(AN: I'm sorry for such a long delay. I was struggling with writers block and time management but I was on vacation for two weeks in Alaska,USA and Yukon,CA and while on my journey I finally had the time and inspiration I needed to write again. Next chapter will start to get a little different and exciting so hopefully I will be able to get it out sooner than this one took. Enjoy and tell me what you think! ~Dragon)
~~~4~~~
When Pyro came out of his room, he found Soldier and Scout conversing in the halls. What he discovered made him frown. They were conversing about how much trouble the enemy was causing them because it was his first day. Soldier yelled that he was not American enough to handle a sentry.
Scout replied, "Yea, well. Dem sentries are pretty tough. I mean, 'e's never faced one before. Dough 'e shouldda leart after da first two times."
"Aye, lay off 'im. Pyro will work on it. It's da first day, ye know? Give 'em time," Demo defended as he came out of his room. "Oi, speak of the devil. Joining us fer sum chips 'n' drinks?"
Pyro acted to have just came from his room and answered, "I think I will just join you guys for dinner."
Demo smiled, "Aight, mate. See ya then."
The darker man pulled the two teammates down the halls with his arms around their shoulders. Pyro sighed, turning his head at the sound of another door closing. It was Medic, and he was heading in the direction of his laboratory. The fire-retardent suited man followed the doctor down the halls, seeking the medical man's company.
"Iz zere somezing wrong, Herr Pyro? Vhy not join ze ozers?" Medic asked, noticing the strange presence of Pyro. When the masked teammate gave no response the Medic pondered to himself and commented: "You are being very shy. Iz zere any problems zat I should be vorried about? Und I don't just ask az a doctor."
"Don't worry about me, Medic. I am healthy. Just don't care for socializing," Pyro replied as he shuffled along down the halls.
"Hm," Medic agreed, understanding that Pyro was overwhelmed with him still being new to the team. "Vell, how vas your first day out on ze field?"
Pyro shrugs, unable to judge his performance due to being new and the insulting words passed around the team. He was not sure how he was supposed to act or what he was supposed to do or where he was supposed to be. All things he is able to learn with time, but learning meant rinse and repeating and he is not a huge fan of perfecting things.
Medic put a reassuring hand on Pyro's shoulder and said, "Don't vorry too much about your performance for now. You vill learn, and be stupendous at killing ze BLU Spy in no time. Vat ze ozers say does not matter. Zey too had to go zrough ze zame zing. Zey mean no harm. Just take into account vat zey are frustrated about, und you can improve zere as you grow."
Pyro nodded in agreement. He should not get disheartened by a few words spread from his new teammates. Instead improve upon his weaknesses to prove to them that he was worthy of being a mercenary in RED.
By then, the two had walked all the way to the Medibay, and Medic held one of the double doors open welcoming his guest. The Pyro entered gratefully and looked around at the foreign technology. The Medic runs through his stock, taking mental notes on what viles or meds or chemicals he has and what he is short of. Hundreds of shelves lined with thousands of jars of powders and chemicals and organs and alcohol.
Medic mumbles as he walks through his mental checklist. Pyro is left speechless in awe before he could squeeze out a, "Wow."
"Impressive, ja? It's not everyzing a medical man of zience such as myself could wish for, vut it iz definitely stepping in ze right direction," Medic replied, continuing down the shelves of organs.
"This isn't everything? It's gotta be close to the best Medibays in the world!" Pyro gasped.
"Perhaps one of, but certainly not ze best. I make do vith vat I have, und am grateful for it," the medical man searched deeper into a cabinet before giving a sound of achievement as he pulls a jar of an unknown substance off the shelf. He shook the jar and it radiated a lime green before he took it to a spot-light hovering around a patient chair. The jar shone yellow and the german jeered, "Ooh, fascinating. I found zis liquid out by a zewer und it appears to have zome interesting secrets. I am guessing it may be able to be used in my latest experiments."
Medic set the jar of mysterious liquid? next to a bunch if organized medical equipment on a counter by the chair. Pyro moved out of the way when Medic reached for a refrigerator. The masked man could not see much inside of the refrigerator, but he could guess it did not contain things that would be edible. An organ of some kind came out of the fridge before plopped onto a tray to be tested on. Pyro tilted his head in confusion, trying to follow what the Medic was doing.
As the Medic cut into the organ, he held a content face as though he would prefer to do nothing less for the next seven hours. His question took Pyro by surprise: "Zo, vat gave you ze interest in fire, mein friend?"
Pyro cleared his voice before speaking through the mask, "Well, I suppose I was always fascinated as a child. I used to burn the trash out in the backyard. I had a job at the local fire department, but it never really satisfied me. I liked the fire better alive, than being smothered out by the rush of the water hose. I am very grateful for having a job where I can light the fire and work with it, versus against it."
Medic nodded and gently probed, "If you don't mind me asking, vut… Fire iz ze reazon you are here, nein? Vat happened to get you noticed by ze Administrator? Bitte, mein friend, zis is probably rather personal for you…"
"It is, Medic. Im sorry," Pyro responded, shaking his head and taking a step away from the doctor.
