Hey, new writefag here. First fic in like a year, and it's only partially proofed 'cause it's waaaay late.. :B But I hope it's a good read anywho.---------------ENEMY-LINES---PART-ONE---------------In the desert, one thing was inevitable and, for the most part, unavoidable. Heat. It came from the blazing sun above, and rose from the scorched earth below. Spy fancied it was like Scout - always on your back, coming at you from all angles, ever getting under your feet..Speaking of which, where was that boy? He was at his most unpredictable on these hottest of days, either crashed out or restless with pent-up energy. Even after all these months stationed together, in times like these Spy still had trouble guessing where he might be. Inside, maybe, secreted deep in the air-conditioned maze of halls that laced the base together? Or perhaps on the very top of the building, swinging his dented baseball bat until the sweat ran down his back.."S'up, Spy?"The voice chiming to his side told Spy that it was neither, and he lifted two fingers to pull his cigarette from his lips, speaking as he turned his head to the boy. "I wish I could claim that anything was, mon petit puce. But today, like all these days recently, is perfectly boring."Scout came to join in him the shade of the overhang, leaning his bare back against the bricks. So he /had/ been up on the roof; Spy could taste the faint scent of sweat, and Scout only took his shirt off when he was playing ball. It was tucked into the back of his pants, his hat hooked along with. He had wrinkled his nose, but whether it was from the smoke, or the term of endearment - he'd long ago made the mistake of asking what it meant - Spy could not be sure."You're right on that. When's something going to happen, huh?" Scout finished the sentence with an exaggerated yawn, the kind that was particularly contagious. Spy set his jaw to stop the urge in its tracks, and smoked again when it had passed. "And what would you like to happen, hm? An attack, perhaps?""Mmh. Well, that might be a start. You got any better ideas?" He snorted when Spy shook his head 'non', and nodded, before resting his head back on the wall. "Yeah. Thought not."For a long moment they just stood, Scout looking out over the mesh fences with their curled barbed-wired crowns, Spy sucking the last out of his cigarette. Then, as he flicked it down to smolder in the dirt the other pushed away from the wall. "C'mon, it's baking out here. Let's get inside."Scout tugged back on his shirt (slightly rumpled, slightly damp) and hat as they made their way into the base, preparing for the bite and chill of the air conditioning. However, it never hit - and it soon became apparent that something was amiss. They finally found the rest of the team in the large, high-roofed basement of the complex, which was cooler than the other rooms, but still far warmer than was reasonable."Yo! Why's the ac out?" Scout announced their arrival loudly and appropriately, as per usual, hands up behind his head as he swaggered in. Spy followed at a more measured pace, though his fingers were at the knot of his tie, loosening it against the heat. He took off his jacket, draping it over the back of a chair and slowly folding up his sleeves."Not a feckin' clue." The reply came from Demo, who was leant back in a metal-frame chair of his own, feet up on the table as he balanced precariously on two thin legs. Spy sat down at the same table, taking out a cigarette and lighting up as Scout exhaled through flared nostrils. "Well damn. Where's that Engineer when you need him?"It didn't take him long to find him. It never took Scout look to do /anything/. Away in a corner, past Soldier with his firearms magazines (Scout often said that a good arms catalogue was like softcore porn for the fighter), sat Engie. He was bent over something on a low table, and the tell-tale clink of metal on metal made his actions more than obvious. He didn't look up as Scout walked over, but he must have caught site of his feet from beneath his hard-hat, because his hands stopped their twitching as Scout came to a halt."Whut do you want?" His voice held a gentle warning, his slow drawl lending itself to it.Scout clearly felt he'd had more than his fair share of the heat by now, because he seemed more than ready for a tussle with the older man. He crouched down to give the side of the small machine Engineer had been poring over a hard slap, other hand on his thigh as he got firmly in his face. "In case you hadn't noticed, old man, the ac's broken. Why don't you fix it instead of sitting around tinkering with this old piece of junk?"Engie was well used to this sort of obnoxiousness, but he'd be loathe to back away from a direct insult to his interests. He smacked Scout's hand away from the radio with a swipe of his own, thickly gloved, and nudged the brim of his hat up with his screwdriver. "Now listen here, don't you go dissin' such a fine piece of technology, boy-""Who you calling a boy, old timer? I'm all man!" Medic looked up from his game of chess, played against the hunched over form of Heavy, when Scout's voice raised. Engineer's teeth were clenched and visible between his lips, and Medic sighed (Heavy's fingers engulfed one of the tiny pieces as he took his turn)."Engineer, don't provoke him. You know it vill only lead to hassle."But before Engineer could reply - either to continue the argument or dismiss it - there came a loud crackle and buzz from the radio. He looked around, eyes wide beneath his hard-hat. Clearly he hadn't expected it - had Scout's smack done some good?"