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![Story written by LigeiaMaloy /// CoverArt and Characters by BlastedKing
IN VINO VERITAS
The annual assembly was finally over. Like every year, a date close to Christmas had been chosen to gather the leaders of all teams around one table. Every year they debated about the past months, missed and achieved goals, the efficiency and therefore, the revenue and reputation of TF Industries. Upon satisfaction of all instructions coming from the supreme authorities, raises in salary were usually granted, as well as the approval of applications for new and better equipment.
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However, the generosity was limited. Only the top three teams were favored - the others would have to settle with the funds of last year or even cuts. In rare cases, teams had even happened to be closed completely.
Presenting and analyzing annual financial statements, profit and loss reports and the justification for the actions – especially failures – of the last year was already a dry affair. The competitive attitudes between the teams added a sometimes hostile atmosphere. Praising and promoting their own team wasn’t enough – sooner or later the first leader would interrupt the speech of another and criticize their work and future plans, mercilessly pointing out failures and weaknesses. After the first few hours, all comradeship and composure were forgotten and it would need a few months to restore them again.
Sydney, as the leader of the Team King, the support unit, had been invited as well and was treated like all the others. He had to face the same struggles for approval and had to give many speeches to convince his superiors of his work and the work of his team like anybody else. The usual special status didn’t mean anything anymore.
More than anyone, the Sniper dreaded these meetings, and that he had – yet again – enforced a special status for himself didn’t give him an easier time among the others. Aware of this disadvantage, he had, however, insisted on ignoring the new rule that said that only team-leaders and their superiors were invited. Like the years before, Lukas had accompanied him and Sydney had refused to attend the meeting without his assistant. In the end, the Administrator herself had impatiently called the participants to order and made an exception.
Sydney had finally taken his place with a satisfied smile on his face. The bone of contention, Lukas, was anything but satisfied or relaxed like his superior. The Sniper’s disregard of the formalities had put the Spy into the center of the heated discussion for more than half an hour and the glares and dismissive snorts had never completely ceased.
Sydney and Lukas were relieved when the Administrator nodded and closed the last file lying in front of her. They had started early in the morning and it was already dark again when they finally left the building.
Neither were interested in delaying their departure with any more conversation and they headed outside immediately.
Once they had stepped outside, a chilly wind greeted them. The cold air was welcome. After hours and hours of talking, listening and arguing the low temperatures were refreshing. When they had left their headquarters, it had already begun to snow.
Thick layers of white snow had changed the scenery, consisting of gray streets and dull industrial buildings, into a still abstract, but friendlier world.
They had caught their train in time. From the station, it would only be a walk of half an hour back to their home. Sydney had decided against calling one of the others and ask them to come and pick them up. In this part of the city it was snowing, too, and the streets hadn’t been cleared yet. Driving could be dangerous. Besides, the Sniper enjoyed the clear air; he was in no rush to arrive home soon.
Everything seemed so peaceful now. There weren’t other people around and the noise from the cars on the main road was almost completely swallowed by the white covers. More and more flakes quietly floated through the air. The wind increased and Sydney shivered. The meeting and the rather uncertain terms that had been exchanged for hours seemed so far away now.
He turned up the collar of his coat. The soft fur held him warm, but parts of it already began to feel wet and slightly frozen. Although he preferred hot days and sunbaths over winter anytime, the cold didn’t affect him much. Especially so close to Christmas, walking outside was a pleasure; the world looked so beautiful and innocent.
Sydney turned to his assistant and smiled. He was surprised that the scarf could be wrapped even closer around the Spy’s head, but obviously, it was possible. Lukas had buried his hands deeply in the pockets of his jacket and stared at the ground. As usual, Lukas did not speak a word of complaint.
“Honey, don’t lie to me. When was the last time you ate something?” Sydney asked friendly and smiled when Lukas almost jumped. His assistant had been lost in his thoughts, Sydney hadn’t missed that. He also hadn’t missed how Lukas’ body was shaking underneath his clothes.
“When… I… breakfast, I think?” Lukas turned his head into the other direction as Sydney chuckled. The Sniper had expected an answer like that.
“Dear, you hardly ate anything this morning because you were so nervous. No wonder you are shivering,” he chided gently and paused. He felt hungry and thirsty himself, but he wasn’t in the mood to hurry home and go back inside yet.
Although the Administrator was mostly satisfied with him, the whole day had been rather depressing and tiring. Being with his team would cheer him up for sure, but for once, he didn’t want to feel like working. From not too far away, he thought he heard voices.
“Come, honey, I have an idea!” He put his arm around the Spy’s shoulder and changed their direction. “On the market place, they have some kind of winter festival or fair.” Sydney remembered an article he had read about it the day before. “Let’s get something to eat for you there.”
Sydney was already in his element, reciting the article and recounting the food and entertainment offered.
Lukas didn’t really listen to him. Fairs and festival meant entertainment. Trying to tell Sydney that he, Lukas, was tired and only wanted to go home and forget about today while taking a long, hot shower would be a waste of time. Of course the Sniper wanted some fun and distraction and as usual, Lukas was dragged along.
The idea of spending the evening with Sydney alone in a relaxed atmosphere made him more nervous than the mocking stares of the other team-leaders earlier this day, and that had been horrible enough. His stomach hurt when he simply thought about it. However, he didn’t have a choice - he could hardly tell Sydney to forget about it, that the kitchen at home always offered something to eat and that it was warmer than eating outside. He couldn’t just tell him, and wasn’t even sure if he really wanted to.
Sydney knew him too well sometimes, and that was something that made Lukas feel uncomfortable. His boss was right – he wasn’t really hungry, but his stomach didn’t only hurt from being nervous, and he was really cold. Of course Sydney had to notice again how weak he was, but Lukas didn’t really care. After working as Sydney’s assistant for four years, he had accepted his fate - he would never leave another impression than that of the weak and pathetic Spy he was.
Or maybe he was only too tired to mind.
Looking at the slowly falling snowflakes in front of his face calmed his thoughts. Hard winters were rare in this country, and even when they happened, they were mild compared to the winters he used to know before he had left Sweden. Although he had always been cold easily, he had never dreaded the chilly months with their long, dark nights. The pace of the world seemed to slow down and take a rest. It was easier to be left alone by those who always demanded too much of him when everybody was busy enjoying or hating the snow and preparing for the festive season.
The sound of shoes on the covered ground was the same; the crunching snow, the missing echos of their steps when he and Sydney took a short cut through a narrow alley. The tall man made the difference, and became conscious of the sound of his own breathing which seemed to be too loud in this peaceful night, even as it was dampened by his scarf. He wondered why his mind wouldn’t let him simply enjoy this rare, precious evening.
In the distance, just when the stinging cold had crept trough the too thin leather of his shoes, colorful lights appeared. They shone warm and brightly in the dark, despite the veil of snow. Out of the corner of his eyes, Lukas glanced at Sydney – he wasn’t surprised to see a happy smile on the Sniper’s face. This was more like the Sydney he knew; while he also admired the strong-willed, serious leader he had been earlier today, Sydney was more himself when he got excited. Unlike Lukas, he never seemed to hide his emotions, and it was plain to him what Sydney wanted – a bit of fun.
However, in spite of his reluctance to be here at all, Lukas had to admit that it might just be that – fun. Between the blueish shadows of the night, red and yellow lights were a welcoming sight and at the scent of sweet as well as spicy food he finally began to feel hungry after not having eaten all day. The voices became louder with every step they took, and judging from the sound, many people were already enjoying themselves.
Behind his scarf, Lukas lips twitched nervously. True, with others around to attract Sydney’s attention – and he was sure they would – he wouldn’t have to feel his boss’ eyes on him all the time, a comforting thought. Yet, it was just that - others would soon attract Sydney’s attention, and he would be left to the stares of strangers. He had never liked eating in public, with many people around him, who looked at him the very moment he dropped something or swallowed up or chewed too loudly. It was like they were only be waiting for him to make a fool of himself all the time.
The mixed smells of candied fruits and almonds from the one side and of roasted and fried meat were overwhelming, and Lukas couldn’t decide if he felt even more hungry or sick. Sydney was already enjoying himself. A bit like a child who was hoping to spot Santa Claus before he could happily sit down and have some hot chocolate, Lukas thought. Only that he could imagine how a Santa appealing to Sydney would have to look like and that, once found, it wouldn’t be about hot chocolate.
Altogether, Lukas had mixed feelings as they strolled between the stalls. The charms of Christmas were present everywhere – warm lights, the scent of cake and rich food. Golden bells and red ribbons were scattered on tables and counters for decoration, and from several records, the Rat Pack sang their jazzy Christmas songs along with solemn choirs. With the snow and cold surrounding them, the warmth coming from all these impressions was delightful.
The friendly chatter and laughter of other visitors were far more pleasant than the angry arguments at the meeting.
It was nice to be here. Yet, he felt like he might as well not be here. If he ever had forgotten how popular his boss was – every third or second person they met reminded him. Nods and excited greetings made the Sniper turn his head from right to left and left to right all the time. Every once in a while, they stopped so that an acquaintance could shake hands with Sydney and exchange some words about everyones well-being and my, how long had it been.
Lukas himself wasn’t small, but most of the time, the young man who preferred to stand behind the taller Sniper was simply overlooked. Maybe not noticed, maybe ignored, or maybe nobody could imagine that he could seriously be one of Sydney’s friends.
Whatever the truth was, Lukas didn’t really care. He was glad that he wasn’t engaged into any conversations with strangers, feeling bitter at the same time because life never seemed to miss any opportunity to prove his unimportance to him.
However, he was happy, even a bit proud, on Sydney’s behalf. It was only right that his boss was so popular. Lukas had already noticed that those who didn’t seem to know Sydney yet already paid him attention when they saw him and heard him talk. It wasn’t only his size or those, well, unusual pink shades. The always ready smile, the deep voice, his charming, courteous mannerism…
Lukas caught himself staring at Sydney’s face while he listened to the friendly discussion of the advantages and disadvantages about the weather. Like always, when he admired him, he began to feel uncomfortable and sad. Every little gesture and word that reminded him of why he loved Sydney was also a reminder of the gap between them. They lived in different worlds. Lukas was out of place in Sydney’s bright and cheerful world and he was convinced of one thing – without him, Sydney would be able to enjoy himself a lot more.
“Come on, what do you want? My treat.”
“You don’t have to… I can pay myself…” Lukas protested while he was briskly shoved towards one of the food-serving stalls. He had been lost in his thoughts and didn’t even know when Sydney had gotten behind him after telling the stranger good-bye. The Sniper gave him a final push.
“I know you can, my dear, but that’s not the point. Actually, I owe you a fancy five-course meal for enduring that awfully boring meeting. You like fish, don’t you?” Sydney chattered on.
Lukas weakly nodded and began to loosen his scarf while Sydney ordered two sandwiches – fish for Lukas, steak for himself – and two mugs of mulled wine for both of them.
Not too sure if fish was such a good idea on his empty stomach, he accepted the offered sandwich. Skeptically, he looked at the hot, steaming drink Sydney put in front of him.
“You look like you are freezing, honey. This should warm you up.” Watching the crowd without looking out for anything or anyone in particular, Sydney bit in his sandwich.
Hesitatingly, Lukas tried his. The taste was good, not too mild, not too salty, and the fish was fresh. He already felt how his stomach demanded more, but he controlled himself, chewing very slowly. He was afraid to swallow, fearing the sound would be too loud and obnoxious enough to provoke disapproving stares.
“What’s up, dear? Are your cheeks glowing from the cold or is it the alcohol?” Sydney teased him with a gentle smile, giving one of said cheeks a playful pinch with his cold fingers.
Lukas almost choked on his sandwich, startled and not sure how to react. He hadn’t even touched his drink yet, and more than one thing was going on in his head, and most of them he could hardly tell Sydney without embarrassing himself completely.
Chance came to his aid. Sydney was about to say something else when a voice called his name. Lukas and the Sniper turned their heads.
In front of the stall to their left, a small group of men and women about Lukas’ age had taken a seat on one of the benches. They all grinned at Sydney and one – supposedly the same who had called the Sniper’s name – waved at him, beckoning him to join them.
Sydney laughed at them, and turned back to Lukas with a sigh.
“Sorry, dear, ignoring them would be very impolite. I’ll be right back, okay?” he apologized with a shrug, quickly stroking over Lukas’ cheek. “You look lovely, honey, less pale and starving.” He nodded approvingly, picked up his mug and walked over to the small group that welcomed him with a cheer.
‘Typical.’ His amusement was almost bigger than his disappointment. He had expected something like this from the moment Sydney had suggested they come here. Quickly, he finished his sandwich, and of course the last bite went the wrong way. Convinced that everyone close was already staring at him, he tried to suppress the embarrassing coughing and quickly reached for his mug. The hot wine had cooled down considerably, so he easily emptied half of it without burning his tongue. A bit too sweet for his taste, but the characteristic spices and the remaining warmth felt good. Furthermore, it ended the coughing fit as he had hoped. Relieved to have adverted this crisis, he drank the rest while it was still warm.
Spending time with Sydney could be irritating. Lukas was aware that he wasn’t fair when he thought about it, but as usual, Sydney’s behavior only added to his feeling of being out of place. Of course, Sydney was his usual self, cheerful and candid. Even if he spent some time with the Sniper without the other team-mates around them, there was nothing in it for him, not even a few minutes of talking. That was a ridiculous thought, he scolded himself. He wouldn’t have been able to think of anything interesting to say anyway.
He watched Sydney. The Sniper had taken a spot between two of the strangers, his back turned to Lukas, and was happily chatting with them. A wave of resentment came over him when the handsome young man who had waved Sydney over casually put his hand on Sydney’s back.
This was enough. Yes, it was unfair and pathetic, but Lukas couldn’t help feeling angry. The wine already had already begun to cloud his mind, making it more difficult to maintain the usual outward indifference he showed whenever Sydney was busy flirting.
He would go home.
It wasn’t like Sydney would miss him anyway. Besides, it was still cold. He tore his eyes away from the hand on Sydney’s back and turned around to return the empty mug. The vendor was busily hasting from one side to the other, missing the skinny young man whose voice was too low to be heard.
Finally, after Lukas had cleared his throat for the third time, he was noticed. The vendor smiled apologetically, nodded and turned away. A minute later, a new, hot drink was placed in front of Lukas. Perplexed, the Spy stared at the mug, realizing that the man had misunderstood him when he had pointed at the empty drink. He didn’t even try to explain the problem and reached for his wallet. He paid the patiently waiting vendor the due amount, grabbed the cup and moved a step away from the counter, before he accidentally ordered half of the offered dishes.
Behind him, he heard Sydney laugh – so he was probably busy with flirting.
Annoyed, Lukas looked at the hot wine. Annoyed, because, among cinnamon, anise and cloves, too much sugar made the drink smell sickly sweet. Annoyed, because he was freezing and because Sydney could never resist any temptation. As long as it wasn’t him. Of course his presence wasn’t tempting, incompetent and boring as he was. He, who was so easily ignored and forgotten and never got what he wanted anyway.
The hot mug in his hands was just more proof.
He put the cup to his lips, taking a big gulp.
Sydney wasn’t sure how many times he had told his acquaintances how nice it had been to meet them, but now he had to leave. After all, he wasn’t alone this evening. Every time he was about to stand up, somebody had to quickly ask something - only a minute, of course, they didn’t want to hold him up. It was difficult to say ‘no’ when they assured him that it was just so nice to see him again.
These were good, fun people and he wouldn’t mind repeating the events from the one time they had hung out together, but not tonight. However, he didn’t want to be impolite, so he graciously tried to talk himself out of an invitation to visit one of the more open-minded clubs of the city.
He didn’t even lie. It had really been a long day, he had only wanted to say ‘hi’ and he wasn’t alone. He began to feel guilty, knowing too well what kind of silly thoughts run through Lukas’ pretty head. He had let him wait for too long already.
With a smile, he looked at the empty mug in his hands. He had always been useless when it came to drinking, but being tired and cold only made it worse – he was feeling a bit dizzy. Politely, he shook his head when the young man next to him begged him again to join them tonight– or rather him, if Sydney interpreted the way the hand moved across his back correctly. He hoped that Lukas had finished eating, his assistant’s pale face had worried him. It would be better he convinced himself if Lukas was feeling better. Next, time to go home, before both of them caught a cold.
Suddenly, a hand was placed firmly on his shoulder. Somebody bent over him from behind. A mug was placed in front of him and a wave of hot wine and spices filled his nose.
“You look like you are freezing, honey. This should warm you up.”
“Lukas.” Sydney raised his head. The frown on his assistant’s face surprised him, but it fitted the unusually annoyed voice. Sad, worried, nervous, thoughtful, skeptical, cautiously happy or delighted, bashful – those were emotions he knew from him. A Lukas who was apparently in a bad mood was new. And certainly not less likable.
The chatter had stopped. The woman next to Sydney moved aside to make room for Lukas who didn’t hesitate to sit down. Everyone, including Sydney, looked at the young, blonde man with a serious, unreadable expression. The light blue eyes focused on the full drink in his slender hands.
“Well,” the man to Sydney’s right finally broke the silence. He had removed his hand from the Sniper’s back. “Syd, come on, another drink should put you in the mood for a fun night. Let’s go together. Your friend here can join, of course, and…” He stopped.
Sydney turned to Lukas on his left and swallowed an amused chuckle, wondering if Lukas was aware of the scathing look he cast in the persistent man’s direction. Even when he avoided any eye-contact – Lukas’ opinion about the suggestion was more than clear.
“Thanks, darling, but seriously,” he addressed his acquaintance again, “it was a long day. Go, dance, laugh and have a lovely time. We have to talk about business anyway and after that, I’ll happily embrace my bed. It was wonderful to see you again, dearies. Maybe another time.”
A few, courteous words of good-bye followed, and finally, they were alone.
“Honey, how many is that now?” Sydney asked, tapping against Lukas’ mug with one finger.
“Three.”
“Oh my, I’m one behind? Outrageous!” He laughed. Yes, his tolerance for alcohol was very low and yes, he already felt giddy after one drink. However, seeing Lukas, skinny and probably still hungry, indifferently drinking from his cup without a second thought was a challenge.
He followed suit, emptying half of his drink, his eyes still observing his assistant’s face with its reddened cheeks and the grim frown. The wine warmed him from inside and his smile widened. It was so rare to see Lukas without his scarf and mask, and seeing him like this was a novelty altogether. If more drinking was required to enjoy these good-looking features a bit longer, he was fine with it. However, he couldn’t ignore the guilt.
“You are angry with me, and you are right. I’m sorry for leaving you for so long, darling.” He wanted to touch him, but Lukas indignantly backed away from Sydney’s hand.
“It’s not always about you.”
A halfhearted lie. His frustration had reached a level he couldn’t bear anymore. The jealousy had gotten the better of him and before he had been aware of what he was doing, Lukas had ordered another drink and walked over to the happy group. He had no idea what he had hoped to achieve. The source of his jealousy had removed itself and was probably already having a good time and he, Lukas, had denied Sydney sharing the fun. It was true, he was angry with Sydney for forgetting about him, but he was also angry with himself.
“Of course it’s not, babe, sorry. What is it, then?”
Lukas had no idea if Sydney was seriously believing him or if he was being teased. He glanced at his boss, but couldn’t find any hint of mockery in his face. Only a friendly, openly worried smile, waiting patiently for Lukas to answer. Fine, he might as well speak his mind. He took another sip.
“Everything. Why did you drag me along?” Again, he avoided Sydney’s touch.
‘Stop treating me like a dog or child.’
He hadn’t had enough heated wine yet to say something like this aloud.
“Honey, you were hungry. I thought, after the meeting…”
“Oh yes, the meeting.” Lukas flinched. “Where everybody stared at me, showing me bluntly I didn’t belong. You knew from the very beginning it was only for leaders, right? Why did you do that to me?” There, he had done it. He impolitely interrupted his boss, whined and accused him of treating him badly. He couldn’t just refrain from embarrassing himself. This evening was getting better and better.
“You are my assistant. I’d have had to report everything to you anyway, and you know, it’s better to hear all this stuff first-hand, in case I miss something.” Sydney explained calmly.
“You are not an idiot,” Lukas snorted, still not looking at Sydney. “Some of the other leaders are not half as smart and they manage alone. Why did I have to be there?”
Sydney hesitated with his reply. Finally, he emptied his mug and stood up.
“Please wait a moment, all right? I will be right back, dear, I promise.”
Lukas nodded, drinking the rest of his own wine, starring at the empty mug for the few minutes Sydney was gone.
“There you go.”
