Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Murderer. That was the word that consumed Engineer wholly. Murderer, liar, snake, traitor. It was everything he was, everything he felt he was. Murderer. He’d killed his Pa, he’d killed him in cold blood, and he hadn’t even known Engineer had been the one to kill him. His Pa was going to kill Medic, that was the only defense his brain could find for his action, he was going to kill Medic, and he’d wanted to kill him. Still, he’d killed his Pa, and it hadn’t even been an honorable death, nor had it been an honorable kill. His Pa hadn’t even known he was there, it hadn’t been a fair fight, it had been murder. Engineer had killed hundreds of men before, both by his own hand and with his machines, but every man he’d killed had known who’d killed him, every man he’d killed had looked down the barrel of his gun just long enough to know.

His Pa hadn’t.

He was a snake, he’d killed his own kin in cold blood, he’d put a hole in his Pa’s chest, he’d murdered him. Engineer had made every man on his team swear that they wouldn’t kill him, swear that he’d let him live, then he’d killed him without hardly a second thought. It had been so fast, he’d looked up and seen his Pa standing over Medic, gun poised for the kill, and he’d acted. Murderer, he was a murderer, and worst of all, a hypocrite. A liar. A snake. A traitor. He’d killed his Pa in cold blood, and he’d hardly thought twice when he’d pulled the trigger.

He was a monster.

Engineer had planned on returning to the battle, he really had. He’d just needed to process everything, he’d just needed to come to terms with what he’d done, or at least accept the fact that his Pa was dead. He hadn’t needed to heal, he hadn’t needed to mourn, grieve, or cry in silence, he’d just needed to accept reality, the rest of it he could deal with later. He would force himself to deal with the rest later. That’s what he’d planned on doing, accepting what he’d done, finishing his sentry, and joining his team to raise hell.

That was what he was going to do.

He hadn’t even had the chance to get up to finish his work when he’d been grabbed from behind and held long enough for something to be injected into his neck, and when he’d turned to fight… everything had gone black. No voice, no mocking comment, it had just gone black.

Engineer had fallen into a horrible, dreamless sleep, where his grief, his guilt, and his terror had swam throughout him viciously. At one point he’d even forgotten why he felt these things, only knowing that he did, only knowing that his heart was heavy, very heavy. It hurt, his mind flooding him with such grief and guilt, his heart pumping out nothing but turmoil and distress, it was unnatural. One word persisted in this madness, one that lied at the core of his guilt.

Murderer.

It went on like this for far too long, this dizzying, sickening, wretched cycle of grief, guilt, and fear. Murderer, that word stabbed him in his heart. Snake, that word constricted his mind. Monster, that word consumed his soul. It hurt, it hurt so badly… so when it started to hurt in his face, he didn’t pay it any attention.

It was sharp, consistent, and everywhere. It was akin to a poking sensation, as if a needle was pricking him over and over, but it wasn’t a needle. The more Engineer became aware of it, the more he realized that it wasn’t a poking he was feeling, rather it was more like a pecking. It felt like a bird was pecking him in the face, constantly, and everywhere.

It hurt.

Truth be told, despite the fact that Engineer wanted these feelings of guilt to go away, he really didn’t want to wake up, well, at least not now that he was starting to anyway. His head hurt, the kind of hurt you got after a nasty hangover, throbbing and dull, and the pecking wasn’t making it any better. Neither was the shouting of another voice nearby, one which his subconscious was desperately trying to block out. Honestly, he just wanted to be left alone and go back to sleep, a real, proper sleep where his heart and mind weren't conspiring to kill his soul.

“Wake up! Wake up you dummkopf!!!! I have been waiting for too long for your sleeping ass to wake up, it is time to get up!!! Engineer!!! GET UP!!!” The voice barely registered with him as actually being there, it sounded far away and slightly distorted, so he ignored it. What he couldn’t ignore was the pecking, which seemed to grow harder as the voice got louder. Then, the pecking stopped, and the voice began to cheer on this annoying little bird as it did something different. “JAWOHL!!! JAWOHL ARCHIMEDES!!! WECK IHN AUF!!!!”

Suddenly, his goggles began to move, and the sound of a bird pecking at them got louder and more distinct. Engineer finally let out an irked groan, and struggled to open his eyes to find out what the hell was going on around him. His eyelids were heavy, and keeping them open was a pain, but he needed an explanation as to why he was being denied his sleep. It was a fuzzy view at first, and oddly white, but it did begin to clear up, until he watched as his goggles began to leave his face. That’s when two little taloned feet began to dig into his face, and he watched as his goggles were pulled away by a little white dove with an oddly determined expression.

He knew this dove, from where he wasn’t sure of just yet, but he knew that he knew this dove.

“What in tarnation?” was all Engineer was able to say before that little white dove released its grip on the goggles, snapping them back onto his face with great force. “OW!!! You motherfuckin’-cock suckin’- two faced- dang friggin-yellow bellied- shit eatin’-low life- ornery bastard!” Engineer cursed, feeling that little white dove fly off of him to another spot, all while that incessant voice shouted in great delight.

“YES!!! YES!!! You’re awake! AHAHAHA!!! YOU’RE AWAKE!!! Engineer! Engineer you’re awake!! HAHAHAAAAA!!!”
“Dang-nabbit what the hell’s goin’ on!” Engineer shouted in frustration, quickly looking around to find the source of his irritation and rude awakening.

What he first determined was that he was in some kind of cave, or what could be considered a cave, really it looked more like a rocky tunnel. The light from the setting sun was beaming in from a huge hole in the wall, and what wasn’t illuminated by the natural light was lit by a few candles. It looked as though someone had been living here, a crude bed was made in the corner, a table that had scattered notes and what looked to be medical equipment of some kind, as well as a rotary phone, a lit fire near the hole where some food was carefully stored, and on the wall opposite to the hole was a board filled with notes, newspapers, documents, and several other pieces of information that didn’t make sense to Engineer.

When he finally looked towards the direction of the voice, he saw him.

Medic. His Medic. The Red Medic. Fritz Ludwig.

“Engineer! Engineer my friend, how are you? HAHAAAA! Oh, oh I’m so glad you’re awake! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to wake up! HOURS!!! Ach, forgive me, I-I’ve just missed you so much, I’ve missed all of you! I’m just so happy you’re here, do you have any idea how lonely I was?!? Oh I have so many questions! Quickly, quickly you must tell me, how is my Misha? How is he doing? Is he alright?”

Engineer continued to stare, not believing his eyes for a moment. There was Medic… Ludwig? Great, now there were two Medic’s, perfect. For now though, this was Medic, not the Blu Medic, his crazed friend, Medic.

Medic was smiling at him with his usual, and very much missed, crazed, joyous smile, the kind that showed all his teeth and normally scared the crap out of Scout. Along with his bear trap smile was a sense of relief that Engineer had never seen in the man before, a joy that had never before been present within his eyes was now there for the first time. In all honesty, he didn’t look to be in any bad shape, he looked like he’d lost some weight, but other than that Medic looked perfectly healthy, if just a bit more insane than usual. That, and he was currently tied to a chair.

“...Doc?” Engineer carefully asked, wanting to make sure that Medic was here and that he wasn’t tripping from whatever drugs had been injected into him. “YES! YES IT’S ME!” Medic exclaimed joyously, his eyes lighting up with greater joy, his smile growing.

Medic… his Medic, his friend, he was ok! He was here! He was alive!

“Doc! Doc you’re alright! You’re alright!” Engineer cried out in joy, unable to stop himself from laughing at the absurdity and complete shock of the situation he was in. All this was overshadowed by the lightening of his heart, as if the actions of the morning meant nothing compared to what was happening now. Medic was alive, he was alive and healthy, and Engineer was with him, he’d found him! Pure joy and relief flooded his heart, truly it was indescribable. He’d found his lost brother, he’d found the missing man in his team, and he wasn’t hurt! It was a miracle! A crazy, absurd, wonderful miracle!

“I’m alright! I’m alright my friend!” Medic confirmed, also starting to laugh, his wonderful, crazed, loud laugh. “I-I can’t believe it! How the hell… Doc you’re ok! You ain’t dead! You ain’t fuckin’ dead!”
“I know! Crazy right?”
“Doc! You’re here, you’re actually here! You’re… you’re…”

This… this couldn’t be real, he was drugged, this had to be in his head. The chances of him waking up and magically finding his lost friend were next to nothing, yet here he was, alive, seemingly healthy, and in good spirits. It looked like Medic, it sounded like Medic, but why was he here? Why was Engineer here? Where was here? What the hell was going on!?!

“How do I know you’re you!” Engineer suddenly snapped, his sudden suspicions and paranoia quickly overtaking him. “WHAT!?!?!” Medic shrieked furiously. “How do I know you’re you!” Engineer repeated again, “How do I know this ain’t some trick?”
“The hell do you mean some trick!?!?! IT’S ME YOU SCHWEINHUND!!!” Medic shouted in disbelief. “Prove it!”
“WHAT!?!”
“Prove that you’re Medic! Prove to me that you are who you say you are!”
“Th-that-you- why you- DUMMKOPF!!!! How the hell do I prove it’s me! I’M ME!!!”

“What’s the spycheck code?” Engineer demanded to know, his once elated voice now definitely replaced with harsh suspicion. “WHAT!?!” Medic again shouted, clearly furious and maybe slightly confused. “The spycheck code! The code we use to check for spies, what is it!” Engineer asked again in a stern voice, refusing to be played for a fool. “Oh for the love of- let me think! Just let me think! … Pegasus! NEIN!!! Unicorn! Scheiße!!!! Ask me something else! I’ve never remembered it, you know that!”
“Alright, alright that’s true, the Medic I know would’ve never got it right…” Engineer conceded, recalling every time a member of the Red team had killed him for getting it incorrect, such was his luck with the spycheck code.

