You could say this is a sequel to Cara Mia Ciao (http://tf2chan.net/afanfic/res/6719.html) but you don't have to read that to enjoy this. All thoughts and suggestions are welcome! :::: Sniper kept turning the platinum ring over and over in his fingertips, like he was expecting it to change somehow. It wasn’t the traditional gold band that most people would chose as a wedding band, but Sniper wasn’t in a traditional sort of relationship. Every time the metal caught the sun it made Sniper’s heart stutter in his chest. He finally bought it because what was life without risk? He could already hear her voice echoing around him, calling him foolish. Sentimental. After all, she didn’t have a finger to put it on. And he’d say that he loved her, and that he just wanted to show it. He could already hear her laughing, and he’d kiss her side and have that electricity jump across his lips. And he’d fall in love with her all over again. He carried the ring with him while he finished up his job in the mountains. It would be a two-day trip back home. And that was when he’d show her the ring and try not to stammer out his question. He would let his hand drift over it in his pocket, and he’d smile, a nervous but excited flutter growing in his stomach. Sniper shivered and tried to ignore the ache in his bones, the ache appeared whenever it got to be too cold. The missus, she’d keep the temperature up, she could read Sniper’s body than any other woman. She took such good care of him… and sometimes Sniper wished that he didn’t have to rely on a beating heart to keep him alive. In the dark, in his camper, Sniper wondered what it would be like… to have the type of life she had. She didn’t seem to mind his mortality… but Sniper did. He didn’t want to leave her alone. The ring was cold against his flesh. It reminded him of her. Sniper smiled and decided that if he drove through the night, he could make it home sooner than he expected. Even though she said she didn’t like surprises, he knew she was lying. This kind of surprise she enjoyed. His fingers were on his camper door, he was pulling the handle, and that was the last thing Sniper did while his heart was still beating. :::: System now online. With a metallic clang, he sat up and almost smashed in the woman’s face that had been hovering over him. She jumped back with a yelp, and right away, he knew her height, weight, and gender. She blinked from behind glasses that were almost too big for her petite face. A strand of black hair fell out of her neat bun and she crossed her arms. “Welcome to the land of the living, robot.†She adjusted her glasses and smoothed down her purple dress. “Status report.†“Operating system fully functional and ready for directive.†The response came without hesitation. Automatic. Instantaneous. The woman smiled. “Fantastic.†Her hand was soft and fleshy against the side of his face. It was warm. He could feel her heartbeat. “Your directive is to terminate any REDs or BLUs you come across.†Images sprung up across his optics. Men. A person in a big rubber suit. They were the REDs and BLUs the woman was talking about. They were the humans who were going to be terminated by his hand. Her hand was still on his face. “Affirmative.†Her eyes crinkled at the sides. Her thumb dragged across his crude metal shell and her teeth twinkled in her smile. “Very good, robot.†He could feel her heartbeat. The rhythm felt familiar to him. But that was impossible. He just went online. He didn’t know anything else except her weight, her height, her gender, and his directive. And the rhythm of her heartbeat against his metal. “Very good. Do me proud.†She took her hand away, and he waited. He could still feel her heartbeat. He turned, and he saw that there were others like him, others that made from metal, and those who also were a copy of him as well. He didn’t blink. He didn’t breathe. He whirred and the occasional clunk would echo somewhere deep inside him. Still, no heartbeat. None of the others looked at him. Their glowing eyes just stared straight ahead. When he leaned back something clinked in his hand. He looked down and turned his metal fist over. He opened his fingers. A circle of metal was inside. He barely had to look at it when something inside of him, programming and something deeper than his circuitry—told him it was made out of platinum. :::: When Miss Pauling was a little girl she would bite her nails. Her father called it a dirty, nervous habit. At the time, there were no nerves involved. She just bit her nails for the sake of biting her nails. One day, her mother got tired of her bleeding cuticles and prickly nails, and when she saw that the little girl who would become Miss Pauling had bitten her nails down until they bled, she didn’t let her eat any dinner, except for lemons. The day after that, Miss Pauling still nibbled, and she received only lemons. She eventually became sick and exhausted from hunger. She didn’t bite her nails again after that. Her manicured nails, long and elegant, twitched on the inside of her arm as she kept her eyes on the new robot. “Ma’am, are you sure this a good idea?†She adjusted her glasses and bit her lip. “We’ve been leaving Mr. Mundy alone for a very specific reason.†Miss Pauling tore her eyes away from the machine and turned back into the smoke. “Someone… or something is waiting for him. Are you sure we’re prepared to deal with the consequences?†Helen smiled. She looked like a skeleton with skin stretched tight over the bones. Her smile was wide and her laugh made goose bumps spread out over Miss Pauling’s skin. “We have an army now, Miss Pauling.†More smoke filled the room. “Nothing can scare us anymore.†TBC
I'll be sitting here waiting in anticipation for the next installment. Sniper/GLaDOS is my favorite crackship and you write it so well.
