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“ Hey, do ya mind checking on Miss Pauling? “ Engineer asks you, catching your attention.
“ I haven’t heard back from The Administrator for a while, and I was just getting worried about her. “
“ It’s strange, especially since Miss Pauling's been the only one on the intercom during matches lately. “
Nodding, you agree. “ Okay, I’ll go check up on her. “
" Thank you. " Engineer says. He then pulls out a notepad from his pocket, scribbling something on it, ripping the sheet out. Handing it to you, it’s a neatly written signature.
“ Here’s mah signature in case if they ask. I know how strict they are for that kind of stuff. “
" Be especially careful since her base is guarded with dogs and bodyguards. "
Nodding, you take the sheet of paper, folding it in your pocket. Going over to the key rack, you put the RED BREAD truck keys into your pocket. “ And tell her I said hi! “ Engineer shouts, leaving.
Heading to the garage, you open the garage door, shutting it behind you. Going over and getting in the RED BREAD truck, you then put the keys in the ignition, starting the truck. Driving out of the base, you shortly head to the base where the administrator hid in.
Parking, you got out looking around. You noticed that there was no dogs as Engineer said. Weird, you thought. Scanning the atmosphere, there was only a giant fence with warning signs in front of a boarded up entrance.
Sighing, you decide to climb over it, praying it isn’t electrocuted. Barely climbing over the fence, you fell over onto the ground. " Oww.. " you wince.
Now on the other side, you walk through the entrance. As you walk through the mines, you then are met with a group of men in long coats and hats in an elevator. “ Who are you? state your position. “ one of them commands.
“ I’m uh a merc. “ you say, fumbling to fetch your ID from your pocket. Pulling it out, you hand it to them, and they nod slowly. You then hand them the signature Engineer gave to you earlier.
They all crowd around it, examining it. Nodding in sync, They then let you into the elevator. Handing you back your ID, one of them asks, “ Are you here to see Miss Pauling? “ You nod, and they all remain silent.
One of them then uses their hand on the hand print system, and the elevator shifts downwards. Shifting uncomfortably, you put your ID back into your pocket.
DING!
Stopping at the designated floor, one of them leads you to her through the metallic halls, with the rest following behind you. After walking for a bit, following them, you then reach a metallic room, on high ground.
" Watch your step. " one of them says, waiting for the bridge to connect to the other side.
“ Careful, don’t fall in. Stay with us. “ the other one adds.
As the bridge shifts towards you, everyone gets on safely across the other side. They then continue to lead you to the administrators room.
Passing by on the way there, there was a room with the door open.
Peeking in, you noticed that it was a small bedroom with a medium bed, a closet, and a drawer. There were a few stuffed animals on the bed, including a unicorn, and a framed picture of Miss Pauling and the mercs in a group photo on the desk.
“ No looking. “ one of them says, shutting the door, as they continue to lead the way. Shortly, you then are met with a door to The Administrators room.
“ We will stay out here unless Miss Pauling says so. “ one of them says. You nod, and hesitantly knock.
KNOCK KNOCK, KNOCK!
“ Um excuse me Miss Pauling? “ you ask.
" It's me. I wanted to talk to you about something. " you add.
You then hear her shuffling around in the room. Noticing your voice, she yells from inside, “ COME IN! “ Turning the knob slowly, you open the door.
There Miss Pauline sat at the control desk, eating a sandwich, with a water bottle set aside.
She was on her lunch break currently.
Startled, she asks you “ Is there anything you need? “, finishing up her sandwich.
“ Well um, have you seen The Administrator today? “ you ask, looking around for her.
“ I'm afraid I haven’t seen her lately. Not sure where she went. “ she replies, taking a sip from her water bottle.
You then look at the large array of cameras on the control room. Nodding, you ask her, “ So you’re just running cameras and matches for now? “
" Yup. " she replies, her gaze flickering at one of the cameras of the RED soldier picking his nose in the base, before back at you.
“ I'm afraid so yes, until she comes back “. She then puts the cap back on her water bottle, closing it.
Her gaze then flickers, looking at the men standing behind the door. “ You are allowed to leave. “ she says politely. The men nod, leaving. You then shut the door, sitting down.
“ What happened to all the guard dogs? Aren’t they usually there? “ you ask.