“Yes, you’ve all killed me several times for not getting it right the first time! Now ask me something I can answer!”
“What are the names of your doves?”
“You know all the names of my doves? Engineer, I’m impressed.”
“What are their names!”
“Archimedes, Aristotle, Plato, Athena, and Hypatia!”

As if on cue, the little white dove that had been pestering him earlier flew down and landed on Medic’s shoulder, instantly rubbing itself against his parents neck lovingly as Medic leaned his head gently into the bird, returning the affection. “Ich weiß, er ist furchtbar nervig.” Medic said in a mocking tone to the little bird, which just cooed in response in an equally mocking tone, if that was even possible.

That was Archimedes. That was Medic. He wasn’t tripping.

“Oh my God it’s you.” Engineer exclaimed in disbelief. “YES! WE ESTABLISHED THIS!” Medic cried out furiously, causing Archimides to fly off and join four other doves in a corner of the cave. They all looked happy and healthy from what Engineer could see, and if they weren’t it would’ve taken more than some rope to keep Medic down.

“I-I’m sorry doc! I didn’t mean to- I just- Look it’s been one helluva day, I ain’t exactly in my right mind!” Engineer managed to get out remorsefully, regretting that he’d put his already distressed friend in any more distress. “Clearly!” Medic exclaimed irritatedly, “I mean honestly, I did not need that emotional rollercoaster! Ach, what am I saying, you must be terribly confused about all this, you cannot be blamed for your mistrust! Ah my friend, I am just so happy to see you, I thought I may never see you again!”
“It’s good to see you to doc, I really was startin’ to worry.” Engineer declared with relief, his heart once again easing itself as some of his fears slipped away.

That was until he realized that he too was tied to a chair. It took Engineer a moment to fully realize that he was restrained, but once he did he quickly began to try and get out of his restraints. “I hate to be that person, but you never did tell me how Misha was doing, could you please tell me how he is?” Medic asked obliviously, as if the fact that he was tied up didn’t bother him. “What? I don’t know anyone named- Oh you’re talkin’ about Heavy!” Engineer stated, forgetting that while everyone knew the two men were in a relationship, Medic and Heavy still thought it was a secret.

“Ach yes, Heavy! That’s what I meant, silly me!” Medic exclaimed in a rather guilty tone, as if he’d made some simple mistake, “Aheh, well you see Misha is, uh, German for Heavy, and uh, yes I meant Heavy, how is Heavy?”
“Oh he’s fine,” Engineer grunted out as he continued to struggle, “he was certainly torn up about you goin’ missin, but you know how he is, didn’t show it too much.”
“Really? That’s it? No large display of emotion? No obvious signs of grief? NOTHING?”
“Doc I’m kinda busy right now, and truth be told I wasn’t payin’ too much attention to Heavy’s emotional state durin’ that time, he sorta went off and did what he needed to by himself.”
“Oh, well yes I suppose that makes sense for him.”

“Hey doc,” Engineer said after getting nowhere, “you mind tellin’ me what in God’s name is goin’ on right now?”
“Honestly, I have no idea!” Medic declared, still sounding elated. “I’m just happy to see you again, it’s nice to have some good company. My doves are nice, but they don’t quite relate to things the way you do, or hell, any proper person anyway. Oh my friend, you don’t understand how great it is to see you again.” Engineer just sighed as he smiled, unable to deny that even if this situation sucked, he at least had his friend back, and that’s what was important to him at that moment. “It’s good to see you too doc, oh man it’s real good to see you again.”

While Engineer would’ve loved to catch up with Medic, he was far more concerned about getting out of whatever mess he was in than he was with figuring out why he was in the mess to begin with. However, before he could even begin to formulate a plan, the sound of a vehicle pulling up somewhere outside caught both his and Medic’s attention. Finally, a chance at some answers, if only he could get out of his restraints before this captor returned.

“Play dead!” Medic quickly ordered. “What?”
“Play dead! If he comes in and sees you awake, he’s just going to make escape harder! Play dead!” Medic ordered again, this time with a bit more urgency. “Who’s ‘he’? Doc ya gotta give me more than that, I ain’t playin’ this pronoun game!” Engineer stated firmly, trying to slip the glove off the Gunslinger so he could expose it.
“Oh just some old bastard, now play dead!”

Old? Bastard?

Now, in reality Medic could’ve been alluding to anyone, after all he’d never met the old mercs, and he had no idea that his teammates used that specific insult to talk about them, but to Engineer, those words sent a rather nasty chill down his spine.

“Whaddya mean by old bastard?” Engineer asked as some of the color began to drain from his face. “An old bastard? I don’t know the words just seemed fitting, why?”
“Doc, who took us?”

Before Medic could respond, the sound of footsteps coming down the cave grabbed both Engineer and Medic’s attention. “Play dead!” Medic seethed out quietly, a desperate look entering his eye, but Engineer didn’t see fear, not yet anyway. “Not a chance in hell,” he stated firmly, “I’m gonna get to the bottom of this, and I can’t do that tied to a goddamn chair while you’re just as clueless as I am!”
“Well, I wouldn’t say clueless, I have some idea as to what’s going on, but it’s a ridiculously long story that I don’t completely understand!”
“Then give me the synopsis!”
“A what?”
“The synopsis! Oh, just gimme the short version!”
“You could’ve said that!”
“Just tell me what’s goin’ on goddammit!”

“Mr. Conagher, I’m glad to see you’re awake.” The voice was deep, even a little raspy, accented with a strong southern drawl that sounded like it came from New Orleans, or somewhere near it. Instantly Engineer snapped his head over to where his captor stood, all while Medic just groaned in great annoyance before muttering a few nasty curses in his mother tongue.

It was a man he’d never seen before, he was about as tall as Soldier with a lean build, definitely older, but it was nearly impossible to tell what he truly looked like. His face was covered by a respirator, his head covered by a military grade crash helmet, only his piercing blue eyes could be seen on his otherwise hidden face. He wore nothing that indicated he belonged to any faction, company, or team that Engineer knew of, no uniform, badges, symbols, insignias, nothing, he simply wore what was appropriate for the weather, with a 33. lever action rifle slung over his back.

Engineer stared at this stranger for a long time, trying to make sense of this, trying to remember if he knew this man from anywhere in his past, but he was certain he didn’t. He didn’t feel like he was in any danger, not yet anyway, and Medic’s response to his presence told him that he wasn’t scared either. However, Medic wasn’t afraid of many things that he should be, like physical harm for example, so this didn’t really bring Engineer much peace of mind.

“I have to admit,” the stranger said in a relieved tone, “I was beginning to worry I’d given you too high of a dosage and that you’d be out for the rest of the night, and well, that’s just not somethin’ I can afford right now.” Engineer said nothing, instead opting to stare down the stranger, wanting to show him that he wasn’t scared, wanting to show him that he had no control over him, and he wasn’t going to cooperate without a fight. “Now then, there ain’t no need for that Mr. Conagher,” the stranger declared in an assuring tone, as if this were casual conversation, “I ain’t gonna hurt you, and that’s a promise, this’ll all be over with soon, in about… oh I’d say around five minutes now.” The stranger said this as he looked out onto the setting sun, before walking over to his note board and taking down some papers.

“That right?” Engineer stated harshly, watching as the stranger took his papers and walked over to the fire to burn them, “You mind exlpainin’ to me what exactly it is that’s happenin’ right now, and why the hell I’m tied up in your goddamn cave?”
“Actually Mr. Conagher, I do mind, I mind a great deal, not that it’ll matter soon enough.” The stranger replied as he watched the papers burn, before returning to the board and starting to reorganize what was left.

“And what the hell does that mean?” Engineer snapped, still trying and failing to get the Gunslinger free. “It means,” the stranger declared rather factually, “that none of this is about to matter. Son, an era just ended, and I’m about to make sure another one doesn’t take its place. To put it simply Mr. Conagher, the Gravel War’s over, it ended this morning.”

The Gravel War ended? No, no that was impossible, it would only end if… if…

“Wait a minute,” Medic exclaimed in pure shock, “one of the Mann brothers died?”
“Not one, both.” the stranger clarified as he continued his reorganization. “Both? How the hell did both of ‘em die?” Engineer asked in bewilderment. “In a word, murder.” the stranger explained as he walked over to the rotary phone to make sure it was up and running, ensuring the wire ran smoothly along the ground, though what was powering it was beyond Engineer.

“I ain’t about to explain the finer intricacies of the situation to you boys, the history’s long and deep, but you lot, as well as myself, have been played for fools by the higher ups of this war in order to achieve God knows what. Not that I care, I could care less.”
“Then why the hell did you kidnap me and Medic! What’s the point if you don’t give a shit!” Engineer shouted furiously, hating this game and these secrets, just wanting to go home, just wanting to sit down and process everything.

“Ah, well, he didn’t originally kidnap me,” Medic explained, before adding harshly, “he just put me under new management.”
“Huh?” Engineer exclaimed, and Medic just rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“Originally, I was taken by two robots! Well, two robots that worked for a third Mann brother, Gray! Did you know there was a third Mann brother?”
“I certainly did not! Now get back to the part where robots kidnapped you!”
“I’m serious! Two robots! Both of which resembled Spy for some reason… Anyway, they were disguised as my exotic organ suppliers, and when I went to do my business they ambushed me! When I awoke, I was in some kind of lab, or prison, I don’t know something like that, and that’s where this dummkopf Gray asked me to fix some machine on his back! I told I would, but when I looked at it I didn’t know what to do, and I told him as much! I said, ‘Gray, that is engineering, not medicine’, and he didn’t believe me! I was stuck there for… for… I actually don’t know, I lost track of time.”
“Doc, focus, what happened next.”
“Well, after an unspecified amount of time passed, this LOVELY schweinhund helped me to escape this secret prison lab, ONLY TO STICK ME HERE AND REFUSE TO LET ME GO!!!”