*crackle* Th is Royal, com n Yale do you r-ead me?" The words would cut out in places, but there was no mistaking those code names. A piece of intelligence, snatched up months ago had put RED onto them. At least, they'd laughed, BLU hadn't chosen to call themselves 'periwinkle' or 'aquamarine'."Fellas! Do you hear that?" But Engie didn't really have to say anything, because already the closest of the team were looking up, startled to hear the cold, unfamilar voice.Even Scout fell silent, the scraping of chairs and hurried footsteps on the hard flooring the only noise save the crackling of the radio as everyone crowded around. Engineer, acting as he often would when his technology was the centre of attention, waved a gloved hand to ward them back (almost as though they were children, or it was a sick bed they drew to), as his other twisted, with surprising delicacy, the tuning knob. Suddenly stretched words erupted from the battered speakers."Yale, pre are for incoming rein orcemen . Drop off will commence t orrow at 1400 hours, over."There was another crackle, and words that fluctuated and buzzed, but could not be made out by any of the straining ears. And then that chilled, official voice sounded again. Was it male, or female? "Incoming team code name will from henceforth be Dodger, over.""Dodger? What sort of a name is-" With his senses trained so intensely on the radio, Spy was startled to hear Scout's edged voice close to his ear. It was quickly followed by a hiss and "Shut UP, boy!" from Sniper, on his other side. But they had only spoken over only more of the warped dialogue, and then there was a further pause, and.."Await Dodger at the East-most Well. Royal over and out."Engineer twisted the turning knob for a moment longer, before releasing a long held breath, leaning back in his seat. This seemed to start a pattern with the others, and they began to straighten up, removing hands from backs and shoulders and turning wide gazes upon one another."Reinforcements.." The first words came, uncharacteristically, from Heavy. He had been the last to get to the radio, so wrapped up in his game of chess had he been, and now he sat back down in his chair. "This is /no/ good. It means much trouble.""Mrrrfmmfn," came Pyro's agreement, his tone audibly frustrated beneath his mask. The last thing they needed was more BLUs on their backs. This spelled out bad news for their forces."Now hold on a minute. You're forgetting a key fact here, fellas.." The Engineer was grinning. This was hardly ever, Spy felt, a good sign.
..Well, hadn't he been proved wrong?It was the next day, and if they'd thought the one before had been hot, this was nothing short of hellish. Was that why the BLUs had decided to drop the reinforcements off in broad daylight? They'd probably thought the REDs would be buried in their base, to keep out of the blazing sun.. and, well, they'd have been right, if it wasn't for the intercepted radio message and Engie's idea.Now RED were out and about, cursing the hour for its short shadows. The East Well was not so much a well as a pit, long-since dried up and covered over to avoid trips and very long falls. In fact, it made the perfect landing platform - broad and flat, it provided a good clear space for a chopper to land.They had found a high-placed building to one side of the clearing, perfect cover with its roof in-tact but one wall partially collapsed. It was here that Soldier waited with his rockets loaded, Demo at his side. Opposite, similarly hidden was Sniper. Spy found himself on the ground, tucked between two derelict structures. Should anyone survive the landing - unlikely - it would be his and Scout's job to pick them off. They wouldn't be alone in it, though, as Engineer had already been busy for some time setting sentries up in the surrounding area. Occasionally the wind would change and Spy would hear the clank and whirr of one unfolding.With everyone posted, the only thing they had to worry about was timing. Or, to put it another way, the timing of the BLUs. It wouldn't do to have them show up on /time/ for the drop-off, would it? And so Medic, Heavy and Pyro had taken the path to the BLU base, in lieu of a routine recon mission. Hopefully they'd be able to stall the BLUs long enough without seeming too