Chapter 6:
To Nathan's horror, he found Spy sleeping right next to him...well, not really next to him but- he was really close to him. Where was he sleeping? In his car?
Before the young man could even tell himself whatever, Spy woke up and stared at the Bostonian who was already staring right back at him.
"Did you sleep well, Nathan?" he asked drowsily, "we haven't even reached zhe warehouse and there you were, snoring."
Nathan looked embarrassed.
"It's your fault," he replied, "you just had to drive that slow."
"I was just making sure none of us die."
How caring.
"Well...here we are."
Nathan looked outside the moist car window and saw his precious warehouse one block away.
"I guess this is goodbye." Spy said quietly.
"I thought you were mad at me." Nathan teased, trying to crack the Frenchman to his limits.
"Oh, I was." the man clarified, "we went through alot of trouble just to make sure we don't kill another person off duty."
Nathan's face froze with shock, and the words quickly died in his throat. Before he left, he swore he saw guns, crates and a fireproof suit.
"You...you're mercenaries, ain't ya?"
Shit. Spy thought. This was exactly what he tried to protect Nathan from all these years, and in a short moment, his efforts all went to waste.
"Woah, let me out this instant." the young man said nervously.
"Nathan, I won't harm you-"
"Just stay the fuck away from me!" Nathan shakily yelled out and rammed his fingers into the lock on the car door beside him.
"If I did wanted to kill you, you know as well as I that I could've easily done it last night." Spy said gruffly, tightening his grip on the wheel as he looked at the boy with a smirk.
"I'm not going to open that you know."
"Dude!" Nathan yelled out in despair. "I need to go!"
"And if I did let you go, I suppose you'll go to zhe nearby police station and report," Spy chuckled, "just so you know, zhe police won't be of much help to your affairs."
The Bostonian didn't want to believe this- this murderer, but somehow, Nathan knew that Spy was right. The police won't be of much help.
"Alright-alright!" the young man said, giving in to the pressure. "Just let me get off this thing and I'll forget that I ever met you guys."
Spy nodded, but before he could press the button that can unlock the door, a screen on the controls popped open and the face of a sharp, elderly woman appeared on it.
"Helen!" Spy exclaimed, and to his fright, her ever-wandering eyes landed on Nathan.
She then drew an intimidating smile on her face.
"And who is this charming young man?" she said, giving Nathan the chills.
"No one important." the mercenary gruffly replied.
But the Administrator was having none of that excuse. She continued to observe and inspect the boy as much as she can through one of the monitors in her dark control room.
"Thin arms, tall, lithe," the woman muttered, "you look like a fast one."
"Oh, I am," the young an said rather proudly, forgetting about all the uneasiness he felt before, "I can run faster than any kid in my school before, and if you're talkin' 'bout fast, lady, you're in luck."
"No, she is not!" Spy said sharply, turning to the young man. But the Announcer simply gazed at them with the same dark expression she always has.
"How fast are you?"
"I'm the fastest person I know." Nathan replied with a smug grin.
With a chuckle of her own, the Announcer got her usual cigarette stick and puffed out a faint wisp of smoke that disappeared immediately just as fast as they had gone out. Nathan eyed the long stick now rested between her long, thin fingers and shuddered as he noticed how aged and dry she looks.
"I think we have found the perfect class to help me get the last Australium cache."
"Helen, you're not serious!" the man exclaimed, losing every inch of cool he has by the minute.
"Are you gonna give me a job?" Nathan asked excitedly, feet tapping uncontrollably as the emotions overtook him.
"No, she isn't-"
"Yes I am." Helen quickly replied, cutting her assassin off. Spy stared incredulously at her.
"You never gave anybody a job on zhe spot," Spy said as he suspiciously turned to her with squinted eyes, "you normally tell us to kill those who know our secret."
"Do you really want that to happen?"
Spy froze as Helen chuckled. That mocking tone she just had...she knew, and yet, she offered his son to be a mercenary. She didn't even order him to kill the young man. But why? How did she know? Does she have a sinister plan for his son?
"What do you say, boy?" the woman asked pleasantly, "do you want the spot? It's the only one left."
"Hell yeah!" Nathan readily replied without any second thoughts. "When do I start?"
"Tomorrow." Helen answered immediately and turned to Spy. "Well, the day is young, why don't you show the boy everything he needs to know about the business, hm?"
Spy drew an unamused face and sighed heavily. "Alright."
"Good," Helen sighed with a smile, "well, it was nice knowing you, boy. I'm out."
When the two were finally free of the lady, Nathan let out a huge tuft of air and turned to the man beside him. "Is she like, my new boss?" he asked breathlessly.