“Mr. Ludwig, whether you accept it or not, I saved your life by keeping you here.” the stranger stated matter of factly as he checked his watch for the time. “DOCTOR LUDWIG!!!” Medic protested angrily, but the stranger hardly paid him any mind, as if he’d heard that same sentence a million times before. “And how exactly did you save his life by keeping him locked up with you?” Engineer asked skeptically. “Oh that’s simple, he knew too much, and the second he went back to the Red team Ms. Pauling would’ve killed him due to his short affiliation with Gray Mann.”

“Pauling? Miss Pauling? Are we thinkin’ about the same person?” Engineer asked in disbelief, “I mean yeah she’s dangerous, but she works for Red, she ain’t got no reason-”
“Actually she doesn’t!” Medic suddenly interrupted, “For works both Red and Blu, the traitor! I know, I didn’t believe it at first either, but the schweinhund showed me the evidence and it’s undeniable! She’s been double playing us the whole time! Apparently her, the Administrator, and Saxton Hale have all been hellbent on making sure this war never ends!”

Engineer’s world shattered.

That couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t be. Miss Pauling, a liar? She was a killer, but she was the team's friend, they trusted her, she always took care of them, she made sure that business was handled properly, and she made sure to keep Red intelligence away from Blu. She’d risked her life for Red time and time again, Engineer had seen it with his own eyes, she couldn’t have been playing them for fools, she just couldn't have. What would her sacrifices have meant? Why would she have risked her life for Red if Red didn’t matter? What was the point of Red and Blu? What was the point of any of it?

If the war was pointless, if none of it mattered… then why had he needed to kill his Pa? If there weren’t any real stakes, why had they been warring? If the whole thing had been a farce for some larger scheme, then had that morning's battle meant nothing? Had everything that had happened in the last week meant nothing? Had all these years of fighting meant nothing? What had his life come to? What did any of this mean if none of it was real?

Engineer had been hired to kill the same nine men for years, never truly killing, never truly dying. Engineer had poured his blood, sweat, and tears into his work, into his team, and now it all meant nothing. What had it all meant? His bonds with his team, his struggle to try and win an unwinnable war, the odds always against him, with his employer, his friend, smiling at him so knowingly as she told him that were going to beat Blu one day, that one day Red would prevail. Had he been doomed to fight until he grew old and useless? Had he been doomed to fight until he was worn down into the spitting image of the old mercs? Had he been doomed the moment he signed his contract?

Had he just wasted years of his life for nothing?

“Now, why those idiots would want to keep the war going is beyond me,” Medic continued, oblivious to his friend's crisis, “but apparently knowing that the war is pointless is enough to get you killed. Though between you and me, I think this schweinhund here just wants an excuse to keep me here, and is lying about the whole ‘Miss Pauling is going to kill you’ thing. Honestly, even if she did want to kill me, she could never pull it off! I am a professional killer myself after all, if you don’t mind me saying so! Besides, we’re friends, and what secret could possibly be so big that she would actually kill one of us?”

“... Stranger… is all that true?” Engineer asked gravely, his heart hardening within him as his stomach began to churn. The stranger was quiet for a moment, a great sympathy showing in his eyes, but he did eventually nod as he confirmed the truth, “I’m afraid so Mr. Conagher, I’m afraid so. This war is old, real old, and the reason it’s been kept up is safe with its perpetrators… but I don’t care why it started, I’m just keen on finishing it.”

“Stranger… I killed my Pa this morning cause of this war… Are you meanin’ to tell me that… that he died over nothin’?” The stranger simply let out a heavy sigh as he looked out onto the setting sun, watching it for a long while, something in his eyes showing sadness, maybe even regret. He then turned back to Engineer and declared with great remorse, “Son, Fred had it comin’, I hate that you were the one to pull the trigger on him, but every classic merc down there got what was comin’ to him… whether we like it or not, they had it comin’.”

His Pa had it coming? His Pa was evil enough to have his life reduced down to, ‘he had it coming’? That wasn’t true, his Pa wasn’t evil, he was just lost, he was just under the command of the Boss, he had been heartbroken about… having to kill him.

His Pa was going to kill him, his Pa wanted him dead, why would his Pa want him dead? Had he been so caught up in this war that killing his own son became an option to him? The words of the old pyro swam through his head, ‘it had to happen sometime’, that’s what she’d said when consoling his Pa. Why had she said that? How long had his Pa been planning on killing him? How long had this… why did this stranger know his Pa’s name? Why did he speak of the old mercs who’d fallen with sorrow?

Who was this man?

“Stranger… I don’t think you ever told me who you were,” Engineer stated darkly, a nasty suspicion starting to form within him, “so since you know who I am, why don’t you go ahead and tell me who you are.” The stranger said nothing, simply taking a few moments to look him over carefully, before saying, “I ain’t too inclined to tell you that, and it ain’t nothing personal, but right now information is… well it ain’t something I’m willin’ to give out so easily.”

“Allow me to introduce you then,” Medic exclaimed with far too much enthusiasm, “while I have no name, I have gathered enough evidence to conclude he is what is referred to as, professionally within the war of course, a classic mercenary. Apparently, he’s a disgruntled employee, oh forgive me schweinhund, a FORMER employee, he gets very caught up in irrelevant details.”

Classic mercenary?

What was the word classic, if not a synonym for old.

Old mercenary. Old merc. Old bastard.

There had been eight of them, the Red team had been fighting eight mercs when there were supposed to be nine. Well, here was the ninth, here was the missing man.

The old medic.

“YOU’RE ONE OF THEM OLD BASTARDS!!!” Engineer shrieked furiously, every part of him now lit with an indescribable anger, every shred of guilt and self hatred now sharpened to a point and aimed at his captor. “Son, that was a long time ago,” the stranger, or as we shall refer to him for now as, the classic medic, assured with a patient tone, “I haven't associated with those men for many years, and I don’t plan to start associatin' with them now.”

“Doc, doc whatever this man told you, whatever this man has said, don’t believe a word!” Engineer quickly told Medic, a rising panic starting to build within him, memories as to what happened to the Blu Medic when he was the old mercs captive engulfing him, scaring him. “Uh, ok, sounds good to me.” Medic answered a bit too eagerly, as if he’d been waiting for an excuse to hate him more.

“Mr. Conag-” the classic medic tried to say, but Engineer was having none of it. “I don’t wanna hear it you old bastard! I know damn well as to what you are, and I ain’t gonna have any piece in whatever bullshit you got planned. Doc, doc listen to me, this guy’s nothin’ but a lyin’ snake, I’ve seen his team, he can’t be trusted!”
“What do you mean you’ve seen his team?” Medic asked, utterly confused as to why this revelation was so important to his good friend.

“Oh, oh man there’s a lot I need to catch you up with.” Engineer realized with slight horror, as he did not want to be the one to tell Medic that they had the Blu Medic on the team. “Well, to put it simply the Blu team left, and Miss Pauling hired his team to replace ‘em… and there were some unforgivable things done and we had to settle things, permanently.”
“What sort of things?” Medic asked suspiciously, not liking the lack of information that was being given. “Uh, not important things.”
“Engineer, what kind of things?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“... Fine, but you had better tell me.”

“Anyway I’m getting off track,” Engineer muttered, quickly turning his attention back to the classic medic, “The point I’m trying to make doc, is that this man can’t be trusted for shit! I’ve seen the men he works with, I’ve seen what they can do, he ain’t nothin’ more than a lyin’ snake!”

“Is that right?” the classic medic asked, his once friendly tone now disappearing into something far more grave, “So you shouldn’t trust me when I tell you I know why the Blu team really left?” Engineer said nothing, holding onto his stoicism as he stared down his enemy despite his curiosity, refusing to fall so easily to these lies.

“You shouldn’t trust me when I tell you that Gray Mann paid off the Blu Engineer and Blu Spy to plant the seeds of doubt within their team, and that they’re the only reason the team left to begin with? You shouldn’t believe me when I tell you that the reason Miss Pauling was able to find another team to replace them so conveniently and so quickly, is because Gray Mann had the classic mercs ready to replace them, because he wanted a team of his own in the war so that he could keep an eye on things? And heaven forbid, you most certainly shouldn’t believe me when I tell you that the Blu Medic was not supposed to have caused all the trouble he did, and that this morning’s fight, while inevitable, was not meant to happen as it did? Mr. Conagher, the classic team was planning on killing you and your friends, that was always the plan, your Pa has been planning your death for a long, long time, and that’s the truth.”

“You’re lyin’, you’re nothin’ but a lyin’ snake!” Engineer shouted, feeling tears begin to string his eyes as his anger continued to burn within his soul. This couldn’t be real, this just couldn't be real...

“Son, you're grieving,” the classic medic said sympathetically, “you had to do somethin’ no man ever wants to do, and it’s understandable that it’s weighing heavy within you. I’m sorry that this is the way things have to be right now, believe me, I don’t like this anymore than you do. You’ve learned a lot in a short amount of time, and I wish you had more time to process everything, but you don’t.”
“The hell you mean I don’t? Why am I here!” Engineer demanded to know, his pained heart finally taking over his mind.

“Because you are more important than you realize when it comes to this war.” the classic medic explained gravely, before once again checking his watch. “Mr. Conagher, if I could do this by myself, I would, but unfortunately I just can’t. To end this war, I need to kill Gray Mann and the Administrator, and I can’t find the Administrator by myself, but with you, I can.”
“What are you talkin’ about? Why the hell do you need me?”

“Let me tell you a bit about your family’s history Mr. Conagher, that outta clear things up a bit. Son, your grandfather, Radigan, was employed by Blutarch Mann to create a machine that would make him immortal, and he did just that. However, Radigan was then confronted by a woman, whom I assume to be the Administrator, and was asked to build an immortality machine for Redmond, which he also did. It is to my understanding that he also helped build such a machine for the Administrator, though I don’t have much proof of that other than speculation… and you.”