Lukas finally looked at his boss, who was taking his place next to him again, straddling the wooden bench. Grinning triumphantly, Sydney raised his mug. So only a bit of wine was needed, and his assistant would become cheeky and actually corner him with his questions. He liked that.
“Sydney, no! I’ve really had enough!” Lukas protested, and Sydney chuckled.
“Hearing a loud and clear ‘no!’ coming from your pretty mouth was worth the trouble today.” Amused, he continued drinking.
“I can’t find this funny.”
Thoughtfully, Sydney watched the now rather sad face and inhaled deeply.
It was still snowing. White flakes covered the table and glistened in Lukas’ fair hair. The crisp weather suited him, Sydney thought, even if it didn’t really make sense to him. It really was a beautiful night. The other visitors around them were in a good, joyful mood, just the way he liked his surroundings to be, but for once, he didn’t pay attention to that.
“Alright. Listen. See, darling, I don’t like these meetings, either. For… several reasons. It’s easier to focus when somebody I trust is with me.”
“Oh yes, right. You, who trust everyone blindly on this team, even – God knows why – the Twins. And even they would have been of more use today. Why do I of all people had to join when you know it would make me uncomfortable?”
What he wanted to achieve with his outburst and reproaches, Lukas didn’t know himself. Vaguely, he concluded that he shouldn’t drink. His normal, nervous self was pathetic enough; the way his character changed when intoxicated disgusted him. Not only him, but obviously, Sydney as well, as he remained silent.
“You are reliable,” Sydney finally tried to explain. He sadly smiled at his drink, watching how the steaming became thinner as the wine slowly cooled down. Without looking at his assistant, he continued.
“Even if you are silent, no matter what. Even when I don’t hear or see you, I know I can rely on you. That makes me feel comfortable.”
Lukas began to chuckle and finally burst with laughter.
“You are such a god-damned egoist, Sydney. Really!”
“Dammit, Lukas, if I was such an egoist I’d do other things to you than asking you to come with me to stupid meetings. I’m sorry, honey, forget it.” What he really cursed was the alcohol. It had become more difficult to maintain his unshakable, happy and always smiling attitude than he had expected. He blamed the wine and this good-looking face with those pretty blue eyes that simply wouldn’t allow him to look at them for longer than two seconds. This wasn’t good at all.
Lukas, too, felt the effects of drinking more than was good for him. He was more and more losing control of the conversation, finding it difficult to judge the situation and, especially, Sydney’s words. He gave a start when a cold hand touched the back of his head and moved over his neck and finally, his back.
“You are a flirt. You really can’t hold yourself back for even one single evening, can you? Sorry for interrupting you earlier.” He bit his tongue.
Even if he sometimes thought bitterly of Sydney’s flirtatious character, it made him feel guilty. He would never drink again, if it made him say thing aloud he already hated to think. His own aggressiveness and the hand moving over his back made him nervous and the loathed, but at least well-known insecurity returned.
“Oh you are all wrong, my dear!” Sydney grinned. “I would have lasted chase and innocent all night, you know. YOU started this, babe.”
He moved closer and placed his other hand on Lukas’ leg. Suddenly, the whole situation didn’t appear to be so sad and depressive anymore. He chuckled and put his arm around Lukas’ shoulder when his assistant tried to move away.
He let go of the leg and picked up his mug, emptying it.
“You and your little prank here make it so just impossible to ignore your face, handsome.”
Lukas stiffened under the touch, feeling dizzy from too much wine and the voice that now lowly growled right into his ear. This was too much. He had wished against all hopes that someday, something like this might, maybe, happen. He had never been the target of Sydney’s attention, not in this way. Often enough he had watched when Sydney was flirting with others, feeling envious and invisible. Now, suddenly being in the position of those he usually envied, he had no idea what to do. He shuddered not only from the snow and his cold feet when the hand again touched his leg.
This was not really Sydney, he wouldn’t do this if he weren’t drunk.
“I’m sorry that my face isn’t handsome unless you are drunk,” Lukas snapped at him.
This hadn’t been anything of the things he had wanted to say. His own drunken self was really unbearable. Feeling like a lovesick teenager wasn’t obviously enough, now he was also acting like one.
Sydney, however, was not that easily to upset.
“Don’t be silly.” The Sniper lay his head on Lukas’ shoulder and laughed, finding his assistant’s reaction too funny. “Did you already forget? I’m a flirt. I never missed that you are handsome. The truth is…” He suddenly stopped laughing and lifted his head.
“The truth is, I can’t handle your handsomeness unless I’m drunk, my dear.”
Not giving Lukas a chance to react, Sydney’s hand took hold of the soft, blonde hair.
Gently, he pulled the paralyzed Lukas into a kiss.
Sydney tasted sweet wine, feeling his excitement grow when Lukas’ lips felt soft against his, except for the slightly rougher part of the scar. This little imperfection only made him more interesting, more perfect. Lukas gasped in surprise and Sydney took that as an invitation – pulling him a bit closer, he let his tongue slide inside Lukas’ mouth.
Sydney hadn’t been aware of how tense he was until Lukas hesitatingly responded.
The Sniper relaxed. Lukas’ hair was wet under his fingers – it hadn’t stopped snowing. They couldn’t ignore the cold forever; sooner or later, they had to find a warmer place.
Where he could really be alone with his assistant. Sydney was curious – he had always known that Lukas was more than the insecure, easily flustered man everyone else saw in him. This kiss was soft and shy, but more than good; it was promising. Tomorrow he would feel guilty, for giving in to his egoism.
Again, he cursed the wine that made it impossible to keep staying away from Lukas. However, he began to wonder why he so insistently had restrained himself – it was so easy!
The leg under his other hand felt cold, even through the fabric of Lukas’ pants. He knew how to warm him.
“Sydney!”
A hand slowly feeling up his thigh came dangerously close to his groin. The touch had finally broken through the thick veil that had clouded his mind and he realized what he was doing and where he was – kissing Sydney, in public, surrounded by nosy bystanders.
He pushed Sydney away and jumped to his feet, barely avoiding stumbling over the bench and his own feet. Sydney was drunk, he was joking, and he, Lukas, what was he thinking when he didn’t stop him right away? Anyway, this would stop now and he would go home before he lost the last remains of his pride. That he still wished for a different outcome as he could still taste the kiss on his lips was not relevant.
He cringed when Sydney laughed. Lukas had feared that this would happen. What he hadn’t expected was that Sydney would stand up, too, and throw himself around Lukas’ neck only a few seconds later.
“Here, honey.” Chuckling, Sydney put Lukas’ hat on the Spy’s head, shoving is too deep into Lukas’ face and covering his eyes.
“Don’t run away,” he hummed and nuzzled against Lukas’ throat and muttered discontentedly when the scarf was between him and the skin.
“God, Sydney, you are… You shouldn’t, you are my boss…” he tried to reason while he was helplessly shoved towards the stall again.
“Darling, you are already sobering up, as your boss, I cannot allow this. Good man, be a dear and give us two more.” He beamed at the vendor who eyed them suspiciously.
Sydney was right. The boldness from before was gone and Lukas found it difficult to talk, the way it had always been. He had many things to say – telling Sydney to back off and come home and forget about it. And telling him to come closer and continue, asking him to force him out of his shell.
“I have a wonderful idea, handsome,” Sydney, still hanging over Lukas shoulder, purred. “We have two more of these babies, each. Just for the fun of it, because we are here, having a good time. Without having a nagging sister or Medic scolding as if we were little boys.” He chuckled so violently that he almost spilled his hot drink over Lukas’ jacket.
Lukas surrendered. Sighing, he picked up the second mug and drank slowly. Later he would regret it, but in the last hour, he had felt better than he had in months, if not years. Free, and, for a short moment, even happy.
However, with Sydney around his neck it was difficult to drink. He ducked down and turned away from him. Just in time, he could put his mug on the down and stop Sydney from falling. With a worried warning, he shoved the laughing Sniper with his back against the counter.
This time, not much was left in his cup, but Sydney simply ordered another drink. Lukas couldn’t hide a grin – Sydney was amazing. Drunk, unsteady on his feet without support; yet he laughed and clearly enjoyed himself, confident and happy as ever. Lukas would have wanted to die before he attracted the attention of other people like this. Yet, somehow, Sydney wasn’t making a fool of himself. He was how he was, irresponsible and carefree, and Lukas deeply admired him.
Crossing his legs, Sydney leaned back, facing the sky, and let the snowflakes cool his face. He was aware of Lukas’ gaze and he didn’t mind it at all. His assistant had never made him feel uneasy and for once, he enjoyed his presence freely, without guilt, or worry that one day, Lukas would stop looking at him.
“Say, honey,” he said suddenly, without turning his head, “you are not, well, seeing anybody, are you?” He ignored the indignant “Sydney!” coming from Lukas and spoke on.
“And Ty? There’s nothing going on between you? He is a sweetheart and you get along wonderfully. Judging from the mess he gets you into so easily all the time.” Just an innocent question to judge the dynamics in his team better, that was all.
“Wha… of course not! Oh God, Sydney! That rude kid… and Jean would kill me and… I mean, of course, yes, Tyler is a nice guy but… God, not like THAT!” Too perplexed to think of anything else to say – let alone to understand where this question was coming from – Lukas shook his head and focused on his wine. He wasn’t surprised that Sydney liked this stuff, it was disgustingly sweet.
“Are you sure?” Sydney now directly looked at his assistant, who rolled his eyes and turned away. His mug was already half-empty and he felt the heat return to his face.
“Why is this your business anyway?” He held back a snorted “Jealous?”. That would have been ridiculous.
Sydney ignored the question.
“But you have, let’s say, had some fun, sometime in your past?” He chuckled when the young Spy’s face turned even redder, but he became serious again when Lukas didn’t answer.
“Yes or now?”
“Sydney! Yes, sure, but… Don’t ask me something like that!” What certainly wasn’t fun was the development of this conversation. The idea to pay him back, though, became rather appealing. Unfortunately, the amount of alcohol he would need to dare to show him what he thought was fun would kill him before he even touched Sydney.
“Wonderful, honey, then you know the facts of life!” Sydney’s laugh changed into a chuckle that got finally interrupted by a coughing fit.
“You… you are an irresponsible, insolent, shameless, wanton and horny…” Searching for more appropriate words and failing, Lukas seized the Sniper by the collar of his coat; he still couldn’t bring himself to look him into his eyes. Instead, he stared at the white teeth. Sydney regained control of his breathing and smiled widely.
“Yes, love. That’s how I am. All of that. Right now. Have been so the last four years, every day, and you still like me, right? I’m glad you do.”
This time, neither of them could say for sure who initiated the kiss. It happened and both were comfortable with it. Using the alcohol as his guide and excuse, Lukas shoved himself closer to the Sniper and didn’t shrink back when Sydney wrapped his arms around him. His own hands ran through the Sniper’s dark hair - almost upsetting his hat - and over the stubbly face.
Sydney let himself be pushed farther back, until the edge of the counter started to hurt even through his thick coat – he ignored it. Lukas demanded more of his tongue and his lips, and he was willing to give.
“Ahem, excuse me.”
Both turned their heads. Next to them, the owner of the stall stood, the unease he felt plainly written over his face.
“Nothing personal, really.” The man scratched the back of his head and shifted uncomfortably. “I have to ask you to leave. If you don’t buy something to eat or drink, please do… this… somewhere else.”
“Sorry I didn’t keep my promise.”
Being a member of a team leaded by someone like Sydney, it was easy to forget that most places in the world weren’t as progressive as the headquarters. Nobody had said something until they were politely asked to leave, but Lukas suddenly became aware again of the people around them. This time, it hadn’t been his imagination - others were staring at them and although the stares weren’t hostile, he didn’t miss the disapproving frowns.
Fortunately for him, it wasn’t enough to sober him up – he didn’t regret anything. This could wait until the next morning.
They had left the market place in silence, walking side by side, and Lukas longed to reach for the Sniper’s hand or arm. The tall man’s way of walking would even have given him a good excuse. Instead of striding with the usual confidence, his steps were unsteady and more than once, he stumbled over his own feet.
However, an invisible wall hovered between them and Lukas couldn’t find the courage to simply let his arm slip around Sydney’s waist.
“What do you mean?” he finally asked, wondering what Sydney was talking about.
The Sniper glanced at him with a sheepish smile.
“I said we’d have two drinks, dear, but we only had one. I’m sorry.”
Lukas chuckled. He didn’t even remember if Sydney had been talking about two or twenty drinks and the apology sounded so worried and sincere, it was too funny. His chuckle stopped and changed into a guilty smile when he thought of the hand he had buried deep into his pocket and what it kept under his jacket.
“Sydney…” he began hesitatingly, suddenly afraid of his own courage. In his drunk mind, it wasn’t so much what he had done that worried him, but Sydney’s possible reaction.
“What is it, dear?” Sydney inquired gently when Lukas didn’t continue, calmly studying his assistant’s guilt-stricken face.
“Please… don’t be angry, I just thought… nothing actually, I just…” Instead of trying to explain, he opened the zipper of his jacket and pulled out a wine bottle.
“I think I made a mistake,” he finally said, his face blushed and miserable.
For a moment, Sydney only stared at him, at first not able to put the pieces together. Suddenly, he burst out with laughter.
“Lukas!” he gasped, and the invisible wall was gone. Laughing, Sydney put his arm around Lukas’ shoulder from behind and, with his other hand, took the bottle from him.
“What a bad, wonderful boy. You really are a still water running deep. Honey, I’d never thought you had the guts to steal! To steal alcohol of all things!” He opened the bottle and took a big sip. “Only half full, but just enough for two. Lukas, you really are amazing.” Sydney laughed, almost making Lukas trip when he leaned on him with his full weight. “Now I can keep the promise. See? I really can rely on you.”
“You are not disappointed? Sydney, I’ve stolen this. God, I really…” Disbelieving his own words, he shook his head, and took the bottle from Sydney’s hands, drinking a generous amount himself.
“My dear, the only thing that disappoints me is that the wine isn’t warmer, after you kept it so close to your body.” Sydney snuggled closer to him. His arm moved down from the shoulders, around the Spy’s waist. He shoved the opened jacket aside and let his fingers glide underneath the sweater.
“Syd! Stop that!” Lukas shivered, not only because Sydney’s fingers were cold as ice on his skin.
“But I’m cold,” Sydney growled lowly into his ears, “and you are so warm.” Clumsily, he tried to shove Lukas’ scarf away while the hand under the sweater moved upwards, over the sticking out ribs.
Lukas stood stock-still. The wind blew some stray snowflakes against his exposed stomach, but Sydney’s lips gently nibbling on the skin of his throat distracted him from the cold. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, wishing he could turn around and push Sydney down, into the snow. If he could, he would take the Sniper’s hands and push them into the snow, over Sydney’s head, and kiss him.
However, he couldn’t. Even after drinking so much that his mind felt dizzy and with Sydney pressing his hips against his back, Lukas didn’t find the courage. He feared the coming morning too much; one lapse of reason and for only following his desire once he would risk the friendship with the most important man in his life.
That, and they were still outside. It was still snowing peacefully and they stood in the middle of the street.
Sydney’s hand alone felt so wonderful. Even when he was too drunk to stand steadily, his touch was certain and knowing. Like Lukas expected it from a man with Sydney’s experience.
“And tomorrow, it will be someone else again.”
“Hm? Did you say something?”
“No. I’m sorry… please stop.” With a sigh, Lukas broke free from him and began to walk, his gaze directed to the ground. It wouldn’t be long before they arrived at the base. He didn’t look back or waited for Sydney, nor did he put his sweater back in place or close his jacket.
A little moment later, he heard footsteps rushing after him. Silently, Sydney caught up. Lukas felt the Sniper’s questioning eyes on his face, but he didn’t look up, and Sydney didn’t say anything. In the distance, they soon saw their home. Only the outside lighting was on; if some of the others were still awake, they would be in their rooms or the common room, that were both located in the basement. At this hour, however, it was more likely that they wouldn’t meet anyone.
As they came closer, Lukas could also see the soft, warm lights from several holiday lights Sydney had insisted on scattering all inside and outside the building. He smiled weakly when he remembered the fights some of their team-mates had put up, to prevent their boss from turning the base into a second Santa’s Workshop amusement park.
Although they wouldn’t have to fear waking the others up, they entered the base as quietly as possible. Their boots and shoes left white footprints on the floor and more snow fell from their hats and shoulders. Lukas raised the bottle and drank the rest of the wine. He simply put the empty bottle on a small table they walked by. An uncomfortable pain already began to throb behind his forehead; he hoped that would be gone after some hours of sleep.
What had happened after today’s meeting seemed as far away as the meeting itself. Lukas wondered how Sydney thought about the last hours – if he was angry, or disappointed or didn’t care at all. But no matter how negative his assumptions were, right now, he felt like he didn’t care about anything himself. Just a few mistakes on his list of embarrassments, what did it matter?
“I’m sorry, I made you feel uncomfortable again. Guess I’ll never learn.”
Lukas shook his head at Sydney’s mumbled apology.
“No… I… it was my fault, sorry.”
They had reached their quarters. Lukas headed to his room but hesitated when he touched the handle of the door. He felt dizzy and sick and somehow, he couldn’t open the door. A glance to the side and he saw Sydney standing in front of his door. The Sniper stared back at him and smiled.
“Dear, I know I should say something to you, but I can’t think of anything. Me! Lost for words!” His laugh was unusually uncertain when he took a few step towards Lukas. “Are you even aware of how much power you have over me?”
Under different circumstances, Lukas would have assumed that this was nothing but another pick-up line. Now, he only walked over to him and grabbed Sydney by his coat.
“I’m still drunk. And you?”
Sydney’s face brightened. Smiling softly, he unwrapped Lukas’ scarf and let it fall to the ground. His fingers stroked over the pale face, the lips and the scar.
“So handsome.”
He held Lukas by his chin and lifted his face up. For a second, his gaze met Lukas’ clear blue eyes.
This was too much.
Lukas seized Sydney firmly by his wrist and pushed the hands violently away from his face.
Suddenly, the Sniper found himself pushed against the wall, his hands pinned down beside his shoulders, his fingers intertwined with Lukas’. He lowered his head when Lukas stretched to kiss him.
“It’s always so easy for you, isn’t it, boss?” Lukas let go of the hands and unbuttoned Sydney’s coat.
“Easy? Honey, you have no idea. Being ‘Sydney’ is not as easy as you might think!” He helped Lukas out of his jacket and once it was removed, he began pushing up the black sweater. Together with the Spy’s help, it was dropped to the floor as well.
“Tell me about it.” Lukas shuddered when this time, two cold hands ran over his upper body. His own fingers were under the Sniper’s shirt, hesitantly moving over the firm muscles of his stomach and upwards, feeling the wiry hair covering Sydney’s chest. He wanted to undress him, too, but Lukas mind was too clouded with wine and Sydney’s words – he couldn’t coordinate his hands long enough to remove first the coat, and then the shirt.
Sydney pushed himself away from the wall, and stumbled against Lukas, who wrapped his arms around him at once. Putting his own arms around Lukas, Sydney pulled the smaller man into a hug.
“Being ‘Sydney’ means I cannot even dare to think I might want something. Even when I really want… it…” He tightened his embrace and sighed, burying his face in the crook of Lukas’ neck.
“Please don’t ask,” he added.
“I won’t,” Lukas promised, surprised by the pleading sound of Sydney’s voice. His hands still under the shirt, he reassuringly stroked over the Sniper’s back.
“I know.” Sydney sighed. He loosened the embrace, lifted his head and searched for Lukas’ lips. This kiss was less forceful than before. Sydney let Lukas have control of the pace, enjoying the intense tenderness with which Lukas’ tongue invaded his mouth. With a mind of their own, his hands wandered downwards, over the bare back, and stopped at the belt of Lukas’ pants. Reluctantly, Sydney held himself back. With regret, he pulled away from Lukas, looking wistfully at the shuddering, skinny man with the excited face and dazed eyes.
“Forgive me, Lukas. I… I want to, but I can’t have you, all of you, now. I’m sorry, love, but please stay, okay?” it suddenly burst out of him, and for once, he was the one who was avoiding Lukas’ eyes. “I know I ask a lot of you. I’m irresponsible and egoistic and all you said. Maybe I’ll never have the courage to give in to myself and get what I want. I’ll rely on you, abuse your love, toy with you and hurt you. But please, promise me that you won’t leave me alone, Lukas.”
“I won’t,” Lukas repeated. He reached out for Sydney and pulled him closer by his neck, softly kissing the Sniper’s throat. Sydney gasped in surprise at the sudden pain when Lukas bit him, then he chuckled.