obvious of a distraction."Fuckin' forever.." Spy might be an expert at the waiting game, but Scout on the other hand was lacking in patience. He heard the grumble - spoken loudly, so that he would indeed pick it up across the clearing - and grinned around his cigarette. Scout was meant to be hiding, but he spotted him easily between the crumbling buildings, hopping aggitatedly from one foot to the other.And suddenly the /whump-whump-whump/ of chopper blades rose behind him, and Scout must have heard it too, because the next second he had disappeared, hiding away properly this time. Spy took a last, deep suck on the cigarette then put it out beneath his boot, and stood back against the wall to watch, revolver already in hand.The helicopter came over his head not a short moment after, and just as they'd expected, it glinted with a shimmer that the bright sun wasn't lending. It had a shield up, to protect from mid-flight attacks. Until it came in to land, there would be no getting through it.If the pilot was at all suspicious at the lack of a BLU welcoming party, it didn't slow him down, the helicopter moving straight in to land. Wind whipped at the edges of Spy's suit, the dust around the well's rise rippling in the gust, and he counted the seconds beneath his breath..The moment metal touched the cement of the well cover the blue shield flickered out, and it wasn't a second longer before Soldier's first rocket hit. It caught the base of the front rotor, and the explosion it caused was quickly followed by more as he fired again, and Demo's grenades joined the fray. The glass of the pilot's window shattered, sending a rain of jagged pieces flying, and smoke billowed as fire ballooned upwards from the engines.Spy could hear the passengers' screams clearly as the wind blew the smoke his way, but it wasn't going to be so simple, he knew. He saw the blur, fading to a mere shimmer in the air as a fellow Spy jumped from the burning wreck, and there was no way Sniper could have spotted him. His own cloak still up, he darted to follow the disturbance in the smoke, revolver at the ready; a sharp cry told him that one of his bullets had hit, and the enemy became visible a heartbeat later, retreating between the buildings.He followed and was somewhat surprised to find the BLU Spy waiting for him, standing in a clearing not far off from the chopper. He had one hand on his arm, gloved fingers clasping tight over the wound Spy's revolver had inflicted there, blood seeping between. But it was still useable, it seemed, because he clutched his knife tightly, and when Spy met his eyes, he saw a dry sort of desperation there."You killed my comrades." His voice was low, accented and he straightened up, shoulders set as he held his knife forward. "But you will not kill me."It would be all to easy to shoot him there and then, but.. Spy found himself drawing his own knife instead. Why not give a fellow spy a fighting chance, hm? He took on his own stance, and could not keep the excitement (NOT GOOD GIVE ME ANOTHER WORD PLZ) from edging onto his voice as he spoke. "Is that so? En garde!"The sun glinted off his blade as he lunged forward, but he was not yet attacking in earnest and the BLU guarded with relative ease, considering his injury. Spy couldn't help but smile, and he was sure he saw the shadow of fleeting humor on the other's expression as they began to circle, darting to meet blades then part again."Is it enjoyable, being the underdog?" He queried, the edge of his knife sliding against BLU's, the hilts locking until he thrust and shoved the other away. "I would not know, as I have never been one." The other Spy merely kept his steady glare on him, regaining his footing and coming in for an attack of his own."Not a underdog, but a rat instead." He retorted when their blades had clashed again, voice tinged with disgust. "Setting up such an ambush.. you are no better than filth. Cowards!" He spat, then, in the dust and struck out for Spy's ribs, a flash of blue.But Spy was faster, and he laughed as he slid to the side, and the knife passed harmlessly by, taking its owner with it. "You are wrong. I am not a coward. I am a Spy."As he turned, raising his blade to bring to the other man's throat. But behind him, too soon he saw the swing of the bat and his knife never made it there. There was a sickening crack as Scout's bat came down on the BLU's skull, and he sunk to the dirt like so much lifeless flesh."...That wasn't necessary." He sounded a little bitter, and Scout barked out a laugh, kicking at the corpse with the toe of his sneakers. He rolled it over, to gaze down at the slack-jawed face with visible distaste. "A Spy, huh? Wouldn't have liked that fucker getting behind our lines."Spy joined in the laughing, then, and shook his head. "Would you like to see any enemy behind our forces?"And he looked down at the sprawled corpse of the Spy, and the idea struck like a lightening bolt.
