HitSpy: Absolution
Act 2, Scene 1
Having taken a taxi to the farthest town in Kansas, HitSpy and Scout had hotwired an abandoned car, and had driven to Payne County, Oklahoma. By the light of the falling sun, HitSpy could see the war was taking its toll on the land. Craters, abandoned tanks and other machinery, and occasionally bodies of people clad in red littered the ground. Red had fought hard to keep Blu out of Texas, and to the casual observer, it would appear as though they were failing. HitSpy could see beyond what the average person saw, however, and he could see that Red was hopelessly outnumbered, and that for such a small fighting force, they were doing pretty good.
But pretty good wouldn't win the war.
A direct confrontation wouldn't win the war either, it looked like. Red's only hope would be guerilla tactics, and Dell's machines. They would have to strike the big guys, quickly, and efficiently.
They would need HitSpy to win.
It was at this county, sixteen hours after HitSpy had found Scout, when Scout spoke up.
"So, uh, ya let her go?"
"Yes, Scout, yes I did."
"But what if she tracks us down and-"
"She won't. She doesn't have to. She has a job of her own to do."
"So is she a bad guy or a good guy?"
"If you're asking towards her allegiances, she's strictly in Blu to cause havoc."
"So… bad guy?"
"Good guy."
"Oh, ok, good."
They drove down highway 35 in silence for some time afterward. In fact, they were fifteen minutes into the silence when Scout spoke up again.
"So how are we gonna know if we've reached the warzone?"
As soon as he said that, a blue-painted tank crossed the road just ahead of them. HitSpy stomped on the brakes, barely coming to a stop in time, right in front of the tank. The tank swiveled its small barrel to face the car. HitSpy didn't wait for probable cause; he used his knife to slash Scout's seatbelt, and kicked him out of the car. He slashed his own seatbelt, and quickly folded the knife back up, stuck it in his suit pocket, and jumped out of the car as well. As soon as he was out, he raised his hands in surrender.
On the turret of the tank, a hatch opened, and out popped a Blu clone, bearing a shotgun.
"Stop, maggots!" he screamed at them, "Surrender now and you will not be harmed!"
Scout had long since lost his suit, so it didn't take a genius to figure out whose side they were on. HitSpy could clearly see how this would end, and he readied his cloak, hopefully to escape, and buy enough time for Scout to do the same. The soldier cocked his shotgun, aiming it at HitSpy.
A sudden explosion in the distance caught his attention for a second, and within that second, a meat cleaver flew into the clone's jugular.
"That is how it's done", Scout yelled at the soldier, as he choked on the blood bubbling up in his damaged throat.
HitSpy admired Scout's work, and made a mental note to find Scout some more meat cleavers. The kid was a natural throw, even with something as unbalanced as a meat cleaver, and it honestly impressed HitSpy. He turned to Scout, who had his hands intertwined behind his head, and gave him a curt nod. Scout, in turn, grinned, as the compliments kept rolling to him.
Of course, that all changed when the soldier had finally fallen over, and the tank began rolling. HitSpy immediately cursed himself for letting his guard down. Of course there were more people in the tank; that was how tanks worked. Scout's eyes went up to the turret, holding the tank's cannon, and he immediately began running at the tank, attempting to jump on it before it left. HitSpy did the same, trying to get into a hatch closer to the front of the tank.
As HitSpy jumped on the tank, he noticed several things; the tank was unusually lightly armored, making it faster, and the machine guns mounted on it consisted mostly of .30 caliber guns. The barrel itself was rather small, perhaps only a 37mm cannon, and the build of the tank was extremely small. It was as if Blu was trying to make the cheapest tank that money could buy.
Which sponsored plenty of malfunctions on the tank's part.
HitSpy didn't want to take this tank, but it was their only option of getting through undetected. They would go as far as they could, and then they would improvise. HitSpy opened the hatch, and pulled the .45 out of his suit pocket, and put a round through the first soldier's head. The second one lifted a PPSh, a Russian sub-machine gun, and got a round through his throat.
A driver, a commander, and a turret operator.
The tank came to a halt, and HitSpy jumped off of it, as did Scout. Scout calmly walked up to HitSpy, with a childish look of hope on his face.
"Are we gonna to take this tank?"
"Yes, for as far as it will go, or until we reach Red lines."
Scout's eyes lit up, and he began jumping up, pumping his fist in the air like he had won some great victory.
"There was an SMG in there", HitSpy commented, "it would be wise if you took it. We should probably take the shotguns as well. Get them out of the car while I figure this tank out."