The young Spy gave a short laugh, too. Suddenly, his mind seemed to spin even more and he realized how exhausted he was. And sad. Yet, with Sydney’s arms around him and his head resting against the tall man’s chest, he felt comfortable and calm.
A moment later, he had fallen asleep. Sydney remained motionless a little while longer, holding Lukas tightly, before he finally took him into his arms and, carefully to not wake him up, brought him into his room.
The sound of his alarm clock was the loudest noise he had ever heard in his whole life. At least that was the impression Lukas had this morning. He opened his eyes and groaned at the sudden pain in his head when too bright light was added to the unbearable noise.
Pulling himself together, he turned around in his bed, picked the clock up and simply tossed it to the floor. He swallowed down the disgusting taste of stale wine and acid when he sat up, fearing for a moment he either had thrown up or would do so any moment.
He forced himself to breath calmly, not too shallow, not too deeply. Finally, his senses began to recover and slowly, very slowly, his mind started to work again. He stared at the broken alarm clock on the carpet, and a wave of guilt rushed through him. He had to ask Riley later to either repair it or give him a new one; surely, the trouble wouldn’t amuse him at all. Even worse was the teasing he had to expect from Sydney when he handed in a request for the new item.
Sydney… The thought of the Sniper filled him with something he couldn’t really explain. The pain in his head throbbed even more when he tried to remember. Something had happened last night, but what?
They had been to the meeting, and it was horrible. Every little memory, every stare and word of contempt were back and all too colorful. Yes, he had been desperate and angry because Sydney had dragged him along, but if his memory didn’t deceive him, he hadn’t said anything about it to his boss.
He laughed. The thought alone was ridiculous – pathetic as he was, he would never say something against Sydney’s orders or wishes.
Vaguely, he remembered watching Sydney’s back while the Sniper was busily flirting with a group of strangers. There was a mug with hot, steaming wine, too. No, two.
Finally, he began to understand where the headache and the nauseous feeling in his stomach came from. He had drank too much after a long, stressful day. Furthermore, he obviously had been forced once more to watch Sydney having a good time with some other guy. It was no surprise that he didn’t feel all too excellent this morning.
Musing about it wouldn’t change anything. Scolding himself, Lukas vigorously jumped out of his bed, regretting the sudden movement at once. The world began to spin around him. Hurriedly, he picked his pants up from the floor – not even wondering why his clothes were scattered everywhere instead of lying neatly folded on his sofa as usual – and ran out of his room, reaching the bathroom just in time.
Half an hour later, after emptying his stomach and taking a quick, hot shower, Lukas felt a bit better. He would voluntarily pass on coffee today and try to ask the kitchen staff if he could have some tea instead, hoping they wouldn’t ask any questions.
With a sigh, he entered the canteen and sat down on the nearest chair. He was aware that his tolerance for alcohol was very low, but two cups of hot wine shouldn’t affect him so much. On his way back from the shower to his own room he had found his jacket and sweater in front of his door. He must have been really drunk when he couldn’t even remember dropping them there, not to mention the fact that he had begun to undress himself before he was in his room. He wondered how many of the others had noticed his clothes outside the corridor. How embarrassing!
Together with O’Conner and Jo, Sydney entered the canteen. Lukas glanced at him from the corner of his eye while he gratefully accepted the glass of water Matthew gave him, nodding understandingly at him. This weird feeling from before, when he had thought of Sydney, stirred inside of him again. Then, he felt another sting in his stomach.
A not too big, but clearly visible mark covered the skin of Sydney’s throat.
That moment, he also caught a part of the conversation.
“Only you could find enough energy for a hot date after a conference that lasted a whole day. Seriously, how do you do that?” Jo rolled her eyes and Sydney grinned.
“My lovely sister, I’d share my secret just with you. But alas, I have to confess! I don’t remember! Believe me, I wish I could. Judging from this beauty,” he pointed at the mark, “it must have been wonderful. Seriously, my dear, I have no idea. I remember that Lukas and I went to the fair and had something to drink and eat. I met a few people I know and after that… nothing.” He shrugged.
“Trust our graceful leader to find a way to amuse himself even after drinking himself unconscious.” Impatiently, one of Jean’s tentacles twitched. The Tentaspy had joined them for breakfast this morning and leaned against the wall. Mockingly, he glared at Sydney.
“Please, do tell us more, mon cher, do you bring us more than the news about your collection of lovebites? Do you have any results from the meeting, or did you forget that, too?”
“Don’t worry, Jean, my dear friend. All in good time. You will be pleased. But for now, I really need something to eat. O’Conner, be a darling and make me some tea. I have to admit, I feel slightly, uh, exhausted.” With a flinch, he put his hand on his stomach.
“Exhausted, yeah, sure. Ya havin’ a hangover, that’s all. And judging from his face, you are not the only one.” Tyler had taken a seat right opposite Lukas and pointed at the Spy. “Guess ya better make the double amount of tea. Bet’s on he is again too embarrassed to ask himself.”
“Ty, love, how can you be so caring and yet so rude at the same time?” Jean chuckled, but Tyler only wrinkled up his nose and ignored the Tentaspy.
Lukas had listened to the exchanges in silence. Obviously, he had either forgotten about Sydney’s flirt of the night, or he had really gone home before there had been anything to witness. He couldn’t make up his mind if he was glad he didn’t know more about Sydney’s drunk excess, or if it would be easier for him if he could remember the face of the person who was the reason of the ugly jealousy he felt.
Of course, Sydney was oblivious of his assistant’s inner rage and desperation. He sat down next to Lukas and gave him a friendly slap on his back.
“I’m sorry, honey, guess I neglected you again. When did you leave? Or do you know more about this?” Sydney tilted his head to expose the hickey even more.
“Sorry, boss. I left shortly after we arrived. I was tired.” At least that was what he thought had happened; something else wouldn’t make sense. Lukas knew himself well enough – when Sydney really had been busy with strangers, there was no way that Lukas would have stayed and watched or joined. Faintly, he remembered how he had considered going home.
“Of course he left,” Tyler snorted with his mouth full of scrambled eggs and bacon. He almost choked, but after clearing his throat, he spoke on. “As if our team chicken here is enough of a pervert to stay and watch ya havin’ a good time. Next, ya’ll say it was him!”
Sydney and those in Tyler’s earshot laughed good-naturedly.
“Tyler, mon chèr, this is not a very charming thing to say.” Jean had joined them and gently, he wrapped a tentacle around the Scout’s waist.
“Shut up, Squid, if ya in need of a prince charming, go and read a fairy tale!”
Lukas had smiled along with the others, hoping his face wouldn’t betray his thoughts. Tyler was right - he would never stay and watch Sydney with his lovers voluntarily. Of course he wouldn’t dare to get close enough to his boss to…
He shook his head. The thought was absurd and frustrating.
“Big kids.” Sydney chuckled as another one of the many arguments between Tyler and Jean flared up. Then, he turned again to Lukas.
“I’m really sorry I left you behind and let you go home alone, after dragging you along in the first place. I owe you for accompanying me at all yesterday, dear. I’ll promise I’ll make up for it! You’ll see, I already have an idea, we’ll just…”
“Yeah, yeah, very touching. Get a room! Later.” Rudely, Tyler shoved the Tentaspy aside and jumped away before another tentacle could reach him. Quickly, he moved around the table and grabbed Lukas by his arm, dragging the surprised Spy with him.
“Come, I have to talk with you about something, about next week. NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, SQUID!”
- end -](http://25.media.tumblr.com/5db6ee767df7b03c1034170bcdd98132/tumblr_mfad19Pa9d1rvxzbro1_r1_500.jpg)
Story written by LigeiaMaloy /// CoverArt and Characters by BlastedKing
IN VINO VERITAS
The annual assembly was finally over. Like every year, a date close to Christmas had been chosen to gather the leaders of all teams around one table. Every year they debated about the past months, missed and achieved goals, the efficiency and therefore, the revenue and reputation of TF Industries. Upon satisfaction of all instructions coming from the supreme authorities, raises in salary were usually granted, as well as the approval of applications for new and better equipment.
Source: teamkingstorytime
Photo with 43 notes
![Story written by LigeiaMaloy /// CoverArt and Characters by BlastedKing
[Part 1] /// [Part 2]
____________________________
Sweet Dreams
Part 3 – final -
Although they were all familiar with the layout of the base they only proceeded slowly. Glass crunched under their feet. As much as Tyler tried, he couldn’t always suppress a curse or pained groan when another little, sharp shard cut through his skin and dug into the flesh of his sole. Similar reactions from Jo told him that his team-mate struggled like he did.
However, he grit his teeth and ignored the pain and how slippery his steps on the smooth surface of the wooden floor began to feel. The last thing in the world he wanted was to slow the rest of the little group down because he had been careless earlier.[[MORE]]Crossing the hall helped him to forget about the physical pain. Like gusts of wind the unearthly wailing voices went over their heads, screaming and crying.“They are hurting,” Jo whispered, addressing no one in particular. Sydney and O’Conner only gave an unintelligible grunt that neither agreed nor argued with her. Tyler listened. He didn’t say anything, but he felt she was right. Those cries didn’t sound like anything human, but he had heard similar screams. When a human body was torn apart or burnt to death.A dark apprehension rose in him.Before he had been assigned to Team King, he had been a normal Scout. And his work as a normal Scout had involved killing. It once had for everyone here.
Sydney with his persistent habit to smile at anything and everyone, O’Conner, the old boozer, Nicolai, the friendly cook and a former Heavy. It was impossible to imagine now, but Matthew used to be a soldier; Jo and even the zombie used to be involved in this trade.
Whatever Martin might have done in the past was something Tyler didn’t want to know, but he was sure that the Medic, too, had had at some points other priorities than healing and saving lives. Jean and Lukas, the Spies. The two convicted serial killers – the twins.However, convicted or not, except Tobias, every one of them had been a murderer. Sometimes they still were.‘Are you coming for us? Did we do that to you?’ Tyler felt sick. This could be the solution, but what would it change if he told the others? Maybe they would laugh at him anyway, and if not, he had no idea how to stop vengeful souls of the past.“There’s nothing laughable about ghosts, lad.” O’Conner’s voice startled him. The Scout wasn’t aware that he had said his last thoughts loud enough for the others to hear.“We don’t forget the dead, and the dead don’t forget us,” the cook continued. “Me thought the same, but I tell ye the truth – somehow, me feels this is not the answer. The ghosts of our past usually haunt our heads, not our home.”“Could you please stop talking about dead souls coming for us? This shit is creepy enough without ghost stories,” Jo interrupted them. Until Tyler had begun to mumble in the darkness she hadn’t noticed that she had moved away from the others. It was difficult to keep up with them when her feet hurt more with every step and Toby wasn’t becoming any lighter.
She worried about her boy, without being able to see it wasn’t easy to tell how scared he was. The child still clung tightly to her and if O’Conner had been right before when he said that Toby was brave and not easily scared, she wouldn’t be surprised if this changed after this night.
I hope bringing him with me was right.’ On the other hand, if he was still alone in his room she would have gone crazy with worry. Nobody could tell where they would be safe now. Outside the building, in their rooms, maybe even caught in their dreams, confronted with their fears, but unable to see and hear what was happening in the real world.“Ghosts or not, let’s deal with earthly problems first,” Sydney barged in. The hint of sadness and resignation in her brother’s voice puzzled Jo at first, but the reason dawned to her when he spoke on.“Lukas, do you have your gun with you? Loaded? Give it to me, please.”Despite the howls echoing threw the hall and the corridors, she clearly heard how the gun’s owner was switched.And how Sydney unlocked it.“You’d hate to do that, right?” she asked gently.
Like most of her team-mates, she would prefer the twins to be as far away from this place as possible, and if that meant six feet under, too bad. She also knew that Sydney, for some mysterious reason, thought different. Although nobody would probably ever understand why – her brother had never given those crazy men up. Not yet.“Yes. Let’s go.” With that, the discussion was over. The fatality in his usually buoyant voice was hurtful. She considered saying something about the respawn system, that they didn’t know for sure if it was a complete blackout, but decided against it. Sydney wasn’t stupid.The other end of the hallway couldn’t be that far away anymore. They regrouped, trying to stay behind Sydney. If he really had to fire his weapon because of something that lay ahead, it was wise to keep out of the way, especially in the darkness.A sickening, metallic smell began to fill their noses.As they sniffed the stale air, Tyler and Jo both decided that their injuries were to blame.“SYDNEY!”The flash of the gun when a bullet was fired illuminated the Sniper’s face in a fraction of a second. A thud from a body falling to the floor in front of them followed, as well as a loud, startled curse.Everyone looked around hectically. It was too dark to see anything moving. The distant choir of wails and the gasps of their own breath too loud. Jo thought she heard footsteps and slithering sounds over a slick ground, but it could have been her imagination.“Sydney, are you okay?” Lukas’ highly alerted voice mixed with the chaos around them. Tyler shivered; the suffocating feeling he had in the elevator shaft was back. Any moment he expected invisible claws to touch him. His sense of orientation began to spin in his head and he couldn’t tell anymore in which direction they were heading or how far away from the walls they were.But together with the others, he leaped forwards, at the position where he assumed the fallen Sniper to be.“Syd, what happened? Were you attacked?”“Are ye hit?”Everyone talked at once and reached for him, trying to pull him up or just making sure he was still alive.“Be careful!” was the first thing he could finally say. The next moment both Tyler and O’Conner slipped. The Sniper broke their fall.“What the fuck his happening!?” Agitated, close to hysterical, Jo was forced to listen to the sounds in front of her. With the child in her arms, she didn’t dare to walk closer. She had heard how they fell and cursed, but was unable to make out the reason. She wanted to go over to them, to help and find out what was going on. But she was scared, for herself and her boy. Whatever had caused this chaos might still be close. She couldn’t run away, she wasn’t sure in which direction she would have to choose.Again, the voices came closer.This time, she was sure to hear the echo of footsteps and the weird, slithering noise. Nothing close by, but she couldn’t tell from where these sounds came.“What… who are you? What do you want?”Nobody answered her. She hadn’t really expected it though.Judging from the cursing voices in front of her, the three men, probably with Lukas help, were slowly standing up again. “He’s alright, darling, don’t worry, everything will be fine,” she whispered, comforting Toby and herself equally.“Where is the fucking gun?”
“Right here, dear, didn’t let go of it,” Sydney replied to the Scout. “Be careful everyone,” he repeated. “The floor is wet and slippery.”“Aye, guess yer right, laddie.” O’Conner’s pained flinch was audible, obviously he had hurt himself when he fell. As he and the others didn’t complain and assured Lukas and each other several times they were alright, Jo’s worries eased a bit away. She took a step forward. Sydney was right. The floor was wet and her feet now made splashy sounds.
“A burst pipe?” she wondered.“Maybe,” the Sniper replied. “We’ll hopefully find out soon. I really doubt the twins are behind this.” His sister smiled in spite of herself – he didn’t even try to ban his relief from his last remark.“Alright, ladies, everybody up again? Nobody seriously hurt?” His cheerful manner had returned and Jo would have bet he grinned widely when everyone stated they were fine.
“Very good. Okay, which direction do we have to go? Lukas?”“I’m sorry… boss… well, it’s just… after this commotion, and everybody falling…”“Great, now it’s our fault he has no idea where to go. Ouch, what was that for?” Tyler rubbed his arm where a fist had hit him.
“Stop picking on others. Can you tell right from left right now?” Jo growled at him, glad her punch didn’t hit the wrong person or miss. “We all get you’re pissed, boy, but you aren’t helping, so be a good kid for once and shut up!”“They are like that all night, aye?” O’Connor lowered his voice so only Sydney and Lukas would hear him, but with Tyler already retorting it wouldn’t have been necessary – the Scout and Jo were already wrapped up in their little fight.
“Yeah. Both wrought up to the limit. Time we get going,” the Sniper sighed. He wiped his hands on his shirt. His mind too occupied with the question what to do next, he hardly noticed that something was wrong with the water. Although his hands got dry soon, the fabric of the shirt stuck to his skin. The smell that surrounded him was neither from clean water nor from something he would expect from a wastewater pipe.“AH!”A bright beam of light blinded their eyes.Before Sydney knew it, he had two men clinging to his upper arms – Tyler and Lukas.“God… what is it now…” Sydney heard from behind him when Jo stepped behind his back.The light was reflected by the surfaces of large, dark puddles that covered the wooden floor.“Yo, dudes, how’s it goin’?” a familiar, phlegmatic voice called.Slowly, their eyes got used to the light, but even without seeing him, they knew who it was.“Dammit, Matthew! Honey, you don’t believe how happy I am to see you!” Sydney laughed at the grinning Soldier who happily waved the flashlight in his hand.
*
“Man, don’t know, am I still dreaming? Is this a dream, you all here, at night?”
By the time the Soldier had joined them they had gotten used to the light, which was all easier when the source wasn’t pointed at their eyes anymore.“No, my dear, this is real. How did you sleep?” Sydney inquired, not wasting anytime. “Any nightmares?” The Soldier shrugged and scratched his helmet. Tyler suspected him to even sleep with that thing on his head, and seeing how Matthew was wearing loose pajamas and worn out slippers, like he had just jumped out of his bed, the Scout took this as a proof.“Yeah, no, nah, no idea, dude. Seriously.” Matthew shoved his helmet up and pushed strands of his messy hair out of his face to gain a better view. “Guess I, uh, ate something wrong today. Weird, yeah, really weird. Thought I couldn’t move a bone, you know.”“Ate. Sure,” Tyler grumbled, but shut up when Jo pinched his arm. Feeling the pain in his arm, he realized he was still clinging to Sydney. Quickly, he released the Sniper’s arm and took a step to the side.“I see.” Sydney nodded at the Soldier’s reply, letting the “ate”-matter slide. “Why did you wake up?”Matthew frowned as he tried to remember. It took him a while to find an answer and when he finally spoke again, the others around Sydney were already impatiently waiting.“Can’t say for sure. Heard a noise. Yeah. A bullet. Next thing I know I was outta my room, with the lamp in my hand, finding you here.”Tyler swallowed another snide remark, feeling sure that their Soldier was probably too high to remember if he had jogged around the building a few times before finding his way here. He was, however, glad to finally be able to see something. Besides, he didn’t want any more bruises from Jo’s punches or pinches.“Yo, Syd. Did the bullet hit you?”Puzzled about Matthew’s question, everyone looked at the Sniper. Looking down on his own clothes, Sydney’s back stiffened.“Fuck, Sonny! And Ty, you too! How… wait!” Jo’s eyes wandered from Sydney to Tyler and finally to the floor.They were standing in a large puddle of blood.
Each of the wide, wet stains was blood. It was too much to be from one of them, not with everyone still alive and standing.“Well…” Sydney breathed out slowly, “this is not from me, or anyone else, that’s for sure.” Despite the only source of light being the Soldier’s lamp, his team-mates saw the Sniper’s face changed. With the worried frown and the pale skin he was so unlike himself that he seemed to be nothing but a ghost of his usual self.Tyler’s first thought was the twins. Then, his face became ashen.“What if it’s Jean?”“Don’t be stupid!” Jo snapped harshly.
She, too, had a similar fear, especially when she thought of the weird sounds from before. Those weren’t only human footsteps, and now she remembered where she had heard them before. Tentacles sliding over the ground. But that was impossible. Had to be!
“Ty, Jean’s unconscious, and even if Martin had woken him up, he would have called us. He certainly wouldn’t have let him wander around in the darkness!” She hoped she was right. She hoped that the Tentaspy was okay, and the twins still locked up. She hoped that all of this was nothing but another nightmare, and sooner or later she had to wake up. In a day or two she would laugh about it and after two more days she would probably have forgotten everything.It was, however, difficult to believe in a dream when her feet hurt and she almost slipped on the floor, like Sydney had done before, when she turned around and hastened towards the door. The others followed her. Feet and shoes made splashy sounds on the ground. Sprays of blood left tiny stains on their pants and – in Tyler’s case – bare legs.
*
“Matthew, please light this way.”At Sydney’s request, the Soldier directed the beam of the flashlight along the wall to their left once they finally arrived at the medical tract. Like the hall, the floor was covered with wet spots of already clotting blood. By now, their feet were completely covered with the red liquid, and the smell was impossible to ignore.
“Try not to think of it, me boy.” Sympathetically, O’Conner patted on Tyler’s back when the Scout began to gag.“Easier said than done,” Tyler replied and coughed into the sleeve of his shirt, but he tried to distract himself by recalling his plans for the week. It even worked for a few seconds, when a small voice in his head wondered if they even had the chance to see the next morning.Sydney stepped towards the steel door and rattled on the handle. It didn’t budge.“Thank God!” Not only Jo let out a long sigh of relief.Having Matthew come closer with the light, Sydney checked the door – no signs that anybody had meddled with the last, mechanical lock recently.The control panel, however, was dark.
