A while back I said to myself “well, if the teams are clones, what happens when they have to work together during MvM? And what about all these theories flying about the place regarding the BLU Engineer?†So here’s a (possibly oneshot) fanfic about RED Sniper and RED Engineer’s friendship in that context. Already crossposted to my tumblr and Ao3. For the record, I am (thankfully) not the same VS who posted one or two completely irrelevant fics to TF2chan back in the day. Merely absentminded enough to use a common two letter combination as a name without doublechecking first. --- The RED and BLU Soldier had to be having their worst argument to date when Sniper trudged into the kitchen, didn’t they? Must’ve been something contentious too, with the volume they were going at it. It was so bad he almost trudged right on out again. Without his morning coffee, even. But he unwittingly tuned in to the shouting for a moment, and what he heard stopped him in his tracks. "AAAAND how do you know the toymaker has not betrayed us? You should be watching him like a HAWK, private!" "Well MAYBE if you had faith in your team like I do, YOUR ENGINEER WOULD NOT HAVE DESERTED!" "Say that again, you Commie imposter, and I'll show you what a REAL Soldier can do." The BLU Soldier's voice dropped to a growl low enough that Sniper could barely hear it, and he nearly breathed a sigh of relief at the brief respite. The two lummoxes had lapsed into perhaps the most aggressive staring contest the world had ever seen, chest to chest trying to intimidate each other. That both of them were wearing helmets that covered their eyes seemed to make no difference. Sniper rolled his own eyes and got back to making coffee and to his own thoughts. All this about Engineer, though... Sure, he'd gone and holed himself up in his workshop soon as they got back from the frontlines to rest up a bit. And he’d been gone a good bit longer than was usual even for him. And maybe Sniper was starting to get more than a bit concerned. But the BLU Soldier still had no bloody right throwing baseless accusations around. The Sniper frowned at the coffee machine. The BLU Soldier was stark raving bonkers, suggesting he'd gone the way of the other Engineer. Should have defended RED Engineer himself, he knew the man well enough, but he already got enough of an earful from his father on a semi-regular basis. He wasn’t about to go and get himself in the Soldier’s line of fire, that was for sure. He appreciated have working eardrums. The two Soldiers started up again, only a fraction of a decibel quieter, and Sniper thumped the side of the coffee machine in an attempt to make it work faster. There, he had it, he had the coffee, he was leaving before – "You there! Bablo Biggins!" He sighed and turned around. "'S not my name." The Soldier gave him a semi-irate look. "Bablo Biggins! You have dealings with the RED Engineer, do you not?" "'Dealings with', yeah, I guess you could say that." Like it would have killed the man to just use the word ‘friends’. “What’s it to you?†“RECONNAISSANCE, SOLDIER! You are to make your way to the Engineer’s workshop and enquire as surreptitiously as possible as to whether he planning to replace us all with blood-powered robots!†“Riiiiight.†Barge in and start spouting conspiracy theory babble all over the place. Or ask Engineer if he was planning to betray them all. Great plan. “In the event that you refuse, I will personally see to it that the coffee machine joins the frontline defence against the mechanical menace! In fact, for all you know, that very machine could be a robot SPY. And then I would be doing you a favour!†“Alright, alright. I’ll head down. Let me grab a bite to eat.†Arguing against the Soldier was more trouble than it was worth. And besides, he had been getting worried, not having seen Engineer in as many days. That much was true. Soldier barking at him was just… The extra incentive he needed to get over his trepidation about invading Engineer’s space when he hadn’t already been invited. He loaded the toaster, one slice each side, dial at two, and downed the coffee as he waited, doing his best to tune out the Soldier’s muttering about lollygagging. Toast would give him an excuse if Engineer questioned why he was popping by, anyway. The toast popped, one was a bit brown around the edges, he’d take that. They did have butter, didn’t they? Right, there in the cupboard. Rooted out a clean knife, slapped some on both slices. Steadfastly didn’t think about how futile it was to bring toast over to someone who hadn’t been seen in days. The BLU Sniper gave him half a smirk on his way out. Creepy bastard. Was weird as fuck having your own clone giving you smarmy looks. Least he was doing well enough to have the #1 Sniper mug, and not the BLU. 