1 . Name: KK @ 2011-08-05 10:01

Long time Lurker First time poster. I'm gunna do a series of shorts, one for each class, and with your concrit i'd love to develop on my strongest characterizations. I'm a sensitive bean so please be nice, I've lots to learn and have no beta. These eventually will evolve into adult fanfic when i find my niche. Thanks for reading!


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Engineer
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Engineer knew his work couldn't last much longer. He had been working for at least 5 hours straight in his dimly lit workshop, watching the gradual retreat of the sun sinking down the length of his cobwebbed window to the outside world. The dust from the days fighting had just about settled now, revealing the pits and hollows of the rocket and grenade explosions, the soil occasionally stained dark with blood. He sighed and lent back in his chair, placing his hands, one gloved, atop his head. Looking around his work bench he noticed the distinct lack of something to show for his hours of work, only his blueprints which were covered in pencil lines, ghosts of pencil lines and a healthy scattering or eraser rubbings. He removed his hat, throwing it into the corner of the workshop where a bed lie, sheets screwed up into a heap at the foot of it. He ran his hands over his head and down his face, massaging the tense muscles from his hours of concentration. He pulled his goggles out and up over his head, tossing them back to the bed, landing perfectly inside the up-turned helmet. He stood and stretched his arms and body upwards - gaining a valuable yet temporary boost to his height.

'Gaahh Dag-nabbit.' He then stretched his arms out in-front of him and rolled his head from side to side feeling almost instant relief from his tension. He glanced up at the wall. 9:15pm. Ooh he hoped there was some supper left. He had forgotten all about it, the smell of something edible just coming to his senses and giving him an instant appreciation for just how hungry he actually was! Hopefully the fridge hadn't been cleared out by Heavy, or Scout. He ate a surprising amount for a kid so slight. Those drinks must wind the boy up so much his body must crave food fuel to keep him ticking over. Might Scout even be able to function without Bonk? Perhaps it had some addictive ingredient which brings you back for more? Or maybe it is a side effect from whatever it is that gives it that radioactive glow... Engie's jaw dropped as he took a deep inhale, screwing his eyes shut, and then a long outward breath, just catching his deep vocal chords to form a sigh. He really needed some sleep after finding that food.

Stepping out into the bluish tinted corridor, he swung around, pulling his heavy metal door closed behind him, giving a satisfying clunk. He fumbled into his deep denim pockets and fetched out a large ring with dozens of different shaped keys. He instinctively grasped the first key he saw which happened to be the right key, and locked the door in-front of him.

A flash of blue streaked past behind him and materialized in the form of Scout, grinning from ear to ear, twitching slightly with some sort of energy Dell could only ever dream of having.

'Hey Hard-hat, whatcha been up to all dis time, boy have you been missin out! Demo and Heavy had an eating competition, see Pyro baked these pies, Cherry pies, and it knows i hate Cherry pies, not just me, Spy and Sniper hate em too. Anyway, so we left em in the fridge an so Demo found them but Heavy was all like, 'Pie is not for leetle man, only REAL man can eat pie' So Demo got all narked and wouldn't let Heavy take em all so in the end they had a competition and, well, cut it short, Demo is in the bathroom throwin his guts up and heavy is on the sofa with a massive grin, hoggin the TV. Guess who won huh? So Sniper got bored an went out huntin for sumfin t'eat.'

'Whhooaaa there Scout! Hot damn boy! You need to get all those words out so fast don't ya? Sometimes i jus can't keep up with y'all kid. Now jus calm your good self down, I'm no where near awake enough to process all o'that you just said.'

Dell rubbed his forehead in frustration while Scout stood with slight frustration growing on his face, his legs beginning to twitch with lack of movement which Dell put down to having to much of that damned Bonk.

'Jus tell me kid, is there anything left in that dang Refrigerator, ur am I gunna find it cleared out again?'

'Bad luck Tex, we're Fresh out. Unless you like eating that Sauerkraut crap the Doc has had in there for a good couple weeks, you best be good at making from scratch.'