“Let’s move away quickly before they realize that only two doors with two locks hold them back!” Whispering, Sydney shoved the men standing behind him away from the door. “If they hear that Jean isn’t a threat as well this could turn out ugly.”The wails echoing through the corridors, hall and rooms were still there, sometimes so close they thought whoever it was, was standing right beside them. They came and moved away, but never stopped, and no matter how unreal and impossible it felt – the little group was already getting used to them.The chills and shivers down their spines didn’t stop, but they slowly accepted the situation as given, which was all easier with at least some light and the comforting thought that the two insane killers were no threat.Sydney knocked firmly at the door to the sickbay, and Martin opened. His face was looking more tired than when they met him earlier. In some spots, his black lab-coat appeared to be darker and the Sniper raised a questioning eyebrow.“It comes from the floor,” the Medic explained shortly, interpreting Sniper’s expression correctly. “Most of it is covered with blood. Be careful, the tiles are slippery.”“Hear, hear.” O’Conner rubbed his hip. “Thanks for the warning.”Silently, they followed the Medic into the sickbay. As he had said, the usually white tiles were hardly visible. In combination with the medical tools and the smell of blood and sanitizer, Tyler felt almost more uncomfortable than before.An eerie light illuminated the room. Several candles in different sizes were burning. Abstract shadows danced grotesquely on the walls and over shelves, bottles and books.“So, Martin, how is he?” Sydney was the first one who dared to walk over to the bed with the still motionless Tentaspy.Without a word, everybody else joined him.‘Like a funeral… standing around the fuckin’ coffin.’
Tyler frowned. The expression on Jean’s face hadn’t changed at all since the last time he had seen him. Actually, it hadn’t changed since he had found him lying on the floor upstairs. His gaze was fixed on the Spy’s chest. Slowly, it heaved up and down. The only visible sign that Jean was alive and not dead.The Medic shrugged.“As you can see, he is still paralyzed. I checked his blood a few minutes before the blackout. All I could find was an increased release of adrenaline. Since then… without the monitors it is hard to tell, but after it went dark, his vital signs had become weaker.”“Is he dying?” Tyler asked in alarm.“As far as I can tell, no.” Martin remained calm and matter-of-factually.
The lack of compassion outraged the Scout. This man didn’t care for anyone or anything, it probably wouldn’t even matter it the Spy died. Oh, he would probably love it, finally a good excuse to cut him open and gut him!
‘He’s not a monster.’
He remembered Sydney’s words, but found it difficult to believe them. All he could do was hoping the Sniper was right and that the Medic really was better than the impression Tyler had of him. If he only didn’t feel so helpless…He abruptly turned his head around when he heard his name.“Martin, be a dear and check on Jo’s and Tyler’s feet. I’m afraid they got some nasty cuts from all the glass. With this here,” Sydney nodded at the stained floor, “I worry it might be harmful.”The Medic adjusted his glasses and frowned.“Sit down,” he instructed the female Sniper.
Reluctantly, Jo sat Toby down on one of the empty beds and told him to be a good boy before she took a seat on the Medic’s desk.Holding her feet up, she grinned wryly.
“Hope that won’t tickle,” she joked half-halfheartedly.“My dear, I can assure you it won’t, judging from the look of this.” Martin pulled a chair closer, sat down and began to examine one of the feet.“Matthew, come closer with the lamp. Sydney, to your left you’ll find a bottle of water, give it to me.”Tyler watched how the Medic cleaned the red sole of Jo’s left foot and gulped. Once the blood was washed away, he saw shards and splinters of glass sticking out. There seemed to be only a few at the first glance, but he could clearly see more cuts and reflections. Several pieces had probably simply broken off and had pressed themselves into the flesh. Jo’s flinches when the Medic swiftly removed some of the easier to reach shards weren’t encouraging. The Scout wished he had been first.“Sure ye can get them all out with that light?”“As sure as you have drunk too much again today,” the Medic replied stiffly, as if O’Conner’s question was completely ridiculous.“Be assured that I can see very well. Furthermore I performed surgery under similar, if not worse conditions. This is harmless and hardly a problem.”Martin proceeded with his work; he had to cut the skin of the sole open several times to get hold of the pieces. Every once in a while he gave Sydney a sign to wash the blood away. This time, Jo’s blood.Tyler looked away and examined the candle stitting close to him with great interest. The bright, orange flame hurt his eyes, but was still less disturbing than watching either Jo’s pale face or her bleeding feet.“What do we do next?” He moved one of his fingers through the flame, quick enough not to be burnt. The warmth coming from it felt good. “Huddling up here until the problem solves itself? Or until the twins break out and they eat us alive? Unless the ghosts are faster?”Matthew gave a snorting laugh but stopped when the Medic glared at him and continued to hold the light steady.
“Ty, chill! Ghosts are intelligent creatures, if you don’t show them your fear, they’ll sniff and go away.”Sydney stifled a chuckle. O’Conner was less tactful and burst into laughter.“Matt, ya idiot, ya talking about dogs!” Tyler rolled his eyes.“Oh. Yeah. Right! I always mix those up.”The ‘incense’, that the Soldier claimed the smell in his room to be, and sleep seemed to be a dangerous mixture for this man’s brain. The Scout had a few other things to call it in mind, but Sydney had already taken over.“I’m still can’t believe that ghosts exist and haunt our lovely home. However, Ty is right, we can’t stay here and do nothing.” The Sniper paused and nodded thoughtfully.“So… what… do we do now, Sydney?” Lukas had remained silent since they had left the hall and Tyler had almost forgotten about him being here at all.
‘Dammit, ya might as well be a ghost yourself, man,’ Tyler cursed inwardly, refusing to admit to himself that he had almost given a jump when the withdrawn man began to talk all of a sudden.Sydney waited a moment before he answered. Finally, he lifted his head and smiled at his assistant.“I have no idea, darling.”Not only the Scout groaned. However, none of them had any suggestions either, so they didn’t say anything.“What about the power supply?” Jo said after a while, pressing the words through her clenched teeth. “If it failed because of the short circuit, can’t we fix it? At least the other stuff except the broken lamps should work again, right? Like, the machines in here, and the security devices.”The others grumbled in agreement.“Worth a try, my dear, if we only have to replace a few fuses. Lukas, O’Conner, you come with me to the power station. I don’t want to split up, but I guess we cannot avoid it. Well, until now those things didn’t attack.” He put on a more cheerful face. “So why should they change that right now? Martin, do you mind if we borrow some candles?”With a supply of candles, a box of matches and – to Jo’s dismay – the lighter she had taken from Jean, the three men walked off. With a lopsided grin, Tyler watched how they closed the door tightly behind them tightly; there was no reason for that, the wails and cries had never left them and had been ever present since they started. A door didn’t keep them out, and whatever might have caused them, Tyler doubted that doors or walls would stop it.
Yet it already felt safer, even if he couldn’t tell what was safe about being in a sickbay of a creepy Medic with a stoned Soldier, an injured Sniper and an unconscious Tentaspy, while his feet hurt and stale blood covered the floor. The only reason he didn’t have to run anywhere for a while was that he had no idea where to run.“It is astounding under which circumstances we can function if we have to.”
“Huh?” Tyler turned away from the door and looked at the back of the Medic’s head. Martin didn’t seem to talk to someone in particular.“A candle, a knife and some water are enough. With all the new equipment the result wouldn’t have been very much different from what I’m doing now. Try not to step on the floor until somebody gives you shoes,” he advised Jo while he bandaged her one foot. Before she answered he had already begun to focus on the second.“Did you know that we have one of the most modernly equipped sickbays in the country? Oh, of course not all that is possible, but those devices we have are very fine pieces of technology indeed, ja…”Tyler looked at Jean and he wondered what all those fine pieces of technology were worth when they couldn’t do something simple like to wake somebody up from a nightmare.“Yet, I wish we had the possibilities or those who had made him,” Martin rambled on. “It’s a shame that there are hardly any documents about the experiment are left. Even if they discontinued their research, the files would have been a most interesting read for all scientists to come. Ach ja, I was really born too late.”The Scout shifted uncomfortably in his place. He often forgot that there was an explanation and long story behind Jean’s appearance, but if he was honest to himself – he didn’t want to think about it more than necessary.“Oh, I’m sure, if you were born earlier, you’d have gladly taken part in creating freaky creatures, right?” Tyler scoffed. ‘Freaky and perverted,’ his mind added.Either the Medic didn’t notice the spiteful tone of the Scout’s voice or he chose to ignore it.“But of course. All the possibilities, the experiments, the failures, the small and big successes! The dream of any scientist.”“Too bad you are not a scientist, but just a creepy quack,” Tyler grumbled.“You judge too quickly, Scout. Your naivety is refreshing but you have to learn that what you see is just the tip of the iceberg.”“Thank you, I already know that,” Tyler snapped back. Martin’s voice remained calm and aloof, which annoyed the Scout more than a fight would have.
‘As insult-resistant as the stupid hippie over there. Can’t await for you to finally wake up, Squid.’ He poked the Spy’s arm. ‘Trust me, I’m gonna make ya suffer for all the shit I have had to deal with tonight because of your stupid coma.’Ranting at Jean in silence without him reacting wasn’t really satisfying, but better than nothing. Tyler shoved the thought that, if he hadn’t gotten up tonight to meet the Spy, he would now be in his room, alone, maybe even caught in his sleep as well, aside.“Martin, do you know more about those experiments?” Jo asked. It was still painful every time the Medic plucked a piece of glass from her foot or cut her to do so, but it became easier to endure.“Jean doesn’t talk much about it.”“If he doesn’t I shouldn’t, either. To tell you the truth, I don’t know much; what I know is very interesting. Did you know that… let’s say I’ve heard rumors that this very place was once involved?” He shrugged.
“Wouldn’t it be really fascinating, to work in a building with such a history? However, if somebody could tell you about it, it’s him.” He pointed at the sleeping Tentaspy.
“Maybe he’s more willing to answer your questions.” The Medic sounded offended and Tyler could easily imagine how rigidly Jean had made himself clear when he choked off the curious doctor’s inquires. He grinned. The squid wasn’t always useless.Then he frowned again. He, too, didn’t know much - about Jean’s, or anyone’s past here. Or about the base itself. Usually he didn’t care much. The present was annoying as it was without knowing more about everything and everybody. However, he still had the nagging suspicion that maybe somewhere in the past lay the key to the horrors they had faced to night.
‘Or maybe I just watched too many cheesy horror movies.’
Whatever the case, they had better find out soon. This was not a movie; there was no guarantee that everything would be over just because they survived until tomorrow. There also was no guarantee that, even if everything was fine the next morning, that it all wouldn’t return at night. He shuddered at the thought. Maybe even going away wouldn’t help, maybe those ghosts would follow and find him, no matter where he went.
‘But how… how can we do something about this when we don’t know what it is and why it happens?!’“WHERE’S TOBY?”Jo’s yell let him forget about his heavy thoughts. Quickly, the Scout looked around.
“Fuck.”
The child was gone.
Matthew was already searching the room and under the beds with the flashlight. Tyler doubted that the boy would play hide and seek with them now, and if he had fallen asleep in a corner, Jo’s tirade of curses and worried calls would have woken anyone up.‘Unless…’
Once more, he looked at the Tentaspy. No. He doubted that, after all these hours, the boy would be caught in a nightmare, unable to wake up. Until now, there had only been two of them, Jean and Gabe, who were lost, and those guys were special cases when when they were away.
Not lost. Asleep, paralyzed, stubbornly ignoring the outside world, but NOT lost!’ he scolded himself.“Jo, stay where you are, your feet…”“Fuck you, Martin! I won’t sit here and play with my hair while he wanders alone through the darkness! Poor baby, he must be scared!”Tyler almost laughed. The thing that really scared the little, curious runt had not been invented yet. Toby was probably having the time of his life, exploring a building that had been turned into a haunted house.Matthew almost stumbled over his own feet at the sudden hitch when the female Sniper dragged him with her.“You! Light!”“Johanne, I really have to tell you that…”“Piss me off now, Martin, and I don’t give a fuck if the respawn system is out of order!”The Medic rose his hands in defense and backed off taking a seat on the desk, the same spot where Jo had sat before.“It’s just a shame. The bandage looked so nice and clean. Oh well.” He shrugged, pulled a clean tissue out of his pocket and began to clean the instruments he had used to remove the glass shards.“Sorry man,” Tyler grinned. “You heard the lady.”“Scout, what’s with your feet? It’s still bright enough for me to treat your wounds.”Quickly, he grabbed one of the candles, shielded the flame with his hand from the draft, and hurried after Jo.“No way, man, can’t leave Matthew alone with the furious mother of the year. Later!” He slammed the door shut.“Well, so it’s only me and you again, Jean. Too bad, if I knew more about you it might have been easier to do something.” He continued wiping the small knife, letting the dim, warm light reflect on the blade to make sure it was clean. Meanwhile he continued talking to the Tentaspy, who he felt sure couldn’t hear him anyway.
*
“TOBY!”“Did he go right or left?” Tyler asked once he had caught up with Jo and Matthew.“How should I know?” Frantically, the Sniper turned her head. “I didn’t hear the door, so he probably slipped out with Syd and the others.”“So he’s probably with them?” Tyler offered as an explanation.“If he is and they didn’t tell me I’m gonna bite their heads off! Inconsiderate bastards!” she swore and called for her son again. She could hear footsteps in the distance, but the other sound was there, too. And of course the constant choir of screams.
“SHUT UP, goddammit!” Irritated, she yelled into the darkness, also she doubted she would hear anything if the voices had become silent. She was sure that there weren’t any noised made by Toby among them.“Calm down, dear Jo.” With his common placidity, Matthew put an arm around the Sniper and gave her a hug. “He is all right. The little tyke was just bored, I’m sure he’s happily playing somewhere. Too bad he doesn’t have a little, happy friend, then we’d know where to find him,” he hummed.“Don’t be silly, Matt, other kids, pah. This is hardly the place for children.. NEVERMIND that!” She shoved the Soldier away and sighed. “But thanks, I know you mean well.”“And I know that I would have earned myself a kick or a punch if I was in his place,” Tyler grumbled and took a step back when Jo raised a fist. “Alright, alright! Okay, do we run after the others now to see if he’s with them or do we go to Jean’s quarter?”“I have no fucking idea…” Jo bit on her lip and was already about to head into the direction where Sydney and the others should be now. Suddenly, she turned around. “But if he’s at Jean’s place… fuck, it’s dark there, and the water basin..”“Dammit!” Tyler understood. Either way, the wrong direction would cost them time, but if they searched somewhere else while the child played close to the pool… No, he didn’t want to think about that.Quickly, they turned right and followed the corridor leading to the Tentaspy’s home.“TOBY!”The sound of the cries became fainter when they arrived. They didn’t leave for other rooms to haunt, they only seemed weaker, softer. Yet, they seemed as much in pain as those from before.Tyler was reminded of the whimpering sound of a dying dog, or maybe sick children. He couldn’t say that it was comforting or better than the wails of bigger, grown creatures at all. Only more pitiful.“Toby,” Jo called for another time, this time, the anxiousness had almost vanished from her voice.In the middle of the room sat the young boy. His mask was illuminated by the faint light of a little flame, coming from a lighter. Even with his face completely hidden Tyler could tell that the child wasn’t worried or scared at all; Toby was the most relaxed person he had seen tonight.Jo hurried over to him and flung her arms around her son.
“Baby, didn’t I tell you not to run away? Imagine what could have happened to you! Please, never do something like this again, okay? It’s dangerous to walk away when things like this happen.” She grabbed him by his waist and picked him up.The boy struggled against her grip and tried to articulate himself with his hands.“Toby, baby, slowly. What’s this? Oh no! Not THAT old thing again!” A quick rush of anger came over her when she recognized the lighter in his hand.“I swear to God, I’m FED UP with fucking lighters tonight!”She took it out of her son’s hand and fiercely, she threw it against the nearby wall.It broke into several pieces at once, and before the remains touched the ground, the fire started.“NO!”
Matthew and Tyler ran towards Jo and Tobias, trying to shield both of them with their bodies and drag them away.It was too late – a wall of flames surrounded them.Thick, choking smoke filled their lungs and the heat engulfed them. It was already too hot to see or move.Endless, tortured screams flooded the room, crying for help. Among them, there were faint yelps of pain. Gunshots pierced through the air - both close and far away in the distance.Then it was over.The screams died away within seconds and the silence that followed hurt their ears as much as the noise had before.With the sounds, the fire was gone, too, not even leaving the hint of smoke or heat.Slowly, Tyler opened his eyes and lifted his head.No flames, no fire.He lent Jo a hand and pulled her up while Matthew swung the lamp around. A few steps away, on the wet floor, the Scout saw the broken pieces of the lighter.“He came to pick up his treasure,” Jo explained, her voice low and exhausted. Tyler nodded, although he wasn’t sure what she was talking about.“He said he was told it belonged to a nice person, and he had hoped to meet her, too. I don’t really understand what it means. And I’m not sure I want to…”Matthew laughed and plucked the boy from her arms and placed him on his shoulders.“Mothers never understand, right, Toby? Tell me more about it later, I promise you it will be our secret!”‘Just the influence a kid needs.’ Tyler shook his head. Whatever had been here, it was gone, along with the lighter. The idea forming in his head at Toby’s story didn’t comfort him very much.He walked over to the broken item and picked one of the larger pieces up. The candle he had brought along got extinguished when he had dropped it after the fire broke out.
‘Rather the ghost of a fire…’
He returned to the others and inspected it in the shine of the flashlight. It looked old-fashioned and rusted - he was surprised that Toby had been able to light something that old at all. On the other hand, who knew if the little flame earlier was real.Two hardly readable letters were engraved in the small piece of metal.V.F.‘Did you know that there are rumors that this very place was once involved?’
‘He said he was told it belonged to a nice person…’‘The ghosts of our past usually haunt our heads.’“What if… ghosts can’t escape their homes… and we cannot escape them if they haunt our heads?” he mumbled.“What are you talking about, Ty?” Jo looked back over her shoulder as she already followed Matthew out of the room. Quickly, Tyler closed his hand around the small plate.
“Nothing. Wait for me!” He rushed after them.A buzzing sound greeted them when they arrived at the sickbay. The lamps were of course still out – it would take most of the next day to replace every light-bulb in the building. The monitors, however, were working again. From one close to the Tentaspy came a regular, beeping sound. The Spy himself groaned.“Jean!” all three of them shouted and Martin turned around.“You are coming just in time. He started to wake up once those nerve-wrecking sounds stopped. He’s not fully conscious yet, so please control yourself.” At his last words, he raised his eyebrows, looking at Tyler. The Scout blushed.“Like I would lose control over a freakin’, snoring squid. Seriously.”“I am glad to see you again, too, my precious.” Slowly, Jean lifted his head. His smile was wryly and his face still pale.“So it’s really over. Marvelous!” The door opened and Sydney, Lukas and O’Conner entered. The Sniper grinned happily at them.
“Aye, me thought we were well done for good with that fire startin’. But once it was gone, it was easy to restart the generator. Right, lad?” The cook gave Lukas a hearty slap on his back, almost causing the Spy to fall over.“Uh, yes, yes, it works… And it is quiet again.”“Well, not here,” the Medic snorted and shoved Sydney and O’Conner away from Jean. “Hush, leave him alone, he is still my patient until I say otherwise. Go and get some sleep. Tyler, you stay! I still have to look after your feet.”“Like we would sleep now,” Jo snorted. Martin obviously had forgotten about her second foot, and she was sure it wouldn’t hurt if she reminded him a bit later. After a cigarette. Or two.“Sonny, let’s go to the kitchen, I want coffee.”“Sure, sure, darling, although I’m more in the mood of the drink O’Conner hid under the table earlier,” the Sniper snickered, giving the sheepishly grinning cook a nudge.“Aye, got ye message. Off to the kitchen, I fix ye a drink and a snack. Ye comin’, too, Matt and Lukas?”“Good idea, my friend.” Sydney nodded approvingly. “Maybe we can easier understand what was happening when we calm down a bit. And find an explanation that we could give the cleaning ladies when they have to remove the mess.”Like Jo before, Tyler had sat down on the Medic’s desk and let his legs dangle. His eyes widened when he looked at his feet and the floor.“Guys, there might be less to explain than we thought.”