'Sides, nothing wrong with showing a bit of concern for a friend. He got to feeling more and more awkward on his way over, though. What if Engineer was right in the middle of something? It had always been the case before that he’d been invited rather than barging in. It wasn’t his way. Or... What if he was dead? Respawn malfunctions were a bit of an urban legend, but they did happen. No, no, no use getting all morbid about it. Or worse, if he were to listen to the Soldier. But he banished that traitorous thought too, and felt a bit ashamed for letting himself doubt Engineer like the rest of ‘em. Only one way to find out, either way. So he steeled himself and gave a short series of knocks. “Alright, I’m comin’. Wait just one second now.†Well, he wasn’t dead or vanished, so that was a good sign. The door swung open, and he took a look in, at Engineer and at the workshop over his shoulder. “Oh, Slim, it’s you. Come right on in, and you tell me what you’re here for.†He didn’t look too bad, all considered. Well, he’d his goggles still on and it looked like there were bags under his eyes. Oil stains on his overalls, too. Pretty normal, really, if he’d been staying up working on something. Didn’t look like anyone who was up to no good. Sniper relaxed, fractionally. “Oh, um. Nothin’ much, really. Just. Came to see how you were getting on. Hadn’t seen you round in a while.†He fidgeted with the toast and tore off a corner before stopping himself. “That’s all.†“Well, thank you kindly for your concern. As you can see, I’m fit as a fiddle, but I wouldn’t mind chewing the cud for a few moments.†He took a look at the plate Sniper was awkwardly cradling, and smiled a little. “Don’t mind if I take that toast you got there, either.†“Actually, didn’t see you in the kitchen at all, so… What’ve you been eating?†Sniper followed him in, hands hanging. He took a couple of glances about the place as he did. It looked fairly normal, too. “’S that all that’s been troubling you?†Sniper didn’t confirm either way, but bit the inside of his cheek, feeling a bit foolish. “I think I can let you in on a little secret. Just don’t tell the Scout – either of them, I mean – else I’ll never hear the end of it.†He watched Engineer stride on over to a dispenser standing to the side and, with a flourish like a magician, swing the front open to reveal the inside of a fridge. “’S right clever. Looks like you were gonna haveta venture out soon anyway, though.†“Mmhm. Thought you might appreciate it, even if a lack of a fridge never stopped you doing anything.†“Anyway, speakin’ of secrets… Let me show you what I’ve been working on, these past couple of days.†He made a beeline from the fridge to something that was lying on the floor, draped in a tarpaulin. Pulling it aside, Engineer showed off a robot. “Well, what do you think? Maybe if I make enough of these, you fellas can get a break every second time those dog-gone robots attack.†And there was that pleased as punch tone Engineer got every time he'd solved some problem or other. The robot Engineer showed him, though – it was one of the Sniperbots, sure, but… It looked more like him than the scraps of ones the Engineer had hauled in from the battlefield. The details were finer. Painted red, too. None of the ones he’d seen on the field had that kind of effort put into them, not of any class. Mass produced, maybe. He stole a glance at the Engineer’s expectant face, imagined him taking time over this one. Staying up working. Making it look uncannily like him, but in metal instead of flesh. Poring over polaroids to get it right. He suppressed a shudder, recoiling from the thing. “I dunno, mate.†He tried to keep his face on the more neutral side of disapproval. Looking at the Sniperbot, though, that made his skin crawl. “Don’t know? I haven’t just reprogrammed ‘em, I’ve improved upon any design flaws they might have had.†The Engineer was still wearing those goggles and hat of his, but the way the rest of his face scrunched up, his eyebrows had to be knitted up something fierce. “But, why?