While Scout walked back to the car, HitSpy climbed up into the tank. Sliding down the hatch, he found that there was not enough room for him to sit next to the two bodies. He pushed one of the soldiers up and out of the hatch, and turned to do the same with the other, when he heard Scout returning with the shotguns.
"Ya figured this beast out yet?" Scout asked with glee.
"No", HitSpy responded, pushing the other body out of the hatch, and tossing the PPSh to Scout. Scout caught it deftly, and HitSpy went back to figuring out how the tank worked.
He was about to just start pressing buttons at random when Scout yelled down to him, "My brother drove tanks in the Marines. He told me a little bit about 'em; maybe I can figure it out."
HitSpy rolled his eyes, and climbed out of the hatch.
"Fine", he said, as he gestured to the hatch. Scout grinned, and jumped in it without a second thought. For about a minute, nothing happened, and HitSpy wondered if Scout had somehow killed himself or something worse. He was about to jump down the hatch himself, when suddenly, the tank made a roaring sound, and the engine sprung to life.
Seconds later, Scout poked his head out of the hatch, with an excrement-eating grin covering his face, saying, "Alright, I did it!"
HitSpy gave a small clap, and said, "Let us move!"
He waited until Scout scurried back down the hatch, and then followed him. HitSpy moved to sit in the driver's seat, but Scout stopped him.
"It's ok, I got this. Use the turret, straighten it out; it'll look weird if we're all lopsided."
For once in his life, Scout had said something insightful. HitSpy climbed behind the pilot's seat, to where the gunner's seat was located, and found that the controls for the turret were surprisingly simple. The pedals controlled which way the turret spun, and the two joysticks controlled the main cannon and the machine gun next to it. HitSpy could do this easily.
He found one of the tank's headsets, and put it on his head. He signaled for Scout to do the same, but instead, Scout just adjusted a knob on the headset that he already had, and started speaking to HitSpy. Surprisingly enough, the headsets actually connected, and Scout's voice flooded HitSpy's ears.
"What's up, Spy?"
"I think I'll stay on the turret", HitSpy said, "just in case."
"That's fine, this is easy."
"And it's HitSpy."
"What, like I care? I'm trying to drive a tank here. Grow a pair and get over it."
"I could slash your throat and leave you for the Blu's."
"And I could let YOU drive this tank."
"Touché."
HitSpy decided not to keep the conversation going; first of all, he was losing, and second of all, he was losing to SCOUT. He did not wish to divert any more brain power to this, and decided that it wasn't worth trying to win anyway. After all, all they had right now was each other.
The engine roared on, and the tank shook as it rolled down the road. HitSpy was beginning to curse himself for not at the very least sticking those soldiers in the trunk of the car, and moving said car off the road.
"Scout", HitSpy said over the radio, "can we go back to the car?"
"What, you forget somethin?"
"Unfinished business", HitSpy said. Scout gave a sigh, and the tank began turning. They hadn't gone very far, so it was only a minute or two before the tank rolled to a stop in front of the car. HitSpy pushed the hatch open, and climbed out. He quickly pulled every last one of the soldiers into the trunk of the practically useless car, and got in the driver's seat to pull it off the road. After he was done, he came back to the tank, and climbed into the hatch on the turret, and got comfortable before he shut it again.
They were on the move within the minute, the tank rolling noisily down the road. The treads were holding up fine, it seemed, and from what HitSpy could see of the cockpit, Scout was a natural born tank driver. The thought suddenly crossed HitSpy's mind that he had gotten lucky, what with finding Scout so quickly. He turned his attention back to the turret, noticing another Blu tank coming close to them.
"Scout-"
"I see 'em", Scout said, nervousness evident in his voice. "Let's just stay calm and act casual. Maybe they won't pay attention to us."
"Not what I was thinking, but it should work."
"I really don't want to get into a fight in this tank, man. Did you see how small our gun was?"
"Size isn't everything."
"But thickness is, and we're thinner than my ma's nighties as far as armor goes."
"Fair enough."
They drove in silence, each holding their breath, as the other tank passed them without incident. HitSpy let go of the breath he was holding, as did Scout. For the second time, Scout had actually saved their skins.
"So, not a bad plan, eh?"
"Just keep driving", HitSpy responded, keeping a straight face. "Now that we have an advantage, we should use it to the fullest extent."
HitSpy didn't want to build Scout up too much. Sure, the kid had been through a lot, but it could work against HitSpy if Scout was overconfident. Scout had been known to do some stupid things when he was confident, like steal a sandwich from Heavy just to make him mad. It had taken Medic two weeks to fully piece Scout back together, before he could even use the medigun on him.