Following his example, they looked to the ground. The tiles were white and clean. Only a few red footprints, made by Tyler and Jo, had remained. The large puddles and stains had disappeared. Even their clothes were clean. So were his own legs, as Tyler noticed, except for the oil stains and now purple bruises from his climb up of the hoist chain.They stared for a moment in uncomfortable silence. Only slowly their minds began to grasped what they had really experienced tonight, and nobody could tell for sure if they would ever find a reasonable explanation.“Come, let’s go. Jean, I will come and talk to you later, I hope you are all right, darling?”“Do not worry, just a little headache.” Lazily, the Tentaspy waved at Sydney, gesturing him to go and leave him alone.“Good. Oh, Martin, how about the twins? Can we check to see if Gabriel has woken up, too?” Sydney was already headed towards the monitor, but the Medic, too, stopped him with a wave of his hand.“Ja, they are fine. As a matter of fact, he had woken up shortly before the blackout. The lights burst just when I had put out the monitor to grant them a little, uh, privacy.”“Privacy?” Tyler snorted. “My, aren’t they privileged. Wonder what bullshit they could dream about anyway. That one of their victims died before they could eat them alive?”“Tyler…” Sydney smiled weakly at him while the Medic ignored the Scout’s rant.“Well, let’s say that his brother had finally coaxed him out of his state, and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to leave them to themselves after that. If you will excuse me for a moment, I want to see after William. I doubt that a creature who lives a nightmare everyday was really affected, but I want to be sure. Tyler, stay where you are! And YOU! Jo! You come back at once after you have satisfied your addictions, understood?” With that, the Medic rushed past the others and left for the Zombie’s room.“Dammit.”
Sydney laughed at his sister’s curse. “Did you really think you could escape him, my dear?”Laughing and chuckling, the Snipers along with Lukas, O’Conner and Matthew, who still carried Toby on his shoulders, left.Tyler looked after them. Then he opened his fist and stared at the piece of the broken lighter.“What do you have there, lapin? Come over here.” Jean grinned at him. A single tentacle slyly moved towards the Scout and wrapped carefully around one of the young man’s ankles.Tyler didn’t react.“I’ve been thinking…” he began slowly.“What is it?”The Scout shrugged and tossed the fragment towards the Spy. Jean’s reflexes were still a bit slow, but he managed to catch it before it fell to the floor.“Everyone was in the same state as you, except Toby and…”“Little Toby is still a child. Children dream differently.”Tyler ignored the remark.“…and Lukas, who simply didn’t go to bed,” the Scout went on. “You know, Martin said something interesting. Mike coaxed Gabe out of his dreams. Syd was woken up by his sister. Jo’s first thought after waking up was her son. I had thought of… my family.” Finally, he lifted his head and looked directly at the Spy’s calm face. “I wonder… what were reasons for the others? However, I’m sure there had been reasons. But…”“You wonder why you couldn’t wake me up?”“I’d never wonder anything stupid like that!” Tyler flared up at once. “I just wanted to ask you what your dream was about, that’s all.” Stubbornly, he crossed his arms in front of his chest.Thoughtfully, the Tentaspy looked at the broken lighter.“It’s a long story. Too long when a Medic might return any moment. Many innocent creatures once had died in this place, a long time ago. Please be satisfied with that for now. I’m sorry I didn’t hear you call me.”Tyler watched Jean’s calm, sad face. Of course he wasn’t satisfied with a vague answer like that. It didn’t take a genius to see that the long story of this place was closely connected with the Tentaspy, and probably with the events of tonight. But sooner or later, he would receive his answers, if Jean wanted to offer them or not.“Was V.F. one of those innocent creatures?”“Maybe, mon petit, maybe. I don’t know.”
- End -](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcqssob1PH1rvxzbro1_r4_500.jpg)
Story written by LigeiaMaloy /// CoverArt and Characters by BlastedKing
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Sweet Dreams
Part 3 – final -
Although they were all familiar with the layout of the base they only proceeded slowly. Glass crunched under their feet. As much as Tyler tried, he couldn’t always suppress a curse or pained groan when another little, sharp shard cut through his skin and dug into the flesh of his sole. Similar reactions from Jo told him that his team-mate struggled like he did.
However, he grit his teeth and ignored the pain and how slippery his steps on the smooth surface of the wooden floor began to feel. The last thing in the world he wanted was to slow the rest of the little group down because he had been careless earlier.
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![Story written by LigeiaMaloy /// CoverArt and Characters by BlastedKing
[Part 1]
________________________________
Sweet dreams
Part 2
“FUCK!” Tyler cursed.“Great work, Sonny, really. If I ever need help replacing a light bulb, please remind me not to ask you!” The only visible light source was a gleaming, orange dot, coming from the burning end of the female Sniper’s cigarette. By far not enough to illuminate the room, but at least it helped them keep their orientation in the darkness.“B… boss… what now?”[[MORE]]Sydney waited a moment before he answered. Meanwhile, he walked along the wall, careful not to trip over his sitting team-mates or the still unconscious Tentaspy.“Sorry, darling,” he apologized when he bumped into Lukas.“N…nevermind…”“Okay, darlings.” With a voice surprisingly serious for him, he caught everybody’s attention. “This is the mission: We have to find out what happened to Jean here and to wake him up. Nothing we did helped, so we need to consult the Medic. The problem: we are caught in the elevator. The doors won’t open. The solution: somebody has to climb through the hatch in the ceiling. Who volunteers?”“Tyler!”“Jo!”“Ha, I was first!”“Fuck you, Jo!”“This isn’t very good timing, darlings!” Impatience was even more rare from Sydney than him being serious, and the other Sniper and the Scout shut up at once. Tyler’s sigh finally cut the tensed silence.“Alright, I’ll do it. Anybody lifting me up?” In the darkness, they heard the Scout standing up. His bare feet made soft noises when he carefully let go of the wall and walked into the center of the cabin.“Leave that to me!” Sydney returned to his easy-going manner at once.“Uhm… the lighter… I mean, well…” the Spy’s low voice came from the door.“Good idea, Lukas. Jo, be a darling. It won’t help much, but it’s better than nothing.”At his request, Jo, too, rose and switched on the lighter. The flame was small and flickered a few times before it finally burned steadily. Indeed, it didn’t give much light, but in the closed room without any draft it was enough to illuminate Sydney’s face once she stood next to him.The male Sniper helped Tyler to climb onto his shoulders. From that point on, it was easy for the Scout to reach the hatch above him. Carefully not to lose his balance, he now stood on Sydney’s shoulders, only supported by the Sniper’s hands around his ankles.Jo raised her arm to give him as much light as possible. Suddenly, she grinned, and gave her brother a nudge with her elbow and pointed upwards. Sydney followed her eyes and grinned, too.“Nice underwear, honey, lace lingerie suits you.”“And you told me you weren’t going to enjoy your secret date?”“Seriously, fuck you both.” Not caring if he hurt the Sniper or not, Tyler stepped on Sydney’s head and pulled himself up, through the now open hatch.
“It’s not funny at all!” he called from above when the siblings giggled. Even Lukas had to stifle chuckle. “Fuck you all! Why am I even doing this?”“Because you are one of the good guys, honey. Now be careful with the wiring up there!” Sydney warned him.“Whatever. Can’t see any light anywhere, guess it’s a blackout.” the Scout’s voice echoed from the elevator shaft.Jo frowned when she saw her brother flinching. “Syd?”“Let’s just hope it’s not the whole building… the west wing…”Although the Sniper whispered, Tyler could hear him. He shuddered. Like everyone working here he knew that not only the first floor and the basement had their own wiring. The basement was divided into the east and west wing. So even when something happened elsewhere in their base, the chances that the sickbay was still running were high. But not only the Medic’s devices depended on the west wing’s power supply.“Great, the last thing I need are those insane bastards waiting outside this cage…” He tried to look around, but his eyes didn’t want to get used to the darkness. “Jo? Give me the lighter, okay? It’s pitch black up here!”He knelt next to the opening and reached down. Jo tossed the lighter up to him, and he caught it, almost burning his fingers.
‘Guess fingers of smokers are made of leather instead of skin,’ he thought to himself, but didn’t say anything. Despite the size of the elevator, shaft around him felt too narrow, and with the faint light it didn’t get any better. Shadows rushed over the walls – disfigured, obscure animals hunting each other. Any moment they would notice him and stretch their claws out to drag him into their world.
Devour him.
“Don’t be silly, idiot!” Scolding himself had an odd, comforting effect on him. Carefully, his fingers already hurting from keeping the lighter burning, he felt along the walls. Nothing. At least not what he was searching for. He knelt down and tried again.Finally, the fingertips of his free hand ran over a narrow gap in the center of one of the walls. Frustrated, he cursed his find and slowly turned around, fearing he would fall backwards through the hatch if he didn’t pay attention.“Guys, we are caught between the floors!” he shouted at the darkness below him, cringing when his voice echoed between the walls around him. “Even if we open the door, we wouldn’t be able to walk through it standing at full height!”From below, he heard curses coming from both Snipers.“Ty, can you see the emergency exit?” Sydney called up to him. “One should be right next to the door of the first floor, the second above it. Think you can reach it?”With squinted eyes, Tyler looked upwards, holding the lighter up. The flame already was becoming weaker. It was running out of gas and he feared it would die any moment. He thought he saw a small hatch somewhere above him, but couldn’t tell for sure. He looked around quickly, trying to memorize his surroundings as best as he could. Then he bent down again and threw the lighter at where he assumed Sydney or Jo to be.“Catch this. I’ll climb one of the hoist chains, crawl out of this mess and get Riley!”“Riley is away tonight, visiting his in-laws with his wife! Get O’Conner!” Sydney advised and from next to him, he heard Jo cursing at the mention of the cook’s name.
Although nobody could see it, he nodded and felt for one of the chains. He began to climb very carefully and slowly at first while cursing Jean and his stupid love for stupid skirts. The metal felt cold and hard against his bare legs. His hands had troubles holding onto the chain – it was slippery with oil, and a few times he feared he would simply fall down.
After a minute, he became more secure. He got a better hold when his fingers clung between the links and he hoped he wouldn’t miss his footing. If he fell down now, he would definitely break a finger or two.Either way, even when things kept going smoothly, he would end up with oil stains on his skin and clothes and several bruises on his calves and inner thighs. What would Jean say the next time he saw the Spy?‘To hell with ya, Squid, it’s all your fault anyway!’ Being angry at the Tentaspy felt so familiar it was relieving, even when he had to force himself to ignore the nagging fear inside of him.‘Halfway up!’ At least his memory told him that, he wasn’t too certain to be honest; it was too easy to lose his orientation.
Tyler stopped and looked up, then down.Suddenly, he felt lost.
He couldn’t see the end of the shaft, both direction lay in darkness.For all he knew, he might as well be close to the ceiling or still close to the bottom, only a few inches above the roof of the cabin. His hands hurt from clinging forcefully to the chain and his left calf hurt from a sudden cramp. The metal links dug into his flesh in the same spots and despite the grease, his legs began to feel sore just from the pressure.He felt dizzy.If he fell now, where would he land? How deep would he fall?He didn’t even know anymore – was he really climbing upwards? Or downwards, headlong?“Stop it, Ty!” he hissed through his clenched teeth. “Just climb forwards! It’s only between two floors, dammit!” The chain began to shake a little the next time he pulled himself a few inches upwards. He stopped again, and listened. For a moment he thought he had heard something. With a shrug he continued.“TY!” Someone from below shouted and he almost lost his grip.“Goddammit, what…” He fell silent.The chain shook again and this time, there definitely was a noise.He looked down.“Oh fuck…”
Freezing on the spot, he stared at the flickering light below him. It was too bright to come from the lighter. ‘
But this means…!’It came closer.The chain in his hands suddenly went upwards. He yelled from the pain when his fingers were yanked up and squashed between the wall and the hoist chain. He raised his head. Above, he could see a faint light. The emergency-exit! He was so close.The cabin moved upward as well. The Scout would be dragged against the ceiling of the shaft any minute, without a way to escape the following elevator. Frantically, he tried to free his twisted fingers.“STOP THE ELEVATOR! HIT STOP! SYD, JO! LUKAS! JEAN!” he screamed. When nobody answered him, he feared it was over. He pulled his hands free, but still clung to the chain. If he fell down, he would break several bones. Then again, he would break as many once he was smashed between the ceiling and the elevator.‘Idiot, why did you call for Jean? He can’t hear you, and now you die as a fool.’ He closed his eyes and waited for the impact that would kill him.A deafening screak filled the shaft and roared in his head. For a second, the Scout feared his eardrums would simply burst.The sudden absence of noise that followed was almost as painful.When nothing happened, he slowly opened his eyes.The chain and the elevator had stopped moving.‘God… thank ya… really…’ Panting and not sure if he wanted to cry or to laugh, he rested his forehead against the wall. The smooth, cold steel felt sobering and he randomly noticed the sweat running down his temples. His fingers hurt, so did his legs and the joints of his shoulders. But he was alive, and from below, he could hear the worried voices of Sydney and the others calling for him.“Just give me a second, will ya?” he whispered into the darkness.
*
Tyler slid rather than climbed down the chain, and hurried back through the hatch into the cabin.
Now, with the lights back on, the shine coming from below through the opening was enough to illuminate the elevator shaft. The Scout scowled at himself. He hadn’t even been far up and the way to the emergency exit had already been close.
Either his outfit was to blame as it wasn’t really meant for climbing oily chains in the darkness, or the oily chain itself. Or maybe just his fear that, for some reasons, he might have been caught midway in a bottomless pit. He was, however, really relieved when Lukas and Sydney helped him down, back to a more or less solid ground.All of them held their breath for a few very long seconds when the buttons of the control panel blinked in a random order. Finally, they stopped.“No, Syd, who knows what you’ll start next time you fiddle with those.”
Vigorously, Jo shoved the other Sniper out of her way and away from the controls. After another short moment of tensed silence, the elevator started to move and opened its door only a few seconds later, after it had safely arrived at its destination.“Quick, get him outta here,” Sydney hurried them along.Now, with all the trouble of being stuck in the elevator and the sudden blackout behind them, the rest was ridiculously easy. As before, Tyler and Jo moved under the Tentaspy’s shoulders while Lukas and Sydney lifted his midriff. Careful not to step on the tentacles or otherwise hurt the long, extended limbs, they dragged the Spy down the corridor, past the tailor shop, the workshop and the shooting stand.“FUCK YA ALL! HATE YA DAMNED MOTHERFUCKERS! GONNA RIP OUT YA THROATS AND STRANGLE…”Startled by the shouts and the array of curses and threats that followed, they almost dropped the Spy.“What the…?” Tyler gasped, then his eyes followed the bewildered gaze of the others.The steel door to their left was still closed.“That’s Mike…” Lukas whispered almost inaudible behind Tyler. The Scout nodded.“Yeah, fortunately still locked up…” He only hoped that the doors would withstand the raging twins. It was surprising they could hear Mike to easily through the steel, but this only proved, in Tyler’s eyes, how powerful the rage of those insane men was. Judging from the rattling noise of the iron bars that kept the twins away from the door, they weren’t too impressed by their prison.
‘Sooner or later… I fear they’ll…’ He refused to finish that thought. If those killers ever break out, he was hopefully far away. As everybody else should be in that case. Glancing at Jean’s face, the Scout sighed. One barrier of defense was already down, and Tyler was surprised how uneasy he felt already. ‘Don’t get any ideas, Squid, it’s not because I feel safe with you, it’s just that you are a little bit more intelligent than a fuckin’ door.’“YOU’LL BE SORRY FOR THAT! FOR THIS AND…”Everyone of them flinched as the last words were drowned by an almost explosive sound when something – or rather someone – heavily crashed against the grille door. Their senses alerted and the corridor lying in silence, they continued to listen. The angry shouts stopped and Tyler thought he heard a lower voice talking desperately to someone else. He shook his head. Probably his imagination.“Was um alles… what are YOU doing here at this hour?”Everyone turned their heads away from the twins’ prison and stared at the figure before them. The dark hair was as disheveled as the black uniform. Dark circles under the eyes made them look unusually small.
‘Everything about this bastard is dark…’ Tyler mused. Like the rest of his team-mates, he rather avoided longer encounters with the man in front of them.
‘Weird’s obviously a precondition for working here, but this guy’s seriously overqualified.’ Along with a pair of insane, bloodthirsty twins, a child in a fireproof suit, a squid-man-creature with a thing for young men in dresses, a Sniper who was more of a diva than his boisterous sister would ever be… ‘Dammit, and the list goes on…’But now, he smiled.It was difficult enough to bring Jean here, and Tyler was sure he had never been so glad before to see Martin, their Medic.“Don’t tell me you and the cook had another drinking contest tonight? If he has a hangover, carry him to his room and leave me alone.” Skeptically, the Medic eyed the group standing in front of them. Lukas and Sydney, fully dressed but exhausted. The Scout’s clothes messy and stained, the boy himself barefooted, as was the female Sniper. That reminded him of something.“Johanne, wasn’t your check-up due two weeks ago?”“Maybe, but could you worry about Jean first? He’s getting’ heavy…” With a frown, she shifted the weight on her shoulders. “And no, he wasn’t drinking, something’s really wrong with him.”Impatiently, the Medic turned around and made a gesture telling them to follow. Tensing their muscles and straightening their backs one more time, they carried the Spy into the sickbay.“He could at least lend a hand…”“Shh, Ty, don’t provoke him…” Sydney whispered from behind.‘So even Mr. Sunshine has an uneasy feeling about this guy,’ the Scout thought with satisfaction, but preferred to say nothing more.Together, while watched by the Medic, they hauled Jean onto the long examination table. The construction was already custom built, but still not long enough for the Tentaspy – the ends of the long tentacles simply slid down from the table and hung down by the sides.Martin shoved Tyler and Jo, who where still standing close to the Spy’s head, aside and began to examine the man’s staring eyes.“Hm, nothing. No reaction to light… yes… I see…” He felt for the pulse at the throat and at the wrist, then checked the eyes again. “I wonder… so maybe… interessant, höchst interessant… but if not… hm…”“If not WHAT?” Tyler interrupted the randomly mumbling German who almost jumped at the sudden sound.“Oh, yes, you are here…”“Of course, we brought him here…” Growling, the Scout crossed his arms in front of his chest. The Medic walked over to him and caught him by the wrist.“What are you…? I didn’t say anything!” Tyler tried to pull away, but the Medic’s grip was firm.“Hm, what happened to your hand? Both hands?” He began to feel along the Scout’s fingers, not all too gently pressing against the already purple joints. As abruptly as he had taken hold of them, he let go before Tyler bothered to answer.“Nothing broken, bruises, will hurt a while. I’ll give you some ointment later, to cool down the swelling.” Martin was already standing in front of his paralyzed patient again, gazing at him with a curious expression.“It’s not that swollen…” Tyler rubbed his aching knuckles and tried to stuff his hands into his pockets, when he remembered his skirt didn’t have any.“Not yet, Scout, not yet… Anyway!” All of a sudden, he turned away from Jean and headed to his desk, almost knocking over Lukas who had decided to watch the whole scene from a distance.“Come, look at this. Yes, this is really very interesting… Have a look!”The others gathered behind him and stared at one of the monitors standing next to the Medic’s desk.“The twins?” Sydney asked. Martin passed him a look clearly doubting if the Sniper really asked such an unnecessary question. Who else should those two young men, who looked almost identical, be?“Here.” Not bothering with an answer, the Medic adjusted one of the buttons and the camera zoomed in. “Look at the sleeping twin, Gabriel. Ignore Mike,” he added when the older twin turned around at the sound of the camera’s changed angle. His angry, loathing glare sent a shiver down all their spines. All, except the Medic, who’s index finger pointed at the sleeping man.“Well, this is…” Sydney bent forward to gain a better view, but he already saw what the doctor was talking about.“Fuck it, like Jean!” Tyler exclaimed, and indeed – what he saw looked very familiar.Just like Jean, Gabriel was lying on his back and stared at the ceiling. The eyes wide open. Only the horrified and pained expression was unlike Jean’s more sad, wistful face.
