Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Velcome, Frauline. My name is Ludwig Humboldt, but you can just call me Medic. Please take a seat and ve can get your initiation process started. Zere's a few things I need to do. Just a simple physical, I'll need to take a DNA sample for the Respawn Machine so ve can get you set up in ze system. Oh, and zen ze best part, I'll need to preform a special procedure in order to prepare your heart for my signature Übercharge. Zis shouldn't take more than an hour or two. Are you ready to begin?" The woman who'd just walked into the room would watch the medic as he spoke, moving to take a seat on the operating table as it was gestured to when Medic told her to take a seat. She'd stay silent for a moment before giving a nod. "I'm ready."

"Gentlemen. I know I have gathered you all here on very short notice, but this is very important, so bear with me." A cigarette would be snuffed out in an ash tray sitting on the desk, Spy swivelling his chair to face the mercenaries gathered before him. "What about Medic? He's not here." Came the gruff, accented voice of Heavy. He was looking around to see if Medic would suddenly appear from the double doorway that made the entrance to Spy's office. The window behind the desk had it's curtains pulled to the side, so the office was well illuminated.

"He will be with us shortly. In the meantime, the situation. The newest batch of intelligence we've gathered from yesterday's Capture the Flag matches has revealed something big. BLU has convinced Blutarch to hire a new mercenary. It seems their plan is to outnumber us. So, I have talked with Redmond, and he has authorized us to hire a new mercenary of our own." Spy would say to begin, pausing as Scout spoke up. "A new mercenary, huh? As if we'd need another one. We've been steamrolling BLU as it is." He'd say with a little scoff. Spy would raise a brow, before shaking his head. "Do not underestimate the enemy. Being outnumbered by even a single extra man can turn the tides in a big way. Especially with the skillset BLU has chosen for their new mercenary." Spy would say, directed at Scout. Then, he'd focus his attention on the rest of the team. "This new mercenary has been dubbed 'The Hunter'. According to the intelligence, they plan to give him a standard hunting rifle, a shotgun, and a bowie knife. Balanced for both long and medium range with a decent melee option. They've already hired their candidate in preparation for tomorrow's King of the Hill match. So, I've compiled everything I can find on our new opponent, and submitted it to Redmond and The Administrator so they could find us the perfect candidate for our Hunter." Spy would say, before being interrupted by knocking at the door. "Yes?"

Medic would poke his head in. "Our new friend is ready." Spy would give a smile. "Ah, perfect, right on time. Come on in, the both of you." He'd say, before grabbing and lighting a fresh cigarette.

From the doorway, Medic would walk in, stopping next to Spy's desk. Tailing him was a woman. She was visibly about an inch shorter than Engineer, and it was obvious that she was a woman, even with her more masculine features. She had broad shoulders and a bit of a thicker build to her body. She was already in uniform, wearing a red shirt with her class symbols on the shoulder. A circle with a simple top down motif of a deer's head. Over her shirt was a brown camouflage vest. She wore standard brown slacks and boots. On her head was an aviator hat made of the fur of a Canadian lynx. Sticking out from the front of the hat was a few locks of short, curly red hair. Her face, and skin in general, was pale and covered in light freckles, and a pair of glasses rested over her eyes.

"Go ahead and introduce yourself, Frauline." Medic encouraged, earning an small nod from Hunter, before she spoke up. "Good afternoon. My name is Sierra, but I guess you'll know me as Hunter going forward. I specialize in ambush hunting, which is why I assume the Administrator offered me this position." She'd say. Her voice, while still feminine, it was a bit on the deeper side. Her accent was a mix of a very light southern drawl, hints of a faint french accent, and tied together by a light stereotypical Canadian accent.

"This has gotta be a joke. This is our new mercenary? You brought in this shortstack?" Scout would comment, crossing his arms. It was obvious he wasn't very impressed. "Now, that ain't the way to talk to our new team member, Scout." Engineer would scold, before Spy shook his head. "She was recommended to Redmond by the Administrator herself. I would suggest you hold your tongue until you've seen her at work." He'd say, before standing from his seat. "Either way, that was all we needed to discuss. You can all go. Engineer, would you mind showing Hunter to her room." Spy would request, earning a nod from Engie. He would gesture for Hunter to follow, to which she would silently begin to follow after him.

It would take a moment for everyone to clear out, but Medic stayed behind to chat with Spy. It was obvious there was some mixed feelings regarding their new addition. Soldier, Demo, and Sniper seemed fairly unsure about her. Scout was fairly against her presence. Pyro seemed more so curious about her. Engineer, Medic, and Spy were more welcoming of her, or at least were fairly neutral about it. Heavy was slightly unsure, but he trusted Medic's judgment.

"What do you zhink? Her health is looking very good, she was successfully added to ze Respawn Machine, and her heart was fairly resistant to ze Übercharge procedure, although it still ended up exploding, so I replaced it with ze mega baboon heart anyways." Medic would say. It seemed he was pleased with her as a specimen. Strong, good for experimenting. Spy would take a puff of his cigarette. "She seems like she's capable. She's got an impressive history with the game she's brought down. Not sure why she was chosen, she has no history of killing humans after all. But, I will not question the Administrator. Although I will be keeping an eye on her until she proves herself capable." Spy would say simply as he snuffed his cigarette out in his ash tray, before activating his cloak and vanishing.

Chapter Text

Engineer had just stepped out of Spy's office, looking behind himself to take a good look at the new mercenary, before gesturing for her to follow. "Come this way. I'll show ya where you'll be staying." He'd say, before giving her a friendly little smile. "My name is Dell Conagher. Better known as the Engineer, but some just call me Engie. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Hunter." Engineer would offer his gloved hand for a shake, to which Hunter would politely accepted. "Ah, it's good to meet you as well, Engineer." She'd respond. "Good to hear it. Now, your room is grouped with the others here, see.." He'd lead her down the stairs, as Spy's office was on the second floor of the building. The stairs would open up to the kitchen/dining/living space of the building. There was a nice open kitchen with a large table in the middle of the space. There were ten chairs set up neatly, four along each side of the table with one chair at each end of the table. Looking past the table was a double fire door that led to the front yard. To the right of the fire doors was a nook that held a large sofa. Against a wall facing the sofa was a tv stand holding a decent sized television set. Currently, the television was turned on to a baseball game, with Scout seated on the sofa. He'd glance over to the stairs once he heard footsteps, only to spot Engie and Hunter coming down. With a huff, Scout stood to turn off the tv and went outside, not even acknowledging the two. Engineer would give a soft frown. "I apologize for Scout's behaviour. He's usually a bit of a pest, but not this bad. I reckon he's just not pleased with a newcomer in our midst. He'll get used to you, though." Engie would apologize, before gesturing to the space around them.

"Either way, this is the common area. Kitchen is open for all who like to cook, so feel free to use it if you want. The tv plays all the local channels from Teufort, plus a few extra national broadcasters. Just try to be respectful when others are watching their shows, I know we've had to replace the tv a few times due to brawls breaking out over what to watch." Engineer would explain, leading Hunter to a hallway just past the tv area. "Down here is the living quarters." Down the hall was eight doors, four on each side. Five of the doors were labelled. On the left side was Scout, then Pyro. On the right side was Demo, Soldier, and Heavy. "Your room is just here, right next to Pyro's." Engie would say, leading her down and stopping in front of the room. "I'll label your room in a few minutes. I just wanted to make sure you got settled in." He'd say, opening the door to show her the interior. It wasn't a huge room, there was a window along the left wall with a single bed pushed against the wall. Next to the head of the bed was a small nightstand with a standard alarm clock and lamp. Next to the nightstand was a small door that led to a fairly small private bathroom. Across from the door to the room was a standard dresser. There wasn't much other than that, but there was a little room for extra furnishings in case she wanted. "I know it ain't much, but you can make it yours." He commented. Hunter would gaze into the room for a moment. Almost as if she was amazed that all this space was hers. Although, after a moment, she'd turn to Engie. "It's perfect, thank you. Although.. There are ten of us, right? And with me here, there's only six occupied rooms. Where are the others staying?" She would ask curiously. "Ah, good question. For myself, my room is attached to my workshop on the other end of the building. Medic's room is attached to his lab in the basement, while Spy's room is upstairs, next to his office. Sniper on the other hand lives in his camper van. It's parked outside along the treeline." Engie would explain, Hunter just nodding along.

Although, while they spoke, a face would poke out from the room next door. "Mrrph!" This caught Engie's attention, and he looked over with a smile. "Well howdy there, Pyro. Come on out here and introduce yourself to our new teammate." He'd greet, causing Pyro to move into the hallway. He would give a wave to Hunter, who returned it. "Hurrr, hudda hud mrp?" Pyro would say, cocking their head as they looked to the newcomer. "Ah, Pyro has a unique way of communicating. Not everyone can understand him. I think right now it's just myself and Miss Pauling that know what he's saying. But, he's asking if you want to join him for a tea party." Engie would explain, and subsequently translate. Hunter would look curiously at Pyro. "Huh, that sounds interesting. Can't say I've ever had a tea party myself before. Sure." Hunter would respond. Pyro's appearance was almost unnerving, yet she felt an almost childlike innocence coming from their demeanor.