“Me?” Engineer uttered out in disbelief. “Yes, you.” the classic medic confirmed, “You see Mr. Conagher, in a couple of minutes you’re going to receive a call from the Administrator, and she’s gonna ask you to help her with her own machine, and you’ll go and meet with her. I will be coming with you, and am going to end her life when I find her.”

Engineer just stared at the classic medic, unable, no, unwilling to believe that this was reality. He just couldn't wrap his head around it, he just couldn’t make sense of what was happening, and that everything he’d ever known about this job was a lie. Miss Pauling was a traitor, the Mann brothers were dead, there was a secret third Mann brother, the Administrator had been orchestrating the war, and his Pa’s death meant nothing. He’d been played for a fool, and had only been made aware of it by some old bastard whom he assumed was dead.

An old bastard had told him all of this, partially confirmed or elaborated on by Medic, but it had been an old bastard nonetheless. What did that mean then? Did that mean everything he’d just said was a lie? Was he just using him, or was he secretly working with the old mercs and this was some elaborate scheme? Medic seemed to believe him, but he’d been gone for so long, and he had no idea just how vile the old mercs were, how treacherous, how evil. Engineer had awoken tied up in a cave after being drugged and forcibly brought here, only to be told that everything he had ever known was a lie.

Why should he believe this man?

“You’re insane.” Engineer whispered, suddenly feeling like he might actually be in real danger, suddenly realizing just how little control he had over his life at the moment. “It’s possible,” the classic medic admitted, “but I think every man who’s fought in this war is just about as insane as I am, give or take. Now then, here’s what’s gonna happen, the Administrator’s gonna call, you’re gonna pick up and have a pleasant conversation, she’s gonna ask for your help in repairin’ her immortality machine, and you’re gonna agree to help her.”

“How the hell do you know she’s gonna call me? How the hell do you know any of this!” Engineer shouted, the manic spiraling in his head starting to settle as things came into focus for him. “Mr. Conagher, I’ve been working at this for a long, long time. It hasn’t been easy, quite frankly the fact that I’m standing here before you is nothing short of divine intervention, but I have been able to gather enough information to know that tonight is the night. The Mann brothers are dead, and Gray has made his first move, she’s gonna need all the help she can get.”

“Not to be that person or anything,” Medic interjected smugly, “but how exactly is Engineer going to answer a call meant for him when his phone isn’t here? I mean, it’s very difficult to answer a call when you’re not with the phone.”
“Good question Mr. Ludwig-”
“Doctor Ludwig.”
“... Mr. Ludwig. Short answer being I was able to get into the Red base and reconnect a few wires to transfer any calls that phone got, to the one I have.”
“Ah yes, a stalker, wunderbar.”

“When the hell did get in the Red base!” Engineer shouted, trying to remember how many calls this man could have listened in on. “We were always there! Unless you came in during a battle, but that- oh my God you came in durin’ Gentle Surgery.”
“That I did, snuck in right as you boys left.”
“Then that’s how you knew about this morning's battle… you listened in on me and my Pa!”
“True, true, I didn’t take any pride in it, but I did.”

“Doc, remember when I said not to believe a word this guy says?” Engineer asked as he looked at his friend. “Jawohl.” Medic confirmed. “Great, that’s why, he ain’t nothing but a two faced bastard who’s lookin’ out for his team’s agenda.”
“Mr. Conagher,” the classic medic said in what could almost be perceived as an offended tone, “if I was lookin’ out for my former team's agenda, you’d all be dead. I don’t work for Charles-”

The classic medic then stopped, a hurt look entering his eyes, as if he remembered something tragic. His entire demeanor seemed to shift into something far more morose, before he continued in a more somber tone, “…The Boss… I don’t associate with him, and I haven’t for a long time. I admit I’ve done some underhanded things to get here, but Mr. Conagher this is for the best. Too many people have died for this to continue, too many people have had their lives wasted or ruined, too much evil has been allowed to spread because of it, and I need to end it. Like I said, I’d do it alone if I could, but I can’t. Mr. Conagher this is not up for debate, this is ending today.”

“You’re fucking insane.” Engineer said again, this time quite venomously, to which the classic medic merely sighed tiredly. “I’m aware of this Mr. Conagher, believe me, I am.” he explained wearily, before taking his rifle, levering it, and walking over to Engineer.

He then proceeded to hold his rifle in his right hand while using his left to procure a knife from his belt, which he quickly used to cut the ropes that were binding Engineer to the chair. “Now son,” the classic medic ordered once Engineer was free and he had a proper grip on his rifle as he pointed it at Engineer, “when that call comes in, you best agree to help the Administrator, for your own good.”

As if on cue, the phone then began to ring, grabbing all of their attention, and slightly startling the bevy of doves in the corner.

“Well, I suppose that’s it then.” the classic medic muttered to himself, a hint of nervousness in his voice. Engineer stared at the phone, not wanting to do this, not believing that this man didn’t have some sinister agenda, and that he was once again being played for a fool. The world was upside down, right was now wrong, friends were now enemies, and he was a murdering snake.

This wasn’t right, none of this was right.

“What happens if I refuse?” Engineer scoffed, the ringing of the phone continuing to sound. “You ain’t gonna kill me, I know that much, and I can handle anything you throw at me. You wanna shoot me, shoot me, you wanna slice me into ribbons, you go ahead and do that. I ain’t scared of your cowardly ass, so go on, do your worst.” “That right?” the classic medic asked darkly, before taking his rifle and aiming it at Medic, who for the first time actually looked a bit startled, maybe even frightened.

“Son, I ain’t messin’ around today, you best pick up that call and cooperate.”
“He’s bluffing! He’d never!” Medic shouted, sounding like he believed himself, but looking rather nervous. “The man is a coward, he wouldn’t dare!”
“Is that something you’re willing to risk right now?” the classic medic asked coldly, “Are you really willing to risk his life over this? Son, I ain’t playin’ around right now, pick up the phone, or else!” There was a desperate look in his eye now, as if everything depended on this moment, as if nothing else mattered, as if this was everything.

“DUMMKOPF!!! HE’S LYING!!!” Medic shouted furiously, only to get the rifle shoved against his head. “Mr. Conagher, answer the call. Now.” the classic medic ordered, something in his eyes changing, something his eyes telling Engineer that he was serious. He didn’t have a choice, maybe he’d never had a choice.

“Doc, I just got you back… I ain’t about to lose you again.” Engineer declared defeatedly, before starting to walk over to the phone. “DUMMKOPF!!! You’re letting him play you! You’re letting him win!” Medic protested, only to have the butt of the rifle slammed into his head, causing Archimedes to stir and ruffle his feathers angrily, but he remained still, for the time being. “I’m only gonna say this once Mr. Ludwig,” the classic medic seethed out, “so you best heed my advice. You are not to say a word until your friend is finished, you understand me?”
“Rot in hell you bastard!” Medic shouted, clearly not understanding, or more accurately, not caring about the current gravity of the situation.

“DOC!” Engineer shouted with a mix of desperation and anger, instantly grabbing Medic’s attention. “Doc, don’t you dare make a sound, I ain’t about to lose you over this! Just cooperate for now, we’ll deal with ‘im later, just not right now.” Medic stared at him for a moment, then let a growl of frustration escape him as he went quiet, that wonderful, horrible, terrifying anger of his gleaming in his eyes, promising a long, painful death to the classic medic. “Smart choice,” the classic medic said, “now enough stalling, answer her.”

Engineer stared down the old bastard in front of him for another long second, before turning to look at the phone, wondering if there was any way he could possibly warn the Administrator about the danger she was in. Truth be told, he’d only met her once, a long time ago at the beginning of his employment. He knew nothing about her, only that pissing her off resulted in bad things, not that he or his team had ever pissed her off before. Despite these things, the thought of luring her into a death trap hung heavy within him, but the idea of losing Medic again weighed greater.

There wasn’t a choice, he had to save Medic, and would not be the reason he was killed.

With a deep breath, Engineer steadied his nerves and his heart, then he picked up the phone.

“Hello?” he said into the receiver, choosing to keep his gaze away from Medic and the classic medic, not wanting any distractions, not wanting to give his mind a chance to rebel against his heart.

“Am I speaking to Dell Conagher?” Sure enough, it was the Administrator, sounding terribly bored, as if she were making a doctor's appointment, or arranging some other mundane activity. “Yes ma'am, to what do I owe the pleasure of speaking with you?” Engineer asked, trying to hide any fear, trying to find a way to warn her of the truth. “Oh, a simple matter, nothing more, I was just wondering if you could assist me with a little project of mine.”
“What kind of project?” Engineer asked, shame and guilt once again starting to fill his heart. “Not the kind to be discussed over the phone,” the Administrator declared firmly, “it’s more of an in person discussion. Now, time is of the essence, so I need you to join me rather quickly, preferably within the next day or so, can you do that for me Mr. Conagher?”
“Of course ma’am… just lemme know where to meet you.”
“Excellent, I’ll give you the coordinates shortly, I really am grateful for this, you’ll be helping me more than you know.”
“... It’ll be my pleasure…”
“Now then, there was something else I needed to ask you, something very important… Oh what was it, it was just on the tip of my tongue… Ah yes, now I remember! Mr. Conagher, could you kindly put me on the phone with your captor?”

***

“I beg your pardon?” Engineer asked, a hint of worry in his voice. The classic medic wasn’t sure he liked that. He would’ve killed to be able to know what the Administrator was saying at that moment, but alas, this was how things had to be.

“I… ma’am I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, I-I’m not-” Engineer then stopped talking, as if he were interrupted. The classic medic didn’t like that, he didn’t like that one bit. There was a pause as Engineer waited for the Administrator to finish, a terribly long, terribly deafening pause, before he gave a defeated sigh, and said nervously, “Yes ma’am, I’ll… I’ll get ‘im on for you.” That didn’t sound right, that didn’t sound right at all.