In turns, Mike sat on his brother’s bed, yelled at him, stood up, sat down again, shook him. Jo and Tyler winced when Mike suddenly slapped his twin. Blood ran out of the young man’s nose. Only to lower his voice right afterwards; Mike almost softly whispered to Gabe, but neither his brother nor the silent watchers could understand him.“He’s been doing that for a while now. It’s not the first time Gabriel has had a nightmare, but this time…” Martin explained and shrugged. Sydney raised his eyebrows.“He does? Why didn’t I know that? And what’s different this time?” the Sniper inquired when the Medic didn’t spoke on. “Well, as you can see, he’s as paralyzed as your Spy over there. Usually, he moves, thrashes around, groans, screams… and eventually wakes up. I had already wondered he had not reacted to Michael at all.”Sydney shook his head. “Please be a dear and give me a detailed report about those nightmares later, Martin. Anyway, do you have any idea what is going on? With both Gabe and Jean?”The Medic lowered the volume of the monitor when Mike started to yell at the to him invisible watchers again. Indifferently, he walked over to one of his cabinets.“No, I’m sorry, gentlemen.” He selected a syringe and was already busy filling it with a clear liquid from a small bottle. “I want to try something. As you are here anyway and Jean cannot help, please follow me and assist.”Glancing one last time at the unconscious Tentaspy, Tyler, along with the others, hurried after him. The Scout almost bumped into Jo’s back when she abruptly stopped once they had arrived in the corridor.Holding his breath, Tyler saw how the Medic entered a short numeral code in the panel next to the heavy door that separated them from the twins.“Sydney, Lukas, come with me,” the Medic commanded shortly and the two men slowly followed“What is this about, Martin?” the Sniper asked, sounding as tensed as Tyler felt. Judging from the faces of Jo and Lukas, the Scout assumed that the others didn’t feel better about this situation.“Well, I want to give Gabriel an injection of course,” the Medic explained, genuinely astonished by the question. “It’s just a test. And I rather test it on him first than…”“MARTIN! WATCH OUT!” Jo, Lukas and Tyler yelled at once, but too late.“SHIT DRIPPIN’ ASSHOLE! YOU WON’T TOUCH HIM!”The Medic had come too close to the iron bars while he spoke.Swift like an animal, Mike had leaped to the door and seized the Medic by the collar of his lab coat.Repeatedly, the raging twin smashed the Medic’s head against the bars. Blood was already dripping from the man’s nose and from a wound on his forehead.“YOU! What did ya motherfuckin’ bastard give him? Think I’m gonna let ya mess with him? FUCK YOU!”
Mike spat and hissed at his victim’s face while Sydney and Tyler tried to loosen the twin’s grip. The Sniper spoke in a low, soothing voice with Mike, apparently hoping he could calm the raging twin down.
‘Yeah, awesome plan, like he’s some kid or dog…’ Tyler thought grimly, and finally bit forcefully into Mike’s wrist.He never knew if it was due to his teeth, their efforts to drag the Medic away or because of Sydney’s words, but in the end, they finally freed Martin from Mike’s grip.Hurriedly, they pushed him out of the small room and locked the door. Behind them, they heard how Mike cursed, kicked against the door and, in the end, returned to his brother’s bed.Back in his office, Martin quickly checked the bridge of his nose and the laceration on his forehead in a mirror.“I’ll admit, I was a bit careless,” he stated while wiping the blood from his face with a clean tissue. “This is good, nothing broken. Please, there is no need to look at me like that.” Frowning, he glared at his team-mates’ reproachful expressions.“Martin, honey, what in God’s name was your plan?” Sydney demanded to know, now for the second time this night showing his calm, but stricter, authoritarian personality.“Why, it’s very simple.” Unimpressed by his boss’ attitude, Martin shrugged. “I wanted to inject a high dose of adrenaline. As we need Jean as a measurement of security I thought it too risky to test it on him. However, Jean cannot restrain the twins right now, so I wanted you to hold Michael back while I took care of Gabriel. But oh well, I doubt we should try again anytime soon…”“Not any time soon? Martin, no offense, but your plan wasn’t… well…” Jo searched for a more diplomatic expression to voice her doubts about the Medic’s idea. Tyler, however, didn’t care much about diplomacy.“That plan was crap. Bullshit. A pile of rotten bullshit. Of a dead, rotting bull. Of a really…”
Sydney put a hand on the Scout’s shoulder and smiled.“It’s okay dear, we got the idea. Martin, next time, please explain your radical plans before executing them. That way, we can stop you while you are still out of the twins’ reach. Anyway!” Ignoring the Medic’s scowl, the Sniper clapped his hands. “We need to find out what’s wrong with Jean and Gabe now. I wonder if there is a connection…”Approvingly, the Medic nodded.“I think there is. But unfortunately, I haven’t found it yet,” he quickly added when he saw a shadow of hope rushing over the faces of his nightly visitors. “I want to run a few tests on Jean, and also on Zombie. This will take about an hour, so if you would kindly let me work… Go to the common room, I’ll call you when I’m done.”Without waiting for an answer, the Medic began to search his drawer for the Spy’s medical files and studied them.Already guessing that it wouldn’t make much sense to discuss with the doctor now – but also sure that he wouldn’t try anything crazy like before – they retreated. Tyler hesitated once he had reached the door.“What the hell has the Zombie to do with that?” he asked, still not able to shed the feeling of uneasiness. For a second he wondered if he should ask if the Medic needed help.“Oh, that. I think he is in a similar state as Jean and Gabriel. It is not easy to tell for sure though. He is always in, well, a state. Don’t worry, Scout, I won’t experiment on the Spy. Now, away with you! Please do not be in my way.”
*
Walking to their new destination was uneventful. Without a heavy load to carry and any stairs or elevator rides to endure it was almost disconcertingly easy. After everything that had happened tonight, all of them expected anything to be thrown into their way any moment.The common room was located in the same tract as their private rooms and they reached it quickly. The lights flickered a few times but there was no second blackout. Still, none of them could completely get rid of the feeling that it wasn’t over yet. It certainly wasn’t for the Tentaspy and the younger twin, and, maybe, the Zombie Scout.“Guys, I hate to ask you but…” Jo hesitated a moment and ran her fingers through her hair. “I want to check on Toby, would you mind coming along? Just waiting outside?”Lukas and Tyler nodded.“Honey, no need to ask,” Sydney reassured her and put his arm around her shoulders as they turned left, away from the common room and towards the corridor with Jo’s and her son’s quarters.“Actually,” the Sniper, almost grimly, continued, “even without you asking I would have insisted to come along. Nobody wanders off alone tonight! Understood, everyone?”Tyler and Jo grumbled in agreement, Lukas nodded again.The three men waited outside while Jo carefully opened the door to her boy’s room and disappeared behind it. Sydney had asked her to hurry - if she wasn’t back within five minutes, they would follow, even if they risked waking up or startling the boy in the middle of the night.The Sniper looked at his wrist only to realize that his watch was still lying on the nightstand beside his bed.“Lukas? Thanks, I really can always rely on you, can’t I?” He smiled at him when the Spy quickly shoved up the sleeve of his sweater and showed his boss the face of his watch.Otherwise, the group waited in silence. Once in a while the already dimmed lights flickered with a buzzing sound above their heads.The Medic’s area and the twins’ prison were far away enough to not hear anything from whatever might be going on there right now. From Toby’s room, they only heard Jo’s low voice.Besides that, there was no sound or noise at all in the whole basement.
Yet, just standing here at this late hour felt depressing.
Tyler shivered and wished he could quickly slip away to change into a pair of pants and put on his running shoes – the normal ones, for men; but he didn’t want to ask or have anyone come with him. He also didn’t feel like walking into his room alone.
No matter how often he told himself he was stupid and reacting like a little girl, he couldn’t help feeling like they weren’t the only ones roaming the corridors tonight.“Five minutes up, let’s go in,” Sydney said when Lukas nodded at him. The Sniper opened the door and all three of them shielded their eyes at the unexpected brightness.Every source of light in the room was switched on, including the ceiling lamp. In the middle of the room, Jo was kneeling in front of her son and closing the zipper of his suit. The young boy was rubbing the mask with his little, gloved fists, just where his eyes where hidden behind the rubber. It was obvious that he was still sleepy and not really aware of his surroundings yet.“Jo… is that really necessary?” her brother asked with a sigh.“Yes, it is, and don’t try to argue with me, Sonny-boy!” she insisted and her stubborn, aggressive voice told Sydney he better didn’t even try.
“Anyway, we’re done. Common room or kitchen?” She lifted the boy up and carried him on her hip when they left. “I’d kill for some coffee now…”In the end, they decided to go to the common room as planned . Like the others, Jo would have to be satisfied with one of the bottles of water stored there. A quick, hot argument between the two Snipers was about to flare up, but both kept their tempers under control when Toby clung tightly to his mother as their voices rose.“Syd, I swear to you, if you start to bitch about smoking, too, I’ll…” she hissed over her shoulder while she pushed the door open.“Aye, me friends, took ye long enough!”“YOU! Great, just the right person to brighten my day… night.. whatever,” the female Sniper sighed. The others simply walked past her, Sydney with a wide smile on his face.“O’Conner, my dear, what are you doing here at this hour?” Gratefully, the Sniper caught the bottle the one-eyed cook shoved vigorously across the large table. However, after a quick sip, he rose his eyebrows.
“This is only water!”
His skeptical remark was answered by a roaring laughter.“Naye, my olde friend, don’t ye think the ol’ O’Conner’s always just drinking. At times like these even I prefer me senses to be sober and aware.”
He waved for the bottle and Sydney shoved it back to him once he had taken a seat. Lukas quickly chose a chair next to his boss and Tyler sat down beside the Spy.
Still grumbling, Jo let herself fall on the seat to the Sniper’s right. At once, Toby tried to curl up on her lap, but he was already too tall for that. Sydney winked at the boy and moved his chair closer to his sister; immediately, the child stretched out, letting his legs rest on the male Sniper’s lap, and his head on his mother’s.“Toby, mein Kleiner, don’t forget what we talked about.” Gently, Jo shook him by his shoulder. “Don’t you want to show me what a big boy you already are?”“At this hour, Jo? What are you up to?” The concern in Sydney’s face was impossible to miss. He knew that his sister was a good, caring mother, but sometimes, her ideas of raising children were a bit, well, unconventional.
“Nothing.”“Don’t even try, I know that the more innocent you try to look the more is up. Spill it, Johanne!”“If he switched as quickly into this attitude when he’s the boss as he does when he’s in uncle-mood, things would run smoother I bet,” Tyler growled under his breath, watching the little scene. Lukas, not sure if the Snipers had heard the Scout looked nervously from Tyler to Sydney.As none of the siblings paid them any attention, the Spy relaxed.“Okay, okay, if you insist. All this shit tonight started with that dream, and three of our guys won’t wake up anymore. So when I saw him sleeping so sound and peacefully he didn’t even hear me and I had to shake him to wake up, I…” She frowned at her own words. “I told him to be a big boy and stay awake all night because I didn’t want him to sleep… I even considered giving him coffee. Fuck, that sounds kinda wrong.”“Couldn’t agree more, honey.” Sydney wanted to say more about it, but a look at his sister’s face told him he should be careful with his opinion.“Ye know, the lass isn’t wrong, Syd.” O’Conner had watched the conversation in silence until now, and the others had almost forgotten about him.
Now his deep, rumbling voice filled the room and as he spoke, his usual jovial mood has vanished and was replaced by a seriousness that added to the gloomy feeling in the dimmed room.Everyone, even Toby, looked at him and waited.After a few seconds, when his audience showed the first signs of impatience, the Scotsman smiled glumly. Finally, he began to talk.“In my home country, they tell tales of the Banshee. That old hag is a spirit of the death. She walks the earth and dreams at night and wails for the souls of the dead and dying. Beware if you do not hear the song of the Banshee! Those who cannot hear her call will be the one who follow. Aye…” He took a long gulp from the bottle. Long enough to make Sydney doubt if it really was water and if their cook had tricked him somehow.“Are ya tellin’ us this place’s haunted by a Benji…”“Banshee…” Lukas corrected Tyler and quickly looked down at the table when the Scout snorted.“Benji, Banjo, what has it to do with anything?”
Tyler felt his own temper rising. The ramblings of a probably still drunk old man didn’t make sense at all, but the story also didn’t help him to relax.“Nothing. Who said it does?” O’Conner stated matter-of-factually, and his listeners groaned. “Nah, dun’t ye say nuthin’, I was coming to that. Ye see,” he continued before Tyler or one of the others had a chance to interrupt him again, “something reminded me of the old tale. Something from a long time ago. When me was nothing but a shrimp like leetle Toby.”
He flashed a bright smile at the boy when Toby lifted his head curiously when his name was mentioned.
“Ye, me boy, me too was not born a cook or Demoman. Me father’s friend, a Taffy, told me the story of the Gwarch. The ugliest old witch ye can imagine. Like the Banshee she searches the dreams of humans for dying souls. She’d knock at your window. Knock. Knock. Knock!” He tapped three times on the table. “And press her ugly face against the glass. He told me, if me don’t answer, she thinks me is dead and take me with her. When I was asleep, he would go out and press his face against the window, and knock. I tell ye, even the strongest man would be scared when he thought the Gwarch was expecting him to answer her call.”As before, Sydney and the others waited for the former Demoman to continue while he emptied the rest of his bottle. ‘Probably mistaking it for his damned booze,’ Jo scowled in her thoughts.“So.. not that I want to sound impatient, my friend,” Sydney began after a while.
“But before Ty asks again – what has this to do with Jo and Toby? Are you telling us a ghost from Scotland is haunting his room?”Tyler gave a snort and O’Conner chuckled. Jo, however, didn’t show any reaction. She waited a moment until she was sure that the Scout wouldn’t start a quarrel.“Not our rooms. But your dream, right?” she finally asked softly and the Scotsman nodded.
“Aye,” he replied gravely.The little group remained silent after that answer. The following minute everyone stared at the table, thinking, careful to avoid the eyes of the others.Tyler was the first to break the silence.“So you, too?” His voice was unusually calm when he glanced at the two Snipers to his right. “What was it?” he added when they nodded.Jo shrugged. “Nothing I need to happen in real life.” She still hesitated. Being scared of something trivial like a spider seemed so ridiculous.“How about you?” she asked back. The Scout blushed.
“Nothing. I mean, it was nothing I want to happen either. Stuff about my family, my mother, you know.”Both Sydney and Jo raised their eyebrows. They felt sure it was only half of the truth, but it probably didn’t matter. ‘
So he got up and hurried to meet Jean once he woke up from his nightmare. He told the truth earlier,’ Jo concluded, but didn’t say anything. If she didn’t want to talk about details, she could hardly expect Tyler to either. Instead, she turned to her brother.
“Syd?”“Hm?” He seemed busy with focusing on Toby, who giggled when the Sniper tried to tickle him through his suit. Even when Sydney wasn’t successful, his efforts alone amused the child.
“Don’t ‘hm’ me!”
Impatiently, she pulled her son up so he sat on her lap only, out of Sydney’s reach.
“I had a hard time waking you up, and you were just like Jean. For a moment I feared…”
She shivered when she thought of the sight of Sydney when he was as paralyzed as the Tentaspy. Or how she felt herself before she could finally escape the dream.“I had sweeter dreams before, that’s correct, my dear,” he finally answered. He was still smiling, but she didn’t miss the hint of sadness.
‘Right. He, too, has things he doesn’t want to talk about… Not even with me.’ She frowned at the thought. Then she snorted, remembering past episodes of her life. She wasn’t sure if she should feel fortunate that her anger was too strong to be terrified of her memories. Maybe a spider was the lesser evil.
‘Who knows…?’“How about you, Lukas?” Sydney turned to his assistant. “Any nightmares?” The Sniper sighed with resignation when the Spy slowly shook his head.“No, well… I didn’t dream… erm…”“Damn, and I thought…” Frustrated and violently enough to wake her son up, Jo kicked the table leg close to her. Despite his mother’s plan, the child was already about to fall asleep again.“Yeah, me, too,” Sydney frowned. “It wouldn’t have solved anything, but still…”“Weird coincidence if ya asked me,” Tyler doubted dryly. “And why this chicken of all people here is the only one without a nightmare doesn’t make sense at all. Bet he has nightmares every night, just not when he’s supposed to have them.”“Ty, be nice!” Sydney chuckled, wondering if he had enough money to retire if he was given a penny for every time he had said these words to Tyler since the Scout started working for the team. Not that he wanted to retire anytime soon even if he could.“Since when is saying the truth not being nice, eh?” Tyler retorted angrily, flying into a fury. “Fuck you and your ‘be nice’! I have more for you, boss! He’s useless, all our Spies are useless. The other Scouts are too crazy or too dead, so – useless. You Snipers, busy playing princess and house all day, and…”“Tyler, darling, I know you are upset and scared, but this won’t help…” Sydney tried to calm the young man down. For a moment, both talked at once. Jo rolled her eyes. It wasn’t the first time Tyler ranted about everyone and his job. This happened whenever he was enraged or overly worried.
Although she had to admit - she was equally worried. There had been too many coincidences and she had been sure that it had something to do with everyone being caught in dreams.
‘And next? What if I had been right? What would it have changed? What would it have meant?’Maybe it was better this way. More graspable. Real.“Toby, Schätzchen, do they scare you?” she whispered when the voices of the two arguing men became louder. The boy shook his head.“Aye, the little tyke’s brave, lass.” O’Conner smiled gently at her when she lifted her head. “Maybe the bravest. Have never seen him scared. Me thinks even if ye let him sleep, he won’t be haunted.”Suddenly, she felt very tired. Jean, the two men quarreling next to her, the fear when she had seen Sydney caught in his nightmare, her worries about Toby, and herself. She just wanted to lie down in her bed and sleep. Even more so when her son made himself comfortable in her arms, his head nuzzled against her shoulder.“You think so? Does it even matter? Not all of us dreamed, I was wrong.”The cook gave a short laugh. From under the table, he picked up another bottle and shoved it to the female Sniper.
“Here, the stuff for me friends. Good me just gave them water, eh?” He winked at her. Careful not to move the child more than necessary, she reached for the bottle and took a hesitant sip. She frowned at O’Conner. This tasted very familiar.“You…! This started the whole mess!”
The cook grinned.
“Naye, me lovely princess. Think! Yer friend Lukas had some, Jean did not. Hehe!” His sudden chuckle caught the attention of Tyler and Sydney, who stopped arguing. Lukas, who had in vain tried to intervene, turned his head as well.“Me knew ye would blame poor old me. Knew ye well. Let friend Spy talk for once, will ye? Or just look at him. Even me with me one eye sees it.”Now Lukas found himself to be the center of attention. O’Conner was right, he had more to say, but like this, with everybody staring – impossible. Nervously, he wrapped his scarf tighter around his face, wishing he had put on his mask before he had left his room.Tyler was about to open his mouth again for another sharp remarked, but stopped himself when he caught Jo’s and Sydney’s warning glares at him as they looked in his direction. He, too, now watched the Spy’s face closely.
“Weird to see ya without ya mask,” he finally remarked dryly.“S…sorry…”“Damn, don’t apologize for every little shit, man.”“Ty, honey.” Sydney put his hand on the Scout’s head and ruffled the short hair. “Be glad he apologized instead of saying your hair looks weird today,” he good-naturedly teased the young man.
“Wait!” He let the scowling Scout’s hair alone and stared intensely at his assistant, almost laughing when he finally understood.“Lukas, admit it! You are looking as good as usual! Except for the missing mask, everything is in perfect order, even your watch… You didn’t sleep at all! Seriously, honey, I didn’t drag you out of the office and tell you to go to bed so you’d smuggle work into your room! Do you want to overwork yourself again?”“Um, Sonny, lecture him about that later, okay? Lukas, is that true? You couldn’t have a nightmare because you weren’t asleep?” Jo interrupted her brother and shoved his upper body aside to gain a better view at the now crimson face of the Spy.
“Why didn’t you say so right away?”“I… I tried, it’s just… you didn’t listen, and argued, and…”
Helplessly, he looked from one reproachful face to the other, carefully avoiding their eyes. He really had tried, it was just that nobody had heard his voice while they were busy talking and ranting at each other.“Lukas,” Sydney sighed and smiled encouragingly at him, “we really have to work on that problem, don’t we? Let’s talk about it tomorrow, okay?”“So I was right the whole time!” Jo didn’t even try to hide the triumph she felt.
“Toby, wake up, darling. Anyway. Everyone of us who was asleep was at least for some time caught in a nightmare, unable to wake up, until… yeah, until what? Why could we wake up, but the others not?”The Scout moved around Sydney and snatched the bottle from Jo’s hand. He sniffed, flinched at the smell and put the bottle back on the table.