"Well, I do need to go do a few things, so I'll leave you in Pyro's hands. He can show you around more if ya'll get bored of the tea party." Engineer would say, giving Pyro a wave goodbye before heading off to his workshop. Pyro would then turn to Hunter and gestured her into their room. Upon stepping inside, Hunter was immediately met with the smell of gasoline. The layout of the room was identical to her own, but the walls were covered in drawings of rainbows, fairies, and pink unicorns. The floor had oil stains and there were three jerrycans sitting at the foot of the bed, no doubt the source of the gasoline scent. In the middle of the room was a short, pink plastic table with three matching chairs. In the center of the table was a pink teapot surrounded by some magenta coloured plastic plates, one of which contained a few cookies. Seated at the table was a pink unicorn. Pyro would give a little excited clap and went to sit at the table, picking up a little tiara and setting it on their head. They would gesture for Hunter to sit, and that's exactly what she would do. Pyro offered her one of their spare tiaras, and she politely accepted. Taking off her hat, she'd set it to the side and placed the tiara on her head. Pyro would clap again in delight upon seeing their new friend put on the tiara. "Mrrh!" They'd cheer, before setting down a plastic teacup in front of her, and offered Hunter a cookie. Hunter would accept and munched down on the cookie. It was surprisingly delicious. She'd need to ask for the recipe. Pyro would reach for the teapot in order to pour their new friend some tea, when the sound of a window breaking was heard. Before either of them could process the noise, a baseball would fly directly through Pyro's teapot. Silence took over the room for a moment, before the faint sound of laughter was heard from outside. Hunter would look to where the teapot had been, only to see a pile of ceramic shards left behind. Pyro seemed to stare at it for a moment, before looking out their window, which had been smashed as well. Outside, Scout was laughing hysterically.

"Shit.. Your teapot.. Are you okay, Pyro? Lemme go find Engineer, I'll see if we can fix up your teapot." She'd say, although her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Pyro would stand, staring at where Scout was. Hyperfocused, Pyro would reach for their fire axe, which hung above the head of his bed, before jumping out the broken window and sprinting towards Scout. A terrified, girlish screech could be heard once Scout realized what was happening. Hunter would watch as Scout began sprinting away from Pyro. Huh. She'd just take the tiara off her head and set it on the table, before grabbing her hat and heading out of the room to go find some glue. Moving into the common area, she'd feel her stomach grumble a bit. Damn. All she's eaten so far today had been a single cookie. So, she'd take a detour. Instead of walking past the kitchen to head to the other side of the building, she'd head towards the fridge.

On the counter she'd spotted a loaf of sandwich bread, so looking in the fridge she would locate mayo, ham, mustard, cheese, and lettuce. She'd gather it all up and moved to close the fridge door, when she was startled by a large figure looming over her. She managed to hold onto everything, but almost dropped the cheese. "Ah- Sorry, am I in your way?" She apologized, quickly moving out of his way. The man silently observed her as she moved to set her gathered ingredients on the counter top. "Is alright. I see you are making sandvich?" He'd respond, still observing her. "Yeah, do you need me to leave anything out for you?" She'd ask, avoiding eye contact. Then again, she never really makes eye contact with anyone anyways. "That would be appreciated. No tomato?" He'd respond, moving to sit down at the table while she made her sandwich. "Yeah, not a fan of tomato. Never have been." She'd say simply, grabbing the bread and putting together her sandwich. "Is fair. You are new mercenary, yes? I welcome you to team. I am Heavy Weapons Guy. Most call me Heavy." He would introduce. "They call you Hunter? Why is that?" He'd ask. She'd was finished making her sandwich and moved to sit at the table, while Heavy moved to grab a tomato slices from the fridge. "Well, it's my specialty. I've brought down everything from deer and moose to polar bears. Made my previous living selling the pelts." She'd explain, munching on her sandwich. "Polar bears? Impressive. Then I assume, considering your accent, that you are Canadian?" He'd ask. Hunter would open her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a newcomer, who'd just walked in from the hall leading to the living quarters. "CANADIAN? GO BACK TO CALGARY MA-" The yell was interrupted by the sound of an empty bottle shattering against a metal helmet. 

"Can it, ye loon. Yer gonna give me a right headache. Besides, where the lass comes from donnae matter. All that matters is how she fights." Came a slightly agitated voice. "BUT DEMO, CANADA IS COMMUNIST. THEIR FLAG IS RED!" This was followed by a moment of silence. "Did ye forget that we are the RED team, Soldier? If red makes ye communist, then we're all bloody communists." This silenced Soldier for a moment, before he muttered. "Dear god..." Demo just sighed. "Apologies for Soldier. He's a right idiot, but a damn good fighter if a've ever seen one. My name's Tavish Degroot, but the lads call me Demo, and of course this is Soldier." He would introduce, moving to grab a bottle of alcohol from the fridge. "Welcome to the team and all that. I'm gonna go get drunk. Come on, Soldier." Demo would say, before leaving with Soldier, who was muttering to himself.

"Ah.. uhm.. yeah, I'm from Canada." Hunter would say, responding to Heavy's previous question. It was clear she'd been caught off guard by Soldier's sudden yelling. "Figures. Do not mind Soldier or Demo. They are typically like that. It has been long time since new mercenary came. Last one was Pyro. Fight good, and you'll earn team's respect. Or fear, if you're like Pyro." Heavy would say, before taking his own leave. She would sit in silence as she finished her sandwich, although at one point, she heard a wooshing noise. She'd look around to see what could of made the noise, but found.. Nothing. Weird. 

Standing up, she'd hear another girlish scream coming from outside. Curious as to what exactly Pyro was doing to Scout, she'd step outside into the front yard. The house was situated in the middle of what seemed to be a large forest clearing, with mountains visible behind the property, not far from the city limits of Teufort, New Mexico. She'd take off her hat and used it to fan her face. Whew, she did not like the heat. Scanning the surroundings, she'd notice a small vegetable garden with a sign in front of it. 'Pyro, please don't touch. - Much appreciated, Engineer'. She'd also spot Sniper's camper van parked against the treeline. The forest around them wasn't super dense, and seemed to be mostly coniferous trees and juniper. Looking around a little more, she'd spot a fire pit with a red barn style shed nearby, and a few feet away from the fire pit was Scout, tied up with a triumphant Pyro dancing around him. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Good on Pyro for getting vengeance. She'd walk on over.

"I see you're victorious, Pyro." She'd comment, earning a pleased nod from them. Scout huffed. "Yo, quit gawking, wouldya? Or better yet, untie me and never speak of this." He'd say, glaring up at Pyro and Hunter. She would look down to him with a raised brow, before crouching down. "Nah, unless you plan to help us fix Pyro's teapot." She'd say simply. "I ain't fixing any stupid teapot." He'd respond. "Well, suit yourself then. Scout, right?" She'd say, standing straight. "What's it to ya?" He'd ask with a frustrated huff. "Ah, nothing, just wanting to make sure I'm properly acquainted with my teammates is all. Well, Pyro, have fun." She'd say, before moving to leave. "Wait-! No, please untie me. Mumbles here isn't right in the head! He'll tear me apart!" Scout begged, causing Hunter to pause and turn around. "Aren't we unable to hurt each other? So long as the Respawn Machine is active? That's what Medic told me." She'd ask. "Well yeah but-" Scout started, but was cut off by her moving to walk away again. "Welp, then I don't care." She shrugged. Pyro would look down at Scout and gave an evil laugh. "AHHH- OKAY OKAY, I'LL HELP YOU FIX THE TEAPOT-" Scout yelled. Hunter, seemingly satisfied with that answer, would turn back around. "Alright then. Let him go, Pyro. We'll need some glue, could you go get it for us? I figure Engineer would have some." She'd say, watching Pyro use their fire axe to cut the ropes binding Scout. Scout would give a displeased huff. "Yeah, whatever. I'll go get your glue." He'd say, before walking off. Hunter would watch him go, before turning to Pyro. "Wanna go start figuring out how to put your teapot back together? I'll join you in a moment." She'd say, to which Pyro nodded and began heading towards the house.

She figured, since she was out here and had met pretty much everyone on the way to find some glue, why not complete the list of folks she needed to meet and go say hello to Sniper. So, she began heading for the camper van. On the way though, she noticed something odd. A red dot that seemed to be focused on her head. Instinctually, she dropped low to the ground to avoid it, figuring it to be a laser sight, likely from a sniper rifle. She heard a chuckle from above her, and looked up to see a tree stand not far from where the camper van was parked. Someone would climb down from the tree stand as she stood up. "Good instinct, mate. Unfortunately, I was already on ya long enough that if I were BLU, your head would currently be a fine red mist." He'd comment, sticking his rifle into his van before facing her. "The name's Mick. You can call me Sniper. Put on a real show with how ya dealt with Scout there. Little wanker had it coming." He'd say, rubbing his hands together a bit. "Hope you prove yourself useful." He'd finish, walking right by her, towards the house.

Huh, that one was quick. Whatever. She shrugged to herself and made her way towards the house. Now that she's met everyone, she intends to go help Pyro piece the teapot back together. So, heading back in, she'd find her way back to Pyro's room, where they were currently trying to piece the teapot back together. She'd begin to help out and they were soon joined by Engie with the glue. Seems like Scout just told Engie that Pyro and Hunter needed glue, and then fucked off somewhere. From there, it wasn't long until the teapot had been pieced together and sealed with glue. The three of them would look on at the teapot, glad with how it turned out, when Medic popped in. "Oh, zhere you are. Apologies if I am interrupting something, but ze Spy has requested to speak with you in his office, frauline." He'd say, before leaving. She'd make haste upstairs, knocking on the door to Spy's office. "Come in." He called from inside.

