Team Fortress: Soaked Through

Part Twenty: Okay, We're Actually Together Again

   "They're still breathin'," Engineer said, "but that don't make 'em any less creepy."

   Ms. Pauling's heart was beating out of her chest, but she swallowed it back down before it jumped out onto the cement floor. "Is this what Red has been doing? Kidnapping team members and putting them here? But why?"

   "A psychopath is a psychopath," Spy seethed. "You don't find much logic in their heads."

   "Break glass?" Heavy thought aloud, tapping the one of the tubes.

   Engineer shook his head. "I wouldn't. We don't know if those things are keepin' 'em alive. Who knows what Red could've done."

B.L.U Spy was still next to the cell, talking with B.L.U Sniper.

   "Did you hear anything, mon ami? Any plans?"

   "Naw, mate," Sniper admitted. "She made sure to keep quiet around me. She's a sharp tack, that one."

   "Not smart enough to build a door!" Engineer said as he was inspecting the equipment on the table. "And certainly not smart enough to run a team."

   R.E.D Spy gave one of his rare grins. "It will give me the utmost pleasure to slit her throat once we capture her. A dull knife soaked in lemon juice and salt, rusted from moisture and pure bloodlust - hm? Qu'est-ce que c'est?"

   "What is what?" Pauling asked.

   "That noise. Do you hear it as well, B.L.U?"

B.L.U Spy squinted his eyes and turned his ear toward the ceiling. "The vents. Something is coming through them. Réellement, a lot of something."

"Did Red call reinforcements?" Ms. Pauling wondered aloud, pulling on her skirt.

"Who would she call?" Engineer said. "She's frozen all her teammates, and we're in the middle of nowhere. She ain't got the Mr. Mann on her side, she told us that much - she dug her own hole."

"The question is," R.E.D Spy interjected, "are we at the bottom of it?"

The noise had grown into a rhythmic clanking, as if a thousand metal warriors were stomping through the vents. Everyone instinctively moved closer together, getting in their fighting stances. They had preparedness on their side, at least.

"They're right on top of us now," Engineer whispered.

Heavy cracked his knuckles. "We'll see who is on top of who."

***

   Medic couldn't walk ten paces without running into someone's fists. An all out brawl had broken out in the control room, where most of the B.L.U team, along with Sniper, Demo, the triplets, and Amy were surging towards Alium and Red.

"Chiyo! Emi!" Alium called, making a beckoning hand towards one of the soft, pink corners. "Help your brother!"

The wall parted, and two creatures exactly like Adsuki stomped out, along with hundreds of miniature versions, who came towards the fight like a wave. Though the beasts were small, they soon became a nuisance; Medic had to kick a few out of the way in order to walk, only to see four of them trying to climb his lab coat. The more he struggled, the more the monsters pushed against him. Meanwhile, the much bigger monsters were lumbering about, trying to get the team members in between their slobbering jaws. Amy zoomed around, trying to find a clear spot. Gy had found an elevated piece of the floor that he was now standing on.

"Gy," Medic yelled, "can't you hug zhese?"

Gy lifted one leg up in order to keep it from the sharp teeth below him. "No, these things don't have any energies at all! I cannot convert what isn't there!"