The classic medic watched as Engineer turned to him, the blood having drained from his face, before looking him in the eye and in a rather terrified voice saying, “She wants to talk to you.”

“Stop playin’ games Mr. Conagher,” the classic medic ordered, a hint of fear starting to creep into his soul, “I ain’t in the mood for it.”
“I ain’t playin’ any games!” Engineer snapped, a desperate, frightened tone lacing his words, “I don’t know how, but she knows! It ain’t my fault!”

He was telling the truth, it was there clear as day, she knew what was going on. She always knew. Even when he thought he was so clever, even after avoiding her for decades, after being so careful, she found out he was there, she found out he knew more than anyone had ever known.

Looking back at it, the classic medic knew he’d gotten sloppy with his work, he’d become impatient, desperate, and tired. Saving Medic had been his first mistake, of course having another person was going to attract attention, of course she would’ve figured out Gray’s latest attempt at gaining true immortality had gone missing. Then he’d snuck into the Red base, and he thought he’d been smart, he’d thought that he’d avoided any security cameras and left without a trace. Alas, it was never that simple. This morning’s latest stunt was probably what put the final nail in the coffin, how she figured out any of this out was beyond him, but she always managed. She always knew.

The classic medic stared at Engineer for a long moment, trying to accept the fact that she’d found him, trying to accept the fact that all the work he’d done for the past two decades had amounted to nothing. No, no it wouldn’t, not yet, he was still standing, still breathing, and until he stopped breathing he would not be defeated. Yes, this was terrifying, but it wasn’t the end, not yet. It ended when he died.

Carefully, as if somehow each step would be his last, the classic medic walked over to the phone, now training his gun on Engineer, just in case. He didn’t intend to kill him, but if he had to fight he would. “Go stand next to your friend,” he ordered, “and don’t move a muscle. If I look over and see you boys trying to get out, you’ll be in for a world of hurt.” Engineer simply nodded, then set the phone down and walked over to Medic without a word. The classic medic then stared at the phone, silently willing it to disappear, before walking over and picking it up.

It felt like he’d just sighed his own death warrant.

“Ms. Helen?” he said quietly, a cold, numb feeling starting to rise in his chest. After all, he was talking with death, not her servant, death herself.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name,” the Administrator stated fondly, too fondly, “I’m surprised you know it, not many get the privilege of living long enough to figure it out.”
“Ms. Helen,” the classic medic continued, “there are a great many things I know, things that you probably wouldn’t like me knowin’, this current name of yours being one of 'em. I hope you don’t mind it too much, but I just don’t like using these… titles in place of our God given names.”
“I see… so you wouldn’t like it if I referred to you as ‘medic’, or ‘classic medic’?”
“No ma’am, I would not.”
“Very well, if the records are correct, your name is Alastor Lawrence, would you like me to call you Alastor?”
“Mr. Lawrence will do nicely ma’am.”
“Perfect, I do feel I owe you some respect for making it this far, after all, no one else has.”

The classic medic just nodded to himself, keeping his mind clear and his heart calm.

“If you don’t mind me askin’ Ms. Helen, how’d you figure out what I was doing? Where did I go wrong?” he asked, suddenly wishing he was next to the warm fire. “Please, I’ve been hunting you for years,” the Administrator declared mockingly, “it’s just been a matter of finding you. I must admit, you've given me and Miss Pauling quite a bit of trouble in that regard, but in the end, everything did fall back in line, or it will soon enough.”
“I’m assuming that means that Ms. Pauling will be here shortly to kill me then.” the classic medic stated, now realizing that he was never going to see another sunrise again. “I’m afraid so Mr. Lawrence, I’m afraid so.”
“If you don’t mind me askin’, just when will she be here?”
“Mr. Lawrence, you’ll be dead before the sun sets.”

The classic medic quickly looked out onto the setting sun, watching as its light began to fade over the land, watching as it began to approach the earth once again, unyielding in its descent, uncaring about what its departure would mean. He hardly had fifteen minutes, if that.

“That’s not a lot of time Ms. Helen.” the classic medic stated somberly, that numb feeling in his chest slowly starting to work its way throughout his body. “It most certainly is not,” the Administrator agreed coldly, “but surely you knew this little game of yours wouldn’t last forever, right? Surely you knew it would be futile, I mean honestly, did you really think you could stop me?”
“I’d certainly planned on it, and I must say things certainly seemed to be going well for a while, after all I made it this far… Then again, there’s a reason the war is as old as it is, and I’m certain that I ain’t the first fool to try and put an end to it.”

The classic medic then paused, slowly coming to terms with his current situation. He was a dead man walking, the war was going to continue, there would be more death, and the world would lie in ruins in the wake of the Administrator's never ending quest for… he didn’t even know. That was the one thing he could never figure out, why all of this was actually happening, why the war was so crucial to her plan, why respawn existed, why this needed to go on forever. He didn’t need to figure that out though, he’d lost interest in that a long time ago, he had just needed to end it, and now he was going to die. Well, the chances were extraordinarily high anyway, it would take an act of God to save him now.

“Ms. Helen,” the classic medic said in a firm voice, “I hope you realize that you can’t do this forever, and that whatever it is you’re planning is never going to succeed. I may die today, but one day you’re gonna die too, it’s inevitable.” He listened as the Administrator began to laugh, a cruel, loud, mocking laugh. He didn’t pull the phone away in order to avoid listening to it, he didn’t feel insulted, he didn’t even feel angry, after all, what else could he have possibly expected her reaction to be?

“Did you honestly believe that you could end this war?” The Administrator asked mockingly, almost angrily, “Did you honestly believe that you, some worthless pawn, could ever put an end to me? Do you have any idea as to just how long I’ve been working at this? Do you have any idea as to what I’ve sacrificed, how many years I’ve dedicated to seeing this through? Nearly my entire life has been spent in pursuit of this one goal, nearly my entire life has been dedicated to repaying my debts, and you, you worthless pawn, you thought you could be the one to stop me? Mr. Lawrence, I am unstoppable, I have ensured that every weakness, every loose end, every conceivable foil has been eradicated for far longer than you’ve been alive! You stupid, stupid pawn!

“You really thought you could make a difference, you really thought that you would be the one to end this! You thought you could play hero! Well, you’re not a hero, you’re not anything, and before this day is done there won’t be a soul that remembers you. You’ll be forgotten, and the decades you spent trying to kill me will have meant nothing.

“Does it bother you, knowing that you could’ve led a normal life? Knowing that if you hadn’t gotten curious, you could’ve avoided all of this? You could be happy, living in blissful ignorance with your time working for Blu being nothing more than a foul memory to look back on in disgust. You could’ve done that, you had the money to go anywhere you liked, you had the ability to choose what you did, and be whatever you wished, but no, you chose this. You chose a life spent in isolation, chasing after gods in the hopes of being able to kill them. Truly Mr. Lawrence, you have wasted your life with this pettiness, and what’s worse, you’ve ruined the life of Mr. Ludwig. Congratulations you worthless, miserable pawn, you’ve achieved nothing, and will die an utterly avoidable, utterly pointless death.

“Do you want to know what really angers me? Do you want to know what really makes my blood boil about this situation? You’ve wasted my time. I spent three days dedicated to finding you, three entire days spent with my sole attention focused on you, do you know how many seconds were wasted on you? Any idea as to what was lost during that time? Of course you don’t, you don’t know anything, and you never have. That’s the problem with people like you, you think that just because you have the moral high ground, everything you do is justified, and you have no regard for the wasting of other people's time. People like you sicken me.

“I mean honestly, was it worth it to waste my time? Did you gain anything at all by inconveniencing me? Of course not, you thought you were clever, you thought that you had everything figured out, and that you had everything squared away. How stupid. How completely stupid.

“Your life will have meant nothing, this game of yours will have amounted to nothing. Everything you’ve sacrificed, every choice that has led you to this moment will have been for nothing. You pathetic pawn, did you really think you could outsmart me? Did you really, truly believe that you could ever amount to anything? Mr. Lawrence, you’ve killed yourself! You’ve been digging your own grave for decades! This is the price of thinking you can kill a god! This is the price of wasting my time! You will die alone, forgotten, hated, and-”

A gunshot echoed over the phone, loud and sickening, followed shortly by a dull thud.

The classic medic was silent, waiting for the Administrator to say something, waiting for an explanation of any kind, but there was nothing. It was silent for a whole thirty seconds, a deafening, unnatural silence, as if the world itself was holding her breath.

“Ms. Helen?” he asked cautiously, still wrapping his head around the monologue of insults he’d just received, as well as the fact that Miss Pauling was surely close by.

Again, silence.

That didn’t sit right with the classic medic, that didn’t sit right at all. The Administrator was alone, unless Miss Pauling was with her, but she was here, well, somewhere nearby anyway, so there was no one to shoot the gun other than her, and she’d been talking to him. There had been a thud, the sound of a body dropping, the sentence never completed. That wasn’t like the Administrator, she was never one to just leave business unfinished. What just happened?

“I… I did it.”

Instantly the blood drained from the classic medic’s face, a primal fear he’d never felt before now gripping his soul. That was a voice he knew. That was a voice he hated. That was a voice that was never supposed to be in the same room as the Administrator.

“I did it. I… I actually did it! She’s dead! I DID IT! I DID IT!!!”

Gray Mann.

How the hell did he find her? How the hell did he get close enough to kill her? Why hadn’t she known he was this close to her? Why hadn’t she stopped him?

How? How! HOW!

This wasn’t supposed to happen like this, Gray Mann wasn’t supposed to win, Gray Mann wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near her, he wasn’t supposed to have any idea as to where she was! Gray had been searching for her, and he’d been clueless as to where she could’ve been, that had been the truth the classic medic had known, that had been the reality he’d planned around.