Stepping inside, Hunter was met with the strong scent of cigarettes. Spy sat at his desk, puffing on his current cigarette. "Ah, thank you for coming, mademoiselle. I am Spy, and that's all you will ever know about me. But, I know everything about you." He'd say, before pulling out a sheet of paper. "Let's see here. Sierra Laurencelle, 24 years of age, hometown of La Broquerie, Manitoba. Shall I go on?" He'd ask. "No sir. I already know all about myself." She responded. "Good. The administrator has informed me of the agreement she made with you. You wish to find someone?" He'd inquire gesturing for her to sit in the chair across from him. She would take a seat and nod. "Yes. she told me that if I took the job, I'd have access to the best person for tracking people down. I assume that's you?" She'd respond, earning a light chuckle from Spy. "But of course. Please, tell me who it is you need to find." Hunter was quiet a moment, before digging around in her pocket and pulling out an envelope. It was slightly yellowed with a red wax seal depicting the Laurencelle family crest. On the front of the envelope, in neat handwriting, was a single name. Francois. "A man named Francois. He is my father, but left my mother and I when I was barely a year old. Up until her death, maman was adamant that he would return to us. But, just in case, maman wrote this letter. She wanted me to deliver it to him, it was her final wish, but all of maman's possessions, including the letter, was taken by my grandfather. I only received the letter when I turned 18, but I was more concerned with my own survival up until last year." She'd explain. Spy would hum thoughtfully. "I see. Tragic. Well, I can certainly find him for you. Any chance I can look through the letter? It could give valuable information." He'd ask, leading to her shaking her head. "No.. This is for his eyes only." If he can even see once she's done with him. "Alright. Then I will begin as soon as possible." He'd say, tucking the piece of paper with her information on it into one of his desk drawers. "Have you properly met everyone else on the team?" He'd question, looking back to her. "Yes. I get the impression that my presence is.. Controversial." She'd comment. "Oh, it is. But you just need to prove why the Administrator recommended you specifically. A perfect opportunity will be tomorrow's King of the Hill matches. They were supposed to be today, but BLU requested off for an unknown reason, although we can guess why." He blew out some smoke. "The personal belongings you left behind in the hotel you'd been staying at prior to your employment should be in your room by now. You are dismissed." Hunter would simply nod and stood up, leaving the office to head for her room.

Spy, watching her leave, would sigh softly, snubbing the remains of his cigarette out in his ashtray.

Chapter Text

Beep, beep, beep! The sound of an alarm beeping would pull Sierra out of a dreamless sleep. She would grunt and hit the snooze button on the alarm, before sitting up in bed. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she would put her glasses on and gather her bearings. Right, this wasn't the hotel she'd been sleeping in for the last month. As her brain woke up and remembered where she was, she'd glance at the alarm clock on her nightstand. 6:30 AM. Considering she never set the clock, she could only assume it was preset for all the mercenaries. Which made sense, before she'd gone to sleep last night, Engineer had told her that the team would be leaving at 8 AM sharp in order to get to the location for today's matches. Gives plenty of time for one's morning routine. Speaking of, she'd pull herself out of bed and went into her small, private bathroom. Standing at the sink, she'd get her face washed and teeth brushed. Once finished, she'd head over to the dresser on the other side of her bedroom. Sitting on top of the dresser were the few belongings she had, namely three framed photographs. The first was of a young woman with a close resemblance to herself, holding a baby in her arms and smiling wide. The woman seemed to be looking past the camera, likely to whoever the cameraman was. The second photo contained the same woman, aged a few years and still smiling wide, although her focus was on the child next to her. The child was no older than 8 or 9 in the photo, and bore a hefty resemblance to Sierra, just being a bit more petite and childlike, with long curly locks. The child was smiling just as wide as her mother. The third and final photo seemed to take place another few years in the future. The woman was once again present, although she looked to have aged considerably, and was visibly much more tired, even with the big smile on her face. The child had grown considerably, now obviously being Sierra herself, but looking no older than 15 years old. Her hair was cut into a short, still curly as ever bob. The smile on her face was a bit forced, and her eyes looked sad. Sierra gazed at the photos for a moment after having finished getting dressed. She would kiss the tip of her finger and brought it to the forehead of the woman in the second photograph. "Bonjour, maman. Please wish me luck today.." She'd mutter, before looking down to the yellowed envelope that sat in front of the photos. She'd pause a moment. Huh. She doesn't remember putting it there. She could swear that she had tucked it away in the top drawer before heading to bed. Odd. Even odder is she does remember hearing some rustling in the middle off the night, but then again she was half asleep so maybe she had been dreaming? Whatever. She'd tuck the envelope back into the proper drawer before heading out of her bedroom.

Closing the door, she'd head out towards the common area, taking a look around. Seems only a few people were awake, or at least gathered in the common area. On the sofa, Pyro was sitting and watching Looney Tunes on the television, giggling softly to themself. She couldn't help but crack a little smile at the sight of that. So far, Pyro was proving to be a fairly endearing member of the team. They always seemed to be as happy as a kid on Christmas. Glancing away from Pyro though, she would look towards the kitchen and spotted four others. The first two would be Medic and Heavy at the dining table. Medic was sipping on some coffee and reading a newspaper, while Heavy sat beside him. It seemed like Heavy was doing a crossword puzzle cut out of the newspaper Medic was reading from. Next, she'd notice Sniper at the coffee machine, obviously making himself some coffee. He would look out the window, taking a sip of his coffee, before turning to head for the table. Noticing her, Sniper gave a silent yet polite nod of greeting, before going to take his seat. Finally was Engineer. He stood in front of the stove, cracking eggs into a frying pan, six at a time. On the counter next to him were 10 plates, already done up with toast and bacon. He'd glance over his shoulder and noticed Sierra, giving her a friendly smile. "Morning, Hunter! How'd you sleep last night?" He'd ask, before scooping eggs into the first three plates, two eggs for each plate. "Ah, good morning, Engineer. I slept well." She'd respond, her accent slightly more french this early in the morning. "Good to hear. How do you like your eggs, by the way?" He'd ask. "Sunny side up, please." She'd respond, taking a seat at the table. Engineer would give a nod, cracking more eggs into his pan before going to an intercom by the front door. He'd press the button, and his voice rang out through the building. "Alright boys, breakfast is just about ready." He'd day, before returning to his post at the stove. That immediately brought Soldier out of his room, followed by Demo and moments later, Scout as well. The three of them would join Hunter, Medic, Heavy, and Sniper at the table. Pyro would soon turn off the tv and joined the gang at the table, taking a seat next to Sierra. "Mrrh mrruph." Pyro greeted her, earning a nod from Sierra.

As Engie began setting plates in front of everyone seated at the table, Spy would make his way towards the table. "Gentlemen. I hope you're all rested. It looks like we're headed to Sawmill today. I advise you all to tread carefully, as I have a feeling BLU will be deploying their Hunter fairly early on in the match. And Engineer, make sure our Hunter is familiar with her weapons before we leave." Spy would say, grabbing his plate and disappearing back upstairs. Engineer would nod. "Alrighty then. Once you're finished eating, Hunter, meet me outside. I've got some targets set up so you can get some shooting in. Get you adjusted to your weapons." He'd say, earning a nod from her. 

It would take a few minutes, but she was eventually finished with her meal. It had been pretty good, although it's hard to get breakfast wrong. But, she'd deposit her plate into the sink and headed outside. She could hear the sounds of birds chirping and noticed that near the bonfire area, a number of what seemed to be plywood targets with the BLU team's members painted onto them. Standing in front of them was Engineer, with a crate containing some weaponry beside him. She'd walk over and took a look at the targets. "Is that what BLU looks like?" She'd ask, watching Engineer pull a hunting rifle out of the crate. "Yes ma'am. More or less. Scout painted these targets, so there's a couple differences between target and real thing. But, best you'll get to practice on. Here, this will be your primary weapon." He'd say, handing the rifle to Sierra. "The hunting rifle. Good for taking out far away targets. Not as precise as Sniper's rifle, but packs a little more power. Give it a go." He'd explain, before stepping back. She'd hold the gun, getting a feel for the weight of the gun, before bringing the stock to her shoulder and looking down the sights. There was no scope on this gun, just a standard rear and front sight system down the barrel. Perfect. Closing her unused eye, she aimed the rifle at the chest of the BLU Scout target. She'd press her finger onto the trigger and... Bam. Easy shot right to the chest of the target. She'd pull the bolt back to chamber another bullet. "It can hold about 5 bullets at a time before it needs a reload." Engineer would say as she lowered the gun.

"Hah, you're satisfied with a single shot? What are you, stupid? Aim for the head, moron." Came a voice behind them. Scout. He was watching with his arms crossed. She'd raise a brow at him. "Headshots are too messy for me. At least, on people. Works better on animals. On a human, it's much cleaner to get a heartshot. Like a heart attack with no prior symptoms, caused by a simple bullet." She'd say simply, strapping the rifle to her back before accepting the shotgun from Engineer. Scout would watch her with a frown. "Yeah, sure. I doubt you'll get off any shots like that on a moving target." He retorted, watching as Hunter blew the head off of one of the BLU Soldier targets with her shotgun. "Well, I'm not asking you to believe me, bud. Just observe my work. It'll speak for itself." She'd comment, adding the shotgun to her back as she accepts the bowie knife from Engineer. Scout scoffed and moved to head back inside.

"Don't mind him. He's just tryin' to get under your skin. I'm sure he'll let off once you get some kills." Engineer would say, watching as she stabbed the targets. She seemed to aim for the throats with her melee. "And watching you now, I assume you've killed before?" He'd ask. "Yeah. I've taken out a few people." She'd confirm, before hearing that strange wooshing sound again. "Have you? That's odd. According to your records, you have no criminal record." Spy would inquire, puffing on a cigarette behind them. "Well, you can't have a criminal record if you haven't been caught." She'd comment, putting her knife away. "Never? Impressive. How'd you get away with it?" Spy asked, carefully observing Hunter to see of she was possibly lying. Nothing about her demeanour indicated it. "Well, it's easy if every kill made is clean and looks like a hunting accident." She'd shrug. "Interesting.." Spy said, taking another puff of his cigarette.

"Well, how'd you get into killing people, if you don't mind my asking?" Engineer would ask. Hunter was obviously a fairly young woman. It was rare for someone so young to be in the business before their stint as a mercenary under TF Industries. "Well, a few years ago, when I was 20, I found myself in desperate need of money. So, I sought employment with anyone I could, and that led me to meet a man who asked me to kill his father while the father was out hunting. Offered about a thousand dollars. So I took the job. It was the most challenging hunt of my life, and yet, it was exhilarating. So I took a few more jobs like it. I killed maybe.. seven people by the time I left home last year." She'd explain. She really had achieved all that. At first, it had been a hard decision, to stoop down and kill another human for her own gain. She knew her mother would be disappointed, but Sierra's own survival had been on the line at the time. It was her only option, which subsequently became her favourite option.