“I hate to ask, but do ya guys think we should tell the Medic? Before he drills any heads open? Or maybe he would when we tell him…” He picked the bottle up again and took a long swig. “That stuff’s disgusting.”“It’s for real men, lad. And real ladies,” O’Conner quickly added and smiled at the frowning female Sniper.Sydney ignored the exchange about the quality of the former Demoman’s drinks.“Don’t think that bad of Martin, Ty, he’s not a monster. However, yes, you’ve got a point. Guess we should tell him.”The others nodded.Suddenly, everyone jumped up from their chairs.A shrill, long and painful yell echoed through the corridor and faded in the distance.“The Banshee…” O’Conner whispered. Sydney wanted to answer, when the light-bulbs over their heads burst.Broken bits of glass and tiny sparks rained down on them.Through the door, they heard the same faint cracking and buzzing sounds when more lights exploded.“Quickly, out of here, back to the west wing! Jo, give me Toby!” Sydney already shoved Tyler and Lukas across the room towards the door, his sister and O’Conner followed.“No! Don’t worry, he’s not too heavy,” Jo insisted and pressed the boy closer against her body. Sydney nodded.Back in the corridor, they were surrounded by darkness.Another tortured, bodiless wail echoed from the walls and in their heads.They stopped, protecting their ears with their hands from the loud, piercing noise when it lingered right above them.“SYD!” Jo shouted against the deafening screams. She found one of his arms in the darkness and pulled it away from his head when he didn’t answer. “I DON’T LIKE THIS AT ALL! SHOULDN’T WE EVACUATE?”“YA KNOW, SHE’S GOT A POINT!” Tyler threw in, moving closer when he heard them talking.As suddenly as they had come, the voices began to fade.They didn’t disappear, they only moved away, down the corridor and only a moment later, they filled the small hall that connected the two wings of the basement.“Fuck! Jo, be careful!” Ty warned. Small splinters of glass from the destroyed light-bulbs cut into his bare feet when he made a careful step. The low curse from the Sniper told him that his advice came too late.“Sydney… what’s happening here?” Hearing Lukas’ timid voice so clearly in the darkness was strange; or maybe it was only the question that made Tyler feel uncomfortable. He wanted to know what was going on, but yet, he feared the answer.“Hope ya don’t believe in any bullshit like ghosts,” the Scout sneered when Sydney didn’t answer right away.
Tyler certainly did not believe in ghosts. There had to be a logical explanation behind this. A prank, a trick from one of the other teams. Or another kind of attack. Even if they often weren’t involved in fighting, he would have bet that everyone of them had made one or two enemies, either over the years before they ended up here, or after. ‘But who the hell would go against the whole team?’“O’Conner, what about Matthew? And Nicloai? Are they still here?”
Tyler flinched at Sydney’s question.
‘Right, what about them?’ Even if he wasn’t a close friend to their second cook and the constantly high Soldier, the Scout felt guilty. He simply had forgotten about them.“Nicolai left for his holiday shortly before we were drinking tonight,” the Scotsman replied to Tyler’s relief. One person less to worry about. And to search for.
‘Wait, what about…?!’Jo was faster.“That only leaves Matthew. What about Jean and the twins? Syd, we should check on the twins!”The Scout froze on the spot. Over his worry how to get the paralyzed Tentaspy out of the dark building, he had completely forgotten about Michael and Gabriel. The locks on the doors that kept them in their room were electronic.
“Fuck, are only the lights broken or is it a total blackout?”“Don’t know, but when the lights burst throughout the building there’s a good chance of an electrical short in the whole system,” Sydney growled.
“Good, I don’t want us to separate. I’m sorry for Matthew, but this is urgent. We have to hurry to the medical tract at once. Ty, Jo, darlings, I’m sorry about your feet, but this can’t be helped now.”“Understood.”
In the darkness, the Scout and the female Sniper nodded. This wouldn’t be fun, but neither of them felt much like finding their way back to their rooms. Not only that, they didn’t want to lose more time than necessary. The sooner they could get out of here, the better.
Furthermore, if the twins really had a chance to break out it was high time to act before they were free - if they weren’t already.
‘If they aren’t behind this after all… No, that’s stupid.’
Tyler had seen with his own eyes in the Medic’s office that one twin was in the same state as Jean. Mike’s attack against the Medic, his curses and threats, should be proof enough that they couldn’t be the reason for the dreams or the voices. Or the burst lights. How could they have done all of this anyway? How could anyone stage something like that?
‘How the fuck do we stop this shit?’
[[Part 3]]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcky3pX9IF1rvxzbro1_500.gif)
Story written by LigeiaMaloy /// CoverArt and Characters by BlastedKing
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Sweet dreams
Part 2
“FUCK!” Tyler cursed.
“Great work, Sonny, really. If I ever need help replacing a light bulb, please remind me not to ask you!” The only visible light source was a gleaming, orange dot, coming from the burning end of the female Sniper’s cigarette. By far not enough to illuminate the room, but at least it helped them keep their orientation in the darkness.
“B… boss… what now?”
Photo with 50 notes
![A few month ago Ligeia ask me about my greatest fears ….well and based on that, this is what I got for my Birthday. :’D Thank you so much again honey it’s fantastic! ♥
Story written by LigeiaMaloy /// CoverArt and Characters by BlastedKing
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Sweet dreams
Part 1 
Living in the basement of a building that, on the outside, didn’t look much different from any office block in any industrial park was surprisingly agreeable. The age of the building itself might have exceeded the double-digit range. The everyday facilities, however, had been replaced only a few years ago. The wiring of the electricity was as new as the bathroom installments, the kitchen or even the carpets and wallpapers in their private domains. Maybe not always cutting edge, but it was modern enough to grant a comfortable life. As long as no intermezzos like unsupervised explosions, insane killers on the loose or a robot invasion threatened the inhabitants of the headquarters of Team King. In the end, the quality of the environment was easy to sum up – not as prim or bleak as a standard military keep or business division, but also not of the luxury of a hotel or normal residential complex.It was a busy, sometimes chaotic and even dangerous place. It was, however, nothing to complain about for those who had once chosen a career that had not much to do with business offices or white-painted fences in front of neat, little houses.[[MORE]]The moment the west wing of the basement was approached the bustling atmosphere shifted. At the first glance, it was nothing but a normal, medical tract; of course sterility was top priority here. But even visitors unfamiliar to the base sensed that more than just a good doctor and a sickbay lay ahead once they looked down the narrow corridor with its tiled floor and white walls. Even for those who knew what to expect – and had gotten used to it – it was always a transition into a different world.The sound of the Sniper’s boots echoed against the walls. The armor-plated doors to the left of the visitor were passed and ignored – what happened behind them better remained undisturbed. If nothing was happening right now there was no reason to stir anything up. It had been a peaceful day so far.Instead, the steps headed towards the door to the right and rushed through another – shorter – passage. A few hardly understandable German curses came from one of the rooms the Sniper now passed next. So the Medic had one of his tempers. Or was busy with one of his weird experiments on the Zombie. Or maybe he was just searching for his glasses.‘Just walk on… It’s none of your business… You don’t help him at all when your face reminds him of that overdue check-up…’At the end of the short corridor lay yet another area. The humid air had made it impossible to renovate this place along with the rest of the headquarters. A cold, diffuse light filled the room, coming from the strip-lights on the ceiling. Placing them closer to the ground and therefore closer to the water would have been risky, so practical reasons had outweighed more cozy alternatives. Half of the large room consisted of an open basin. None of the hired mercenaries knew for sure how – or if at all – the underwater passage starting at this point was connected with the sewer system or the sources of water supply.“I kindly ask you not to litter here. This is not the street.” With a disapproving frown, the Tentaspy looked up from his book. His human half rested on the edge of the pool. Behind him, the water rested peacefully in the dark; only occasionally the smooth surface was rippled by lazy splashes whenever one of the long tentacles lazily moved around.“Sorry.” His visitor shrugged and extinguished the butt of the cigarette with the heel of one boot.“If I didn’t know it was the water I’d assume the walls were dripping with the sincerity of your apology, my dear.” The Spy sighed and closed his book. “You are late. I agreed to one – ONE – hour. That was this morning, and now it’s afternoon! I was not hired to be your personal babysitter, Johanne!”“Come on, Jean. I know your schedule, and you are free today. I’d never ask you if it weren’t really, really important, you know?” The woman tilted her head and winked at him.“Pah!” the Spy snorted. “I will tell you a secret: being coquettish is not convincing with this smug grin all over your face.” He re-opened his book, quickly found were he had stopped and continued reading.“My, you really are in a bad mood today. Hey, Toby, look who’s back!” Leaving Jean to his reading, the female Sniper turned around and opened her arms. From the other side of the room, a small figure ran towards her. “Did you miss your mom? Was old, grumpy Mr. Octopus nice to you?” Her grin widened when her son nodded. Ignoring the indignant grunt behind her, she picked the boy up and shivered.The protective suit was damp on the outside from playing in ‘Jean’s Lair’ – as the boy called it - all day, and she felt the cold creeping through her clothes. Fortunately, the material would protect the child, so she didn’t have to worry about his health. However, it was about time to return to their quarters in the east wing.“Dann mal los, mein Schatz. It’s late, time for you to shower and dann ab ins Bett!”“If you keep up switching from one language to another all the time he will end up confused, neither speaking… nevermind.” Jean stopped mid-sentence when the Sniper turned around and glared at him. “It was not my intention to be insensitive, I apologize. And compared to others, I mean it,” he couldn’t resist adding.“Forget it, Jean.” Most other people wouldn’t have gotten away with a remark like this that easily. But she had lived and worked long enough with the Tentaspy to know that he didn’t mean to say anything hurtful. He really had to have a bad day today if he was inconsiderate like this, and to be honest, she had tried his patience. “Was he a bother?” she asked gently, and her features softened when he saw a hint of a smile on the man’s face.“Little Toby? A bother? Well…” He shrugged and rolled his eyes, pretending to ponder very hard on the question.“If I say ‘no’, I risk you taking that as an open invitation to bring him to me on every whim, my dear Jo. Be assured, if he ever is a bother, I’ll just eat him.” He withdrew his lips, revealing two rows of shiny, pointy teeth and hissed. The boy giggled under his mask.“Glad you two get along so well,” the Sniper beamed at the Spy. “Well, Jean, thanks and see you later. Toby? What’s that?” She hadn’t noticed until now that her son’s right fist closed around a small object. “Show me.” He shook his head, adding a quick gesture with his free hand she read as “It’s mine.”.“Toby…!”At the sharp, adamant tone of her voice, the boy reluctantly opened his hand, revealing his treasure to his mother.“What’s this, some kind of lighter? Ew, how old is that thing?” Ignoring the protesting child, she picked the lighter up with pinched fingertips and threw it over to Jean. Despite the surprise, he caught it without a problem.“And you are telling me I shouldn’t litter? Damn, Jean, this place is a dump, that rotten thing is probably as old as you! That’s not the right environment for a child!”“First, you brought him here… no, first of all, you brought him here, to the base, put him into a fireproof asbestos suit and allowed him to play with a flamethrower, so you are hardly one to…” His gaze fell on the small object in his hand and he fell silent. “Nevermind,” he ended his speech for the second time today, “please go now.”Mother and son watched him for a moment and finally, they left without another word. Jo wondered if there was something she should have said at the sudden, heavy silence. But the lightened-up mood was gone from one moment to the other, and Jean was absorbed in his own thoughts. They heard the clicking of the tiny wheel, but judging from the look of the moldy, rusty item the Sniper doubted it would ever again produce something even resembling a flame.
*
‘Head hurts… Damn you, O’Conner! Damn you and your drinking games…’The team members knew that it wasn’t even worth the try to beat the Scottish cook in anything involving emptying several bottles of scrumpy, rum or whiskey. However, better knowledge and experience didn’t stop most of them from accepting the challenge once in a while.The female Sniper hardly remembered how she got back to her room and that she had fallen asleep the moment she had crawled into her bed. The first thing she knew was how the throbbing pain behind her forehead had woken her up.She tried to open her eyes only to realize they had been open the whole time. Confused about how she could have slept like this, while staring into the darkness, she tried to blink, but nothing happened. Or maybe it did, she couldn’t say for sure. Eyes closed or not, it was dark and her mind still kept spinning from the aftereffects of too much alcohol and not enough sleep. She continued staring at the ceiling, soon feeling bored by the dull black. Hopefully dull enough to let her doze off again soon.After a while, she silently began to count, not realizing that she soon adapted the rhythm of the ticking clock on the nightstand.A scream, a furious, angry yell in the distance.
She woke up again and listened.
Nothing but silence.
No voices, no shouts, no footsteps rushing away or doors being slammed.
‘Okay, just a fucking drunk dream. Lay down, close your eyes and get some goddamn sleep.’ To her surprise, she had never sat up. This whole time, she had been lying in her bed, her eyes wide open and staring into the distance.Something was wrong.‘Calm down, Jo, it’s alright, it’s just fucking O’Conner’s moonshine… Tomorrow, you’ll get up, complain about the headache and strangle him with his eye-patch…’ At least her mind seemed to work normally, as she noticed with grim satisfaction. Her eyelids still refused to close.‘No big deal, still dreaming. If this was real, you’d ‘have gotten used to the darkness by now…’As if to mock her, the darkness in front of her eyes began to move. First, it was a pulsating mass thickening around her, then becoming more and more diffuse at the edges of her peripheral vision. Like a sky covered with clouds now slowly clearing up, the white ceiling began to shimmer through. Only the spot the Sniper’s eyes focused on remained black.‘Brain, you had your fun, enough with the dirty tricks…’She watched the spot with growing uneasiness. Without a source of light and her glasses, the shape reminded her too much of something she didn’t want to have in her room, especially not above her face. At least it didn’t move. But if it didn’t move, then it was different than the rest of the retreating darkness…‘Fuck you, dream!’ she wanted to snarl at the roundish-shaped spot, certain that her voice would break the barrier between illusion and reality.All she could do was thinking.‘Fuck it!’ Angry with herself and her poor night-vision, she wanted to pull the blanket tighter around her and roll onto her side. Out of sight, out of mind.Nothing but thinking.She couldn’t move.Not her body, not her fingers or hands or arms.
This was not a dream. Her eyes refused to blink. Hell, even her eyeballs didn’t move when she tried to stop staring at the thing above her.‘Hahaha.’ A nervous laugh formed in her head along with many curse words, but no matter how hard she tried, her tongue and lips remained paralyzed. The only noise beside the clock was her heartbeat.‘Oh god, what if it also stops…’She thought she felt how the muscles in her long legs twitched, wanting to kick her cover away and jump out of her bed. She thought she felt her whole body shivering. But nothing happened while her fingers clung to the bed sheet. She thought they would, but they didn’t.Even her breathing didn’t increase when she thought it should.Nothing. Every little natural movement was the illusion, not what hoovered above her head. As slowly as she couldn’t refuse anymore to realize that she was caught in her own body, the edges of the spot on the ceiling took shape.Horrified, she was forced to watch how a spot larger than her hand slowly stretched first one, then a second thin, stick-like limb.It wasn’t motionless.It was black and oval and had eight spindly legs.It moved. Not from one side to the other, no, but she could clearly see how each leg of the spider twitched in turn. Randomly at first. Then, as it became larger and larger, the legs moved in a flowing rhythm synchronized with the ticking of the clock.‘Fuck NO!’ This wasn’t a dream, and so it didn’t become larger.It was coming closer!Slowly, it crawled down from the ceiling along its almost invisible, silken thread.Cold sweat tickled down the Sniper’s forehead while she saw the creature with brutal clarity. Suddenly feeling sick as she stared at the black, bulging back of the spider, she was fully convinced that this wasn’t a dream. The knowledge that this one probably wasn’t poisonous didn’t help.Any moment it would be down.The command she gave her hand to move, to search for the switch of the lamp standing beside her echoed in her head together with a scared and frustrated scream. If she could only get hold of anything to throw at the beast! If she could only roll on her side, out of the bed and just leave the room.Telling the others that the only female mercenary of the team was as scared of a little, stupid spider like any ordinary woman wasn’t something to look forward to. But everything would be easier to endure than this moment here.She was about to die.If she couldn’t move soon, she would touch the creature with her shoulder once she tried to turn.It was so huge… Any minute, it would be there, and cover her whole face and her heart would simply stop moving, like the rest of her body. Even that would be better than feeling the creature’s body over her eyes, nose and mouth.It was close enough for her to see its head, how the faint light of an unknown source was reflected by countless little lenses of the compound eyes.‘Please, go away… please go away, just go away, please… Please don’t happen…’Soon, she would die.She wanted to hold her breath. Her stomach turned at the idea of breathing the same air as the beast only hung a few inches above her face. Her body refused that command, too, and as mercilessly as before, she was forced to watch closely how the black thing slowly turned around.One single leg let go of the gently swinging thread. It bent and it twitched, and it pointed directly at her right eye.Her heart was beating regularly, as if nothing was happening at all, and she suddenly understood – she wouldn’t faint or die. She would just lay here and nobody would come.‘Syd.. busy with your team and men… Jean is pissed, Ty has his own problems and…’ Everyone had an excuse not to come, even if she could cry for help.She was alone.The thing, the fear… they would never stop.Left alone with her fear, a motionless body and her son.The hind legs lowered, any second they would rest on her lips.‘Toby…’“Tobias!”The one, single word broke the spell. She held her breath and coughed as she almost choked on the silent screams that now tried to force themselves out of her throat. Violently, she pulled her arms in front of her face and hit her own nose.At the same time, she tossed herself around.Her legs got tangled in the blanket. The moment her body was given back to her, she shook and kicked uncontrollably.With a loud thud, she fell out of her bed.Jo’s head missed the edge of the nightstand only by an inch, but the pain she felt when landing on the thin carpet was enough for her to snap out of her panic.Quickly, she rose to her feet and rushed to the other end of the room, frantically hitting the wall with her flat hand. Finally, the light flickered when she hit the switch. With one hand on the knob of the door and ready to storm out if necessary, her eyes hectically searched the room.Nothing.“Okay, Johanne, pull yourself together. You are not a little girl. You are not paralyzed. And you are not dreaming.” The pain in her body caused by the fall on the floor were proof enough to her. “And there’s no chance that you’d miss a monster of that size, glasses on or not!”Listening to her own voice was comforting. It worried her that she couldn’t actually remember the moment she had woken up from this nightmare, but right now, as she gasped for breath and heard herself speaking, she felt wide awake.This time, staring was her choice. Tensed up and ready to leave her room anytime if she saw something move, she glared at the white bedsheets and the blanket on the floor. After a short moment that felt like several cold, slow hours she dared to glance at the nightstand.Again, she waited a bit, then she darted forwards and snatched her glasses from the wooden surface.On her way back to the door, she quickly picked up a pair of pants and a shirt from the floor. She had put them on the moment she stepped out into the corridor. Eight-legged monster or not, now she would make sure that her boy was alright, then have a glass of cold water.Once the door was closed behind her, she exhaled deeply and searched her pockets for a cigarette.“And I won’t give that black fucker the satisfaction of having me run into one of the others in my underwear. Dammit, this is as useless as Jean’s trash.”
Annoyed, she stuffed the broken lighter back into her pants pocket.
*
Relieved, she carefully closed the door to Toby’s room behind her. The little boy was sleeping peacefully and so sound, he didn’t even hear his mother entering.He was breathing regularly; usually a good sign. Tonight however, after Jo’s own nightmare, it worried her at first. For a moment she had been tempted to wake him up, just to make sure he wasn’t in a similar paralyzed state as she had been before.Her worries turned out to be unfounded. When she had made up her mind to shake him gently, Toby turned around and smiled at her in his sleep before she could touch the child’s shoulder.Careful not to wake him from apparently nice dreams, she withdrew her hand and left the room.“Look out!”
“Fuck!”Jo stumbled backwards and almost fell for a second time this night to the floor. Tyler, their Scout, was less fortunate - there was no wall right behind him to break his fall.“Ouch, Ty, what the fuck are you doing out here in the middle of the night?” She offered the Scout a hand and pulled him back on his feet.“Funny, was just about to ask ya the same,” Tyler answered without much gratitude, straightening his skirt once he had stood up again.
“A secret date with Jean?” Jo grinned and chose a cigarette from a crumpled packet when she remembered she didn’t have a working lighter with her. Sighing, she put the cigarette back.The Scout blushed at her question.
‘Bet he denies it any second, because there are so many other reasonable explanations to wear this stuff at night. Nice legs, boy.’The skirt was shorter than those he usually wore at work, and even shorter as Jo would prefer it in her free-time. Ironic how Tyler was the most normal Scout on this team. And the most feminine dressed team-member, even compared to the actual woman standing in front of him. Jo frowned when she suddenly saw a very clear image of the others’ reaction in her mind if she walked into the canteen in one of Tyler’s outfits. ‘Immature idiots.’“It’s none of your business, but no, no secret date. If ya really need to know, that fucking squid wanted to talk with me, yeah, and I didn’t. But as I couldn’t sleep anyway, geez… Why am I even talking to ya?” he scoffed as the Sniper’s grin widened.“Sorry, kid, go enjoy your date, don’t mind me.”“Like I would.”Unsure if Tyler referred to enjoying his date or her being awake, Jo looked after the youth as he strutted past her, aiming for the stairs leading to the first floor. Barefooted, as she noticed. Now that she thought about it - his attire didn’t look as dainty as usual. His hair was still messy as if he had just crawled out of his bed, and his clothes were wrinkled. So his story about not being able to sleep was apparently the truth. Briefly, she wondered if she should ask him about nightmares.“Yo, Jo! Is wearing ya shirt inside-out a new fashion trend? ” Tyler’s voice called from the top of the stairs.“Bite me, Ty.”
