catluniscia was the first person to respond to my Fic from Art post. They do some neat SFM stuff, so I went with a piece called Angel of Death.
Sniper was struck by silence.
It should have sounded like he was on battlefield. He WAS on a battlefield. But all he heard was the muffled sounds of explosions and gunshots a million miles away. He tried to pull himself to his feet, but his body refused to cooperate. He leaned back against the wall of the compound and tried to remember what had happened.
RED and been pushing BLU back from their pont all morning. The New Mexican heat had been rough, even by Australian standards, and he’d finally been forced out his nest to find water before he passed out from dehydration and heat stroke.
And now here he was, flat on arse.
AH, THERE YOU ARE.
A soft blue light filled his vision, and he braced himself for a fatal blow from some BLU ÜberCharged drongo. At least then he’d hit respawn.
“Get to it.” He just wanted this over with.
HAPPILY. BUT I WILL NEED YOU TO GET UP FIRST.
There was something odd about the voice. Sniper couldn’t pin it to anyone on BLU. Opening his eyes, he came face to face with the single most bizarre sight he’d seen since coming to Teufort.
Medic, RED’s Medic, was there hovering over him. Hovering? He had on that odd bird mask and hat he’d found for the team’s last fancy dress. Tilting his head, Sniper couldn’t help but be reminded of the birds that the doc kept in the surgery.
“Medic, mate, you’re welcome to make with the healing any time.”
The mask tilted the other direction, and black hobnail boots soundlessly touched down. The doctor looked at his hands for a moment before looking down, picking at the edges of his long coat.
MEDIC… I DO HAVE TO COMPLEMENT YOU ON YOUR INTERESTING SELECTION OF FORM. USUALLY IT’S SOMEONE’S MOTHER, HUSBAND, OR MAYBE A CHILD IF THINGS ARE PARTICULARLY TRAGIC. I DON’T GET SUCH A DELIGHTFUL COSTUME VERY OFTEN.
Sniper frowned. “If this is some sort of joke, it ain’t the time or the place.” Medic’s eccentricity was irritating but generally benign, but at the moment the doc didn’t know how lucky he was that Sniper’s arms were currently on holiday.
OH, WAIT. Medic crouched down, reaching out and taking Sniper’s hand in his own. I SEE. YOU HAVEN’T REALIZED YOUR SITUATION, HAVE YOU?
A chill ran up Sniper’s arm from the touch.
YOU’RE DEAD.
“Dead?”
YES. AND I’M HERE TO HELP YOU TO THE OTHER SIDE.
The Medic pulled back without releasing his grip from the assassin’s wrist. Sniper’s eyes widened in horror as he saw a softly glowing translucent copy of his own arm gliding out behind.
“No, wait!” He tried to pull back, but the masked Medic simply continued drawing him further out. “Respawn, it’s gonna kick in any second.”
A smile showed under the Medic’s mask. Not the manic grin of a mad scientist; this smile was gentle and a bit sad. I’M AFRAID WE REALLY DO HAVE TO GO.
His heart should have been racing a mile a minute, but Sniper was suddenly aware that he felt nothing in his chest. No heartbeat, no rapid breathing…
No respawn.
IT’S ALRIGHT. YOU’LL FIND PEACE SOON.
As the Medic continued to draw back and Sniper watched as he was slowly stripped out of his body. The initial chill that had gripped him at that first touch dissipated, slowly being replaced by a feeling that was a mixture of warmth and calm. A pair of large white wings unfurled from the being in front of him, leaving no doubt as to its nature.
Suddenly the warmth burst into fire. The Medic’s hand jerked away as if it had been burned, and Sniper felt himself being yanked backwards, blinded by a bright white light.
“Engineer, I found him! Get the teleporter!”
“Goin’ down. Tarnation, he looks like hell.”
His eyes slowly opened to see Medic, the real Medic, kneeling in front of him, Medi-Gun nozzle aimed at a gaping shrapnel wound on his side. The doctor’s face was grim as he kept the red mist focused on the wound. “I need him in surgery to get the rest of this out.”
“Of all the days for respawn to fail.” Sniper felt himself hoisted up by the Texan and heard the whirring of the teleporter.
I SUPPOSE WE’LL MEET AGAIN SOMEDAY.
Sniper felt the words more than heard them as he and Engineer stepped into space.
There was no threat. Death would eventually come to him, as it would to all. And next time, he would be ready.
