There was a silence inside the Red Bread van as it rolled down the darkened road with Heavy at the wheel. In the front seat beside him was a proud Soldier who had called dibs on the seat at the end of the previous mission. The Demoman, Spy, Medic, and the starry-eyed tenth mercenary all sat in the back. Spy sat in a spot all his own, skillfully yet absent-mindedly flicking about his favorite knife like a stress reliever or toy. The Medic observed his medi-gun for flaws and malfunctions. Right next to him was the being he called not only his daughter but his son as well, who was gradually scooting closer to him as a hungover Demoman nodded out closer and closer to them. Eventually the demolitionist passed out in her lap. She rarely spoke to him, as his chronic intoxicated state made him rather unapproachable. She did, however, admire his sense of responsibility and the way he can easily lighten a room with a bit of drunken humor.
Ten, as the Scout nicknamed her, stared at the Spy across from her. Since the incident with Sniper, she found herself rather taken with some of her allies. She ignored it, though, knowing she'd be pressing her luck if she pursued anyone else. He caught her staring, and she passed it off as fascination with her stealthy ally's knife tricks. He handed it to her and smugly asked her to try it. She accepted it, and smiled as her head tingled a bit. She heard her brother laugh in her head as she began performing little tricks with the deadly blade. She tossed it in the air, and caught the blade between her index and middle fingers, and returned it to its owner. Although agitated and stunned by the display, the Spy only gave her an approving nod and smile. It seemed neither of them forgot her promise to become better than him, and she was well on her way with her new-found ability.
She leaned against the Medic and closed her eyes. She imagined what her very first mission would be like. She imagined her allies looking cool and doing what it took to retrieve this so-called intelligence. The man in her lap mumbled nonsense in his sleep, which gave the two next to him a good chuckle. By now, the Heavy and Soldier in the front were having an argument about who ate the last sandwich in the fridge.
The night before the previous, when the twins first met, they cast aside their "Number Ten" name and conceived new names. They agreed on Katze for the boy and Kaninchen for the girl, which, respectively, meant cat and rabbit in their creator's native tongue. The previous day, before asked to accompany the team on their first mission, they spent the day secluded in their new room to know one another. This room was actually intended to be Scout's. There were many hallways in the base, and certain halls held three rooms, categorized by their codenames. Demo, Engi, and Heavy's rooms were down one hall. Medic, Pyro, and Scout were supposed to be in another hall, but Medic settled himself inside a more appropriate, in his opinion, environment all his own to conduct experiments. When Scout learned his room would be right next to the Pyro's he immediately turned it down. So instead of the Sniper, Soldier, and Spy having their own hall, Scout set up in one of those rooms, so Spy ended up with his own isolated room as well, much to his delight. In the end, the only two rooms in residence on this hall were those of Pyro and the unassigned merc. Although it pleased her to be closer to her friend, several others made bets on how long she'd go without being charred.
The vehicle suddenly came to a stop, signaling the arrival of the destination. The halt cause Demo to wake up from his nap. The four hopped out and stretched their muscles. The owners of larger weapons such as Heavy's mini gun and Soldier's rocket launcher retrieved them from the back. Kanin nervously gripped her own small gun, a seemingly miniature version of Sniper's main rifle. It silently fired darts filled with the quickest-killing poison that money could obtain. Strapped to her thighs was a quick-accessible pair of four-pronged metal claws. In the pouch around her waist lied ammo and vials of poison to tip the claws with if she wished to. In her mind, she wouldn't be killing anyone, the poison would be the killer.
Now ready, the team set off for the building ahead. It seemed to have very little security measures, and according to Spy, would be easy enough even if they all went off alone. Of course, Spy went alone all the time anyways.
Kani set ahead, but Medic caught her arm. "Listen, ve don't know vhat might be in zere. If you need help or get lost, call out for me. I vill hear you no matter vhere you are. Understood?" She nodded her head. "I'm here too. I'll watch out for us," Kat responded to him. With that, the remaining two made way to their objective.
Inside the hostile hallways, it was dark. Very dark. So dark, the trio of Heavy, Soldier, and Demo could not see the sensory lasers they were about to pass through.