Grumbling to herself, she looked down her front.
‘Brat’s even right, dammit.’ Not that it mattered. After all, unlike a certain, skirt-wearing loudmouth, instead of a nightly date only a glass of water and her bed waited for her. Both were more preferable than a horny Tentaspy - she had enough of eight-legged creatures for one night.
*
Finally, Jo began to feel the exhaustion she needed to fall asleep again. The only reason she was still sitting at the table in the kitchen of the basement, holding an empty glass, was that she was too tired to walk back to her room and searched it for the would-be imaginary spider. And for coming up with a solution if she found one after all. Somehow, the chairs and the table didn’t seem as uncomfortable as usual.
She almost jumped from her seat when the door swung open and a panting Scout with wide opened eyes stood in front of her. She hadn’t even heard him coming.“JO!”“Damn, Ty, what’s wrong?” She gasped in alarm.“Something’s wrong with Jean! Come with me!”
Without waiting for her answer, he was out again. She put her glass down and rushed after him. At night, even though they weren’t wearing shoes, the sounds their steps made on the wooden floor seemed loud enough to wake the whole basement.
This time, Tyler hurried up the main stairs between the east and the west wing and she followed him quickly until they reached the canteen. Even with only the emergency lights on she already saw what had frightened the Scout. It worried her immensely, too.On the floor of the corridor, right in front of the door leading to the canteen, lay a huge body, half human, half tentacle creature.“Jean!” She knelt next to him and shook him by his shoulder.“He won’t wake up!” The Scout stood next to her, his hands aimlessly running over his skirt and through his hair.“Thanks, I can see that!” she snapped more sarcastically than intended. Just that moment, she had turned the Spy’s head into her direction.Jean’s eyes were open.Without blinking or any sign of recognition, the Spy stared at her. She snapped her fingers right in front of his face. No reaction.An indefinable fear rose inside of her. Less gentle than before she shook him again. Next, she took his arm by the wrist and felt for his pulse. Jean was definitely alive, but he didn’t move. His chest rose slowly up and down. If it weren’t for his eyes and the fact that he was lying on the floor in the middle of the corridor, she would have assumed he was peacefully asleep.“JEAN! HELLOOO!”
Not caring if someone downstairs might hear her, she yelled into the Spy’s ear - in vain. Not even one muscle in his face or body twitched. Just as she had feared.“Fuck! Something’s seriously wrong tonight…”“What the fuck are you talking about?”Startled by the agitated voice she lifted her head. “Oh right, Ty…”“Yeah, Ty, I just brought ya here, remember? WHAT the fuck did ya mean?”
If the circumstances had been different, she would have laughed at the sight of the young man. Tyler usually didn’t miss any opportunity to express his dislike of Jean and how much the man’s advances towards him annoyed him. His pale face, how he was chewing on his lip and the erratic gestures of his hands spoke doubtlessly of the great anxiety the Spy’s condition caused for him. Even more than his aggressive, but shaky voice.However, Jo, too, was very worried – it was bad enough that the uneasiness after her own nightmare returned. Seeing Jean like this made it difficult for her to believe in a coincidence.“Nothing…” she replied hesitantly. Inwardly, she shivered. Thankfully she had been able to wake up. She thought of her son. What if Toby had been in this state? Suddenly, she felt less glee when she looked at Tyler. Actually, she doubted she would have been able to keep control if she were in his place.“Nothing,” she repeated and stood up vigorously. “Don’t worry, Ty. I’ll get Syd and we’ll take him down, to Martin.” Satisfied, she nodded. At least one person present should act reasonably, and as she couldn’t expect that from the paralyzed Tentaspy or the restless Scout, it was up to her. Yet she was skeptical if her first idea of running to her big brother was really a reasonable idea at all.“Just great, this way, he’ll at least be groomed when the butcher finishes him off!”Only with difficulty, Jo suppressed the urge to slap the Scout. Tyler’s tone of voice was viciously and aggressive, but he wasn’t thinking clearly. Starting a fight right now wouldn’t help anyone.“Don’t be unfair, Ty! Both have their quirks, but they are doing good jobs.” With some effort, her words sounded almost as gentle as she had hoped they would. True, nobody on the team felt very comfortable with their Medic, but if they were honest, this was only due to his attitude and the lack of empathy for his patients. His work as a doctor was unobjectionable.
“Wait here, I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay, Ty?”With his eyes focused on the motionless body, the Scout nodded. Jo didn’t feel entirely reassured, but lacking any other ideas, she only patted him on his back and darted off, back to the stairs.
*
“Hey, Sonny, wake up!”
She knocked three times against the door of Sydney’s private room, not bothering anymore if she woke up one of the others as well.
Opposite his room was hers anyway. The Scout had his quarters in the same corridor, and he was awake, too. She doubted that Tobias would hear her - her son was a heavy sleeper once she could finally tuck him in.
O’Conner’s, the former Demoman and now cook, and Lukas’, their second Spy, rooms were close as well, but she seriously didn’t care at all if she woke one of those two men. Certainly not that O’conner with his damned fusel.
‘If I wake you up, you better have the mother of all headaches,’ she thought grimly.Nobody answered her call. She shrugged and opened the door. As expected, it wasn’t locked.“Sonny?” she whispered, and when she didn’t hear a sound she switched on the ceiling lamp. At the sudden brightness, she squinted her eyes, but even before she got used to it, she froze on the spot and inhaled sharply.Sydney was laying on his side and staring at her.This wasn’t a coincidence. She didn’t dream earlier. Maybe of the spider, but not of the state of her body.Like her eyes and Jean’s, her brother’s were wide open and motionless.If she hadn’t experienced it by herself, and if she hadn’t convinced herself that the Spy was alive, seeing Sydney like this - like dead - would have frightened her. Even though she knew wasn’t looking at a corpse, it was still unnerving.Slowly, she walked closer. She saw at once that Sydney was breathing in a slow, even rhythm. Tiny pearls of sweat ran down his forehead. His staring eyes were witnessing something that was invisible to her.‘Please, wake up…’As she had tried with Jean before, she now shook her brother by his shoulder. Like before, nothing happened.“God, Sonny, not you, too… Why could I wake up, but you guys… Fuck this shit! Sorry, darling, this is gonna hurt me more than you.”Sick of the worry and the nagging fear, she turned Sydney onto his back and straddled him.“HEY! Ya fuckin’ BITCH! I’m TALKIN’ to YA!”With a smack, her flat hand hit his right cheek.“LISTEN WHEN YA SISTER’S SPEAKING WITH YA! YA GODDAMN TEAM NEEDS YA!”This time, her hand left a red print on the left side of his face.She held her breath and waited a few painfully long seconds. Then, her brother’s eyelids flattered, and his gaze became less distant.“Gott sei dank…” Both her head and shoulders dropped and she exhaled when Sydney blinked at her in confusion.“Darling, what’s wrong? Why did you hit me?” His voice still sounded far away. Carefully, he felt for his face. “It wasn’t my fault… I didn’t want to… Johanne, what are you doing here, how did you come…?”Suddenly, she began to laugh.“What’s so funny, dear?”
At his frown, she only laughed more.“Nothing, Sonny. It’s just… everything’s so absurd.”
She tried to calm herself and climbed down from the Sniper. The bewildered look on his face when she pulled his blanket away made her giggle again.
After another moment, she composed herself and became serious.“Something’s really wrong with Jean. Hurry and get up.”
Skeptically, she looked him over. “But first, get dressed. Tyler is already hysterical enough without seeing you in a pink satin slip with a zebra pattern.”
*
Back in the corridor, Jo quickly explained the situation to her brother, leaving out a few details. Including herself, she knew of three people being caught in a weird, coma-like sleep, and she reminded herself to ask Tyler as soon as possible if there was more behind his “couldn’t sleep”-remark.Sydney hadn’t been really aware of his surroundings until she had shoved him out of his room. He, too, seemed to have troubles at first to distinguishing his dream from reality. But once outside, dressed in a less flashy manner than before with sensible pants and a – of course – pink shirt, he was fully awake and demanded to know what was going on. Especially why his own sister thought it was necessary to slap him.So she told him about Jean’s condition, and how much it was like Sydney’s when she woke him up, neither mentioning herself nor how drowsy Tyler was when she had bumped into him.“I… is everything alright…?”With Jo talking fast and Sydney listening with growing worry, they almost missed the timid voice behind them. Only when a door shut, they turned around just before they headed into the main hall.“Lukas!” Both Snipers shouted in surprise. The Spy’s shoulders twitched and he took a step back.“Yes, it’s okay, dear, don’t worry,” Sydney answered in a gentle, reassuring manner and smiled.
“Nothing is all right! Jean collapsed, Ty’s freaking out, and this whole fucking night is just crazy!” the words burst out of Jo. She reached again for her cigarettes but stopped. “And my fuckin’ lighter is broken. Syd, fire?”“Sorry, love, in my office.”“God, I swear, if I don’t get a smoke soon I’ll burn this God forsaken dump to the ground!”Confused, Lukas looked from one Sniper to the other during their conversation. For a moment, the two seemed to have forgotten about him. This wouldn’t have been the first time he was ignored or overlooked. In fact, most of the time he was glad when this happened. However, he didn’t miss the frowns on the siblings’ faces, and Jo’s words were very disconcerting.“I… if Jean is sick, we… ahem, shouldn’t we inform the Medic? I’m sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt…” he hectically apologized when both stopped talking and looked at him.
*
“So why again did it take you guys so long?” Tyler groaned under the weight of the Tentaspy when the female Sniper let go of the Spy’s right shoulder.“Because my dear brother didn’t want to interrupt his beauty-sleep,” she replied and opened the door to the elevator.The Scout gave a snort. “Great. Next time, send a prince to wake him up with a kiss.”“Ty, honey, be nice,” Sydney warned him, but he also chuckled.
Together with Lukas, the Sniper had wrapped his arms around the unconscious Spy’s midriff. Even with four people, carrying the Tentaspy was more difficult than expected.“Cut that honey-bullshit, seriously. And we are taking the elevator – why?”“You want to maneuver him through several doors and drag him down the stairs?” Jo answered in Sydney’s place. “The stairs are too narrow for more than two people walking side by side. Good luck, Ty, getting him down without knotting his tentacles together.”“Point taken. Would ya be so kind and help carrying?”The Scout’s panic and insecurity from before was gone. He was more his sarcastic, impatient self, although more aggressive than usually. His worries about Jean hadn’t lessened, he only forced himself to keep control.The elevator connected the first floor of the headquarters’ depot with the basement, so it would only be a ride of a few minutes once the device got under way. Nevertheless they put the heavy body down and stretched, trying to relax their muscles from the strain. Jean hadn’t even twitched. He was as motionless as before and his eyes still stared hard into any direction his head was turned. The Scout shuddered when he looked at the pale face.
When they had moved the Spy, the head shook from one side to the other as the neck-muscles didn’t hold it in place. Now, the head had rolled back and faced the ceiling. Gravity had caused the lower jaw to drop a little, revealing the sharp teeth.Tyler had never really feared Jean as a creature. Mocked, cursed, insulted, provoked, yes. Felt uneasy when the Spy once had threatened to eat him, with just those pointy teeth. But now, with the vacant expression, without the usual smirks, smiles or frowns, he looked so different from the Jean he knew. Almost scary, as he reluctantly admitted to himself. Not even like a corpse. More like a hideous puppet.“Lukas, hit the button, please.”
Sydney’s friendly voice distracted Tyler from his thoughts. The elevator already began to move, slowly though. At this hour, it wasn’t running at full power and it took a moment to activate the generator. The Scout raised his eyebrows when Jo searched the pockets of the Spy’s blazer.“Ah, finally!” With a happy smile on her face, the female Sniper stood up, and lit the cigarette between her lips.Puzzled, Tyler watched her. Suddenly, he recognized the familiar looking item in her hand.“JO! This is JEAN’S! Don’t tell me ya just stole it when… when…”“Ty, babe, calm down.” She took a long pull and exhaled slowly. Smoke filled the cramped place. “Ya looking like I’ve stripped his body. He’s not dead, ya know. God, this feels good…”The Scout gasped at her, for once not lacking the words to voice his thoughts.“You… you… THAT’S NOT THE POINT!”“So? Okay, honey, I woke up after the shittiest nightmare, ran into your horny self, fell half asleep in the kitchen when you came crying for my help. Jean is out cold, my dear brother was caught in dreamland, and I haven’t had a smoke in forever because MY FUCKING LIGHTER IS BROKEN! So, Ty, what’s the point? Tell me, I DARE YOU!”Both Sniper and Scout glared at each other. Lukas slowly moved closer to the door. Tyler and Jo both usually had calm tempers. Sarcastic, yes, but it took a while to really anger them. It was rare for them to lose their countenance at the same time, even rarer that a real quarrel broke out between them. But when this happened, especially while they were in an elevator with the paralyzed tentacle-creature between them, Lukas would have preferred to be anywhere, but here.“Ladies, please calm down. This is nothing serious to argue about,” Sydney said soothingly.“Don’t give me that lady-shit!” Tyler and Jo alike snapped at the Sniper and Sydney opened his mouth to retort.The cabin began to shake.The Scout and the female Sniper fell across the motionless Spy’s body. Sydney tumbled backwards and tried to get hold of the handrail. Instead, his hand got tangled in Lukas’ scarf and fell down as well.“Hey, Lukas, haven’t noticed ya not wearing your mask!” Sydney exclaimed in delight when he saw the Spy’s face and blond hair. Far too delighted in the opinions of the others, regarding the situation, like there was nothing more important to worry about.
Blushing heavily, Lukas quickly put on his hat and adjusted his scarf, covering most of his face again.
“S… sorry, w…when I heard you earlier, I just… w…well…”“Guess that’s not the point, too,” Jo sighed and gratefully accepted when Tyler offered her a hand to pull her up. “Sorry, Ty, wasn’t very sensitive there.” She handed him the lighter she still held in her hand, but the Scout shook his head.“Yeah, alright, I overreacted. So, what’s goin’ on here? We should be in the basement, why don’t the doors open?”
*
Giving a frustrated sigh, Tyler leaned against the wall with his back and slid down to the floor.“This night sucks.”“Hear, hear.” Jo followed his example and sat down against the opposite wall. The cigarette she had been smoking had gone out when they had fallen. She was about to light a new one when she looked at Tyler.
“Is it really okay?”
The Scout shrugged.“Your lungs, not mine. He doesn’t smoke anyway. Keep it if you want.” His voice was so full of feigned indifference that it made the Snipers grin.“Why does he carry that thing around anyway? Oh wait!” Jo chuckled. “This has nothing to do with all the candles in his room, does it? Ty, you sly, romantic dog!”“Shut up, you…!”“Ladies, ladies… and gentlemen!” Sydney sat down next to the angry Scout and patted on his shoulder. “Jo, love, stop teasing him. Ty, honey, don’t take her too seriously. We are all a bit… worried and nervous. Calm down, deary.”
The Sniper rose again and turned towards the door.“Lukas, any idea what to do to get us out of here?” he asked and put one arm casually around the silent Spy’s shoulders. With a frown, Sydney began to push the buttons of the elevator’s control unit, one after the other when nothing happened.“I…” Wincing under the unexpected touch, Lukas watched his boss’ hands as one finger repeatedly hit the emergency-button. “Sy… Sydney… maybe you shouldn’t…”His warning came too late.Finally, Sydney’s efforts were rewarded - the technology behind the panel responded to the Sniper’s stubborn tries.The cabin began to shake again. The dim light flickered and suddenly shone so bright that the four team-members covered their eyes with their hands. Something above their heads made a cracking sound.The lights went out.
[[Part 2]]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcf805GNnC1rvxzbro1_r3_500.jpg)
A few month ago Ligeia ask me about my greatest fears ….well and based on that, this is what I got for my Birthday. :’D Thank you so much again honey it’s fantastic! ♥
Story written by LigeiaMaloy /// CoverArt and Characters by BlastedKing
_______________
Sweet dreams
Part 1
Living in the basement of a building that, on the outside, didn’t look much different from any office block in any industrial park was surprisingly agreeable. The age of the building itself might have exceeded the double-digit range. The everyday facilities, however, had been replaced only a few years ago. The wiring of the electricity was as new as the bathroom installments, the kitchen or even the carpets and wallpapers in their private domains. Maybe not always cutting edge, but it was modern enough to grant a comfortable life. As long as no intermezzos like unsupervised explosions, insane killers on the loose or a robot invasion threatened the inhabitants of the headquarters of Team King. In the end, the quality of the environment was easy to sum up – not as prim or bleak as a standard military keep or business division, but also not of the luxury of a hotel or normal residential complex.
It was a busy, sometimes chaotic and even dangerous place. It was, however, nothing to complain about for those who had once chosen a career that had not much to do with business offices or white-painted fences in front of neat, little houses.
Photo reblogged from .chocolate, strawberries and men with 69 notes
Tentaspy x Sailor Scout
What’s rightfully mine
Description: R-18, intercourse between two man with age difference. Please don’t read if you don’t like it.
Cover Art (c) BlastedKing
Fan fiction (c) Kirschenwasser
Wild, hasty panting of a young man filled the air around the dark, hidden, hardly noticeable part of the sewers. Protected by the shadows and the unbearable smell of feces no being would come by and disturbe the busy couple. Scout hasn’t seen this coming. No, he hasn’t. If he had, the sailor would never have walked alongside the squid. Oh, the man can’t deny to like what the mutant does to him. But if he have had a choice, this wouldn’t be it.
Scout would have used his arms to push the older man aside. He would have screamed for help. He would – if the squid hasn’t put his tentacles around those body parts.
“Hnnn––“, the sailor moaned as another tentacle slid down his thin shape.
“You like it when I’m doing zhis, do you not?”, the mutant smirked whispering. Unable to respond with that sticky “limb” around his mouth Scout just closed his eyes and turned his head away. Leaning forward a tad he slowly licked the sailors heated up skin around the ear and gained another satisfied gasp.
“Yez, you do, my preciouz.”
Using his gloved hands, the Spy slid under the mans shirt and delved the sweet, soft flesh of the heavily bouncing chest. The boy bend backwards when curious yet trained fingers touched the sensitive surface around the mamilla. Damn, that felt good.
Watching his love interest getting horny like this, the Spy didn’t want to wait any longer and spread the boys legs to place himself between them. The sailor dared to blink and discovered his skirt got upturned, the panties ripped apart and his erection rested - fully visible and throbbing - on the crotch and belly area. The Spy licked his lips eagerly. He wanted to have him.
He needed to have him.
“I zaw you with that pink baztard.”, he mocked fairly serious as he took the pulsating member in his hands. Scout moaned. “Zeems like you two ‘ad a nice flirt earlier zhis day, no?” One may have noticed by now that concerning the sailor, his most precious interest, the squid can get extremely jealous.
Scout couldn’t help but welcome the foreign touch with all his senses. He was glad the Spy kept his mouth shut or else he would have begged for more. This felt so good.
“But …”, the Spy continued as he watched the first drops of pre-cum flowing down Scouts tip.
“… ‘e will never be a serious contestant to me.”
He released Scouts face from that bothersome tentacle. By the time Scouts lips parted another loud, lusty groan escaped them. A moment later the Spy placed his own onto them and entered the boy in a soft, slow motion. Breathing, panting and screaming came out of the sailors body and got mixed into the kiss. The Spy felt confirmed, seeing the boy doesn’t disagree with what he said or make a fuss.
When Spy put in half of his length he pulled it out and entered him again. Then again, again and again. He did so until the sailor would be ready enough to swallow him completely. Scout shed some tears. But aside from the pain he cried out in lust. Bending his shaking body in needy ways he begged for more. He wanted more. … Smirking the squid granted the longing wish to his lover without hesitation and trusted harder into Scout. After a short while, as the sailor screamed the mutants name as he came, the Spy released likewise. Hearing it in such a sweet pitch was too much to take for the loving man.
To give his interest some time to recover he stayed shut for several minutes and watched the Scout panting wildly, still moaning from the lustful after taste. He loves that man. No, he’s lost in him. Way too lost.
Leaning down to the exhausted sailor the two of them shared another passionate kiss. The Spy stroked the man sweat soaked hair as he spoke:
“You … will alwayz be mine and juzt mine … don’t you forget that, my Scout.”
