"Finally, I get to see." Medic said, smiling. "I have been so curious to see vhat you look like, Rousseau."
The three were in the operating room, in the back of the med bay.
"Please... to not be standing zo close?" Rousseau asked, still cloaked. Medic nodded and leaned on the wall opposite of Madeline, and far as he knew, the "monster" man as well. The Spy uncloaked, headfirst. Then his arms and torso, and both he and Madeline watched the Medic's jaw drop when his uncloaking was finished.
"Mein Gott!" His hands halfway to his face, shaking. "Was ist das?"
"Medic, Medic!" Madeline put her hands up. "It's still Rousseau, you know Rousseau."
"Zhis is... unglaublich. Gute Gott, herr Spy, vhat happened to you?" Medic was stammering, trying to calm down from the initial shock of the eight tentacles on his tile floor.
"BLU medics 'appened to me. The BLU medics before you and Madeline." Rousseau said, quietly. Madeline began to tell Medic everything they knew, which quite sadly, was not all that much.
"You... you hardly remember anyzhing, ja?" Medic asked. "It must have been traumatizing." Madeline interrupted them, reminding them that the sooner it was started, the sooner it would end. "Ah, should ve perhaps look up octopi in zhe books? Or go by humans on health?"
She pressed the stethoscope to the spy's chest. After about half a minute, she pulled it away from him. "Your heart and lungs sound fine." She told him.
"Oh, zat is good. Was zat it?" He asked. She shook her head, and told him he needed to take off his blue suit jacket. "...I do?"
"Yes. You do. Along with any other clothes you have on under it." He cautiously pulled the tattered and damp jacket off, and the Medic held out his arms, signaling he would hold his items. Unbuttoned vest, he slipped it off his shoulders, and handed it over with one hand, the other undoing the tie. Madeline watched, she was amazed he was any skinnier than she already thought he was, the wet clothes added some bulk.
Underneath what were once high-quality threads was pale skin, splotches of gray and surgical scars lined around his waist. All the more interesting were the thee black lines on each side.
Madeline pointed them out, asking if he knew what they were. He brought a balled-up fist to his mouth. "Zhey, er, ...ahem, gills." Rousseau answered. "Zhey close when I'm not in enough water."
"Vait, you breathe in zhe vater down zhere?" Medic piped in. "Zhe water mixes from a broken purifier along vith zhe blood und mud vater, you cannot be breathing zhat!"
"Well, er, Medic, I 'ave been, for quite ze while." He admitted. It was true, he couldn't remember how long he had to have been in the sewers.
"Do you zhink ve could have a look inside?" Medic asked. Rousseau looked at Madeline, his face showing worry.
"It's... part of it, Rousseau." She said. "You've been in unclean water for who knows how long."
All three learned quickly, Rousseau did not enjoy having fingers in his gills. Madeline ended up having to let him lean on her shoulder, with her arms around him and prying open a single gill slit while the Medic looked inside.
"Ja... You are sick." He declared. Madeline let go of the gill slit, and wrapped her arms around a very quiet Rousseau. She asked Medic how he could tell just from the gills that he was ill. "I kept fish, meine gute frau. Zhat und any organ zhat is gray colored generally is not a good sign... Is he avake?"
"Uhh..." She shifted her arm, shaking the sick Spy a little, with no response. "Uh, no, he's out."
Medic sighed, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead. "Ve're going to need a little help if ve're going to help him. He vould still last a little vhile longer but... If ve do not help him, he vill have a very short life, and he vill never get stronger. How long he vill last... I honestly cannot say, he isn't a hundred percent human anymore."
"Well, what are we gonna do with him till we get help?" Madeline asked. Her arm was falling asleep holding up Rousseau.
"Vell, for fish, I alvays put medicated drops in zhe water. I can get something similar, but ve do not have a tank his size."
"We're gonna need the Engineer aren't we?" She said. Medic nodded to her. "Okay, you want to go get him, or should I?"
"Ja, you stay here. I vill go talk to zhe Engineer." Medic straightened, and paused in the doorway. "Do not let him leave." and with that, he exited the room.
Medic walked down towards the intelligence room. The Engineer was usually in there, reading blueprints and planning ways to protect the base, and working on sentries and dispensers.
"Ja, hallo?" He said. He looked up, tipping his hard hat. "I need your assistance."
"Well, doc, what do ya' need?" He asked, accent thick.
"Vell, I need a tank. A...a fishtank." He said. The Engineer quickly gave him confused looks.
"Son, there's no fish 'round these parts, it's desert for miles around. Only things out there are the Badlands and the Dustbowl." He said, frowning. "Even farther out is the Gravelpits, and that's all there is."
