"
Elena grabbed her wrist, making sure the holster stayed locked this time. "N-nothing. Wait! Don't you dare prick your finger on that dart."
He looked at her seriously. "So, you finally completed your mother's work, didn't you?"
She could only nod.
He let out a "Hmph!" "If you're trying to scare me out of it, Elena, you'll have to try harder. My mind's made up and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
She couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face. "What!? Are you loco? You're going to die out there! I already lost Mamá! Now I'm going to lose you too? I don't want that to happen! I… I don't…"
He raised his voice even more. "You don't what to happen?"
"I… I…" Elena lowered her head. "I don't want to lose you like I did with mother…" she choked out a sob.
His expression softened. "Elena…"
CRASH!
Two people jumped in the room through the window. One fired a gun at Pedro. The other grabbed Elena.
•●•
Meanwhile, just outside the Ramirez's house, the Spy was looking through a Mann Co. Catalog as he overheard Pedro and Elena's argument.
"Well they certainly know how to say their good-byes." He said to himself. He flipped through a few more pages of the magazine when he suddenly heard a nearby gunshot and Pedro letting out a loud "oof" coming from inside the house. Gasping in surprise, the RED Spy flung the catalogue away and ran inside.
•●•
Señor Tío, I hope you haven't left… or that you're not deaf. Elena thought as if the Spy could actually hear her mental plea. Her father was lying on the floor slipping into unconscious, and possibly even dying, but she hoped it was the former rather than the latter. One of the goons had their arm wrapped around Elena's neck with a gun pointed at her while the other guarded the door.
Her heart was pounding out of her chest. "Alright missy…" the first goon said, bringing the gun closer. "Be a good girl, now. Tell us where that poison is and no one gets hurt."
You already hurt my father! Elena wanted to say, but she didn't want to take the risk of potentially getting shot. "I… I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb with us! You know exactly what we're talking about. You don't want us to take drastic measures now do you… Miss Ramirez?" He gestured for the goon guarding the door and he pointed his gun at her wounded father. He groaned in pain.
So they knew who she was. That was creepy.
The thug holding Elena put his finger on the trigger. "Well…?"
"I won't… tell you anything." She choked out.
"So… you'd rather die than tell us what you know. Well we have ways of making you talk." Thug #2's finger inched closer to the trigger of his gun. He was going to finish off what little life her father had left.
"N-no…" Elena whispered.
Then the door opened. Elena and the goons looked over to see that the door had been opened by… no one?
Thug #1 shrugged. "Hmph… probably just the wind."
The other thug kept his pointed at Pedro. "I guess but… do you feel any wind any-WAAAGH!" A knife was plunged into his back as the thug collapsed to the floor.
Then the RED Spy appeared with his revolver pointed at the thug holding Elena.
"Let the girl go and you won't end up like your friend right here."
"Heh… here to save the damsel in distress? Not on my watch." Before the goon could even take the time to think, he aimed the gun at the Spy, giving Elena a golden opportunity to expose his big mistake.
She plunged her elbow into his gut, knocking the wind out of him as he staggered backwards and making him drop his gun but, most importantly, freeing Elena. The Spy must not have been expecting her to fight back, as he watched Elena grab the thug's gun in midair.
For Elena, everything seemed to happening in slow motion. As she grabbed the gun, her mind rapidly started working. She still wasn't safe yet. She had to defend herself. Elena felt a surge of adrenaline, the same kind she felt when fighting a bull, as she pointed the gun at the thug and fired at his chest.
The thug fell on the ground, hugging his chest in pain. Elena ran to her father.
"Father! Stay with me! Please, don't die!" she pleaded, cradling his barely living body. Thinking she heard sirens, she looked out the window to see the paramedics running inside the house. They laid Pedro's body on a stretcher and carried him out.
The bodies of the goons were already cold. The Spy was talking to some police officers who arrived on the scene after the paramedics. He explained to them what happened to Pedro and Elena and how the thugs had attacked them. The police examined the two now-dead bodies and Elena and the Spy were asked to leave the room for the time being.
It wasn't until 10:00 at night when the officers left the Ramirez house. Elena and the Spy sat at the dinner table, waiting while everything was being worked out. Everything was quiet and after quite an eventful evening, they enjoyed the silence. Though Elena was still in shock from what happened.
Elena paused for a moment. She just remembered that she had shot a man, killing him. This should have messed with her conscience, but the surge of adrenaline had taken over her. It wasn't like accidentally killing a bull during a bullfight, which she had actually done before. She tried to convince herself that she was just trying to defend herself, and while it helped a small amount, Elena wouldn't deny that she was much more concerned about her father. But still... she didn't feel as traumatized as she felt she should be.
"I hope Papá's alright..." she said quietly.
"The doctors are doing everything they can to help him. Where he was shot should have killed him immediately." The Spy replied.
"So it's a miracle he managed to survive that long…" Elena muttered.
"Now, now Elena." He said, trying to comfort her. "The doctors got to him in time and they haven't told me that he's dead. Besides…" The Spy looked at her. "Knowing your father, I'm sure he'll pull through."
She thought for a moment. "Gracias, Señor Tío." Elena forced a small smile. She noticed the mercenary files were still on the table.
"By the way, you had me surprised for a moment when you fought back. I didn't know you could fire a gun with such precision."
"I didn't know either…" Elena didn't handle firearms very often. But she had practiced and knew how to use one. "But, I don't think father will be well enough to fight on the battlefield."
The Spy shook his head slowly. "No… it will take quite some time until he recovers."
"Oh…" Now that her father was out of commission and in recovery, he couldn't take the mercenary job. "What are you going to do now?"
"At this moment, I don't know yet."
Without thinking, she pulled the files over to her, but stopped herself before she opened the cover. Taking off the jacket she used to hide the poison darts, she touched the holster.
I cannot let anything happen to Ramirez family name in any way, shape, or form. The words of her father played through her mind.
And I won't either.
A crazy thought flashed in Elena's mind. She'd have to be even more loco than her father just to imagine it. But she was quick and clever. She could fight bulls and use a gun. And it would give her a chance to put her poison darts to the test…
"What if I went in my father's place?"
Elena was half-expecting the Spy to laugh or tell her that she was insane. But his expression didn't change. Instead, he considered her idea.
"Normally, I'd say it is too dangerous for you. However, after what happened tonight, I've seen what you're capable of doing. Your parent's blood runs in your veins. You have potential. But… are you sure you know what you're doing?"
Elena took a dart out of the holster and started twirling it gingerly, yet with confidence. She stared straight into the Spy's eyes with a determined look on her face. "It's my duty to keep the family honor as well as my father. He set his mind to start something, now I have to finish it. Besides…" she smirked. "Today I completed my mother's project. Maybe it's for this very reason that I managed to finish it."
And there's the first chapter. I started it last month, then stopped, then started working on it again a month later. So if the writing style suddenly changed in the middle of the story, that's probably why. Most of it's just explaining stuff so it might be a little boring and maybe even obvious, but things should pick up over the next few chapters or less. If it took that long just to write one chapter, who knows how long it will take me to write the next.
Anyway, I had thought of a class name for Elena but then I started wondering if it would be a good one. Well, the Afflictor sounded like it would work for the job she would be doing (not to mention I can make nicknames out of that name), but it just doesn't seem...right. Feel free to share ideas if you have any.
If the characters (or the story) seem a little... off, it most likely might be because of my lack of writing experience. I apologize for that. I mean, the character's personalities being weird, not the writing experience.
...Also, I'm not really THAT lacking in self confidence... If you were thinking that... I'd better stop typing before I end up just confusing you.
Leave a review if you'd like. I'd appreciate it!