The engineer sighed once again. Things are never as simple as you hope them to be.

'Well alright kid. Save me something next time will ya? There's not much a guy like me can create in a place like this which is good to be eaten.'

Scout turned and began to jog away, waving off Engie's last comment.

'I'm sure snipes has something cooking that he caught out in the desert, might make the grumpy old man a little happier if someone talked to him.'

That might just be a good idea. Anything is something to eat round here, and at least Sniper isn't one for experimenting like the fiery apocalypse that is the team's Pyro is.

The smell of food has grown stronger, a smokey smell which reminded Engie of the long summer evenings back home where he'd be sitting out with a cold beer and some of the best BBQ the world had to offer. The smokey smell filled his nostrils and lead him away from the Recreation room and out to into the courtyard of 2fort. Sniper's tall and slim frame was hunched over a small campfire which gave out the only light available outside under the stars. Sniper's rifle was leaning against the steps in the yard, his tribalman's shiv sticking out of the ground next to him, a heap of sticks which he must have cut to size himself. The front edge of Sniper's clothing and his face were illuminated by the flickering flames, also reflected in the aviators which Sniper seemed to wear at all times of day. Engie gave a light cough, a hand on his chest and eye brows raised in an honest look of intrigue. Sniper snapped his head around and took in a good long look at the Engineer stood before him with his now blank lenses. His lip curled and he grunted, looking back in-front of him at his crackling quarry, glasses filling with orange and yellow once again. Unsure what the acceptable social protocol would be for this kind of situation, Engie stayed standing, looking around for some sort of a lead or just something to bail him out of the awkward silence. Sniper glanced back towards the Engineer briefly, letting out another grunt, and shifted about a foot over to the right, indicating a space for Engie by his side. Quickly, perhaps too quickly the Engineer crouched down into the space and sat on the dusty floor legs crossed in-front of him like a kid expecting to roast marshmallows, a child-like smile spreading over his face like the warmth of the campfire which soaked through his overalls like a warm and comforting blanket. Sniper had an arrangement of sharpened sticks with what looked like, from what Engie could assume from the remains, a rabbit skewered onto several portions. Already two legs were reaching a lovely crispy and lightly blackened texture over the fire, and Sniper picked them both up at the cool end of the stick, handing one over to Dell silently. Sniper had already started gnawing the little flesh there was from the bones while Dell looked thoughtfully at the offerings.

'Much obliged. Looks mighty good I must say.' Dell looked over to the side of Snipers face, smiling and holding the leg up in approval. Sniper looked over his glasses at the Engineer, mouth full of juicy meat.
'Mhmm.' Sniper agreed, tossing another two pieced of skewered meat onto the grill with a hiss, the most that could fit on comfortably and be cooked well with the limited heat. Engie took a careful nibble at the most plump part of the leg finding the crisp outer skin gave way to surprisingly tender meat which almost fell off the bone. The two ate their portions in silence, taking in the wonderful smells and flavors of their meager feast. It wasn't often that the Engineer ventured out of his workshop for anymore then to fight or unveil his latest work, which explained why he felt a little uncomfortable. He wasn't afraid of the Sniper, he just wasn't too sure how to behave around the man. Sniper kept to himself just like he did, but he didn't seem to be going through the same turmoil as Engie. Sniper had kept eating until all scraps of meat had left the bone, and he threw it onto the glowing embers of the fire, reviving it in a flurry of sparks and flames. He then turned next course over on the grill carefully as to not loose it between the gaps and into the fire.

'So, errr... Been busy have ya mate?' Snipers question surprised the Engineer, who had just pushed the remains of his food into his mouth and tried not to loose any through his spluttering response.