"Ja, I know. Zhis tank is not for fish use." Medic groaned. He loved looking professional, smart, and he was going to look like a fool. "Have you heard zhe Demoman's stories, the ones of the "sewer monster" perhaps?"
"Aw, doc'," The Engineer sighed. "Don't tell me ya' want t' keep it as a pet to study. Doc, I thought ya' was a smart one, ya' can't seriously believe the drunk one."
"Listen to me, I vould never make a fool out of myself." He growled. "Zhis 'sewer monster' is really... was really a man. Und he is sick. I need a big enough tank for a man to have room in."
The Engineer scratched the back of his neck. "Well, we have enough sheets of glass to do th' job, Doc', but there'll only be room for it in the main foyer."
"Mein gott..." Medic covered his face. "He is not exactly fond of people."
"We could build it smaller." He added, and said a smaller one was more portable. The medic shook his head.
"No, no, being cramped vill stress him out, he is bigger zhan a human, and he is very used to space."
"Well, doc, this guy's gonna have t' make a compromise, either deal with people and live, deal with a small tank, or go back t' the darn sewers, but ah still don't believe what you're sayin'."
It was quiet for several minutes, the Medic covering his face. "He is going to die if I don't do something..."
"I will build that tank anywhere you want, mister, if I can see this here darn 'monster'." He sighed. The medic paused.
"Vell... he vas asleep in zhe med bay vhen I left him und Madeline." He explained. Engineer seemed to perk up when Madeline was brought in.
"Wait, don't you tell me, boy, that you gone and left lil' Madeline with him?" He asked, in disbelief.
"Vhat vas I supposed to do? He only completely trusts her!" Medic groaned, and then he let out a sigh. "Let's go." Medic walked in a rushed manner to the medical bay, Engineer close behind him. "Alright, come on, he is in zhe back." He rushed to the back, and knocked on the door. "Madeline? It's me. Zhe Engineer vants to come in." He cracked the door open an inch. "Is he still asleep?"
"Mhmm, he is." She whispered back. "Don't make too much noise."
Medic looked back at the Engineer. "I have to ask you to not. Make. A noise. No matter vhat." He opened the door enough to slide in, and the Engineer followed suit.
"Well, I'll be damned..." He whispered, placing a hand on his helmeted head.
"Zhis is vhy I need a tank." Medic said. "Can you do it or not?"
"I reckon' I can." He replied. "He... he ain't dangerous, is he?"
"I'll be honest with you two," Madeline said. "He lifted two scouts and snapped their necks, one tentacle each."
And she watched the jaws drop.
"Frauline, vhy did you not tell me zhis sooner!" Medic said in a harsh whisper. "You did not tell me he has killed others!"
"Anyone in RED and BLU have killed people, as well!" She snapped. "They were red Scouts. He killed them after one of them shoved a scattergun into my stomach. If he wasn't there, I would have died."
"So he's neva' eaten a BLU?" Engineer asked.
"I... can't guarantee that." Madeline admitted. Medic sighed.
"Well, I reckon ah'd better start that tank construction. Gimmie a night to draw up th' blueprints, and if we're not attacked, I'll have this done by this time tomorrow." The Engineer said, before heading out of the room.
"Vell, I should be able to make some medicine for him, it vill take time." Medic said quietly. He opened his mouth to continue, but froze as Rousseau stirred.
"Medic, uhm, I can't stay here all night." Madeline yawned. "My legs are asleep, I have tentacles wrapped around my arms and legs, and he squeezes pretty tight."
Medic put a firm hand on a shoulder, and shook him gently. "Rousseau, Rousseau you need to vake up." The only reaction was grumbling. "Feh. Maybe he does not exert himself often? Leaving the sewers and dealing vith the stress of an exam may have had such a mental toll."
"Rousseau? Wake up." She shifted underneath him, and he propped his head up.
"Hu? Wh-wha? Où suis-je?" He looked around. "I fell asleep?"
"You sure did." Madeline said. "You can sleep more, it's late, just let me up?" He loosened his tentacles, and rolled off of her torso. "Do you need to go back to the sewers to sleep?"
"Non~ I do not want to go back." He yawned. "Unless I 'ave to."
"Your tentacles are dried zhough." Said medic, after his quick no-touch observation. "Wet blankets should make you more comfortable, ja?" He grabbed a few sheets, and soaked them in the sterile sink fixed in the wall. "Madeline, help." The two successfully wrapped all eight tentacles in dripping sheets, up to his chest.
"Ah, ze water feels zo fine." Rousseau sighed. After grabbing some dry sheets for use as a makeshift pillow, Madeline and Medic bid the Spy goodnight, promising him the door is locked and no one will get in.