My apologies if this is of poor quality. I'll remove it immediately if there's an issue. ------------------------------------------------------------- My first post. Recently, Scout made a covert cameo as an unlockable in a flash game, and I thought it was so adorable that it needed a story to go along with it. http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/571844 ------------------------------------------------------------- Scout awoke from his slumber with a groggy head. Wha-...Wha'happened? He couldn't recall having gone to sleep. Last thing he knew, he was bashin' heads on the battlefield amidst his ravenous comrades. He'd darted out of respawn and down the bridge that divided Two-Fort into halves, ejecting a spray of shrapnel from his scattergun into an onslaught of advancing RED offensives. He'd clipped a soldier in the midriff, earning him a stifled bellow of ,"Insubordinate scum!" - Damn right - Then... He drew a blank. Any semblance of what occured next left his present mind. Disgruntled, he gathered the gall to clamber off the ground and onto his feet. Weary and bewildered, he absorbed his surroundings. Needless to say, it wasn't a pretty sight. Vast emptiness. Miles and miles of desolate, harsh desert. A ruthless sun hung over the horizon, baking the sediment in dry warmth. Scout quivered, his feet planted firmly in the sandstone beneath. Beside himself with terror, he searched for his bat. Nothing. In its place, however, was the BLU Soldier's slapjack which he often referred to as the "Pain Train." Scout blanched at the thought of soldier's rage once he realized who had his beloved beating stick. Still, in the absence of any other implement of harm, Scout squatted in the dirt and swung the weapon over his shoulder. "Probably some fuckin'-...Dingos or some shit 'round here. Soldier wouldn't mind." He reasoned it out with a stiff upper lip, still at unease with his surroundings. He ambled over to a brick wall that was erected beside him. Hadn't noticed that before-...Hm. It was an unnatural height. Abnormally thick and sturdy, and it protruded high into the sky. Scout squinted with strain as he gandered at the massive structure. Having given the area a second appraisal, he recognized a similar wall behind him. "What the fuck? Who sets up two walls in the middle'o nowhere? Engie, probably. Fuckin' egghead." Scout swore to himself, glancing at the gap of empty space between the broad sides. A shadow loomed over him - It was cast by, at any rate, a dangling platform. Dangling-...But from what? It was entirely organic. Scout hunkered down and, with "Pain Train" in tow, hoisted himself up the rim by the arms. He scrambled aboard the surface and stood. It sank under his weight. No, this wasn't natural at all. It was floating. Here was Scout, balancing on a fuckin' levitating platform. Having cleared his mind of any doubt that he had gone entirely bonkers, Scout was free to experience the insanity in full girth. Above him hung-.../Levitated/ another platform. And more after that. They were arranged in convenient series. Scout shrugged and began to climb. With his ascent, the features of his new world became clearer. Apparently, the desert was inhabited by winged, gourd-like monsters. They buzzed about, floating ominously close to him before darting away. Didn't seem to notice his presence much. They wore different facial expressions; some of them content, and some of them looking awfully mad. Scout found the courage to flick one with his index finger, only to have it burst into a gruesome heap of organ and blood. He grimaced as it fell to the ground, skull clattering beside it. Scout shook his head, brow high in shock. He climbed further. "Maybe this ain't half bad. They're pretty cute, I guess." He made a note to avoid touching them, lest he end up murdering an entire family of freaky blob creatures. As he continued further into the sky, Scout was met with a colorful assortment of otherwordly creatures that could've rivalled his wildest childhood dreams. "This shit musta' come outta' a comic." He snorted as he passed a snake that was held aloft by a propeller hat. Scout reluctantly glanced back down at the floating snake, finding it completely unaware of his presence. Or was it ignoring him? Scout called down after it ,"Yo, buddy!" - No response. Scout was getting irritated. "Hey - Y'know how I could get outta' here?" The creature didn't budge. It just stared complacently into the distance. "I'm talkin' to you!" Scout irritably prodded it in the side. It creakily turned to face him, and -... Boom. Scout was launched, in a flaming mass, over the next three platforms and onto the fourth. Dazed and horrified, Scout collected his rod and peered over the edge. A burnt propeller hat rested on a patch of land below. As he blinked in confusion, something inside of Scout snapped. He stood with a manic grin ,"Alright - Who's next?! Imma' headbutt cha!" Scout leapt into the air, brushing past and consequently murdering a nearby pelican. He cackled maniacally. "Oh yeah!" - It was a spree for him. Red, blue, white, brown. Didn't matter. He'd come up with an inventive way to kill every creature in his path. Strangle, stab, pseudo-baseball. Scout crouched on the edge of a platform, panting and heaving with adrenaline. A frustrated-looking Goomba teetered overhead. Scout brashly threatened the seemingly innocuous creature by raising his bat ,"I've got enough to go around, pally!" The Goomba provided no response other than hovering irately above him. "What? Scared?! Yah' better be!" Scout reared back on the balls of his feet and propelled himself into the underside of the Goomba. Unexpectedly, it didn't burst into flames. Unfortunately, Scout did. Scout was revived on the ground. Back at the beginning. "Well, respawn still works." He mused with a grunt as he massaged his sore backside. He'd have to scale the entirety of the structure again. And what then, he wondered? What lies beyond the unconventional staricase? What if there wasn't anything at all? Scout knit his brow in angst. He wondered if his team noticed a lack of Scout's essence. 'Prolly not. As he was readjusting himself and locating Soldier's club, a sudden visage appeared before him. A disembodied head. Heavy's. It was placid and wise, much like that of a scholar or mentor. Heavy was, in reality, neither. He'd never mistreated Scout, despite how obnoxious the enthusiastic youth could be, but he wasn't a frickin' Obi-Wan. Heavy patiently waited for Scout to close his gaping mouth before speaking. In a resonant, calm voice, he reassured the boy ,"Leetle Scout. Time ees bleak, but Scout ees strong. Believe in yourself, because ve do." Heavy's image broke and dispersed into thin air. Scout bit his lip and rose, reinvigored by Heavy's words. He /could/ do this. What followed would've inspired even the hardest of mercenaries. Scout ascended the adjunct platforms, climbing hand over hand and deftly avoiding any stray creatures. Sweat beaded against his forehead and splattered onto the dry terrain. The higher he rose, the closer he came to what appeared to be a massive silhouette hanging in the distance. A-...A dragon? That's it. The final boss. Scout extended his hand, clutched the corner of a platform, and ejected himself into a throttling leap into the air. Flying. Time slowed to a halt, and every frame brought him in closer proximity to the behemoth of a monster. He folded over in half, toppling onto the ridged spine of the beast. He clenched the club in his fist, and-... "Scout! Get out uff ze simulator room!" Medic brusquely flicked the switch on the wall that controlled the state of Engineer's simulator. He elicited an aggravated huff as Scout crumpled to the ground. "Si-...Simulator room?" Scout stammered. He was doubled over in a blue latticed room. The walls emitted a sputtering light that soon faded to reveal a handful of grey screens. "Ja volle. Get out of zhere! Unt quit slacking off-...Vhy do you have Soldier's baton? Nevermind." Medic quickly hustled into the hallway with a whirl of tailcoat. Scout blinked. He collected himself, palming at his damp scalp until he regained enough composure to proceed into the main complex. Heavy was leant against a wall, staring absently in the direction of the sick bay. He turned to face a dissheveled Scout ,"Leetle Scout. I hear Medic scolded you. Ees Scout alright?" Scout's expression softened ,"Yea-...Yeah, big guy." He momentarily recalled simulation-Heavy's rousting speech, and he patted the real one on the shoulder. Heavy smiled his burly smile.
That was pretty cute