"Papa, what does it feel like to like someone?"
The tenth mercenary lay nude on Medic's operating table for her routine inspection. Tiny sensors led from her body to a machine.
"Shh, kleine, remember ve need you to be still and calm for your inspections. But oh it is a wunderbar sing. Vhen you are near ze one you like, your heart goes aflutter und it is difficult to sink about anysing else. But you shouldn't sink about such sings kleine, you have me, ja? Hahaha! Oh I am kidding, vhy do you ask?" His concentration on the incoming data was hardly phased by his dialogue.
Flutter, huh? Her mind revisited the day she was allowed to use someone else's weapon. The way she felt when her sharpshooting companion said... "fire." She sure felt something that moment. She then remembered how Heavy made Scout and Demo apologize for seemingly nothing, and giggled to herself. "Oh, nothing. Just wondering. Am I almost done?"
"Ja, your scan just completed." He helped her sit up and removed the sensors from her body. She stood up, and before even dressing, tightly wrapped her arms around her creator. "Danke papa. Ich liebe dich," she said with a smile. He smiled and patted her head, hugging her with his other arm. It was times like these he took care not to be covered in blood when he touched someone. Ten put her usual outfit back on and headed out of the laboratory.
"Oh kleine, you say 'I love you' but I never even told you vhat it means, ja?" He sighed, "Oh vell, you vill see s- vhat is zis?" His attention was caught by a flashing monitor. "Nein... it can't be. Zehn, vait!"
But she was already gone.
"Gee, I wonder where he is. He isn't on the mission is he? Awwww, that would suck so much!" Ten wandered the seemingly empty halls of the base. By now she was familiar enough with her home not to get lost anymore. "Maybe vati'll know, I could ask him. Oh, oh! Engi, hey!" The team's Engineer seemed to be relaxing outside in the sun. He turned in the direction of his name and waved.
"Engi, did Sniper go on the mission with everyone else?" she asked him.
"Nah hon, today's a down day for the feller. I don't think he's even outta bed yet. Got a bone to pick?" This caught her by surprise. Usually people were barely in their rooms, and were doing something else.
"You could say so. Thanks Engi!" She made a way to the hall Sniper's room was in.
"No problemo!" he called out to her, resuming his sunbathing.
When she arrived, she was hesitant to knock, but summoned the courage and tapped the door with her knuckles. "Snipey, you here?" she called out. She heard faint movement behind the door, and it opened. "Oi, I was tryin'a catch a few more Z's. What brings you 'ere?"
"Um, Snipey, I think..." she paused for quite a while. "Think what, mate?"
"I think I like you. Will... you go on a date with me?" She looked up at him. His blue eyes were a sight she never held before. That is, before he rubbed them in disbelief. "Like, huh? Sure, I'll go along. S'more fun than what I 'ad planned. I'll take us out then. Gimme a minute, love."
The door closed and Ten's heart raced as she waited for him. Moments later he returned, wearing what must have been casual clothing, instead of his trademark uniform. He kept the hat, though. "Let's get goin'!" He took her hand and led her to his camper. He drove them to a nearby town Ten never knew existed.
"Wow, I never knew this was here. Oh, there are people, too, how exciting! What are we going to do here?" Sniper took hold of her hand. "Whatever you want. Just point it out and we're there."
Rather overwhelmed by opportunity, Ten decided to take it slow. They walked up and down sidewalks, window shopped, and sat in the local park and people-watched. Watching other people go about their day seemed to be Ten's favorite thing to do. Every now and then they'd catch people staring or whispering about them, saying things like, "Isn't that that sniper merc?" "I didn't know they had time for relationships." "Is that a dude or a girl? That's a wicked hair color." But this didn't bother either of them. Ten was having fun, but had a strange feeling of inadequacy. She looked at Sniper to confirm her feelings for him. He noticed and looked back at her. So good-looking, she thought. His eyes were a rare sight, but she preferred when he had his aviators on like today. She moved closer to him. He was so tall, so manly, so dreamy. The way he speaks and the way he acts. His kind attitude toward her despite the way he treats the others. He must like her, she thought; he has to. She leaned herself against him.
"Alright that's enough! I think I'm getting sick here." Sniper jumped back, almost falling off the bench.