†“Well, why not?†“I mean, if you’d heard the BLU Soldier lately, it’s just… Well, this whole robot business. I’m not sure you’d be getting too many rave reviews about it, is all.†He was tentative, hoping his friend’d figure out what he was getting at instead of making him explain. “I ain’t... Exactly sure what you mean by that.†The Engineer spoke slowly. It was as if he’d already figured it out, but didn’t want to let on. “All I’ve been doing is fixing these chunks of scrap up so they’ll fight for us instead of against us, there's nothing untoward about it.†“It’s just... Look, it’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s just, Truckie, with all these rumours going around about the BLU Engineer... †He kept a close eye on the Engineer, and saw his nostrils flare. That was… That wasn’t a great sign, really. “Can I ask you just for one moment, to tell me what colour uniform I’m wearin’?†The Engineer kept his tone neutral, but Sniper had the feeling that under his goggles, the man had rolled his eyes at him. He felt a prickling of embarrassment, and fought to keep from scratching at the back of his neck. “’S RED. I know that.†“That’s right. RED. Not BLU.†The Engineer nodded, looking satisfied. “Still, you might want to abandon that project of yours, Truckie. It doesn’t… It doesn’t look great. ‘S all I’m saying.†And then the Engineer’s expression changed to curdled milk. “’Doesn’t look great.’ I swear, you’re the last person I thought I’d be hearing this from!†He sighed deeply. “Look, I… Dammit, Slim, you’ve known me for four years and now you think I’m exactly the same as that BLU sonuvabitch? That four whole years of a man’s life makes no goddamn difference? You think a fella never changes?†“That’s it, that’s the point. I don’t know what to think.†Sniper couldn’t tell if the Engineer was putting on the desperation he heard, that was the problem. He was never that great at reading people, really. He fell silent for a moment, before catching up with the implications of what he’d heard. “Wait… You saying at one point you would’ve, Truckie? Is that what you’re saying?†He searched the Engineer’s posture for any tell-tale flinch at what he said. All he caught was the dissatisfied tilt of his mouth, as the Engineer turned to look at the robot he’d been so eager to show off earlier. “Maybe. I don’t know. Heard he wasn’t that close to his team, but I still can’t figure out what his motivations are. He must’ve had some damn good incentive, I’ll say, but if you expect me to decipher the thoughts of a traitor, you’d best not ask, ‘cos I don’t appreciate it.†The sudden memory of his BLU counterpart smirking at him turned Sniper’s stomach, and the workshop started feeling a bit too claustrophobic for his liking. “Look, I gotta go. All sorts to do. Clean my rifle. That sort of thing.†He told himself that was just his paranoia acting up, that was all. Then again, that same paranoia kept knives out of his back, most days, and saved his life a few times before his signing up to RED. “Wait up a second, Slim, let me try and explain one more time.†The Engineer had taken off his hard hat and ran a hand over his head, like he was regrouping his thoughts. “No, that’s… Need to go think things over, alright. A bit of space.†He made to move towards the door. “I said, wait just one gosh-darn second!†The Engineer reached out automatically to stop him, and just so happened to catch onto him with his right hand. The gunslinger, Sniper had known it was there under the glove, he’d been shown it before. But the too-solid grip of the fingers reminded him of those of the robot he’d seen. He wrenched his arm out of the Engineer’s grip and suppressed a shudder. But there was nothing he could do to keep the brief flicker of fear he felt out of his eyes. Close as Sniper was, the Engineer must’ve seen it, too, and he let his hand fall. He glanced over his shoulder on the way out and saw the Engineer standing in the middle of the workshop, silently, watching him leave. He shut the door behind him, and the noise as it clicked shut seemed unnaturally loud. What he needed was to go back to his van and think. Just, think. Without interruptions. If he did so long enough, maybe he’d eventually be able to decide whether he could trust the Engineer. Or maybe not.
I'm off to go cry now.