"You.. are fucking crazy.""Details, details mon puce. You do not think the colour blue suits me?"In truth, everything Scout was saying - shouting, ranting - was valid. For once. He must be crazy to do this - but if he wasn't crazy for being in this war in the first place, what was sanity? He tugged straight the lapels of his jacket, and twitched his tie. Yes, a good fit indeed. He and the BLU Spy were very fairly matched in many respects. Had been, anyway.It pained him somewhat to leave his cigarette case behind, but it wouldn't do to keep it and the BLU's would make a decent enough substitute. He flicked through it as Scout continued to ramble, familiarizing himself with its contents before snapping it closed and sliding it into his jacket pocket. The revolver followed shortly after, and he finally looked up from the corpse - dressed, hurriedly in his own suit - to meet Scout's wide-eyed glare."...Oui?""Don't act all innocent with me, you bastard." Scout was seriously pissed, and Spy could do little more than sigh, in the face of it. He straightened up, lifting the BLU - his - knife to his arm, where his own bullet had torn and bloodied the sleeve. He gritted his teeth, and heard Scout's groan of frustration as he swung, slicing through his own arm, as deep as he could bring himself to."Seriously.. seriously fucked up. What if it all goes wrong, man? We're not goin' to be there to help you." The sight of Spy's blood seemed to cool Scout's anger, but it still simmered, as he watched the other tuck away the blade. Spy merely snorted, and gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I am a Spy. This is what I'm here for. Now.." He inhaled, and lifted a finger to point to his head."I need you to hit me."..And he got the reaction he'd been expecting. There was no way, no /way/ Scout was going to hit him. No sir. Except to knock him cold and drag him back home, maybe, if he continued with this damn craziness. But time was getting on and Spy wasn't going to joke around any more, and when he advanced on the other he was pleased to see shock in his blue eyes."Hit me, Scout. If you don't, nothing will make them believe my story." He reached out for Scout's bat, and the other pulled it away, affronted. But when he relaxed again, there was visible resignation in his stance."..Alright. Just.. hold still, and try not to cry, yeah?""What do you take me for? Do it, now."The first blow didn't really hurt, but when Scout got no reaction he seemed to take it as a sign to hit harder. He swung at Spy's shoulders, bruised his ribs until the breath was forced from his lungs, and, when he asked for it, even broke them. Finally, when he again lifted a finger to his head, he stuck him there too. It wasn't nearly as hard as he could manage, but Spy saw stars nonetheless, and staggered with the force of it....And perfect timing it was, too. He heard the sound of running before Scout saw it, coming from behind, as his head swam. His teammate's eyes went wide, and it was clear he didn't want to leave, even when faced with the enemy in this way. Spy gritted his teeth against the pain, and hissed."Take the body, and /go/. Now!"And Scout's eyes betrayed his frustration for only a second, and then he was gone, grabbing the BLU - RED, oh god, who knew anymore? - corpse and flinging it over his shoulder as he ran."Damnit!" The voice was brutish, immediately recognisable as that of a Soldier, and indeed Spy heard it quickly followed by the firing of a rocket. He gasped, swayed and dropped to his knees in the dirt, and was pleased when the Soldier stopped in his tracks. He let himself slump to the side, as he heard yet more footsteps approaching."He survived?" That nasal tone.. a Medic? He felt gloved hands on his shoulders, turning him onto his back, and yes, it must be a Medic because there came the press of fingers to his neck, seeking a pulse. He kept his expression neutral, eyes closed, feining unconicousness even when the Soldier took off again, to follow Scout.."Vait! Leave him, you vill not catch up." Like any good Medic, this man knew what he was talking about and even the Soldier was loathe to go against his instructions on the battlefield. He stopped again, and there was a shuffle as he came closer."Carry him." The Medic again, hands helping to lift Spy into Soldier's arms, and then the tell-tale click as he began to power his medigun. Though Scout had been holding back, he was still relieved to feel that beam on him, soothing his broken bones. He let his head flop back, and heard Soldier grunt."One fucking Spy. Some reinforcement he'll be."Yes, some reinforcement indeed.
Fuck yase want moar /4chanQuite a rollicking good start, I say, old chap. Also I didn't notice you overuse 'excitement'? It's a perfectly good word, does what it says.
*giggles hysterically* IM already confused...i LIKE dis!
continue please. I like this very much!
This is excellent, especially Scout beating the crap out of Spy - or maybe thats just me XD
More please! I enjoyed what is here a lot!
Thanks guys :) I'll get writing the next chapter right away!>>4Haha, that was a note to my beta XD I had a moment of "....O SHIT" when I went to bed last night when I realised I'd probably left it in!
This is good; I can't wait to see more.
You doing an amazing job at keeping them in character.
So how about anxiousness instead of excitement? Adrenaline, maybe?
Wow, this held me like a book. Thanks for writing it (and hopefully writing more).
Ohh this was brilliant! Very unique plotline! I look forward to reading more. :D