"Bloody hell, what was that?!" He stood right up, staring, shocked, at his date.
"Huh, who was that? Snipey, what's going on?" Ten looked around for the source of the oddly familiar voice. Suddenly Sniper's cell phone rang, and he almost dropped it answering it.
"Oi. … Yeh she's 'ere, we're out in town. … You're jokin'. … No? Well shit, we're on our way back now. C'mon love, we're goin' back." He took her hand and led her back to the van. She considered protesting, but was afraid to speak. What was going on? Why were they going back already? Who was it that yelled at them?
When they arrived back at the base, Medic was there waiting. As soon as Ten stepped out of Sniper's van, Medic picked her up and rushed to his lab, leaving Sniper with a swift "danke." He barred the double doors behind them and ordered her to strip immediately. She did as was told and Medic sat her back on the operating table, hooking sensors to her temples, neck, and chest. His fingers keyed in commands as his eyes darted around his monitor. After a moment, he halted the operation and gasped. "It vas just as I sought..." He mumbled.
"Papa, I already had my checkup today. What's happening, am I sick? Am I going to die?" The girl had a lack of panic in her voice despite her serious questions.
"Nein, nein." Medic sighed, placing a towel and arm around her and sitting next to her. "Kleine, zere is somesing I should have told you a long time ago."
The Medic proceeded to explain the circumstances of her birth. In his initial experiment, he wholly intended to make two mercenaries. One male, and one female. But there were... complications. On the microscopic level, the two beings were allowed to be too close to each other, and merged into one. He thought it had destroyed the experiment until it turned out the girl developed successfully. However, as the years had passed, she did not develop breasts and was stripped of the ability to reproduce. This was due to the fact that against the odds, the genetic matter of her would-be male twin had continued to develop inside her body. Her odd hair and eye colors were undoubtedly the result of co-dominant genotypes. She had not only a second conscience residing within her, but a working set of vocal cords he evidently had access to and control over.
"Vhat confounds me," Medic began, calmer than before, "is zhat ze data suggests he has been sentient for some time now. How long, I don't know." He looked directly into her eyes. "Helloooo? Is anyvone in zheeere?"
"I guess the cat's out of the bag, eh... vati? Heh, woops." His voice was rather deep, yet still adolescent.
Medic's enthusiasm burst. "Ooohh, so fascinating! Zis is so science-fictional! How long have you been in zhere, mein sohn?" He seemed ready to begin to analyze and document this event.
The tenth mercenary shrugged. Was it appropriate to call this being he, or she? "I dunno, I guess always. I've always been watching my sis, but I never made myself known. I guess I thought it was for the better, seeing how I'm not supposed to exist and all."
Before Medic spoke, the feminine voice returned. "So you're my brother? You sound so familiar, like I've seen you in dreams. I guess it's my fault you don't have a body of your own. Are you... mad at me?" "On the contrary. You may not know me but I know everything about you. We've literally been together our whole life. I don't know what it's like to have my own body, so I can't reasonably be upset with you. I love you, sis." Medic looked in awe at this one person who seemed to be having a conversation with themselves. The wonder was cut short as he remembered there was more to their situation than before he sidetracked into confirming the male's sentience.
"Ah, ah ah I just remembered." He held her shoulders. "I don't know vhen it started or ze reason of it, zhough I suspect it is linked to your bruder's awakening. But, it seems zhere is a small yet powerful section of your hybrid cerebrum zhat enables you to observe how somesing is utilized, zhen repeat ze process vis an even greater result. Have you ever experienced somesing like zhat?"
She rubbed her chin in thought. When did she ever do something like that?
"Scout. He challenged her to a batting contest. It was his mistake to go first."
"Yeah, that's right! I kind of broke his bat when I struck the ball, heh."
"So fascinating... I sink zis just might be your calling, kleine. As much as I vould love to unveil zis mystery surrounding ze two of you, I sink it might be better to leave it be. At least... for now. Have fun vis each ozher, and spare me no details of what unfolds, ja?" Medic motioned for her to dress herself. Before she left the lab, she hugged him once again.
"Because of you and Engi, sis and even I are alive."
"Danke, vati."
"Danke, vati."
Though seemingly improbable, the would-be twins spoke simultaneously; and disappeared out the door.