"Nein, I vas just curious iz all. Ve all have our own secrets und reazons for being here," Medic reassured kindly.
An awkward silence followed as Medic grabbed the suspicious jar from earlier and with a gloved hand, scooped up some of the Jell-O like substance and put it inside of the dissected organ. Medic proceeded to stitch up the organ that now contained the strange liquid.
"Az zoon az I am done vith zis, shall ve join ze ozers for dinner or vould you prefer to be alone?" the Medic suggested, receiving no answer. He added, with a slosh of the organ moving on the table, "Ze ozers mean no harm to you, really. Ve all are not az bad az ve seem. Just because I lost mein medical liscence dozn't mean I can't heal. It dozn't make me an bad perzon. Und ze ozers could zay zimilar zings about zemselves az vell."
"You make a good point, I suppose. Let's go eat," Pyro agreed, feeling much better.
"Vunderbar!" Medic cheered as he placed the finished organ back into the refrigerator, removing his bloody gloves and replacing them with clean ones from a dispenser on the wall.
As the two walked into the common area, they were greeted by a whirlwind of chaos. Poker chips were thrown across the room as Soldier and Demo faced off in an arm wrestle that involved a bit more than just their arms. Somehow the two managed to tangle themselves together with the arms locked together, legs wrapped around each other in awkward angles, and foreheads locked against each other. Somehow the Scout got involved as he appeared to be trapped awkwardly between the two men, turning his head towards the two approaching men.
"Hey der, Medic. Little help? Oh, 'ey New Mumbles," Scout greeted, waving his hand what little he could from between the Soldier's legs.
"Dummkopfs," Medic sighed as he shook his head in disappointment. "Vat vas it zis time?"
"Well, ah, you know… Da usual insults 'n' arm wrestle 'n' all dat… But ah, I can't feel my hand," Scout explained a little embarrassed at his predicament.
"Herr Pyro, if you please?" Medic motioned towards the Scout as he walked up to the stuck mercenaries. Pyro followed suit, getting behind the Scout in order to free him from his entanglement.
Scout came loose, flopping down onto the ground like a newborn horse. Pyro set him down and helped the young man back on his feet. As the Scout stood back properly, the Soldier and Demoman were being untwisted by the Medic. The two cried in pain as Medic nearly dislocated their joints in order to teach them a lesson. By their groans, Pyro would guess the lesson was learned; and if not for them, then certainly for him.
Soldier sneared at the Demoman, "I'll win next time, maggot! You won't beat me with those lady arms!"
"Oh yeah? I doubt it, ye arse lickin' piece a s***!" Demo retorted. Apparently they didn't learn anything at all.
"Why don't y'all just get along?" Engineer asked as he passed the room heading towards the kitchen area. Pyro followed him there, curious to the mysterious Engineer. "I'm makin' supper tonight. What do ya want before ah get started?"
"You want some help?" Pyro offered, hoping being closer to the Engineer would encourage him to give Pyro his trust. Besides, Pyro didn't mind cooking as he enjoyed the wood stove of his home.
"Nah, you got to cook yer own in a few. This is mah duty," he replied, pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator.
Pyro didn't want to be pushed away just yet so he asked, "What are you making?"
Engineer seemed to hesitate as he set his ingredients on the table. Pyro's eyes lit up at the sight of bacon. It seemed like what would be needed to make gravy. A very thick and delicious gravy at that. Pyro had made the gravy himself before in a class during school. He licked his lips in anticipation of the meal soon to be eaten.
"Somethin' ah haven't eaten in quite some time," he said as he pulled out a pot and pan. He was so short he had to stand on his tip-toes in order to be able to reach his fingertips around the kettles.
Before Engineer could say anything further, Pyro lit the stove to the correct temperature and pulled the ingredients into the correct order of preparation. With a huff, Engineer opened another cabinet and reaching up high to grab the cooking oil. As his fingertips reach the bottle, Pyro stretched from behind to retrieve it for the shorter man. Engineer shrunk back down in defeat and gave a gruff thanks.
"You're welcome. I used to make this in class. It's my favorite American cuisine," Pyro responded cheerfully.
Pyro was trying to be as nice as he could be, and he hoped his efforts were not in vain. There was something about the Engineer that intrigued the fire loving man. Something he hasn't seen in the short man yet. Of course, he has only been with the team for two days and the Engineer has given him the least ammount of time to spend with him off field.
Well, that's not true. Pyro has not even talked to Soldier or Demoman or Sniper or Heavy. Scout did all the talking and nothing was understood of him except for catching on at how much the kid needed the attention in his tons of energy attitude. He had a short interaction with the Engineer at last night's dinner, so Pyro actually had spent some time with the mysterious mechanic. Medic was very kind to Pyro so he would be the member Pyro knows the most of. Lastly was the Spy who is surprisingly more straight forward, compared to the rest of his team. The Spy might have just been easier to pick up on because of the Pyro's job discription.
Back to the Engineer, he took a breath and told Pyro, "Look here, son. I would apreciate yer help in tha kitchen, but ah don't think that it would be a good idea. Fer me, ah would rather just be left alone."
