"Madeline, zhe train is coming, can you go out to greet zhe Sniper?" Medic asked, tending to a stubborn Soldier with a sore arm.
"Sure. I'm not doing anything." She said, nearly monotone. "Come along, Ivam." She patted her leg, and the sentry zoomed out from under one of the beds, slowing down to be at her walking pace.
As she stepped out into the hot air, squinting, she could see the train approaching. Madeline only had to wait a few minutes before the train slowed down. Several men hopped out of the train, overalls over their BLU logo shirts, and they handed crates of food down, stacking them right inside the garage door-sized entrance. A man with yellow visors and a face shaded by his hat stepped off, brown vest in one hand and a bow in the other, a rifle and empty quiver on his back. He was looking at the ground, as he slid off the train, he obviously hadn't stretched his legs in some time.
"Hello, Sniper. I'm Madeline, one of the two medics, and-"
"Madeline?" He looked up, snatching his visors off his face. She was startled by his sudden speaking. It was the Sniper from Viaduct. "This 'ellhole is where they went an' sent ya'?"
"Wha-you! It's you!" Madeline covered her mouth, in disbelief. "Why were you sent here?"
"Well, BLU told my base that 2Fort was needin' a good sniper replacement, I was one of three back at th' base I was deported to." He stretched. "So glad I'm in dry heat again, just like back home. Madeline, if someone tells you to go an' visit Coldfront, don't."
"I'm so glad to see you're okay." She smiled. It hurt her inside to smile, she felt guilty, being so happy after what happened. The smile didn't last long.
"Why didn't you jump off the train?" He asked. Madeline grabbed him by his arm, and led him into the air conditioned building.
"What? I wasn't going to jump at all!" She told him. "I was trying to pull you to me."
"Wow, such miscommunication there." He scratched at his neck, looking awkwardly away.
"Seems so. I can show you the ammunition closet, and your room." Madeline led him to the double doors by the empty tank, opening the hatch and letting the doors swing open.
"Whot's this tank for?" He asked, tapping the glass. "Nothin' even innit?"
"Oh, that? It's...just always been here." Madeline lied. She didn't want to explain. She didn't want him in trouble, again. She didn't want to remember, remember how helpless she was. How scared he was. How much her fault it was.
"Ah, roight then." He said, not pressing for answers. "My room?"
Madeline led him to the hallway where every door led to a bedroom, and at the end was the showers. A whirring noise echoed down the hall, and the two turned around.
"Ivam? Where were you, you ran off again, didn't you?" She bent down and patted the sentry, who circled Sniper, camera clicking away.
"W-whot's that?" He asked, gripping his hat, and trying to avoid stepping on the tiny turret.
"The engineer at our base in Viaduct built him, when we were getting deported, he somehow got into my bags. Call him Ivam, he'll listen." She explained. "Ivam, if Sniper calls you, you listen. Got that, you chunk of junk on wheels?"
With a few high pitched beeps, Ivam rolled off and around a corner into Madeline's room.
"Ya' know I'd rather 'ave Madeline be lookin' at my arm." Sniper said, with a scowl.
"It cannot be helped, she is asleep, und I am avake." Medic replied, bandaging gauze to the Sniper's arm, thin stripes of dried blood trailed down to his wrist. RED had tried again a week after Sniper joined to get their intelligence.
The BLU team still managed to hold them off, but everyone was getting worn from the constant hard defense, and from that, people were slipping up. A scout forgot to run fast enough to jump onto the roof over the bridge; fractured his leg. Demoman ignited his stickies while too close. Soldier's aim was off, he was firing too close to himself, injuring himself and anyone near. The Pyro could barely keep up, moving at Heavy's pace. And people were getting struck with arrows and pistol bullets left and right.
"She's been asleep awhile, mate." He mentioned. "Ya' sure she's even okay?"
"Zhe Fraulein is only tired; I made zhe mistake of being cut off from zhe team, she vas left to help everyone." Medic replied, frowning. "I von't let it happen again."
"I've been worried 'bout 'er since th' day she got away from me." Sniper said, as Medic finished with his arm.
"You know her from before, ja?" Medic asked, interested.
"We were both stationed in Viaduct, yeah?" He motioned with his hands as he talked. "I got wrapped up in her deal with some file about a Spy, an' we both got deported to different bases."
"Ah, so, you und Madeline are friends." Medic said. "You can go. I zuggest you sleep." And with a jump off the edge of the bed, Sniper headed to his room.
As he opened the door, he noticed the door across from his open.
"Eghhh...I shouldn't." Sniper opened his door wider, but heard a feminine voice, causing him to pause.
"Oh, Ivam, I miss him. All the time." He heard beeping replies to Madeline's voice. Sniper couldn't bring himself to peer into her room; he respected privacy like no one else. "I... I'm going crazy, I keep thinking BLU wanted him to finishing destroying all the evidence." He could hear more erratic beeping. "Maybe they didn't get all the files here. I could look." More beeping, and the sound of wood scraping wood. "...I have to know. I can't sit here and just wonder if he's still alive."
Sniper ducked out of the doorway, and just in time, because the door opened, and Madeline rushed by him, buckling her belt, buttoning her coat.
"Madeline?" He asked, wide-eyed. "Where on Earth are ya' goin'? It's late."
She turned, Madeline looked over her shoulder. "Sniper...I, I can't tell you, okay? I don't want to risk you getting in trouble." She tucked a few papers into her coat.
"Madeline, we are comrades," He said, walking towards her. "Anythin' you need 'elp with, I'm all up for helpin' ya'."
"No, Sniper." Madeline was followed by Ivam down the hallway, and he stood there, braindead in the hallway.
"...Fine, then." Sniper departed into his room.
Madeline exited through the single door, next to the locked garage-sized one. Looking up, she noted the black camera, and she pulled out the papers infront of it.
"You want the rest of the file? Take me to BLU HQ, and you can have them."