"Trust me," said Spy as he twisted the keys to turn the engine back on, "not so easy, is it?"
"Between you and me," added the Bostonian, "I think she's really creepy."
"Welcome to our world," Spy smirked faintly and adjusted the car stick to reverse, making the vehicle drive backwards, "we have to get you back to the base."
"Nathan strikes again!" the young man hollered with joy, arms up as much as the roof of the car would let him, "a job on the spot, oh! I bet you never got one of those."
"No, I didn't," Spy said rolling his eyes at his son's cockiness. "but I hope your enthusiasm will burn bright as it is now. I promise you...it'll be hard."
"Yeah sure." Nathan scoffed, "I'll be a natural."
Spy sighed and let his eyes roll once more to his heart's content. He knew Nathan's attitude won't help him one bit to hold back the shock he soon will feel when he'll find out the truth about what the team really does.
It was a long trip...and Spy managed tell Nathan everything he needed to know, but still, the Frenchman knew he needed to show him the real deal around the main base and the temporary bases on battle rounds.
The young man felt really good; he, Nathan Tester, a nobody, would soon part take in one of the coolest jobs ever-a mercenary!
"Hey Frenchie," said the Bostonian, "what am I? That lady said I'm a 'class'."
Frenchie. How perfect.
"Well," said the Spy, smirking, "you carry the title of one of zhe first classes ever classified."
He pressed on the gas and the sleek car drove even faster as it neared the destination yonder.
"You are a Scout."
Meanwhile, in the RED base...
"Oi!" Demoman exclaimed as he laid eye on Heavy, holding a stickybomb in his fingers and observing it as if it were a new type of sandwich. Swiftly, yet carefully, Tavish snatched the object from the Russian's hand and placed it back in its container with an unamused look. "How many times do I have to tell ya? Don't touch me bombs!" Demoman stressed out, "you're lucky this place is still standin'."
"You touch Sasha all the time!" Heavy accused, pointing a finger at his rival.
"What, no!" Demoman yelled, "I never touched your bloody gun!". Grunting, Demo opened another bottle of liquor and drank the contents up to the very last drop. Then, he paced the room in circles and finally gave in to the effect of the 14 bottles he drank today and passed out on a table.
With a grunt of his own, Heavy left and searched for Medic. As for Soldier, he was just sitting down on a table when the door flew open and in came Spy. Soldier quuckly came down the table and flashed the mercenary a smile.
"Don't worry private," he said rather enthusiastically, "everything here is ship-shape while you were gone to God knows where!"
Behind him, Engineer was trying to drive Pyro away, again, as the latter kept on painting cute little things on Del's sentry, dispenser and teleporter containers. Spy also laid eyes on Demo snoring on the table...nothing new there. Heavy and Medic were nowhere in sight, Sniper just kept reading things-
"Yo Spy, where'd ya-"
Nathan said as he searched the premises for the mercenary who brought him finally found the man, but ut seems as if he has found other people as well. His colleagues he'd assume.
"Gentlemen," Spy said as he came over to the young man, "this is Scout, hired today by the Voice, he will be with us on every mission henceforth, and he will now live here with us."
The mercenaries looked at him speechless, even Demo woke up from the silence.
Engie looked the most concerned. "But Spy, isn't he your-"
"Student, yes, for now." Spy quickly cut him off, looking at Del with a hard stare.
"Hey Frenchie," Nathan suddenly said, "can I phone my ma? Tell her I got a new job now?"
Sighing, Spy nodded and went out with the boy to show him the landline.
When the two were gone, Engineer looked at everybody in the room. "I guess destiny doesn't want to hide itself from the lad any longer." he said with a smile.
Outside, Nathan finally heard his ma's voice after two days. Beside him, Spy managed to catch some of Nathan's responses.
"Yeah ma."
"I'm ok ma."
"Sure ma,"
"I'll visit ma."
"Ok, love ya, ma."
As the lad was about to put the phone down, Spy stopped him and ushered Nathan to give it to him instead. Confused, Nathan hesitated, but soon gave in anyway.
"You can go now," Spy said, "I just want to have a word with your mother."
"If you dare scare her-"
"I won't Nathan," the frenchman said softly and watched as the lad walked away, looking over his shoulders from time to time, not trusting the man one bit,
"Cheri..." he whispered lovingly, "it's me."
From the other line, Nathan's mother exclaimed happily and asked about things.
"I'm fine, mon amour," Spy chuckled, "and don't worry, I will watch over our son. I promise."
From afar, Spy saw Nathan staring at him, refusing to go up without him.
Warmth poured into the mercenary as he looked at his matured son knitting his eyebrows as he continued to look at him.
"I'll take care of him."