Gray Mann didn’t know where she was, what changed!?!

“I DID IT!!! I KILLED HER!!! I FINALLY KILLED HER!!! AHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!! Wait, oh wait this is even better!” The classic medic then heard the sound of footsteps rushing towards the other phone, followed shortly by a strained grunt, and yet another thud. “Hello? Hello, is this Miss Pauling? Oh please tell me this is Miss Pauling, that would be priceless!”

“Gray Mann.” was all the classic medic was able to say, too shocked to say much else. It was true that between Gray and the Administrator, Gray had been the lesser of two evils, but that was like comparing a lion to a tiger, yes there were differences, but both would kill you without a second thought. Even if Gray had been the lesser of the two, he now had everything he could’ve ever wanted. All the australium caches, no opposition, all the information. Gray Mann had just evolved into a larger threat, and the only possible hope of stopping him was Saxton Hale, if he was even still alive. Who knew, maybe everyone was dead, maybe more had happened than just the death of Blutarch and Redmond. Was that even possible? Had Gray Mann won the entire war in a day?

“Alastor Lawrence! What a surprise it is hearing your voice again!” Gray exclaimed with mocking glee, “Let me guess, just let me guess! You thought you could beat her, didn’t you? You thought you could outsmart her, and she was in the middle of tearing you a new one! Oh, oh that’s hilarious! You- you actually thought you- HAHAHAHAHAAA!!! You were lucky to get away with playing me for a fool, you barely escaped my wrath, and then you thought- you thought- Oh, oh I can’t! I just can’t! This is too much! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!”

The classic medic said nothing, what could he say? Everything was wrong, everything was terribly, terribly wrong.

“How… how the hell did you do it?” he managed to ask, a nauseating feeling starting to overtake him as the reality of the situation crashed in around him. “It was actually quite easy,” Gray explained with overflowing smugness, “with Helen being so caught up with finding you, and Pauling distracted with those idiot mercs and their pointless drama, she wasn’t paying any attention to me! More importantly, she wasn’t paying attention to your former team. What the hell do you think they were doing during the blizzard and ceasefire, training? Sitting around and licking their wounds? I admit, your Boss friend got really carried away with getting revenge on that stupid Blu Medic, but really it helped to distract Pauling even more! Oh, oh Alastor, you really are a fool! The key to this sort of thing is having all the right connections, as well as perfect distractions, and I had both thanks to you! You and those idiot Red mercs were the perfect distractions!”

Always a pawn, never the king. That seemed to be his lot in life, always struggling to reach the end of a never ending chess board, always trying to see through the smoke and mirrors, always ending up far more lost than when he’d started. Everything he’d worked for, everything he thought he knew, all of it was a lie, or at the very least had never been as concrete as he thought. He couldn’t say he failed, after all he was still alive, but the thought of starting all over from nothing was enough to make him wish he’d failed. He wasn’t sure he could do it all again, but if he didn’t, who would?

“You want to know what the best part about this is?” Gray asked mockingly, “You can’t even attempt to stop me! Miss Pauling will have killed you before you can even start to think about planning my downfall! I don’t even have to send an assassin to kill you, Helen did it herself! Her last act on earth was to kill my loose end! AHAHAHAAAAAA!!!”

With a shaking hand the classic medic hung up the phone, having grown tired of the insults. The wounds stung enough, there wasn’t any need to rub salt into them. The situation was bad, really bad, but at least he knew what Gray Mann’s goal was, at least this wasn’t something that was shrouded in mystery and confusion, his goal was as mundane and stereotypical as it got.

World domination.

Truth be told, he didn't really know what Gray Mann wanted with the world, but his goals were big, larger than keeping some pointless war going until the end of time. He’d wanted control of Mann co., and there was a very strong chance he now had it. Truly, the only person who could possibly stop him now was Saxton Hale, but without the Administrator, what was his motivation? What was he to gain from any of this? Would he even care? Chances were he wouldn’t, chances were Saxton would just disappear into the jungle to live out his dream of being the ultimate Australian, and the world would fall into the waiting hands of Gray Mann.

The worst part about all of this was that there was a very strong chance that Gray was right, and that true to the Administrators word, he’d be dead before the sun set. He didn’t want to accept it, he didn’t want to give in to death so easily, but Miss Pauling was good, very good, and though he’d never been in a direct fight with her, he knew she probably outmatched him. The best thing to do now was to pray for salvation, and get Engineer and Medic as far away from this mess as possible. If he was going down, then he would not take them with him.

The classic medic took only a moment to clear his mind and heart, taking a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, then releasing it slowly, before turning back to Engineer and Medic. He wasn’t surprised to see Medic out of his restraints, with four of his doves perched on his shoulders while he held one, nor was he surprised that Engineer was now training a pistol at him, both men clearly eager to kill him. He wasn’t afraid of them, he couldn’t find it within himself to be afraid of them.

“Now, I need you boys to listen to me, and I need you to listen close,” the classic medic said calmly, “I got my truck parked outside, the keys are inside it, and I need you boys to take it and get back to your team. When you get back to your team, all of you need to get every dollar you have, go to Australia, find Saxon Hale, and get him to help you defeat a man named Gray Mann. He’ll know who you’re talking about.”

Understandably both men looked at him like he’d just grown another head, as they looked to each other for an explanation, before turning back to the classic medic in confusion.

“I’m sorry, what?” Engineer asked, still training the gun on him. “I know this is a little sudden,” the classic medic admitted patiently, “and if I could do it myself I would, but I can’t, so I need you boys to do that for me, can you do that?”
“W-what the hell does Saxton Hale have to do with anything?” Engineer exclaimed, his grip on the gun faltering as he fell into confusion again. “More than you know, and if I had time to give you boys the full story, I would, but right now I need you to get as far away from here as possible, and get back to your team. I know it doesn’t make much sense right now, but one day it will, and for now I need you to trust me. Mr. Conagher, I know that isn't an easy thing to do right now, you got every right not to trust me, but son, this is bigger than both of us. Please, I need you to do this, not for me, for everyone. I’m sorry I can’t give you a better explanation right now, but you have to get out of here, now.”

Engineer was silent, and for a moment the classic medic was worried he wasn’t going to leave, and that he was going to stay in order to get the information he wanted. Thankfully, Engineer did lower the gun, albeit a bit hesitantly, before looking him in the eye. They stared at each other for a few moments, and while the classic medic had no way of seeing Engineer's eyes, Engineer could see his, and that was the important thing. Of course, the longer he took, the more fear began to fill the classic medic’s chest, just wishing they would leave already, just wanting them to make it out alive.

He didn’t want to see them get hurt, he didn’t want to hurt anyone, but this was the path he chose to walk, and it was a bloody one. True, he’d been the one to rope them into this mess, albeit reluctantly, but he did it nonetheless, but that didn’t mean they had to die with him. Life, death, good Lord the lines between them were beginning to blur in a way they were never supposed to, but he was just having a hard time distinguishing the point of either anymore. What was life without purpose? What was the point of death if one's life amounted to nothing? It amazed the classic medic that even now, when nothing really mattered, he was starting to become philosophical. Then again, the sun was setting, so why not be a little pessimistic?

“Alright, alright we’ll get goin’, and… and I’ll see what I can do about that request.” Engineer promised, and instantly the classic medic felt better about his current situation.

“WHAT!?! No, no we’re going to kill him!” Medic exclaimed angrily, “After everything he’s done, I need to see him burn!”
“Doc, you don’t have to see ‘im burn, you want to.”
“Psh, same thing.” Medic muttered to himself, and if death were to bring one comfort to the classic medic, it would be that he would never have to deal with Medic again. “Doc… I get the feelin’ we need to leave, and that we ain’t gonna be seein’ this man again. C’mon, let’s go home.” Engineer said in a somber tone, to which Medic just groaned in annoyance before finally relenting. “Fine, I do suppose the faster we leave, the faster I’ll get to see Heavy.” Engineer just nodded in agreement, before looking at the classic medic one last time.

“Think we’ll ever meet again?” he asked, though he sounded like he already knew the answer. “No, no I don’t think we will,” the classic medic replied with an almost bittersweet tone, “and that’s probably for the best, now get out of here, I’ve caused you enough trouble already.” Engineer simply gave an affirmative nod, before leading the way out of the cave, looking as if he understood what was at stake, as if he finally believed him. Medic on the other hand, turned to look at him one last time, and gave him a wicked smile before exclaiming gleefully, “See you in hell, schweinhund!” The classic medic said nothing in response, not having the energy to deal with this man any longer. Truly, he was glad to never have to deal with him again, or his doves for that matter.

Finally, silence had returned to him once again. It didn’t bring him much comfort.

The classic medic just looked out onto the setting sun, watching as it grew closer and closer to the earth, and he wondered if he really had wasted his life. It didn’t feel like he had, sure he had his regrets, but this wasn’t one of them. If he died today, he would die knowing he tried, and that he’d at least given the world some hope in the form of Engineer and Medic, scary as that was to imagine. Besides, death wasn’t a guarantee, and neither was life, so what right did he have to fear or long for either? He had none, but he couldn’t help but long for life anyway.

“Lord, I know it’s been a bit longer than I intended,” the classic medic prayed as he began to tidy up his cave, “I promise I meant to talk to You a bit sooner than this, but well, life happens, don’t it? Look, You’ve done me a helluva lot of favors over the years, and I appreciate that, and I admit I probably should’ve done a bit more for You, but could I ask for one last miracle from You? I know, I know I’m being a bit selfish right now, and I don’t deserve it, but Lord, I can’t in good conscience leave this world knowin’ that Gray Mann’s still out there. Granted, You ain’t too keen on murder, and I do plan on murder, but if You got a better alternative, let me know, alright? I’m only human after all, and this mortal mind can only get me so far. Anyway, I just want to say thank you for lettin’ me get this far, and that if You happen to have a spare miracle lying around, could You send it my way? Heh, anyway, I’ll get outta your hair now, and, well, I reckon I’ll see you soon. Amen.”