Miss Pauling nods. “ I let them have a break for now, to eat since they’ve been out there for hours. “
“ I set some water out there earlier, so they don’t get thirsty. “
“ I'll let them back out soon. "
Nodding, Miss Pauling then throws away her trash. She then looks around for something, her eyes widening in surprise.
Frantically looking around, she says to herself, “ Where is it? “ looking around for it.
“ Urgh, I better not have lost it again.. “
Curious, you ask her, “ What are you looking for Miss Pauling? “
“ My makeup bag “ she replies, still looking.
Getting up and helping her, you help look under the desk, and on the shelves.
Nothing.
“ I could’ve sworn I brought it in here.. “ she says, desperately looking around.
Finally, spotting it on the ground, it was a worn out purple small bag, with some lace embroidered on it. “ Is this it? “ you ask her, getting up from the ground and holding it out to her.
“ Yes! thank you! “ she hugs it happily. Sitting back down on her chair relieved, she unzips it, taking out some products. A few sponges, foundation, concealer, mascara, eyebrow pencil, and lip gloss.
“ Thank you for finding it. It means a lot to me. “ she says gratefully. She then pulls out a small pocket mirror from her pocket. Opening it, she gently pats her face with a sponge.
“ Ya know, it’s funny, because I always happen to lose my makeup bag whenever I drive along with the mercs. “
" I always bring it everywhere, and the mercs always have to return it to me. “ she laughs to herself.
She then looks back up at the cameras, this time, Demoman passed out drunk on one of them.
“ It takes me a while, everyday putting it on. I know the mercs probably don’t notice, but it’s time consuming for me. “
“ I always want to look my best. “ she adds.
She then sighs. “ Beforehand, I rarely had time to buy new makeup with my job. After a long day, all I wanted to do was go to sleep, and have dinner. “
She then chuckles to herself.
“ One time, Scout must’ve noticed me still using the same foundation i’ve been using for years. “
“ It was worn out, and almost empty to the bottom. “
“ He then said that I didn’t have to use the same one, and he could buy me some whenever he has his lunch break. “
“ I then said that he didn’t have to since I was perfectly fine with using the same one, but he insisted. “
“ Hesitantly, I then gave him my makeup for reference, and he nodded. Thanking me, he put them into his pocket. “
“ As I watched on the cameras, all of the mercs left in the RED BREAD truck. “
“ Later, I assume they went to store nearby, picking it up. A while later, they came back. “
“ Knocking on the door, Scout said it was him. “
“ I told him that he could come in, and he did, gently shutting the door. “
“ In his hands was a plastic bag. He then set my own makeup down on the table. “
“ Pulling out the makeup from the bag, I took a good look at it, and it was the exact same brand and everything. “
“ Scout must’ve told the others since i’m sure he didn’t know a thing about makeup. “ she chuckles.
“ Scout then apologized since he wanted to keep it secret between us, and felt really bad, and I said it was okay since he didn’t know. “
“ He then said that the mercs did their best, with Spy and Engie helping. “
“ Scout then said, quoting from Engie, “ That if there’s anything Miss Pauling needed, they can get it for her “ “.
“ I then nodded, thanking Scout again, and he turned around, about to leave. “
“ I then called out for his name. " Scout? " "
“ Turning around, he then raised an eyebrow curious, and my face was scalding hot, I couldn’t believe I was asking him this. “
You then pause, waiting for her to continue.
“ I then asked if the mercs could buy me pads since I was running out, and Scout nodded, giving me a thumbs up. “
“ I then dug around in my bag, handing him ones for reference, and he then wrote it down on a notepad from his pocket, giving it back to me. “
“ don’t worry Miss Pauling, we got it. “
“ And he left. “
“ The mercs again, left in the RED BREAD truck again, going to the store. “
“ A while later, Scout and the other mercs came back, knocking on my door. “
“ Their heavy footsteps filling the room. “
“ MS PAULING! IT IS SOLDIER AND THE REST OF US! “ she quotes Soldier.
“ Sighing, I let them come in. “
“ They then all flooded the room carrying varieties of snacks, and period products. “
“ We didn’t know if we should buy all the pads, so we did. “ Miss pauling quotes Scout.
" A lot of people at the store were giving us weird looks.. " Demoman laughs.
“ Heavy suggested snacks. “
“ Ve got you a heating pad. “ Medic chimes in.