I love this and the ones that came before it. This is so well done, I don't even. My friend and I have agreed that this entire Sniper/GLaDOS endeavor is woven in black magic, because once we started, we couldn't stop reading. Looking forward to the rest!
I'm so eager to see where this story goes!! I hope you update soon!
Thank you so much for your comments, I hope you like the update! All thoughts and criticisms are welcome! :::: It was raining and it served as a weakness for the humans. It was thick rain that made it hard to see, but not for him, not for a robot Sniper. The mud clung to his metal and he grabbed his enemy, knocking the human’s glasses off his face. He let his metal fingers tighten around the man’s throat, feeling that frantic, human heartbeat thumping wildly against his metal. That familiar, maddening rhythm was a wild cadence that made the robot Sniper rumble deep down in his circuitry. The human’s face was purple, and his eyes started to roll back in his head— A roar shook the battlefield and the robot found itself flying through the air. It landed hard, every one of his bolts and screws rattling. He kept his fist tight, a reflex. He had hidden the ring inside of his thumb. Its rattle was a comfort. Robot Sniper got up in time to use his metal arms as a shield for the RED Heavy’s fist. Some bolts and screws creaked, but it was nothing that the metal couldn’t handle. Sniper swung his arm across and watched as the Heavy fell, gashes opening across his face. Flesh… it was so soft. Useless. The human choked on blood as Sniper brought his foot down on the man’s chest. He felt the bone’s straining across him, trying not to snap— Something small hit Sniper’s left optic. He stopped and looked up to see the German man, throat bruised and some blood vessels in his eyes popped, standing there, stones in his hand. He took his foot off the wheezing Russian, his intent to kill the doctor before finishing off Heavy. The doctor shook as he kept throwing stones. His face was bruised, his right eye almost swollen shut and his lip burst open. Humans would consider ending his life an act of mercy. Robot Sniper felt no mercy as he approached the BLU Medic. There was only three feet between the German and the robot when suddenly, Robot Sniper couldn’t move. His vision jolted, and then everything was white-hot. He saw the Medic’s bright blue eyes widening as he fell backwards. Sniper forced his head to look down and he saw electricity coursing through him. It only lasted for a moment, but it felt like a lifetime of pain in that flash. The battle had stopped and everyone, both human and robot, and turned to watch Sniper’s body convulse helplessly before the lightening strike ended and Sniper’s smoking shell crumpled into the mud. :::: It had been a long day. Sniper had traveled more than he should have in a given day, but only because he wanted to get back to her as quickly as possible. Three weeks had been too long a separation. He stepped into the glass elevator and let it hiss its way down. As soon as he stepped out of it, Blue and Orange were there to greet him. He dropped his bags and let Orange and Blue hug him, their metal limbs making him wince when they squeezed him. They walked with him to the atrium and when the circular doors opened he didn’t expect a group of robotic arms to descend from the ceiling to grab at him. Sniper had to admit that he was startled and he jerked away from one only to be grabbed by three others. “Don’t be dramatic.†Her voice echoed in the atrium and he glanced at her body, her yellow optic focused on him. “I’ve made some modifications while you were gone. You’re early, by the way.†Sniper watched as a pair of arms shooed Blue and Orange away as the rest moved Sniper’s boots and clothes. He was surprised when two “fingers†clamped down on the brim of his hat and lifted it up. When his jeans slid down his legs, Sniper raised his eyebrows. “Maybe I should leave more often if I get this kind of special treatment.†She rolled her optic at him. [i]“You’re exhausted. If you were to expire it would be a nuisance cleaning up the mess.†Despite the apathetic tone she put in her voice, the arms tightened around him. He smiled and kissed the closest metal stalk to him. “I love you too, darling.†She brought him close, and the arms traded themselves for the thick cords he was used to. They held him, and he watched as she brought up the monitors and had Blue and Orange testing again. He dragged his fingers over the wires and they buzzed. “Go to sleep or I’ll sedate you so you won’t wake up for a week.†Sniper smiled and kissed her cord. “Yes, ma’am.†Sniper jerked back into consciousness. Rain poured down and he scrambled to hang onto the dream… the memory that had been so vivid merely seconds before. It was gone, like sand through his fingers. He sat up and grimaced when he felt a splitting headache blossoming… except he didn’t grimace. His face didn’t move even though the agony he was in clearly dictated and deserved a pained expression. It soon became less about the pain and more about the fact that even when Sniper concentrated he couldn’t feel his face move an inch. Lightening cracked and the flash directed Sniper’s eyes up and to the REDs and BLUs. He saw their Heavy, who’d been beaten to a pulp, being helped up by the BLU Medic, which didn’t make any bloody sense. He saw a familiar face, a friend, the Spy. But Spy was staring at him like Sniper was a rabid dog. “Spook?†Everything went cold because the voice… Sniper’s voice… wasn’t his voice. His mouth hadn’t moved… because he didn’t have a mouth. He looked down at his hands, and that’s when he started screaming. TBC
Okay. So. I wasn't sure if I liked this story or not, but after this chapter, I know for sure that I completely adore it! ( I was hoping it was going to go this way)
JESUS FUCKING CHRIST GODDAMN IT DON'T STOP THERE!!!! AUGH CLIFF HANGERS! Seriously, though, got me in tears and raging like nobody's business wanting to murder some higher-ups in the Fortress workings.