Once everything was properly organized and cleaned up, the classic medic walked to the middle of the cave, his gun at the ready, and began to wait. He felt no need to run, it would only delay the inevitable, and he’d made peace with himself a long time ago. Whatever happened next happened for a reason, and he wasn’t about to prove himself a coward. No, he would face this threat head on, with or without the Lord by his side, and he was ok with that.

He waited for what felt like an eternity, only the sound of the wind bringing him any comfort.

In reality though, he only waited two minutes.

That’s when he heard her coming, quietly, slowly, like a hunter in search of prey. This was it then, the point of no return.

Quickly the classic medic levered his rifle, wanting her to hear it, wanting her to know that he knew she was there, and that he wasn’t going anywhere. Instantly she stopped, and everything was quiet again, too quiet. He wanted to say something, truly he did, but the words just wouldn’t come out, and he realized he was a bit more scared than he’d originally thought, but then again, he was human, he was bound to be afraid of the unknown.

Suddenly, a canister was thrown in, and before he could react smoke began to fly everywhere, blinding him. His respirator kept it out of his lungs, but he was still at a disadvantage, he was still vulnerable. The smart thing to do would be to run and try and ambush her at a different location, but he didn’t want that, he didn’t want to kill her. The smart thing to do would be to hide, to leave the open ground in favor of somewhere far more defensible, to try and leave, to do anything other than stand still. He did none of that though, choosing instead to go down a different path, one that he doubted would work, but he had to try anyway.

“Ms. Pauling, I know you’re there, and I know why you’re here,” the classic medic said into the smoke, unsure if Miss Pauling would even listen to him, “and I understand that you gotta job to do, I respect that, but could I trouble you for a little more time? I just wanna talk, nothin’ more. I can promise you it won’t take too long, and, well, after that you can continue with your work. Can I please just have a minute?”

Nothing was said for a few moments, before a voice came from the smoke, sounding dangerously close. “One minute, you have one minute.” Miss Pauling promised, sounding angry, like something else was plaguing her mind, like something else was eating away at her soul.

“Thank you kindly,” the classic medic said, taking a few steps back to get away from her, “I promise you, I have a good reason for this… Ms. Pauling, I-I’m afraid I don’t really know how else to say this, but, well… Ms. Pauling the Administrator’s dead, she was killed by Gray Mann hardly five minutes ago. Now, I don’t know how he managed it, I get the feeling it had somethin’ to do with my former team, but, well, he killed her.

“Ms. Pauling, I ain’t sayin’ this to mock you, I don’t wanna offend you in any way, I’m sayin’ this to warn you, to tell you that this whole situation just got a helluva lot worse. Now then, since she’s dead, I reckon we don’t have any reason to be enemies anymore, and I think that stayin’ enemies would do both of us more harm than good, so if you’ll be so inclined, could you kindly stop tryin’ to kill me? I know what I’m saying sounds insane, but I swear to you Ms. Pauling, it’s the truth, and I can prove that.”

Silence.

By now some of the smoke was starting to escape through the hole in the cave, and slowly the orange light was beginning to properly illuminate the space again while it shone through the smoke.

It truly looked hellish.

The classic medic tried to look through the haze of smoke and light, wanting to see his attacker, wanting to see death’s heir, but it was impossible. He could only hope and pray that she believed him, and that he hadn’t just made a huge mistake, or let his judgment fall too far.

If only he weren’t so tired.

There were two gunshots, the first striking the right side of his abdomen, the second striking just below his left breast.

Instantly he fell, the breath being torn from his lungs as pain erupted through him, burning, sharp, and petrifying. He quickly grabbed at his wounds pressing tightly against them with his arm as he struggled to back away. He had known that talking reason into her would be a long shot, but considering he’d never win a direct fight, that was the next best option, but now… well, now he really was a dead man.

The classic medic struggled to get the air back into his lungs, the feeling of his blood beginning to pour from him making him cold, sick even. He’d barely managed to get his thoughts together when he finally saw her starting to approach.

Miss Pauling.

She walked through the smoke like an angel of death, pistol in hand, her eyes hidden by the tint of the light on her glasses, her gait bold and confident, as if she’d seen this sight a million times before. There was nothing about her that indicated she would spare him, nothing that indicated any sort of remorse, empathy, or any soft emotion. No, she was here to do her job, and nothing more.

When she finally got close enough for her eyes to show, the classic medic saw a deep anger within them, maybe even sorrow, but not for him, never for him.

“I have to say,” Miss Pauling stated coldly, “I have had many desperate men and women tell me many things in order to save their lives. I have had people tell me a great many things, I have been told that I would be making a mistake, that there was a misunderstanding, that the Administrator was supposed to call me off, but that the message hadn’t come in yet, and that this was all a test by the Administrator to see if I could actually pull off the kill.

“I have been promised fortunes, land, power, and pleasure beyond my wildest dreams. Many people have told me many desperate lies, but you? Classic medic, your lie takes the cake. Never in my life has someone told me that the Administrator was dead, and killed by Gray Mann of all people. I’d almost believe if I didn’t know any better, but I’m not one of the mercs. I didn’t even think that such a lie could come into the mind of the desperate, but here we are.”

“I ain’t lyin’ Ms. Pauling, I don’t lie.” The classic medic said as he held his wounds tighter, hearing his own voice starting to become weak. “Sure you don’t,” she said harshly, “no one ever lies to me, especially not when I’m about to kill them. Goodbye.”

“CALL HER!”

It was a desperate move, and he knew it, but what other option was there? Besides, he’d said he had proof, it was time to show it. “Call her then…” he said weakly, a familiar cold feeling starting to seep into him, “go on, the phone’s right there… call her and tell her I’m dead… it’ll hardly be a lie, seeing as I’ll be dead soon enough…” This caused Miss Pauling to pause, a hint of worry starting to appear in her eyes. “Go on then, call her, see if… see if I’m lyin’!” Miss Pauling stared at him worriedly, her cold exterior finally dropping, before she looked at the phone on the table hesitantly.

She looked scared, very scared.

She was quick to regain her cold exterior as he turned back to the classic medic and exclaimed, “If she picks up, I’ll kill you!”
“I know, I know you will.” he replied in a grave tone, watching as the fear returned to her eyes, watching as she began to believe him with every passing second. Slowly, she walked over to the phone, only to stare at it worriedly, and the classic medic just watched, what else could he do? Then, she held her breath and began to dial, her once steady hands now shaking terribly, as if she already knew the truth. The phone rang once, twice, then three times, before it finally picked up.

Truthfully, the classic medic felt awful for Miss Pauling, and he wished that she could learn this truth in a gentler way, but there just wasn’t any other options. She would never truly believe that the Administrator was dead until she saw it for herself, or perhaps heard it from the man who was never supposed to find her.

“Administrator? It’s Pauling, he’s dead.” It was as simple as that then, that’s how she delivered such news? It didn’t seem right to be so unceremonious about death, but what did he know about being an assassin? What did he know about how she felt about her work?

He couldn’t hear what Gray Mann said to Miss Pauling, he couldn’t hear what mocking laughter he gave, what gleefully smug remarks and insults he hurled at her, or what declarations of death and harm he promised her, but he didn’t need to. He could see it in her face, the horror, the realization, the understanding, the terror. He watched as her eyes widened as she gasped softly, instantly clasping a hand over her mouth as the blood drained from her face, turning her a ghostly white. She began to back away from the phone, as if it were Gray Mann himself in the room, all while she began to tremble violently.

He could see it in her eyes, her world had shattered, and it would never be whole again.

“No, nonononono…” she said quietly as she shook her head, a terror unlike anything the classic medic had ever seen entering her soul as she dropped the phone, letting go of it as if it were hot metal. “Oh no, oh no, no, no… No, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening…”
“Ms. Pauling, it is happening,” the classic medic said softly, “I don’t like it either, trust me, I know what’s at stake right now… Ms. Pauling, it’s not too late, we can still stop him, we don’t… Ms. Pauling?”

“No, nononononononono… No, this can’t be real, this wasn’t supposed to happen, she wasn’t supposed to die, she was supposed to win, she was supposed to live, she was supposed to complete her goal… I was supposed to be with her… I was supposed to be there…”
“Ms. Pauling,” the classic medic said in a gentle, yet firm voice, “you need to calm down, I know this… oh Lord… I know this is a lot, and I know you must be hurtin’ somethin’ fierce right now, but… but we can’t panic right now, we just… Ms. Pauling, don’t…”

Slowly, Miss Pauling was starting to back away from him, still whispering her denials in pure horror, still trying to rationalize all the reasons the Administrator couldn’t be dead, still trying to wake up from her nightmare.

“If she’s dead, what does my life mean? If she’s dead, w-w-what was the point? W-what am I going to do? What do I do? What do I do? This wasn’t supposed to happen, this was never supposed to happen… She was supposed to be there, she was always supposed to be there, I was supposed to be by her side!”
“Ms. Pauling, Ms. Pauling you need to breathe, you need to… you need to breathe… Ms. Pauling… Ms. Pauling!”
“What have I done?”

Just like that, Miss Pauling ran away.

He was alone again, and the sun had set. He was still alive, for now.

Carefully, slowly, the classic medic tried to stand up, and somehow, he found the strength to do so. It hurt, it hurt badly, but compared to what he’d felt in the past, this was nothing. With a few shaky steps he staggered towards the table where he kept his medical equipment, before falling forward onto it, groaning in pain as he did so, his strength fading quickly as his blood continued to spill from him. It was starting to become difficult to move. It was starting to become difficult to think straight.