The chat between herself, Spy, and Engineer was cut short though, as the voice of an older woman rang out through the building's internal and external PA system. "Mission begins in 1 hour." Spy would drop his cigarette and snubbed it with his heel. "Well, shall we get going, Engineer?" He'd question, earning a nod from Engie. "Of course. Here, Hunter. Head on over and climb into the truck. It'll take about 40 minutes to get to Sawmill from here." Engie would say, pointing to the red truck parked near Sniper's camper van. It had seating in the bed of the truck with a tarp stretched over a metal frame to keep it in place. The back had space for 8 people, while the front cab of the truck had space for 2. She noticed the other mercenaries, now carrying their weapons and other equipment, climbing into the bed of the truck. So, she followed suit and climbed in. She'd get a seat next to Pyro, while Engineer and Spy got into the front cab. Once everyone was piled in, the truck would start and began to make it's way down the dirt road that led from their home base.

Chapter Text

Sierra would nearly be dozing off again by the time the truck finally stopped. The ride had been fairly uneventful, in all honesty. Maybe a few bouts of the other mercenaries arguing over who was gonna get more kills today. With them finally being stopped, though, the team would pile out of the truck and gathered around a door. Spy would pull a key out of his pocket and used it to unlock the door. Opening it, everyone piled into what looked like a fairly empty locker room, with a series of three coatracks with small cubbies for storage, alongside some benches for folks to use while they waited for the matches and rounds to begin. The walls were painted red on the bottom half, and white on the top half while the floor was made up of brown tiles lined along the walls, and white tiles that looked a lot like those you'd find in a hospital in the middle. She'd glance around for a moment before Engie, now standing beside her, spoke. "This here is our spawn room. It's where we respawn when we die. We also start every match out of the designated spawn rooms." He'd explain, before the voice that Sierra recognized as the administrator rung out over the map's PA system. "Mission starts in 15 minutes." Spy would clear his throat after a moment.

"Alright, gentlemen. The plan for today is very similar to the usual strategy. Hold down the point and kill all who try to take it from us. But, where today differs is the new challenge and out answer. BLU's Hunter will likely be active from the beginning, so we must play our hand smart. Make them think their plan is working, that we are out matched. And when they think they've secured victory... We send in Hunter." Spy would say. "Just to clarify the plan for those who need it," He glanced and Soldier and Scout. "We are only sending Hunter in on the final match of the day. So, keep yourself here in Respawn until I give you permission to fight." Spy finished, directly addressing Hunter with that last sentence.

So, they were counting on her skills to balance the match back out. Admittedly, she was a little nervous about it. She had to prove herself as an asset to the team. But, overthinking this wasn't going to help. She'd just nod in response to Spy and went to sit on one of the benches to wait out the time until she'd be allowed to fight.

Though, while waiting for the match to begin, Engineer gave a quick 10 minute run down on how matches work. The first team to win three rounds is declared the winner of the match. This of course can take a varying amount of time depending on how fast a team can win a round. According to Engineer, sometimes they've gotten to head home by lunch, and other times they've gone right up until 8 PM, when the Administrator forcibly ends the match in a tie and sends everyone home. Apparently she typically prefers the matches wrap up by 5 PM.

Though, he'd soon take off once the match began, and Sierra was left to wait for her chance to get out there. Which, it wasn't long. She would hear things about the match from the other mercenaries talking to each other when they respawned, and from what she could gather, BLU's Hunter was brutal. It didn't take long before BLU had won 2 rounds. It was only when the rest of the team had respawned for round 3 that Spy approached her. "It's time to show what you're made of. Show me why the Administrator chose you for RED." He'd say, before moving to stand in front of the doors to the Respawn Room. She'd take a deep breath, and moved to line up with the team, before feeling a hand on her shoulder. Looking over, she'd see Pyro giving her a thumbs up. She couldn't help but give them a slight, grateful smile. At least someone for sure believed in her. Soon though, the round began and the doors opened up. The team would rush out, while she carefully tailed behind them. Leaving the Respawn Room, she's walk down a very short corridor that was painted the same as the Respawn Room, with the only difference being cement flooring instead of tile. Past the hallway was a large room with a single supply cabinet. There were stairs leading down, along with a divider that sat just behind the staircase. There was a small pile of hay in front of the divider, and walking past revealed the exit and a walkway, one that both wrapped around the building and led to an empty perch with a locked door. Though, she noticed that with this perch came fairly easy access to the roof of the building across from the spawn building. Hm, perfect. She'd quickly climb onto the roof, careful not to slip on the sheet metal as it was raining. Getting to the top of the roof, she noticed a makeshift walk way that led onto the roof of the lower portion of the central building. Cautiously making her way over the walkway and to a little balcony with access to the roof, she snuck into the central building. She'd immediately be met by a fair size viewing room with three windows that allowed for easy viewing of the saws and capture point below. To her left were the stairs that led down to the capture point. That's when she got her first glimpse of the enemy. It took her by surprise, as if she wasn't as alert as she was, she would have been killed. Looking at what he was wearing, she could assume that this was the BLU Sniper. He'd somehow snuck up onto the RED side of the central building, probably hoping to snipe some REDs before they could even make it to the capture point.

Thinking he'd snuck up on the strange woman, BLU Sniper would pull out his Kukri, recognizing the symbol on her sleeve. RED somehow employed their own Hunter, it seemed. He'd move to deliver a swift stab, but noticed her glance in his direction. It would only take her a moment to grab her shotgun and fire directly at his head. Blood splattered across the windows and onto herself, and the shot probably alerted folks to the fact that there was someone there. She'd notice a couple BLUs in her direction, and quickly scrambled her way back outside to avoid being seen. She could hear footsteps coming from the viewing area, and out of instinct she would leap and grabbed onto the roof on top of the central building, climbing up and watching as the BLU Soldier and Scout entered onto the lower roof, looking around to see if they could find whoever had scampered off. Climbing a little higher onto the roof, Sierra pulled out her rifle and got the BLU Soldier into her sights. She'd waste no time pulling the trigger. Luckily, he'd been standing fairly still while looking around for possible enemies, so she had been easily able to get off a heartshot. Of course, the sight of his ally falling forward immediately alerted BLU Scout to her presence, and he'd quickly turn around. Of course, by now she's already chambered another bullet and fired, getting him in the heart as well. With them dead, she took a moment to breathe. Ugh, she was covered in blood already. Although, her thoughts were interrupted by an announcement by the Administrator. "Capture point enabled." Wait.. It wasn't even enabled this whole time? Giving a soft sigh, she'd move further up the roof and looked over the BLU side of the map, watching as they began running for the capture point. Hmm, she couldn't quite get a clear shot for most of them but there was the BLU Heavy being followed by BLU Medic. He was pretty slow.. She'd line up the shot and.. Bam. She only managed to hit him in the arm. Shit. Slipping under the peak of the roof, she'd pull out her shotgun. Looks like long range wasn't gonna cut it for the moment. She'd need to get down and dirty it looked like. A sigh slipped from her lips as she slipped off the roof and onto the little balcony below. Inside, she could see Demo launching grenades over at BLU as they got on the point. It seemed they were capturing it. And then she noticed something else. Demo had quickly been killed, but she recognized where he was hit. The heart. It seemed the other Hunter was at play here. So, silently backing out of the viewing area, Sierra would find herself on the lower roof, before she hopped up and climbed onto the higher roof of the building. Staying low, she would sneak across the roof and dropped down as silently as she could, taking out her shotgun as she snuck up behind the other Hunter. He seemed to have the same instincts as her, and began turning around as she aimed the shotgun. It was almost uncanny, the resemblance between them. He seemed to be same height, with the same build. He wore the same kind of aviator hat made from lynx fur. His face was the same shape and he had near identical glasses. To complete his look, he had the same coloured eyes, a bluish grey that almost bordered on a silver, as well as the same short red curls. The resemblance almost gave her pause. But she had a job to do, and pulled the trigger on her shot gun. A splattering of his blood joined BLU Sniper's, and she sighed. She'd hear a yelling from below though, as a rocket flew from the RED side and impacted at the feet of some BLUs. Shortly thereafter, Heavy and Medic came in, although they looked weird. They were surrounded by a red sheen and their eyes glowed yellow. She would make her way down, watching as Heavy seemed impervious to damage and mowed down BLUs as they approached.

"What in the-? What's up with the whole red metallic look there?" She'd ask, watching as Medic and Heavy went to stand on the capture point once the effect of whatever happened wore off. Of course, she joined them on the point. "Ah, zat vas my Übercharge. Makes ze Heavy invincible for 8 seconds. I mainly use it vith Heavy, but sometimes I vill Über ze Pyro. Although, everyone on ze team has Über capabilities. Just in case ze situation calls for it." Medic would explain, being momentarily interrupted by the announcement that RED has captured the point, before pointing to her heart. "Like one day, I might get to Über you. Oh, zat would be fascinating to see." He said, giving a large and slightly mad grin. "For now, protect point. I see you've killed, da?" Heavy would interject after observing her for a moment, causing her to nod. "Yep. I've gotten four kills so far." She'd confirm. "Good, good." Heavy nodded, watching as Engineer ran in and deployed a sentry. "Well isn't this a refreshing sight. We've finally got control of the point. Now, we just need to hold it for the next three minutes and this round is ours." Engie would explain, looking to Hunter. "Looks like your method of clean kills went out the window, huh?" He joked, earning a chuckle from her. "Two heartshots, two shotgun kills. I think you can figure out Which caused this mess." She commented. She watched as the rest of the team filed into the Sawmill. From there, it was fairly straightforward. She'd get high vantage points and watched as Pyro and Demo respectively set fire and blew up their foes, and she would pick off anyone who got to close with her rifle. Soon enough, the 3 minutes had run out, and RED was declared victorious.