I love it I love it and I can't wait to see where this is going.
Thank you for your comments. Sorry it's been so long, it's been crazy getting ready for school. Please, let me know what you think of this update! :::: Lightening flashed and Sniper only stopped screaming when he heard Spy shout, a bullet flying into his shoulder. He whirled around, to see what BLU fired the shot—only to see a distorted image of himself. A robot. A robot Sniper who was about to squeeze off another shot but Sniper put his metal palm over the gun and didn’t flinch when the robot fired it off anyway. Sniper could no longer feel physical pain. He reached for the imposter’s neck and ripped at the wires until he was covered in oil and the shrill, electronic shrieks stopped. He snarled even though he had no vocal chords to make it guttural like an animal’s. When he was finished he saw that the robots had stopped and were staring at him. Their blue optics glowed and they knew something wasn’t right with their companion. Sniper moved so that he was between the humans and the robots. He didn’t feel fear when they turned toward him and charged, their movements jerky and terrifying. Sniper flew forward and tore them apart if they got too close. He didn’t have time to marvel at the strength at his fingertips, he only had the destruction of the other robots on his mind. He noticed that the rest of his comrades, the BLUs included now, apparently, joined him, screaming as they flew at their enemies now that they had a stronger comrade. The RED Spy stuck the closest to him, and Sniper wished they had time to catch up over a beer. Except they’d never get to because Sniper couldn’t drink. The robotic Heavy grabbed Sniper and ripped him off the ground and threw him across the long stretch of sand. A macabre, robotic version of the Medic tried to get to him, but Sniper grabbed him and managed to get his fingers around the robot’s face and pulled. He held it close even when it thrashed. A robotic roar vibrated through Sniper’s metal and a colossal force knocked him back again. Sniper twitched and though he couldn’t feel pain, his joints locked and the terror that flowed through him was very real. He kept trying to get up, to face the robot Heavy, but his body wouldn’t move. There were some screws that had fallen out of him, and Sniper was helpless as the Heavy let out a noise that was too horrifying for nightmares. Sniper got his arm to jerk up, but he knew that the metal menace would tear through it like it was made out of hot butter. As the metal giant began to charge, Sniper realized he couldn’t close his eyes to brace himself against the pain. He had to watch every second as the steel beast began to charge. When white-hot fire poured down on them, Sniper was surprised and relieved, since the fire didn’t hurt. He only sighed, relieved, and then heard the heavy beats of a helicopter. He saw Miss Pauling, and he struggled to stand, to get up, to warn his friends that they were being betrayed— Miss Pauling fired off a shot, and a heavy net wrapped itself around Sniper’s immobile body. He felt himself being pulled up over the fiery battlefield. He stretched his one hand through the netting and Spy turned, pressing his hand against his bullet wound, and caught Sniper’s blue eyes. Sniper couldn’t speak, and he was pulled into the aircraft. His arm flailed out but Miss Pauling, ever resourceful, was ready and aimed a gun at him. When she pulled the trigger, the strange surge that burned through him—only that caused him pain. He screamed, and words flashed before his eyes, words like “System Shutdown†and “Reboot Required.†Sniper was familiar with how to fight unconsciousness, how to use the pain to make him stay awake. That, however, had been when he was a human. His vision went black, his body going limp as everything went dark. :::: System now online. Blue-tinged images blinked to life. There was a human female standing in front of him in a purple dress and big glasses. When the robot shifted its head to the side it saw that its limbs were restrained to the wall by sturdy metal. It would be difficult to break and by the time it would take to free itself would give the woman enough time to properly immobilize it. It remained still. “Robot.†The robot’s head returned so that it was facing her. “What is your directive?†The answer came instantly. “To terminate all REDs and BLUs.†Now that the robot had said it, it felt more comfortable. The woman relaxed too, a smile stretching across her face. “Good, you’re all better.†Her hand tapped its metal chest. “You just needed a reboot.†She released it from its binds. The robot realized it was in a moving air carrier, a rather large one. There were several other robots, of different variations. It moved to the empty seat in a long line of robots. When it sat down, its hand rattled. It kept rattling, and right when the robotic Sniper was going to open up its palm, the airship dipped. The woman was holding onto straps that hung down from the ceiling. Her dress rode up her legs and she held on tightly as the ship moved downward. The back door of the plane opened and the robot saw a base. Deep in its circuitry it knew the enemy humans were there. The robots all stood as one. Black hair whipped around a fair face and she had to use her one free hand to hold her glasses in place. “Remember your directive, robots, and fight hard!†The wind blew fiercely and they were low enough that they would be able to job. They rose as one. They marched forward as one. And they all jumped to battle, guns ready and eyes unblinking, as one. TBC
It is because of you that I adore the SniperXGlados pairing I really can't wait for the next update! I'm just dying to see where this goes