That was the second time Pyro saw emotion from the Engineer and he knew he should do as the Engineer requested. After nodding in understanding, he made his way to the door but paused in the doorway. Pyro knew the Engineer was hurting from his loss, and trying his best not to be angry at the new Pyro for replacing his close friend; but Pyro also knew that keeping those feelings inside never helps to get over the loss.
"Engineer," Pyro started and made sure he still had the man's attention, "if you don't want to let yourself relax with the heavy weight on your shoulders, then it is fine that you do not wish to tell me why. However, you should at least try to let yourself relax and recover."
With the air heavy in silence, Pyro walks out of the doorway and into the hallway headed towards the common room again. Not long passed by the time dinner was called and the whole team sat around the table for their nightly meal. The rowdy crew calmed down as Engineer passed around plates of biscuits slathered with deliciously thick gravy and a large helping of green peas.
"Peas?! You've got to be kiddin' me, Engi! We just had corn last night!" Scout complained outraged at the vegetables he is being forced to eat.
"Oh please. Just eat your vegetables. You are a child and a pest," Spy rolled his eyes.
"Relax, Scout! I see bacon in this gravy! It is perfectly American!" Soldier shouted. "Well done, Soldier!"
The rest of the team followed with thanks to the Engineer for the food and began to eat. Engineer set the eating contraption back on the table next to Pyro who took the device out of kindness. Pyro would prefer to taste such delicious meal going down his throat, but zapping it into his stomach while sitting with everyone else at the dining table is more respectful of his team mates.
"Who's servin' thah bee-ah tonoight?" Sniper asked the crew from under his hat and glasses. "We moight not 'ave won a great win, but at least we won. Roight guys?"
"That was a horrible game, and you know it! We all were in respawn far more than we needed to! You maggots are all slacking off like girls!" Soldier declared.
"Leetle men acted like first day on feild so Pyro did not feel alone. At least, dat is what it feelt like," Heavy stated.
"At least ve von, ya?" Medic added.
Demoman nodded but before he could say something the Scout took over, "Yea, a real stupid win. I mean, dat BLU Engi got us way more dan 'e should've. I didn't even see Spy today! Oh, and don't get me stawted on deir backstabbing son of a b****! 'N' e'ery time deir Medic ubered we got destroyed 'cause Pyro wasn't dere ta stop 'em!"
Demo shouted out against Scout, "Ye call out Pyro fer dahin' too da sentree but ah least 'e 'as an excoose! 'E doosn't know the lan' 'n' yoo doo 'n' yoo still get kill't by the same sentree each time!"
"Blaimin' thah team ain't gettin' us bettah on thah field," Sniper pointed out, trying to find middle ground.
"Yeah, right. Easy for you to say, Snipes. Yer barely on da field!" Scout rebutted.
Heavy sighed an: "Uh oh. Dees is not good."
Medic chimmed in angrily, "Enough in front of ze Pyro! 'E vas excellent for his first time on ze field. Und stop blaming each ozer for everyzing zat vent vrong! Yas ve vere not all performing at peak performance for ze match today, but it iz not ze end of ze vorld. Ve got ze Pyro back so ve do not have to vorry avout mizzing our extra skill. Now zat ve have him, ve can take back our vinning spree und finish zis var once und for all!"
Silence spread thick in the room. All nine members of the RED industries mercinary team sat awkwardly as they finished up their meal the Engineer prepared for them. Medic calmed his frustrated face to be more neutral as he took his last few bites of his meal. Scout sat with his arms crossed and a stern look saying he knew he was right and he is offended by the other's accusations. Spy was neutral and unreadable, as expected of such an uptight man with the title. Sniper was obviously upset by the conversation with a deeper frown than usual. Demo seemed to have given up as he sat back in his chair while taking a long gulp out of his whiskey bottle. Soldier was even more scary with his dark shadowed face in a tight frown of disappointment in the team. Pyro wasn't much for showing his emotions but his shrugged shoulders and head low to express his submission towards their angry bantering as he continued to study his fellow team mates in silence. Engineer seemed to have a lot on his mind with a stern jaw and gaze at his empty plate. Lastly, Heavy seemed the most innocent at the table with a look of: how can I make this situation better?
Finally, Engineer broke the silence with: "Ya know, fellas? Why don't we stop yellin' at each other and instead just tell each other what we want better of them. We all have our own systems, but with a new member of this team we are all off kilter. We have been in cease-fire for a week so it is no surprise that we might be a bit rusty. We need to re-learn how to get back into our usual rythem. Once we get our rythem, we'll be winnin' fer real."
A few grumbles of doubt, denial, and acceptence passed around the room. Medic nodded and spoke, "I sink zis is a great idea, Herr Engi. It just zeems az though ze ozer team vas not az affected by ze cease-fire az ve vere. Ve need to re-shawpen ze knives und vork vith our new friend, not against zem. Zose who refuse vill surely let us all down."
Only a few denials were heard after the Medic's second speach and the men decided to get up from the table and be dismissed to their own quarters for the night. Pyro had a lot going through his mind as he got up after handing the Engineer his gajit and headed towards his room for the night, not bothering to clean his weapons that night as he was exhausted from the very exhilarating day.