The rest of the match went just as well for RED, winning the next two rounds. With them declared the winner of the match, Sierra was introduced to the best part of being the victor. Humiliation. She'd follow Pyro around, slaughtering every BLU they came across. Although, she had to admit, watching Pyro work was a bit scary. They were so nice normally, but came across as a ruthless psychopath while killing. Either way, with the match done, RED would head back towards their Respawn Room and through that backdoor that led to the truck. They'd all pile into the truck, everyone seeming in good spirits as they headed back towards home base.

Chapter Text

Reaching RED's home base, the truck would park and everyone got out. Sierra glanced down at herself and.. "Shit, we've got hydrogen peroxide, right?" She'd ask, not really asking anyone in specific. "Aye, lass. The shared laundry in the spare bedroom has plenty." Demoman would respond. She'd give a thumbs up and head for her bedroom. Everyone seemed to be heading their own ways for the moment, so might as well take the opportunity so slip away. After all, she had some blood splatter on her exposed arms and on her face. A shower would do her some good at this point. So, she'd get herself cleaned up and into some more casual clothing. She'd been provided a good few pairs of team coloured pants, alongside a variety of red shirts with her class symbol on the sleeves, fit for different environments. She'd choose a pair of pants plus a shorter sleeved shirt before hauling her bloodstained clothing to the spare bedroom, which had been converted into a laundry room. It was a fairly modern laundry room, with a washer and dryer combination. Whew, she had very faint memories of when her mother first got a washing machine for their home.. She had been maybe 6 or 7 years old so.. in 1953 or 1954? Yeah, that sounded about right. They still had to hang their clean laundry to dry for the remainder of her mother's life, though. by the time her mother had died... Well, they hadn't had enough money to buy a dryer. The medical bills had been so high, they could barely pay for food. And her mother's family never cared to help. She hmphed at the thought of her mother's family. Shoving her dirty clothing into the washing machine and adding some hydrogen peroxide, she'd get it started. Just then, the base PA system would activate and Engineer's voice rang out. "I'm getting some barbecue going, come tell me how y'all want your steaks cooked." 

Ooh, steak. She wasn't going to pass that up, so she headed to the common area. There, Engineer was getting a good amount of steaks seasoned up. He'd notice her walk in and gave a friendly smile. "Well ain't it our cause for celebration. How do you want your steak done?" He'd ask. Her answer was near immediate. "Rare please!" She'd request. "Alrighty then, rare it will be." He'd nod. Though, Sierra would speak up again. "Though, you mentioned something about a celebration?" She'd ask. "Ah, yeah. We don't celebrate all our victories, but Spy requested we do something special given the way we won today. We were being steamrolled until you were let loose, after all. How many kills did you get?" He asked, but as Sierra was about to answer, Spy appeared. "It was 27 exactly, with about 35 assists, according to the stats sent to me by the Administrator. Colour me impressed, Hunter. You've proven your worth to our team." He'd say, giving her a slightest of smiles. "Heh, thank you, sir, I appreciate it." She'd say. She was relieved, knowing that she had proven herself useful.Spy gave a nod, before disappearing once more.

"Well now. How about you go enjoy yourself. Pyro's outside getting the grill ready if you want to spend some time with him." Engineer would say, earning a nod from Sierra. So, she'd head outside, where Pyro had gotten the charcoal barbecue heating up. They'd look over and give a happy wave. "Hey Pyro, how's progress on the grill?" She'd ask, earning a thumbs up from him. "That's good. How about we get a proper fire going in the fire pit? Maybe if we get it going, we can roast marshmallows later." That earned an excited squeal from Pyro, who immediately ran over to the fire pit. She would chuckle and followed them over, watching as they pulled out a lighter. "Hmm, lighters are effective, but I kinda want to show you how I like to start fires. That okay?" She'd ask. Pyro would nod, but cocked their head curiously. 

Taking that as a sign to go ahead, she would look around and grabbed a couple sticks along with some fairly dried out plant matter. Sitting down in front of the fire pit, she'd place one stick vertically on the ground. "Watch closely. It may take a moment, but this is some cool stuff." She'd comment, before taking the end of the other stick and touching it to the side of the vertical stick. Pyro would be watching closely as Sierra began rubbing the stick between her hands, doing it as fast as she could. It'd take a couple minutes, but the vertical stick would begin to smoke, and she quickly took it and blew lightly on it to encourage the fire. She'd add the dried plant matter and blew until it caught fire, before placing it in the fire pit with more plant matter and some logs. She'd look to Pyro with a grin, about to say something when she was interrupted by someone. "A bushman, eh?" She'd look over to see Sniper having walked over, sitting down on one of the log benches placed around the fire pit. "Yeah. I know a thing or two." She'd shrug, moving to sit on one of the logs while Pyro watched the fire spread, amazed. 

"Obviously. Friction fires are probably one of the harder skills to master. Have you done a lotta camping?" Sniper asked. "Kinda. I was homeless from the time I was 16, basically up until yesterday. Spent most of my time in the forest since I could catch game and be left to my own devices." She'd shrug. "Bloody hell, homeless that early? How come?" He'd ask. "Well, my mother passed away, and my grandparents didn't want to take me. Neither did my uncles." She'd say simply. "What about your father?" He questioned. "Never met him. Left when I was little. Kinda why my grandparents and uncles hated my guts. I was my mother's only child, but I was born of wedlock. And my grandfather despised that." She'd explain. "Huh. I'm assuming the heavy religious types?" Sniper would say. "Yep. Very catholic." She'd confirm. "Fair. Seems few of us have decent family lives. That we know of at least." Sniper shrugged. "My parents are great, but not exactly supportive of my current pursuits. No clue about Spy, obviously, or Pyro. Scout was raised by a single mother similarly to yourself. Demo's mother is a bit of a crank from what I hear. Soldier.. Not much is known about him either. Come to think of it, the only other I know even had parents is Engineer. I think he had a good childhood, but then again were all professional killers." Sniper would say, rubbing his chin. 

"Interesting. I admittedly haven't heard much about most of you aside from the basic introductions." Sierra would say, earning a slight chuckle from Sniper. "That's how it is. If there's something to learn, you'll learn it eventually." He'd say. "Fair..." She nodded, looking into the fire. "Good shooting today, though. I noticed a good few heads evaporate." She'd say. "Hah, appreciated, mate. I'd have to say good job yourself. I wasn't sure how you'd fare in battle, but you showed yourself pretty capable. How long have you been doing this for?" Sniper inquired. "Ah well, I've been hunting humans since I was 22, so the last two years. Game in general began at 16, since I had to survive on my own." She'd say. "You're 24, eh? That makes you the youngest member of the team. Used to be Scout that was the youngest at 27. The it was me at 29." Sniper commented. "... You're 29?" She'd ask, caught off guard. "Yeah-? Why do you sound confused." He asked, raising a brow. "Oh, uh.. Well, I kinda thought you were at least 35-" She'd say with an embarrassed smile. Scout happened to walk up at this moment and couldn't help but begin laughing. That earned a glare from Sniper. "Well, that's better than thinking I'm in my 40s." He'd say. "Sorry, Sniper. If it helps, I'm not good at guessing people's ages." She'd say, hoping that'd make him feel a little better. "Nah, it's all good mate." He'd say, shaking his head. 

Scout was still chuckling to himself as he sat down, baseball in hand and tossing it a bit. "Heh, she thinks you're old." He'd say quietly. Sniper looked to him. "Yeah, at least I seem mature. You're an overgrown teenager." That caused Scout to fall silent. "No, I'm mature. I'm plenty mature. I'm so mature the ladies are falling at my feet." He'd begin flexing his arms. "You know, if that were true, you wouldn't be pointing out how mature you are." She pointed out, causing Scout to glare at her. "And what do you know about maturity, huh? You're what, 24? That's practically a baby." Scout retorted. "A baby, huh? Well, then I'm a baby with quote, 27 kills and 35 assists. Those stats are directly from Spy, if you're wondering." She'd respond with a proud grin. 

"Oh she's got you there, lad." Came a new voice. Demo was walking over to the group, accompanied by Soldier. "Which, good going, lass. That was probably the best first day I've ever seen. Probably beats me own." He'd comment with a snicker. "Yes. Good going, son. You did great out there today." Soldier would say, giving a salute. She'd salute back, watching Demo and Soldier sit down together on one of the logs. Pyro had since taken a seat next to her. "Man, I didn't think setting a fire would draw a crowd." She commented. "Nah, Engineer told us to come out here. Something about a nice day, that we should enjoy it while it lasts." Demo would respond. "Ah, I see. Well, he is right. Even if it's a bit hot for my liking. I way prefer the cold." She'd admit. "Ah, you'll get used to it, lass. Can take a bit o' time, but you will." Demoman would comment. "Da. It took me time to adjust to heat." Heavy would say. For such a big guy, he sure could sneak up on you, considering everyone seemed a little surprised to hear his voice. Medic chuckled at the fact that most seemed surprised. "Ja, worst comes to worst, I can dig around in your head and mess with your brain a little. Adjust something so zat you don't feel ze heat much anymore." Medic commented as he and Heavy found their own log to sit on, Medic leaning a bit on Heavy as they sat. "The offer is appreciated, but no thanks. That's the one place I'd rather no one dig around." She'd say. She'd seen the consequences of brain surgery before.. "Vell, if you change your mind, let me know." Medic shrugged. Heavy would observe her for a moment. "Little lady is killer of men. Heat won't kill her." He'd say. Sierra gave Heavy a smile. "Definitely not. If it tries, I'll just have to kill the sun." She'd joke, earning a laugh from Demo and Sniper. Soldier seemed to grin as if he had an idea. Pyro, on the other hand, seemed horrified. "RRR!" They protested. "Woah, sorry there bud. I didn't know you liked the sun that much. Then again, it makes sense. It's the biggest source of fire in the solar system." She'd comment, earning a little harumph from Pyro.