"So, uh, when do we stop?"
"When the gun fire gets really loud."
"Ok…"
They wouldn't be able to get through Red lines in a Blu tank. Scout had yet to learn all of this. HitSpy would need to train him after they made it to Texas.
Right then, the tank's engine began to make coughing noises.
"Scout-"
"I hear it. Should we stop?"
"How much farther can the tank take us?"
"Do I look like an Engineer, Spy? I don't know, maybe a few more miles."
"Then let's keep going."
"That is, if the tank doesn't catch on fire."
That gave HitSpy pause.
"What do you mean, 'catch on fire'?"
"My bro told me that if a tank's engine overheats, especially while it's having problems, it could catch the whole tank on fire."
"How long before that happens?"
"Like Hell if I know."
"So what you're telling me is that we are basically sitting in a giant funeral pyre."
"Pretty much."
"Perfect. Well, will there be warning signs?"
"I guess the engine will start smoking. Hey, just in case it has a filter, pop out of the turret and check behind us."
"A filter?"
"Yeah, some tanks have air filters to keep smoke out of the crew's eyes, like when they're shooting the main cannon. If there's a filter, the smoke will be trailing from behind the tank."
HitSpy didn't care how Scout knew so much about tanks, he was only thankful that he knew anything at all. Noticing a helmet on the floor, HitSpy picked it up and put it over his head. If there was someone following them, he didn't want them to recognize him. He popped the turret hatch open, and stuck his head out, looking out at the field around him. The broken tanks and bodies were getting thicker in numbers, signaling that Red was putting up a fight here, and putting it up hard.
That didn't concern him. What did concern him was the thick, black smoke that poured out of the back of the tank, and the tiniest flicker of flames that was sprouting up. HitSpy lowered himself back into the tank.
"Scout, we have a problem."
Scout didn't need to be told twice. He quickly opened up his own hatch, and scrambled out of it. HitSpy followed suit. When they were both on top of the tank, Scout wasted no time in jumping off of it. HitSpy followed without question, just as the hatch he was standing on burped flame.
HitSpy rolled across the ground, and rolled to his feet. However, he felt something shove him to the ground from behind. HitSpy was about to turn and attack this new threat, but as he turned his head, he realized that it was Scout, covering him with his own body. HitSpy wondered why he would do this, but suddenly, the answer became abundantly clear to him.
Tanks were loaded with volatile ammunition.
Just as this thought entered his head, an explosion rocked the world around them. Hot metallic fragments rained down on the two, and HitSpy's ears began ringing almost instantly. He was no stranger to loud noises, but this was not an explosion that he encountered on a daily basis. The ringing in his ears wouldn't go away, and fragments still rained down on them, some zipping by, and others falling lazily at his side. Eventually, the fragments stopped falling, and HitSpy felt it safe to stand again. As he thought this, Scout rolled off of him.
HitSpy got to his feet, and looked down at Scout, who was still staring at the burning, now turretless tank. HitSpy opened his mouth to speak, but Scout held out his hand instead. HitSpy yanked the boy to his feet.
"You could have died, Scout. Why did you do that?"
"Well, I figured, 'If he dies, what the hell am I gonna do'?"
"Well… I certainly owe you one now."
"Don't mention it."
"Stop, maggots!"
The sudden interjection caught HitSpy and Scout off guard. Scout drew the Reserve Shooter off of his back, and swiveled around to face the soldierly voice. HitSpy turned as well, producing the .45 that he had acquired. He found four soldier clones facing him, all bearing shotguns.
"You are scum", the private out front said, taunting the two men, "You are nothin' but a bunch of cowards!"
"Yeah, why don't you come over here and say that to my face, tough guy", Scout growled, as he cocked the shotgun in his hands. In response, the soldiers all gave a chuckle. Scout, angered, pointed the shotgun at the nearest soldier and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.
Scout, confused, checked his shotgun. The barrel had been pinched off, and the release had been cracked, and gunpowder from the crushed shell leaked out of it.
"Aw, crap", Scout said, as he dropped the shotgun.
The soldiers shared a laugh as Scout threw his hands up in surrender. He must have known that he wouldn't have enough time to grab the PPSh, so he chose self-preservation instead. Perhaps, in his mind, the clones would show mercy.