An alarm blared throughout the building. Iron fences began enclosing the halls. Kat looked upwards, realizing they were right below a slam-ready door. He pushed the Medic forward and jumped back. The door slammed down, nearly impaling the arms he shared with his sister. He strapped on the claws and struck the bars, only to be tossed back by the immediately live electricity coursing through the bars. The separated party made a swift, silent agreement to reunite at a different spot, and parted ways. The alarm and approaching rumble of footsteps put every team member off. The building was so quiet and seemingly unguarded, they all thought the mission would be smooth and easy.
Kat and Kanin hid around a corner, nervously listening to the footsteps down the adjacent hallway. Their heart skipped a beat when a single pair was approaching them. Their scarf was just in sight, and it seemed someone noticed. Kani stepped back and aimed her gun, ready for the enemy's appearance. When he came around the corner, she fired; but her shaky stance made her miss by inches. She was ready to fire again, but the man knocked her over, and she fell on her knees. She scrambled to get up as an acute pain stung her back. Kat sensed her terror and took over. He swiftly latched on the claws and pivoted, slashing the attacker's bullet-proof vest. He gave him no time to recover as he slashed once more, and again, knocking away the man's armed weapon and ripping his protective gear to shreds. With a single kick, Kat knocked him onto his back. He mounted the dazed enemy and, with a cold and rancorous look in his eyes, impaled his neck with the claws. He leaned in close to the now dead assailant. In an almost seductive tone, he whispered, "Don't you touch my sister."
The Spy, nearby yet hidden under his invisibility, observed with great interest what had taken place in front of him. He had considered stepping in before the tables were turned on their enemy. Idiot, he thought to himself. Such a poorly aimed stab in the back wouldn't kill a child.
Multiple explosions resonated through the halls. Soldier and Demo were having a field day demolishing what stood in the path to the prized intelligence. With Heavy as the shield leading the way, it took less effort than they were using to obtain the briefcase they caused such a commotion to obtain. A voice boomed. "Intelligence stolen." This signaled every merc, wherever they were, to leave immediately and return to the van. It wasn't difficult for Medic, Spy, and Kani to find the trail of destruction left by the other group. With the doors and walls destroyed, they found their way out with ease. Kani hugged Medic upon reuniting with him and told him of what happened when they split up. Her excitement was cut short, as her consciousness faded and she fell over. This alerted the others, until she stood up again. Only now, Kat was in charge once again.
"Doktor, we were stabbed. Can you help?" he asked calmly.
"Bloody hell was that this lass?"
"What...?"
"Double agent!"
"Well... this is certainly intriguing."
Medic's surprise turned to terror. He picked up the wounded Kat and rushed to the van, calling for his comrades to follow suit. It was only this moment he realized he hadn't equipped them with the team's life sustain device. If they died now, they were dead for good. The team piled into the van and Medic ordered Heavy to drive as fast as safely possible. Demo asked why he couldn't just zap her with his medi-gun. He explained that it would only patch the stab wound, it couldn't reproduce blood cells. By now, Kat had also lost consciousness in their weakened state. Although he kept his gloved hand firmly against her back, blood poured down the Medic's arm.
Tonight was the second time Medic rushed back to his lab carrying his experimental mercenary. Everyone who had stayed at the base heard the commotion and followed the frantic doctor, even Pyro, curious to what was happening. Medic placed her on the table and asked his present comrades if any would be willing to donate blood for a transfusion. Any of them would have sufficed, as her blood type was AB. Heavy made no hesitation in stepping forward, and everyone left; save for curious arsonist. What happened to his friend, he wondered.
He peered through the windows of the double doors. Blood. Blood stained the floor inside the lab as well as the path taken to get there. Pyro knew very well what this was and burst through the doors. Heavy lay on a table next to his unconscious friend. She was supported by a stationary medi-gun.
"Vhat do you vant? Go, go, ve need both patients to be calm right now!" Medic tried shooing him out of the lab.
"Umhummm mm!" Pyro growled, suddenly agitated, and adamant about staying.
"Fine, just keep quiet and do not interrupt!"
He stood there, restlessly watching the red liquid transfer from the large man to the smaller girl. As the minutes went on, he inched his way toward Kani's unconscious body. Medic noticed but cared less and less as the procedure smoothly proceeded. It did unnerve Heavy, though, as he still did not trust the Pyro around his little friend. Soon enough he was standing right next to her, staring at the pale face which was slowly regaining its soft color. He carefully reached out and stroked the side of her face with a single finger on his gloved hand. The sensation brought her to a sliver of consciousness. "Py...?" But she fell right back out of it just as quick.