"Well, considering we need the sun in order to exist, I'd say killing it ain't exactly the best option." Engineer would comment, having walked over to the group with a large cooler. "Dinner is almost ready, but I figured I'd bring over some drinks. Plenty of beer to go around." He'd say, opening up the cooler and tossing a beer to most of the gathered mercs. The only exception being Pyro, who'd receive a bottle of apple juice. They seemed rather excited about it. "And what about you, Hunter? Want some beer?" Engineer would ask, holding one out for her. "Ah, no thanks. Not a fan of beer, personally." She'd respond. "Alrighty then, will note that down. What's your preference then when it comes to drinking?" Engineer would ask, pulling a notepad out of his pocket. "I'm more a fan of ciders, but I also enjoy sweeter wines." She'd respond, causing Engineer to jot that down for later. "Hm.. We don't have any ciders at the moment, but I reckon once Spy appears, you can ask him about stealing a bottle from him." Engie would say, before walking off to attend to the grill. Speaking of Spy, though, there was that wooshing noise again as Spy appeared in front of the team. "What did I hear about my wine?" He asked. There'd been incidents in the past were someone had stolen wine out of his stash, so he was slightly on guard. "Oh, hey Spy. Engie had just suggested I ask you about having some. According to him, we don't have anything else I like." Sierra would respond, looking towards the sneaky frenchman. "Oh, did he now? Well, i suppose tonight I can allow it. It is a night to celebrate, after all." He'd concede, pulling a wine glass out of a hidden pocket of his suit. Then, he pulled a freshly chilled bottle of wine from another pocket. Pouring it into the glass and handing it over to her, he'd produce another wine glass and have some for himself.

Taking a sip of wine, Sierra would give a little sigh to herself, looking around at the mercenaries around her. It'd been a long time since she's found herself in such pleasant company. She'd watch as Engineer began setting up a folding table and a bunch of folding chairs so that the whole team could eat outside. It wasn't long before plates were set at the table and the whole team was seated, including her. Spy would clear his throat as everyone hovered over their meals. "If I may, before we eat, I'd like to commend every single one of you for your performance today. Even staring down the jaws of defeat, you stood your ground until the bitter end. Had we lost, I still would be proud of you, and this team. Because for BLU to even get close to victory, they had to go behind the Administrator's back and hire a new mercenary. One with skills we did yet not know how to counter. They had to cheat. Luckily, we acquired our own new mercenary, who very much turned the tides back to us. And it is that mercenary we are celebrating tonight. Hunter, I admit I was unsure about you. You have no previous criminal record, and it seemed like the Administrator just plucked you off the street and handed you over. But, I am pleased to be wrong. You have proven yourself to me today, and hopefully anyone else with any serious doubts." He'd say, noticing Engineer seeming to want to say something. "Would you like to speak a moment, Engineer?" Spy would ask. "Indeed I do, thank you Spy. I just wanted to say, this group of ours.. We're a ragtag band of killers from all around. Yet we seem to be the damn finest killers this side of the Mississippi. Hell, probably even this side of the Atlantic. I've watched this group grow both in numbers and strength since I joined all those years ago, and just when I thought Pyro had been the last man to join.. We get another fine addition to the team. I'd say welcome, but you've already proven yourself as part of our dysfunctional little family of murderers." Engie would finish, lifting his beer as a cheers, with the others following suit. Scout was a little hesitant, seemingly still unsure about Hunter, but he raised his beer anyways. She couldn't help but smile a little. "Geez, thank you Spy, Engie. I appreciate you all giving me the chance to prove myself as a worthy addition. It's been a long time since I felt accepted into a group like this, even if some of you still aren't fond of me.. It's better than what I had before. After my mother died, bless her soul, her family were very eager to push me out. I was the black sheep of the family, being born out of wedlock with my father running off and never returning. I know they all wish that he would have taken me with him. I wasn't able to leave until last year, but I'm happy I finally did. I know Engie already gave a cheer, but I kind of want another one. This time, to the future." She'd say, lifting her wine glass as the others followed suit with their beverages. With that, the team would begin to eat. Once their meals were finished, they gathered back around the campfire, drinking and enjoying the evening. Engineer would bust out his guitar and began to play and sing some classic gunslinger tunes. Even Spy hung around, smiling softly to himself as he watched the merriment.

Although, he got a transmission in his earpiece. "Hey Spy, Miss Pauling here. I sent off that DNA test. Should be about a month before results come in for.. whatever it is you need it for." He'd press down on the earpiece to respond. "Merci, Miss Pauling. It's just part of an investigation. Forward me the results once they arrive and then clear all records of it." He'd say quietly. "Understood." Was Pauling's last response before the earpiece went silent.

Chapter Text

A file laid on a desk, open on a photo of a woman with very short, curly red hair. The name on the document of which the file was attached was "Sierra Laurencelle."

"And you're sure zhis vill vork, Spy?" asked BLU Medic. "Of course. We have what she wants. It'll be easy to tempt her over. But, in the small chance we end up failing, we can plot further into your Plan B." BLU Spy would say, closing the file on his desk and moving to add it into a filing cabinet. "If you say so. I zhink ve should go vith my plan as Plan A, but vhatever you say. You're zhe boss." Medic would respond with a shrug.

Beep, beep, beep! She'd groan softly in displeasure. Stupid alarm, she'd been having such a nice dream... But, it was Monday. The start of another week. Getting up and beginning her morning routine, she'd think back over the last few months. It'd been just over three months since she joined RED, and she was really feeling at home with the fellas. Engineer and Pyro had welcomed her with open arms, after all. She'd found herself very quickly becoming very good friends with Pyro, even learning how to interpret what they say. Engineer had become another close friend of hers. He had always been very hospitable, and she found herself sometimes fascinated by his inventions. Sniper also had become a good friend of hers. Their shared knowledge and love of bushcraft helped with that. According to Sniper, there was an annual Bushman's competition coming up in the near future, and she'd already agreed to participate with him. Medic and Heavy were next in the order. Medic was fairly friendly, they'd had a few good talks, she even asked him a bit more about human anatomy, just to help her hone her heartshots a bit more. They weren't as accurate as a headshot after all, since you have to hit the right spot, which is often able to be hidden by a more aware enemy. Heavy was a quiet man, though. Every once in a while, he'd give words of advice or wisdom, but when they talked it was often about the art of sandwich making. Which toppings taste good and which each would rather avoid. Next came Demo and Soldier. Admittedly, she quite enjoyed Soldier's chaotic personality. He had some wisdom to him, and was a dedicated fighter. He was entertaining to speak with and she harboured a good bit of respect for him. Demo, while usually being drunk and slightly incoherent, was a pleasant person to talk to when he wasn't too many drinks in. Spy was a mysterious man. Just as he had said when they talked alone in his office on the day she was introduced to the team, she knew absolutely nothing about him. Nonetheless, he was courteous, at least with her. He was very much a cunning tactitian, and it was obvious to see why he led the RED mercenaries. She had heaps of respect for him. Plus he let her raid his wine stash every once in a while. Something about finally someone here appreciating a good wine. Finally, Scout. He was the fastest on the team, out running herself, Medic, and Spy by a wide margin. He was the best when it came to anything that required major speed and agility. He just... Really didn't seem to like her. She didn't quite know why, he just hasn't been friendly at all since she joined. She's seen him be friendly with the other mercenaries, namely Sniper as those two hang out pretty often, but as soon as he notices her? He instantly seems to get into a bad mood. 

Speaking of, after getting ready for the day she would have headed out to the common area. The usual folks were up and about this time of day. Pyro watching their morning cartoons, Sniper and Medic at the table having their coffees, Heavy doing a crossword, and Engie making breakfast for the team. She'd head straight for the fridge to pour herself a glass of orange juice, greeting her teammates on the way. She'd take her juice and sat down at the table as the usual breakfast announcement went out over the PA system and the missing members of the team emerged from their rooms for the day. It was all a comfortable part of RED's weekday morning routine. 

She'd watch as Spy appeared from upstairs. "Today we'll be going to 2fort, so prepare yourselves." He'd say, grabbing his breakfast and some coffee before disappearing. He never seemed to eat with the team, only on very special occasions like a birthday, special victory, or major holiday like Christmas. Either way, the team would have their breakfast and piled into the truck once the time came. The trip to 2fort was about 10 or so minutes, as it was along the outskirts of Teufort, so fairly close to the home base.

Gathering into the main respawn room, the team would begin preparing for the match ahead. Spy would light a cigarette and go to stand at the front of the room. "Gentlemen, today is a particularly important day for intelligence gathering. Last week's intel hinted that BLU is planning something once again, and I fear that we won't find out what it is if we do not succeed today. So, myself and Engineer have discussed a plan. We will be splitting the team into small groups based on skills to ensure today's victory. We will have the defenders, being Engineer and Pyro, who will be stationed in the intelligence room to ensure BLU does not capture our intelligence. Next is the offense, the biggest group. Heavy, Medic, Sniper, Soldier and myself. We will be on the front lines, with myself of course infiltrating their defenses. Our final group will be our intel gatherers. Scout, Hunter, and Demoman. Get Scout to BLU's intelligence. Hunter, you can sort of keep up, so you'll be Scout’s main defense, and Demoman, have your pill bombs ready in case their engineer decides to build a sentry in their intelligence room." Spy would say, before adding, "Any questions?”

“Uh, yeah. Why the hell am I stuck with Hunter.” Scout asked with a scowl, crossing his arms. Spy sighed. “Were you not listening? She’s-” Scout would interrupt. “Yeah yeah, main defence, don’t care. I'd just rather, you know.. Anyone else. Gimme mumbles for all I care.” He'd huff, causing Spy to raise a brow. It'd been obvious over the last few months that Scout wasn't the fondest of Hunter. Spy suspected it had something to do with her receiving a bit more attention because she was so new. But, he shook his head, listening as the 30 seconds until mission start announcement rang out. “I'm not changing the plan now, Scout. You'll just have to deal with it. And I won't hear any protesting.” Spy would say firmly, Scout opening his mouth to speak as the door to the respawn room opened up to signal the beginning of the match. “Now go, we don't have much time to waste.” Spy would finish, allowing everyone to run out to take up their positions. 