After taking a moment to steady himself, he grabbed his medical kit and sat down, leaning against one of the table legs as he grabbed some gauze, needing to stop the bleeding as best he could. He would need to remove the bullets eventually, but not until he knew the bleeding had stopped, not until he knew he would make it through the night. He’d removed bullets before, but not from himself, and certainly not while he was so close to death, but he couldn’t risk infection, he couldn’t risk the fact that some clothing could be in the wound. With shaking hands, he began to pull away his clothing, staring at the bloody holes as the world around him grew dizzy.

He wasn’t sure he could do this.

“C’mon now, c’mon you can do this…” the classic medic whispered to himself, leaning his head against the table as he tried to steady himself. “You’ll be ok, you’ll be fine, just gotta… just gotta hold on now, you can do that…” The world was starting to make less and less sense with every passing moment, and his arms felt heavy as he moved to place the gauze over his wounds. He just needed to stop the bleeding, maybe if got to the fire he could cauterize the wound, that would stop it… that would…

“Wake up boy! C’mon wake up!” he shouted to himself, snapping his eyes open as everything came into focus, if only for a moment, but he just couldn’t find the strength to move. Gauze would have to do.

It was getting cold now that the sun was gone, but despite that he was starting to sweat, and he wasn’t sure that the gauze was working as well as he needed it to. He was losing too much blood, and he didn't have the strength to keep going. Everything felt so heavy, too heavy, it was impossible to stay awake.

This was it then? After everything, this was it? He always figured he’d go down like this, shot and alone, but he hated that it rang true to the Administrators prophecy. Alone, forgotten, hated… such was his fate. At least he tried, at least between Miss Pauling, Engineer, and Medic, there was some chance that this wasn’t for nothing. At least it wasn’t entirely hopeless.

With that, he closed his eyes, just needing to rest, just needing to let this moment pass as quickly as possible. It would all be over soon enough, and really, he was ready for it. He’d been fighting for too long, and there just wasn’t anything left within him to keep him going. He just didn’t have the strength to keep fighting anymore, he was too tired, too hurt, too-

That’s when he heard footsteps starting to approach, and on instinct he snapped his eyes open and turned in their direction. To his complete and utter horror, he saw Engineer and Medic, as well as those five, annoying little doves, standing at the entrance of his cave, Engineer with an unreadable expression on his face, and Medic looking terribly irked.

“I thought I told you boys to run!” he shouted angrily, now fully awake and aware of his situation. “You did,” Engineer conceded, “and I’ll be honest I was gonna listen, but then I got to thinkin’, this fella’s been workin’ a long, long time for somethin’ I don’t rightfully understand, and now he’s just gonna die? That don’t seem right, so I figured I’d come back and get some answers, but then I heard you and Miss Pauling gettin’ into your scuffle, and to hear that the Administrator was dead certainly shocked me, but hearin’ Miss Pauling panic like that scared me even more. So, after talkin’ with the doc for a minute, we came to the agreement, albeit reluctantly, to help you out a little, seein’ as this was so terribly important. Besides, the tires on your truck are slashed, we couldn’t have left even if we wanted to.”

“God dammit…” was all the classic medic could bring himself to say. Of course they were, of course Miss Pauling planned ahead like that, and now he was stuck with these two lunatics.

“Now, since we’re here,” Engineer said as he walked over to the fire to put some more wood on it, “and we’re gonna be spendin’ some time together, why don’t we get to know each other a little bit? You said you had a story, well now that we have the time, why don’t you start tellin’ that story.”
“You’re kiddin’.” The classic medic said, quickly turning his gaze back to Medic, who was starting to look just a bit too eager to hang out with him for his liking.

“Oh, don’t worry my friend,” Medic assured in a very worrying tone, “I will take care of you, I am a doctor after all.”
“Get the hell away from me.” the classic medic ordered in a voice that sounded like it could command armies. “Doc,” Engineer said after tending to the fire and turning back to Medic, “we ain’t killin’ ‘im, we agreed on that.”
“Who said I was going to kill him? I am just going to give him what he deserves.” Medic promised with that wicked smile the classic medic hated. “Doc.” was all Engineer needed to say to reign back his maniacal friend, who did reluctantly back off while stroking his doves head lovingly.

“Now, Lawrence, was it?” Engineer asked as he walked over and knelt down to the classic medic, his expression having softened slightly, though he still didn’t quite trust that Engineer didn’t hold animosity towards him. “Yes sir… that’s my name.” the classic medic confirmed, feeling his adrenaline starting to wear off as that lightheaded feeling began to return to him. “Well Mr. Lawrence,” Engineer said in a very matter of fact tone, “I can promise you that we ain’t gonna kill you, and I can also promise that we ain’t gonna hurt you either. Now, seein’ as Medic is a doctor, and I’m not, he will be the one helpin’ you, but I promise that I won’t let nothin’ bad happen, alright?”

If God had a sense of humor, it was very fucked up.

The classic medic had asked for a miracle, and he’d certainly received it, it wasn’t not the miracle he’d been expecting, but he wasn’t about to complain. After all, he was alive, and with… well, he was with company, not good company, but company nonetheless. If he could just survive the night, he’d work out what to do next in the morning, and more importantly figure out what these men wanted with him. Maybe Engineer really did believe him, maybe he did trust him enough to want to help him, but things were never that simple, there was always an ulterior motive.

“What… What is that you… that you want?” the classic medic asked tiredly, realizing that he was losing too much blood, realizing that he was running out of time. “Right now, I want you to live.” Engineer stated, before turning to Medic and saying, “Help me git ‘im near the fire, we’re gonna need its light to work, and none of us need to freeze tonight.”
“Fine, but I’m not going to be gentle.” Medic declared firmly, quickly making sure his doves were settled and warm by the fire before making his way over to Engineer. Engineer simply sighed defeatedly, a small smile forming on his face, before saying somewhat defeatedly, “Whatever you say doc, whatever you say.”

Once all three men were by the fire, Medic began to prepare for the operation needed to remove the bullets, all while Engineer made sure to keep the bleeding at bay while ensuring the classic medic stayed awake. It didn’t feel right to be helped, it didn’t feel right to have these men keeping him alive, it just didn’t make sense. Engineer had hated him, he’d wanted to kill him, and now he was here, and he’d chosen to keep him alive. No one had wanted him alive in… he honestly couldn’t remember, but it had been a long, long time. What was the motive? What did he want?

“Would it be easier to breathe if I took that respirator off?” Engineer asked while he grabbed some fresh gauze to dress the wounds, always gentle with his actions, as if he really did care. “If you could leave it on, that would be appreciated.” the classic medic answered, to which Engineer simply nodded. “I’m gonna ask you again Mr. Conagher… What do you want with me?” Engineer just chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he did so, before turning back to him and asking, “Ain’t a man allowed to help another?”
“In my experience, in this line of work, no.”
“Well, you said it yourself earlier, it’s the end of an era, so don’t we start this one off right?”

The classic medic just sighed, not wanting to trust him, but not having much choice either. Engineer wasn’t wrong, this was a time for new beginnings, and he wasn’t dead yet, so he’d have to live in this new world, and fight for it too. The situation sucked, but at least he was here to see things through, at least he wasn’t leaving the fate of everything in the hands of two arguably insane men, and possibly Miss Pauling. Granted, he had no idea where she went or what was running through her head, but she was out there, somewhere. Really, he did feel badly for her, and he wished she could’ve stayed so that he’d have at least one sane person with him, but this was his life now, and he wasn’t about to start complaining.

“Just keep breathin’ Mr. Lawrence, just keep breathin’.” Engineer instructed patiently, still nursing his wounds while Medic prepped for the operation. “I don’t… I don’t understand…” the classic medic said quietly, struggling to stay awake, struggling to keep his wits about him. Nothing felt right, he could feel his body dying all around him, and yet something inside of him told him to keep going, begging him not to give up. This wasn’t the end, not yet, not until he drew his final breath. “Just focus on breathing, you ain’t got nothin’ to worry about.” Engineer assured, and the classic medic started to believe him, or maybe he’d finally lost his mind.

No one had bothered to even think of him kindly in decades, yet here was this man, one he’d harmed, now helping him. It felt good to trust again, it felt good knowing that there were people worth saving in the world, and that not everything was lost. Maybe this was a new beginning for him, maybe it was time he started to trust again, and believe in the fact that not everyone was trying to use him, or get something from him. Life was beautiful after all, and after working so hard to protect it, maybe he needed to start enjoying it as well.

“I must say, you keep your equipment in very good condition!” Medic exclaimed, causing the classic medic to lose all his trust in these men nearly instantly. “I cannot wait to use it all! Ooo, is this anesthetic? This will be very useful for the operation, you won’t feel a thing! Won’t that be nice?”
“I ain’t… I ain’t closin’ my eyes... you devil.” the classic medic seethed out, quickly reminding himself that if men like Engineer considered men like Medic friends, nothing could really be as it seemed.

“Ach, such hatred! There’s no need for that! Like Engineer said, he’ll keep you safe, and I swear I won’t do anything to hurt you, intentionally anyway.” The classic medic just groaned, hating that this man was still in his life, hating that he still had to deal with his psychotic tendencies and wickedness, but this was the miracle he’d received. “Now then, shall we continue? I cannot wait to get started with this operation, it has been far too long since I had a proper procedure! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”

With that, night fell over the land, officially ending the day, and all the trouble it’d brought to the men fighting in the Gravel War. It was true that the future ahead looked rather bleak, and with so many unknowns and dangers, who knew what would happen, maybe nothing at all. Alas, when was anything ever that simple? Nope, something was bound to happen to everyone involved in this mess, for better, or for worse, but that’s not today’s story. That’ll be tomorrows, and oh, won’t a pretty sunrise that’ll make.

Remember, this isn’t the end, far from it, this is hardly the beginning.