All of the soldiers turned their shotguns onto HitSpy. They turned their grins into snarls, all serious in seconds. HitSpy knew that he wouldn't win a gunfight like this. Four shotguns versus one pistol, even if it was a .45, wasn't a winnable fight at close range. HitSpy released his finger from the trigger, and dropped the pistol.
Something caught HitSpy's eye in the last light of the sun… a streak of red.
The four soldiers advanced on them, two of them moving around behind them, shoving them to the ground. The other two pointed their shotguns at the two Red's heads.
"Go play your pinko chess game with the Devil, comrade", one of the soldiers said, as he cocked his shotgun. HitSpy closed his eyes, fearing this to be the untimely end.
Suddenly, there came the yell of, "ATTACK!"
It had sounded a lot like Soldier's voice, but all the same, people of all shapes, colors, and sizes, dressed in red, burst from the brush around them, and fired rifles at the blue clones. The clones holding HitSpy and Scout were dispatched first, and HitSpy grabbed his knife and shoved it into the throat of the soldier holding a shotgun at his head, and grabbed his shotgun, and turned to blast the other soldier near Scout with it. Before he could, however, the enemy soldier turned into a field of red mist and smoke.
As a man in a red trench coat, with a burlap backpack, wearing a Team Captain Officer cap, walked out of the brush, HitSpy's day brightened.
"Soldier!"
"Spy", the crazy, self-proclaimed "Soldier" said, as he shouldered his rocket launcher.
"Today is a good day", Soldier declared, as he pulled a tin of coffee out of his back pocket. He threw his backpack onto the ground in front of him, and used his backpack as a stepstool to rest his right foot on. He sipped his coffee, as he mumbled something about the smell of kicked ass in the morning.
"I honestly can't believe you're alive, Spy", Soldier said, as he took another sip of coffee, "cause you were one of their primary targets. Scout, how you're alive is beyond me, not because they were looking for you, but because-"
Soldier was cut off as Scout ran up to him and hugged him.
Soldier spilt a bit of his coffee out of the tin, so caught off guard by Scout's actions.
"You're alive", Scout screamed with joy, tears brimming on his eyes.
"Of course I'm alive, maggot", Soldier said, a bit ticked off at Scout. He looked like he was about to push him off, but as he moved to do so, HitSpy made a slashing motion across his throat, directed towards him. Soldier grumbled, and allowed Scout to continue hugging him.
HitSpy waited for about a minute, and then walked up to the two, saying, "Alright, let us move."
"He's right, maggot", Soldier said, as he pushed Scout off of him, "we've got a lot of ground to cover, and little time before the next patrol comes. We have to break through the lines. I won't be joining you, I have another mission."
"So you stumbled across us by accident", HitSpy clarified.
"Yes", Soldier responded.
"Well, then", HitSpy said to the psychotic moron, "good luck."
"Thanks", Soldier replied, as he pulled on his backpack, pulled out his rocket launcher, and fired a rocket at his feet, propelling him through the air at high speeds.
"There he goes", HitSpy said, not entirely convinced that he would return again.
Scout gave a sigh, and pulled the PPSh off of his back, pulling the receiver.
"I guess we better get goin'."
It was at this time that HitSpy took a moment to look around at the men under Soldier's command. Very few of them had helmets, but he could easily tell that these were the soldiers of Red. They looked tired, like they had been fighting for days. Perhaps Red really was on its last legs, or maybe Soldier was just a horrible leader.
"Sergeant Major Wilfred, reporting, sir", one of the men with an M16 said, as he gave a salute, "we were about to be rotated out of combat when we came under the command of Colonel Doe. We've been running a covert operation to sabotage enemy supply lines for the past five days now, with little to no sleep. Colonel Doe insisted that we keep going despite my pleas, saying that he had a 'good feeling'. I don't know if we'll be able to fight our way back to the base in our current state… at least, without some rest."
So Soldier was just a bad leader.
"Don't worry, Sergeant Major", HitSpy said, "after all, I have no idea how to get back to the base. We should make camp for the night, and plan a route back."
"Sir, yes sir", Sergeant Major Wilfred said, as he gave another salute, and went to talk to his men.
"Sergeant Major", HitSpy said, as something on the horizon caught his attention, "belay that order. We've got incoming. We should leave."
"Sir, yes sir", Sergeant Major Wilfred said, as he turned to his men.
"Move out", he said, in a calm voice, and pointed in the direction of the Red base. The men began to move, and Scout followed behind. HitSpy stayed where he was.
Scout turned to him, saying, "You comin'?"
"No, actually", HitSpy said, as he picked up his .45, "I'm going to pay our new friends a visit."