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>>2 I'm happy to hear my fic got such an emotional response from you. >>3 Thank you again for your detailed reply. I'm very glad to hear such positive comments about the last conversation. I worked hard on making the dialogue seem believable, especially since it is such a tense scene. (Would you believe, I've been on-off working on this for a few months, short as it is! I hope with more practice I can get faster at trying to write somewhat subtle interactions.) Sniper's thought patterns, too. I had some feedback at the editing stages that it wavered between 'my' narrative style and 'his'. So I went over that. And the characterisation. I always suspect that I'm writing Sniper wrong one way or another. I'll have to go over the versions on tumblr and Ao3 and clean up those bits and pieces you've mentioned. And I'm making note of this, too, for the future: I would suggest when you have a line of dialogue snapping a character out of their thoughts, you leave it on its own, then continue the conversation from there. >It also reads better when you don't follow dialogue with another character's actions. I'll be making sure to watch out for that, and if I do, use the character's name instead of a pronoun, because that is confusing. Looking over I can see parts of the non-dialogue text that would have been better for use the name instead of pronoun, because of the line they're coming directly after, too. (As well as typos! Damn. You'd really wonder how many times you need to re-read a text to catch them all.) That line of the Engineer's, you're right about that, I think. I was reading the tone I wanted into it. So I'll have to go and fix that, too. As for the following sentence being jarring: 'Sides, nothing wrong with showing a bit of concern for a friend. I'll put this under a spoiler tag, since really it's getting a bit into authorial intent - I'm not about to say that anyone has to read things a certain way, by any means - and only becomes properly relevant if I do decide to continue. (And I'll note you're free to still say that I should try and make it smoother, if this is unconvincing. Or if you picked up on this earlier but that it still should have been changed! I don't think I'm good at subtle/ambiguous elements, so what I intended may not have been effective or noticeable anyway.) I actually don't mind it being jarring, because the intention is that it make a reader say "hang on, what's going on here? Why is that mentioned right after BLU Sniper?" Sniper's thought is related directly to the paragraph with the BLU Sniper, but in a roundabout manner. I wanted it to be possible to perhaps pick-up on a certain anxiety on the part of the RED Sniper about how his friendship with the Engineer could be viewed. That the BLU Sniper smirking is unnerving not only because they're clones, but also RED thinks that BLU might think there's something up. This also comes back in with the paragraph about how the Engineer must have spent extra time making the robot look more like RED Sniper... I left it ambiguous because it wasn't incredibly relevant - the RED Engineer and Sniper do have a platonic friendship here. But I liked the idea of Sniper worrying about how it could be perceived - especially by BLU Sniper, there's the idea that, well, if they're clones then what does BLU Sniper know (about himself) that RED Sniper is skirting around in his narration? But essentially it's up to the reader if they pick up on it and whether they want to get into that, because it's one lesser aspect in comparison with the main theme/flow of the fic. Like I said, it would only become important if I were to continue the fic and make certain choices about characterisation. I've had my beta readers express an interest in seeing this continued, as well. I may do so, slowly and on the side. (And if I can ever decide which direction I want to go in!) Not directly, though - I really do want to flit from topic to topic, since there's just so many things I could write. (I'm sounding a bit of a dilettante, there, maybe.) Actually, finishing things so that they feel finished is something I believe I have problems with, as a writer, in general. So I'm going to have to work on that, somehow. (Though I'm not sure how.) And oof - sorry for rambling so much! Bad habits. If I can ask just one question of yourself - and of other readers - what did you think of the Engineer, here? Did you believe him? Did you think that Sniper should, or did too much, or too little? I'm very curious to know.
>>5 Well, I'm aware I have a lot of learning to do yet, as a writer, and I am fairly desperate for concrit. (Since I can't always identify what's 'off' about my writing.) Wouldn't really be posting my writing here, otherwise. So with that said, it doesn't make sense to dismiss any crit without giving it a thorough bit of thinking, first. Still have to do the little tweaks on the versions elsewhere, but that's a matter of having time. To be honest I can probably just scrap the line with the mug. I think the Soldiers already get the idea of a contest for legitimacy across, and when I continue I can throw it back in at a later stage if I want. Hehe, I certainly hope so! I'll have to be challenging myself to write things that require greater effort. Right, thanks for telling me. As for what to do, I'll keep that in mind.