For Hunter, it was a silent journey. Scout had headed for the sewers, so herself and Demo followed. Obviously, they were probably going to infiltrate BLU from the sewers, since it was a good way to get inside the base without being seen. They were down in the RED sewers when Demo looked over to Hunter and noticed she seemed a little bothered. 

“Are ye alright there, lass? Can't let whatever's on yer mind distract ye from the mission.” He'd ask, quiet enough that Scout, who was a bit of a ways in front of them, couldn't hear but she'd be able to hear just fine. “Yeah, sorry. I just can't figure out why Scout dislikes me so much… he doesn't have to like me, but I haven't done anything wrong, right?” She'd respond, looking down a bit as they waded through the water. “Nah, ye’ve done nothing wrong. He's probably just jealous of the attention ye've received. It's been years since we had a new member join the team, after all, and he was always the youngest until ye came along. I'd say he just needs a bit more time to realise ye aren't all that bad.” Demo would say, giving her a pat on the shoulder. 

It would be a hard battle ahead. BLU fought hard to keep their intelligence locked down, while also fighting tooth and nail to get RED’s intel. By the time evening hit, both teams were tied, 2 and 2. While Scout was sort of co-operative during the mission, he still refused to listen to anything Hunter would say. It was at this point that, with the three of them having made it back into BLU’s basement, Scout refused to stand near her. So, they split up, Hunter going down the hallway closest to the spiral ramp that led up to the second floor of BLU’s base. Demo and Scout would go down the other hallway, stopping short of the entrance upon hearing the telltale sign of a sentry. Hunter would pull out her rifle and while hiding in the shadows, aimed as the BLU Engineer walked in front of where the intel was. He’d turned his head and spotted her, but it was too late. She had pulled the trigger and watched as he fell over, shot directly in the heart. Demo would aim his grenade launcher around the corner and shot some grenades to where the sentry had been hidden for the entire match. Once it had been blown up, the three of them would gather into the intel room. They had about two minutes before the BLU Engineer would finish respawning, so they needed to grab the intel and get out quick. 

“Good shot, lass. Always easiest to take out the sentry when the Engineer is dead.” Demo complimented, reloading his grenade launcher as he watched Scout approach the intel. “Thanks. We’ve died so much to that fucker today, I needed a little revenge.” Hunter would respond, pulling on the lever of her rifle to chamber a fresh bullet. She’d sigh a little, watching as Scout picked up the intelligence and the announcement went out through the BLU Base. “The enemy has taken our intelligence.” She’d pull out her shotgun, figuring they’d end up in a bit of closer combat. “Alright. Let’s get going. BLU is probably going to be on us any minute now.” She’d say, beginning to head for the hallway to the left of the intel desk. Although, Scout would finally respond to her. “Yeah whatever.” She felt her eye twitch as she paused and turned around to face him. “Alright, your attitude is really pissing me off you little s-” She’d begin, before noticing something. A figure appeared behind him, dressed all in blue and pulling a revolver out, pointing it at the back of Scout’s head. She would react fast. “SPY!” She’d shout, before reaching out to pull Scout out of the way as the BLU Spy pulled the trigger. She’d feel a searing heat in her forehead before everything went dark. 

Demo would react when he watched Hunter fall to the floor, dead. He’d fire a grenade directly at the BLU Spy, exploding on contact and instantly turning the BLU Spy into a pile of blood and guts. “We’ve got to go lad, now. Get running, I’ll be right behind ya.” Demo would say, following Scout out of the intel room and running behind him as they headed up the stairs and out into the courtyard. Met with the BLU Heavy as they emerged, Demo fired his grenades as BLU Heavy was revving his minigun. Unfortunately, they didn’t make contact before the minigun began to fire. Demo would be brought down as Scout had already managed to duck into the first floor of BLU, running through to the sewers and not looking back. He ran as fast as he could back towards RED, swimming through the canal and moving up into the first floor. He made his way through the courtyard and down into the basement, finally making it to the intelligence room and dropping the briefcase on the desk. RED had won, and Scout took a moment to catch his breath. The win announcement would play as his weapons began to glow red. Humiliation had begun but.. He didn't really care. Hunter stopped a bullet for him. He knew death would never be permanent for him as long as the respawn machines functioned, but something about someone about to scold you for how you've acted towards them ending up reacting to your life being in danger by pulling you out of the way and dying in your stead really made Scout realise that maybe he's been too harsh on Hunter. 

He'd head up towards the respawn room as humiliation ended and any remaining dead were respawning. There he'd see Hunter pop back into existence, shortly followed by Demo. The rest of RED would slowly file into the main respawn room as the two stepped out of the respawn chamber. The team would be praising the capture team for their work, when a surprise appeared at the door to the RED respawn. Standing outside was BLU Spy. 

“Pardon me, I hope I'm not.. Interrupting something.” He'd say, the BLU team slowly gathering behind him. “The match is over yeh backstabbin’ wuss.” Demo would chime, causing BLU Spy to sneer a little. “Yes, I am aware. I just have a.. Proposition for RED.” He'd say, gaining RED Spy’s attention. “What sort of proposition? I'd prefer if you got to the point, as we'd like to go home and relax for the evening.” Spy would say. BLU Spy would shake his head. “But of course. I've come to propose a trade.” He'd say, earning a raised brow from Spy. “A.. Trade? Of what?” He'd ask. “Our Hunters. We give you our Hunter, and we receive yours.” There was silence as the members of RED looked to each other. This was new. In all their years participating in the gravel wars, a trade of members between teams had never even been thought of.

“And why would we agree to such a thing?” RED Spy would ask after a moment, watching BLU carefully. “Well, I figured it'd do us some good. There's no secret that RED has been dominating BLU in the last while, and I feel trading our Hunters would make things feel a little more Balanced. Besides, whether or not this trade goes through is subject to our Hunters themselves. Ours has already expressed that he would be happy to switch teams.” BLU spy would say, looking towards Hunter. She would stare at him blankly. “I don't know what you're on, but I am not switching teams. No offense, but I don't really like any of you.” She'd say bluntly, crossing her arms. Demo snickered beside her. 

“I thought you'd say that. And that's why I'm also offering you something.. Information. I know you've been searching for your father.” BLU Spy would say, catching Hunter off guard. She would glance at RED Spy, noticing his brows were furrowed in a possibly confused manner. She'd look back to BLU Spy. “That's information I'm already getting from my Spy. I don't need anything from you.” She'd say. BLU Spy would allow a grin to form on his face as he spoke again. “Well, do you know who he is? I know. And I'll tell you. I am your father, Hunter. And I've been looking for you for so long. So why don't you switch teams? I'd rather not have to kill my own daughter again.” A moment of silence. Hunter opened her mouth to speak before RED Spy spoke up. “Do not believe his lies, Sierra. I know for a fact he is not your father.” He'd say, although his tone was strangely tinged with venom. “And how would you know?” BLU Spy questioned with a confident smile. “Because I've looked into it extensively on her request. I already know who her father is and he is not you.” RED Spy would finish, staring down BLU Spy. 

“Well-” BLU Spy would attempt to interject before being interrupted by Hunter. “No, I trust Spy. If he says you're not my father, then I'm inclined to believe him. I'm not accepting your trade offer. Go shove it up your unwashed French ass.” She'd respond. BLU Spy attempted to respond, but the sound of a shotgun being cocked stopped him. “You heard her, Frenchie. It's about time you get a move on before we have to put you and your whole team down again.” Said Engineer, pointing his shotgun at BLU Spy. He paused for a moment. “Very well, we will leave.” He'd say, before cloaking and presumably walking away, with the rest of BLU following suit. 

Following BLU’s departure, RED was silent. The whole team was processing what exactly just happened. Hunter would look over at Spy, though. “You already found my father and haven't mentioned it yet?” She questioned. “Well.. Yes-” He'd begin, before she spoke again. “Then I need to know who and where he is. We had a deal, remember? As soon as you knew, I was to get that information.” She'd say. Frankly, she was in a bit of a sour mood. She hated dying and having to respawn. It always felt like an eternity before she came back. And with BLU coming with that weird ass trade offer? That just really set her into a sour state. Spy recognized that she wasn't in the best of moods and gave a light sigh. “I understand, and I apologize. We will have a discussion in my office back at home.” He'd say simply.

With that, the whole team would head out to the truck and got inside. It would be a fairly silent ride, everyone was still processing the strange and sudden trade offer, and even Scout didn't dare speak just yet. Upon arriving at home base, everyone would silently head inside and proceeded to go about their evening, while Hunter followed Spy upstairs so they could talk. 

Chapter Text

“Alright Spy, spill.” She'd say, seated in front of Spy’s desk. She watched him carefully as he reached for a pack of cigarettes before pausing, sighing, and moving his hand away. Since Hunter joined, it'd become fairly obvious that she couldn't handle being near cigarette smoke. It made her feel sick. So Spy had begun refraining from smoking around her, although cigars seemed to be okay.

“Apologies, again.” He'd begin, earning a shake of her head. “Don't apologize. I'm not mad, just a little frustrated from BLU’s audacity. And that may have manifested as slight aggression.” She'd say, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. “But I do need this information.” Delivering that letter was her mother's last wish, after all. “Of course..” He'd say. He pulled out an older envelope and handed it to her. She'd give a look of confusion, him watching as she opened it up and took out photos and crude handmade drawings and paintings that could only have come from a child. The photos contained one person most of the time. A redheaded child, often playing with a toy or smiling at the camera. Each photo seemed to depict an older child, until eventually it was obvious that she was a teen. She could recognize the person in these photos anywhere. They were her. She even remembered when some of them were taken. Usually around her birthday. The drawings and paintings too were hers. She remembered making them and then her mother putting them on the fridge, only for them to disappear as Hunter got older. She had always assumed they'd just been thrown away. She'd look at the items in her hands, and then back up at Spy. He was watching her with that neutral expression of his. The one that made it impossible to tell what exactly he was thinking. “How'd you get these? I could have sworn the artworks were thrown away as I grew up, and my grandfather was eager to erase the fact I even existed, so he would've burned any photos that I wasn't able to grab…” She questioned.