'Oh! Well, er yeah i kinda have been a trifle busy.' He swallowed the rest of his mouthful, catching his breath to continue before he lost the Sniper's interest.
'I've been working on a new sentry. See, i have my normal range, and then i can also make my quick deploying mini sentry when ma Gunslinger's working, but i thought i'd try get some of that speed into a level 2 sentry ya know? Get more on the offensive. If i can perfect a fast level 2 sentry, it'd be almost like having another Heavy on the team. ' Engie smiled nervously at the Sniper, then looked down at the dusty ground, moving his feet around, leaving lines in the dirt. Sniper had been looking intently at the Engineer throughout his talk, from what Engie could gather, looking straight into his eyes. It was a little un-nerving having the marksman staring straight at you, his sharp sight seemingly piercing into the depths of your head.

'You know Sniper, i have been working on something with you in mind.' Sniper's eyebrows raised and he seemed to switch from his forced polite conversation to a genuine interest.
'Oh?' Sniper waited for a response from a nervous and now pressured Engie who turned to face Sniper more directly. Conversation and pleasantries with Sniper were hard, but talking about what an Engineer does best comes natural, even to the least experienced of audiences.

'Yeah ya see, I have been working on my Dispenser too. I know the current model I'm running is a bit bulky, but i'm working on a more mobile version, a mini Dispenser. Something that can be carried around for easy use. I though, ya know, with you being cooped up in your hard to reach sniping nests, it might make things a trifle easier for y'all if you have easy access to ammo and first aid and the like. It's not quite ready yet but i think i'll have it up an runnin in a few weeks. Maybe you'll try one out for me, see how well it goes for ya?'

Sniper looked back down at the remains of the fire, trying to coax more life out of it with a stick.

'I don't normally accept help from others. Life as a bushman has taught me that i don;t have to rely on others if i don't miss.' Sniper continued pushing the hot embers around.
'Well, you don't have to use it if you don't feel right doin, but it might some time come in handy for ya. I'd much appreciate it if you would give it a go for me though eh Sniper?' Engie looked on in hope at Sniper. Sniper turned back to look at Engie, who was again smiling like a child. Must be a nervous habit of his, he thought. That, or he just really wants him to try out the damned dispenser.

'Fine, fine i'll give it a try for ya Engie. As long as it doesn't get in ma way i'm sure i can live with it. 'ave to make room in my nest mind, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem.' Engie smiled, now triumphantly instead of nervously, the feeling of a new level acquaintance with the Sniper being reached.
The smoke was thickening as the flames had disappeared, leaving only a gentle glow, taking the remaining pieces of rabbit longer too cook as a result. An awkward silence had fallen between the two which Engie was desperate to use in order to get to know the Sniper a little more. His guarded and quite exterior coaxed Engie into wanting to get to know him, but he felt that if he pushed boundaries, there could be scary repercussions. What he needed was an excuse or reason to engage with the Bushman, but he didn't want to bring up trivialities.

'Aah! Just hang on there a second Sniper, I'm just gunna get something. I'll be back in two seconds' Engie jumped up and dashed across the courtyard, the cold night air hitting him once he'd left the warmth of the fire. He jogged through the base, through re-spawn and into the recreation room where Heavy and medic were sat propped up against each other snoring softly to the mutter of the tv. Engie smiled to himself as he crossed the room, noting how the giants' hand was resting on the Germans' knee, and the peaceful expression on the twos faces. He reached the large refrigerator, dwarfing him with its solid White height. Pulling the door open, he was greeted with a blank and empty space.
'Ah Dang it, that boy did tell me this was empty didn't he...' He swung the door shut again, wind knocked out of his sails. He glanced back towards the 'couple' resting on the sofa and noticed the mini Fridge which Heavy had kept next to the sofa to save his legs from walking the extra few feet to get the the big fridge. His eyes lit up, and he quietly stepped towards the big guy, leaning down to the little fridge and carefully pulling the door open. The sound of air escaping the seal stirred the bigger man, who shifted his weight over to the Medic's side, and his head lolled over to lean against the medics own head. Dell smirked and desperately held back a laugh at the two's unfortunate positioning. Hopefully the Scout or Soldier would come in and take advantage of the amount of joke material available. As long as the Engineer was well out of harms way before either of them did come in. He reached into the chilled space and pulled out two brown bottles covered in thick condensation which ran down the bottles and cooled the callused skin of his hand, dripping onto his overalls. He closed the door gingerly and rose, walking as quietly yet as fast as he could across the room and out into the corridor, and back into the yard.

