In Need of Assistance? (TF2)

Fifty-Two: Amen

        "There's nothing here," I groan as I reenter the Surveillance Room to check on Pyro. He sits and stares at the TV screens before him, the reflection bouncing off of the glass on his mask. "I'm almost inclined to believe the Administrator was messing with us to keep us on our toes.

"The armory's still locked, the Intelligence Room hasn't logged being opened in a couple of weeks and the papers are all in order inside, no one was hiding in Sniper's tower, the duplexes are all clear, Medic's clinic is sealed up tighter than the White House, nothing- that's painfully obvious enough for me to think of- is missing from Engie's garage, while I'm pretty sure Demo is also going to come up with diddly-squat in his bunker," I exult as my eyes sweep the feeds. "If this was a test, we better have passed."

"Mmmph hedeh peh Prrrmeduhpuddah?" Pyro asks, turning his head to look over to me. I lift an eyebrow, and he points his index finger upward and turns it in a circle before putting both of his fists together and making a whispery poof.

"The... Teleporters?" I ask, and he confirms. "Well, no, I haven't-- Do you think someone would be here for them?" He nods again. "I'll take a look, but I don't know where all of them are... I'd also have to check Resupply. I haven't been out there in a while."

Pyro shakes his head and points to a camera, one that looks out on the bay. "Heh kheer."

"Right, right..." I take a deep breath. "I'll go to the basement to check on Demo in the bunker, be right back."

Taking the shotgun I set down on the table by the door, I jog lightly down the stairs and turn before going down the next flight as well. Descending one more floor, the lighting turns dingy and dark, light bulbs flickering from not having been changed in a while. The halls are narrow and claustrophobic, closing in as I continue walking. The ceilings low enough to where I could touch it if I jumped. Cold and ominous, gentle whirring is heard through the concrete walls that are cracked and yellowing with age. I hear chittering and raise my shotgun, not wanting to deal with another bread monster infestation today. Might as well kiss my appetite goodbye if that's the case.

"Demo?" I call out, getting to a metal chain-link gate. It rattles when I push it open and step through.

"O'er here," Demo responds. And I follow his voice down the tighter pathway and open what looks like an office door, Demo on the other side of more fencing that has slats for what might be privacy reasons. "Nothin' is oot of the ordinary..."

"That's good to hear. The Administrator might've just been testing us, Demo. We should be heading back," I suggest with slight nuance. He opens the gate and comes back out, placing a chain and padlock to keep the place off-limits.

"Ya foond anything?"

"Nothing," I shake my head. This was utterly pointless. A fruitless task and an adventure to be described as frivolous. The Administrator sure does like to mess with the team, doesn't she? Employee review and the Ceasefire lift are both rapidly approaching... What would those two look like? I tried asking Miss Pauling about the review, but she didn't tell me anything and figured that if I was asking, that means that the Administrator is putting me up on the docket, too. Which would be correct. I'm slightly afraid. I never know what she has up her sleeve, and I'm even more terrified to know what must be in her coat. A lot of the time, it feels like she does this job for fun, so it's probably a lot of things I don't even want to know exist.

He leads the way, and we leave the basement as Pyro meets us on his way down. Seeing as there's no threat or suspicion to assume otherwise, it's high time we left. Just as we're passing by the... God, I really hate calling it the spawn point so it's the locker room from now on. Shuffling is coming from the locker room. My fingers grip the forestock tighter, and I carefully position myself outside of the door on the side, Pyro next to me and Demo positioning himself further back so he can launch grenades in should things go South. I exhale charging in and loading a shell into the tube as a warning of my arrival, pointing my barrel at the first thing that moves. "Slowly stand up and turn around."