“Your mother sent them to me as you grew. Every year I'd receive a letter, dated to your birthday, containing photos and even whatever drawings you made. At least, I did until your 16th birthday. The letters stopped after that, and I simply assumed your mother had finally moved on and found someone else. It wasn't until you joined RED and requested I assist in finding your father that I even knew about Lucy’s passing..” Spy would say. Hunter would stare at him for a few moments, processing the information he gave her. “..You-?” She began, it was clear that she was having a slight bit of trouble putting her thoughts into words.

“Yes. I'm sure you have questions, and I will answer within reason.” He'd say simply, knowing that she'd put it all together. She was a clever woman, much like her mother before her. She took a moment to try and piece her thoughts together. She was in a bit of internal turmoil, after all. She'd spent years feeling nothing but anger towards her father for abandoning herself and her mother, but now she was faced with him. And he turned out to be a man she'd grown to respect over the last few months. He was a great leader for the team, somehow keeping this band of merry mercenaries together, and had done nothing to offend her so far. He'd always been courteous, and even made sure she had received the crash course on each match type during her first week, whether directly by giving her the rundown himself, or indirectly by having Engineer introduce it and checking in later on to make sure it got done.

“Why… Why did you leave us-?” It was the first question she could feasibly put together and ask. And it was what she'd wondered most since she was young. “It was.. A very hard decision. When you were born, I was no older than you are, I was young, and while I was a talented spy, I loved your mother very much. She was an amazing woman, my petit châtaigne d'eau. And that's why I left. As long as I was around and continued working as a freelance spy, your lives would always be in danger. I truly wanted to stay, but in the spy business, those close to us are in the most danger. It was only after I was employed here at RED that I began seeing the only other woman to hold such a special place in my heart.” He'd explain. Hunter just took in the information. While part of her could understand, the part of her that was holding onto her respect for Spy, the other part of her just didn't like that explanation, even if logically it made sense.

“I see.. And how was maman able to send all these letters?” She questioned next. He'd never even attempted to contact them, as far as she knew. “Well, when I first met your mother, I was only in town briefly, so after we began our little romance, I gave her the address to a post office box registered under one of my many aliases. I figured it'd be useful if she ever needed a proper lover once more. Obviously, I returned to her after a few months and I spent around two years with her, during which you were born. It was only after I left that she began sending letters to it. I only really checked that box once a year or so, and I wanted her to move on as I didn't expect I'd ever return, so I never sent any letters back.” Spy would explain.

Hunter would take a few moments to process this information. It was a lot to take in, and almost out of nowhere, considering how fast the events with BLU and now this confession from Spy had happened. She'd look down at the paintings and drawings. All these years, Spy seemed to have kept them. He could have just thrown them away after looking at the letter's contents, yet he kept them. There was still the part of her that wanted to yell at him for all the pain he'd put herself and her mother through. But.. It wasn't his fault that her grandfather despised her existence. Her grandfather would have acted the way he did no matter if Spy had stuck around for her childhood. She'd look up at him, and for the first time, she saw a hint of emotion on his face, behind that mask she made out the expression of care she'd often received from her mother, now being given to her by her father. Her quest to find him had been fuelled by anger and intense sadness but.. In his presence now, she couldn't bring herself to tell him off like she'd always planned.

“I sincerely apologize for the hurt it has caused you, Hunter. You do not have to forgive me. From your conversations with the team, it's obvious how much pain I have caused. If you wish, you may take your anger out on me now. All I ask is that what happens stays in this room, and afterwards we keep things civil for the sake of the team.” Spy would add after a minute or so of silence. He'd watch as Hunter stood, gently placing the letters down on his desk before approaching him. She'd stop just short of him, looking up with a neutral expression that matched the one he often sported. He would stand still, and braced for impact. Spy was fully expecting to be punched or slapped or otherwise harmed, and he was okay with it. He accepted that he'd wronged her by not being there. Instead, though, felt something wrap around his torso. He'd glance down to see.. She was hugging him?

Hunter couldn't bring herself to take out her anger on him. So instead, she chose to embrace him in forgiveness. “I.. I hope this isn't too weird and.. Well, I have so many emotions and I just… Needed a hug. Give the word and I'll let go.” She'd say, but to her surprise, he didn't tell her to let go. He would warmly return the embrace.

“I have missed you dearly, ma belle. I wanted so badly to return and watch you grow up, and yet the best I could do was watch as you joined us and became a brilliant mercenary. You were the joy of my days up until I had to go, and look at you now. A long way from that bubbly infant girl. You've grown into a fine young woman with an excellent shot.” He'd say, watching as she pulled out of the hug, her face visibly a little damp. She was crying a little. He'd move his hand to ruffle her short red hair. “I'm proud of you, Sierra.”

That only caused more tears to fall as she quickly wiped them away. “Thank you.. Papa.” She'd say, earning a chuckle from Spy. “Of course, but maybe refrain from referring to me as your father around the team. I don't think I'd hear the end of it if any of them found out I had children.” He'd say, more light hearted than anything. “Noted.” She'd nod with a smile. Although, after a moment that familiar announcement would ring out.

“Dinner’s ready, y'all. Come on down.” Came Engie’s voice through the PA system.

“Mm, go on down and have something to eat. I have something to finish up here, but let Engineer know I'll be down soon enough.” Spy would say, earning a nod from Hunter as she gave him a smile. “Will do. See you at dinner.” She'd say, before heading for the door to the office. Although, as she went to push the door open, she'd hear the sound of… Footsteps? It sounded like they were running away, headed downstairs. Interesting. She'd exit the office with a shrug and made her way downstairs for dinner.

Chapter Text

Heading downstairs, Hunter was met with the familiar sight of the dining table. Everyone was seated, already beginning to enjoy the plates placed in front of them. Today looked like meatloaf with scalloped potatoes and a medley of vegetables that looked like they'd been glazed in honey and roasted. Feeling her stomach rumble, Hunter was quick to take her seat at the table, in between Scout and Pyro as usual.

“Hey, so uh, what'd Spy wanna talk to you about?” Scout would ask, pretty much immediately after Hunter had taken her seat. Some of the other mercs would glance over as the question was posed. “Ah, just wanted to make sure I was okay after the shit that BLU Spy tried to pull.” She'd respond, beginning to dig into the meal in front of her.

“Gotcha, gotcha… anything about your dad though? I think I remember him saying something about actually knowing.” Scout would say, leaning back in his seat casually, a piece of carrot stuck to his fork as he brought it to his mouth. “Nah, not completely. He hasn't found my dad, but he's ruled out that the damned BLU Spy has any relation to me, thank god.” She responded. She'd already agreed not to tell anyone after all, so she wasn't just gonna spill the beans that easy.

“I see, I see.” Scout nodded along, seeming to have a little smirk on his face. A couple of the others seemed to be looking at each other with their own little smirks and grins, and Hunter would glance around at them with her brow raised. That was suspicious.

“What's so funny?” She'd question, with Demo speaking up. “Lad, yeh wanna tell her or?” This would earn a nod from Scout. “Alright, so, I was walking by Spy’s office when I happened to hear a thing or two. And well, you know anything I hear I gotta share with the fellas.” He'd begin. Hunter slowly turned her head to stare directly at Scout.

“And what exactly did you hear?” She asked, fearing the worst. “Well, not too much important, other than you're the kid of our spy. Who knew that backstabbin’ weirdo would have any kids.” Scout would respond, confirming her fears.

She’d just sit there for a moment kind of seeming to dissociate for a moment. She’s had a secret for like 5 minutes and it’s already been leaked. “Spy is gonna kill me..”

“Why am I going to kill you?” Spy would muse, decloaking behind the seat usually reserved for him.

“Oh, uh…” Hunter would start, before being cut off by Scout. “Oh come on, Spy, you wouldn’t kill your own kid, wouldya?” Scout commented with the biggest of shit-eating grins.

Spy seemed to freeze for a moment, giving a slight frown. “I believe I requested for you to keep our conversation a secret.”

“I did! It was Scout. He was listening in and told everyone.” Hunter huffed, crossing her arms.
Spy would pinch the bridge of his nose. “Scout…”

“What, you expect me not to tell anyone? Besides, I think Medic and Heavy already knew!” Scout protested.

“Zhat is true. I’ve taken all of your blood at this point, and out of curiosity I did some DNA tests. Did you know zhe Engineer has a non-negligible amount of Latin American ancestry? It’s fascinating.” Medic would comment. Spy would glance at Medic, before glancing at Scout and then staring Medic straight in the eyes. Medic would just grin and give a shrug.

“.. We’re going to need to talk about your unauthorized DNA testing.” Spy said, before sitting in his seat. He’d already decided to eat dinner with the rest of the team beforehand, and as embarrassed as he was that Scout leaked his secret, and that Medic obviously already knew more than originally thought, he wasn’t going to back out. Especially since Hunter was going to have to deal with Scout’s pestering. Spy would settle in and began to eat his dinner when he noticed that the table was surprisingly quiet.

“What? Why are you all quiet all of a sudden?” He’d ask, looking around.

“Well, you don’t normally join us for dinner, Spy, unless it’s a real special occasion. We’re a little surprised is all.” Engineer would say, giving a sheepish smile as the others nodded their heads, with Soldier giving an “Affirmative.”

“Well.. It’s a little off-putting. Don’t just quiet down because I’m here.” Spy would request. The mercs would look amongst themselves and began to speak again to one another. He couldn’t help but give a soft sigh, smiling to himself.