'Here y'go Sniper, I thought these would hit the spot.' He tossed a bottle over to the bushman, who turned it around and studied the label.

'Nice one mate, that's good just about now.' Sniper let out a rare but small smile across his lips at the gift from the Engineer, his expression softening from the hard and serious look of concentration which normally adorned it. He levered the top from his bottle with the razor sharp end of the shiv, passing the bottle back to the Engineer and exchanging it for the other, doing the same again before taking a long series of deep gulps of the icy cool liquid. Engie observed snipers swallowing, impressed by his ability to consume such an amount of beer in one go! He took a couple swigs himself, not quite as deep as the Sniper's, but enough to drain just over half of the bottle. Sniper, meanwhile, had finished his and had resumed to checking the remains of the Rabbit skewers. He raised them off the grill and passed one over to Engie. The Engineer had felt an almost instant sense of relief after the beer, he felt much more comfortable and relaxed around the Sniper, and assumed that the Sniper had felt much the same. He was right.

'I never really make much time for befriending people out here.' The Sniper started what Engie felt might be a long and meaningful solo act from the Sniper, so he just watched and listened carefully.

'I mean, spending most of my time alone in the bush back home with just me, my rifle and my van, i kinda just got used to it. I always felt that making friends was a bit laborious though, you ave to keep checkin up on em and remembering birthdays and all that. I avn't time for all that crap. Also i guess it doesn't help that the people we work with are often either drunk, speaking in a language i don't know, or just plain irritating.' The images of Demo, Heavy and medic and then Scout popped into Engie's mind. He could sympathize with this trail of though. He looked down at the bottle and notice the alcohol content was 5%. Pretty high for a beer. Must have loosened up Snipers tongue evidently.

'Sometimes it is nice to have a bit o company but then i appreciate the quiet of just me, ma gun and the outside. I don't like entertaining people, but just havin someone to sit with, just relaxing... it's quite nice.'
Engineer smiled at Sniper, held up his bottle and drank down the remains of it. He felt a pressure build up in his throat and let out a deep and what can only be described as manly belch.

'Ah know just how you feel Sniper. The time i spend in my workshop is time well spent, but it does pay to get to know your team a bit ya know. Helps with us working together an all that.' Engie stood up, dusting himself down. Sniper moved to stand also but stopped as he noticed Engie was holding out a hand. Sniper looked at the hand for a couple of seconds, then grasped it as he raised his lank form up high over Engie's stout stature. The fire was barely even glowing now, and it could be easily cleared away in the morning. Sniper slung his rifle over his back and slotted the shiv into a belt loop. The two headed back into the base though Sniper stopped just as they reached the re-spawn doors. He looked down to Engie over the top of his glasses, eye to eye.

'Well, I'm heading out to the camper now mate, need some shut eye for the morning. Thanks for the beer an all Engie.'

'Aaah heck, it's Dell.' He smiled back up at the Sniper, sure he had made a new friend.

'Dell eh? Sniper said, the smile returning to his face, once again making him appear much different to normal. It seemed to bring a hint of youth back to the man, which Engie appreciated he could do for him.
'Lawrence.' Sniper nodded and almost seemed to blush lightly under his hat after revealing something personal about himself.
'Well, Lawrence, you're a mighty fine cook. Could do with you in the kitchen sometime to give that damn firebug a rest from the filth that spews outta there.'
Lawrence laughed a little, looking down and turning away to leave.

'Cheers Dell, see you in the morning.'
'Well alrighty then.' Dell walked through the re-spawn shutters and into the corridor and quickly found he had arrived outside of his door, tiredness setting in once again. Fumbling the keys and unlocking the door, he trudged in and shut it behind him, leaning back onto it and looking up at the clock. 11:47pm. Whoa the time sure flies.