“ I was holding back tears, trying not to cry. “ Miss Pauling said.
" Pyro then pulled out a unicorn plushie, from one of the bags, handing it to me. "
“ The administrator usually buys them for me, and I happened to be on my period that day, low on products. She happened to be busy that day, and couldn't buy them for me. “
“ The mercs then all smiled, and left, waving goodbye. “
Miss Pauling then smiles. “ You know, for a bunch of mercenaries, they did their best. “
“ every time I need anything personal, they always know what to get and are happy to help me since I rarely have any time outside of my job. “
“ Sure they are loud and annoying, and but they have good intentions sometimes. “
She then sighs, checking her eyes in the mirror. “ Ugh, my eye bags definitely show up. “ she says to herself. She then puts a spot of concealer under each of her eyes, patting it with the sponge.
Checking her mascara in the mirror, she then opens the cap on her eyebrow pencil, filling in her eyebrows,
“ I always admired that they never talked over me, and let me speak. “ she adds, doing short, soft strokes.
She then closes the caps of each, pulling out her lip gloss. “ Sometimes, I wonder what my life would be like if I didn’t work under The Administrator. “ she says as she puts it on.
Popping her lips, she then closes it, putting all her makeup back into her bag, zipping it up.
“ More vacations, social life, sleep, but at the cost of a dull worklife. It’s not something you see everyday, someone getting splashed with jarate. “ she laughs.
“ Sometimes I wish I had days where I could go out and go shopping, get a manicure, or just have a friend to talk to. “
Miss Pauling then looks at her chipped nails, before continuing. “ I’ve been working here at MANN CO for most of my life, because my parents when I was young couldn’t meet ends meet. “
“ They happened to see The Administrator hiring in our local newspapers for a big salary, and they suggested that I fill it out. “
“ I read all of the requirements, and rules too. “
“ I then later sent in an application, and she replied back quickly, saying I was hired. “
“ I had to leave my family, and I rarely saw them again. The last thing I remember about my parents, was them both giving me a big hug, saying how they're so sorry, sending their only daughter to work before I left. "
" When I first got there, The Administrator wasn’t very welcoming, and was shocked at my age. “
“ She said that she expected a man to work under her, but she was more comfortable being around my presence. "
“ Over time, she taught me the ropes, and I grew up alongside her. “
" I miss my parents a lot. I wonder what they're doing now.. " she says sadly.
Miss Pauling then continues. “ As she hired more mercs over the years, I grew envious of their recognized abilities. “
“ REDMOND and BLUTARD, even Saxton Hale, always congratulated them, for their bravery and courage. “
“ What about me? “ she said.
" I know it sounds selfish, but I help run things smoothly in the background, and get them to even cooperate. "
" Any time, they could step out of line and cause things to spiral out of control. "
Miss Pauling then sighed. “ But I can’t hate them for doing their jobs. It’s hard work dying everyday, with long hours, fighting over gravel. “
“ Sometimes I wonder how they have the strength to fight everyday, despite it being monotonous. “
“ Some days, they lash out in anger, taking it out on their clone.. “
“ After battles, I always see them beaten up and bruised, watching them on the cameras. “
“ I talked to Scout one time, while he was busy patching up his arm, from a harsh burn mark from Pyro, asking if he was alright. "
“ He told me not to worry, assured me that it was nothing, and that he didn’t want me to worry about him. “
“ I then asked him if he felt that that all the mercs felt that same way, and Scout shrugged. “
“ I assume so, since they never seem bothered by it he replied. “
“ When I tried asking the other mercs the same question, they all responded with the same thing. “
She then chuckles, sitting comfortably in the chair.
“ On Saturday nights, they always get together and watch a movie together. “
“ I always have to decline, but they never stop asking. “
“ They insist that i’m missing out, and they would love to have me with them. “
“ They always wearing their pajamas, eating snacks, while watching the tv together. “
“ Scout usually wears matching pajama sets, Soldier with his American themed shorts, Pyro with a onesie, Demoman with a long sleeved shirt and sweatpants, Heavy with a nightshirt and cap, Engineer with a long sleeved shirt rolled up to the elbows and pajama pants- “
“ Medic with a long sleeved dress shirt, and pajama pants, Sniper with a short sleeved shirt with pajama pants, and Spy with a robe. “
“ After the movie, they all individually say goodnight to each other, cleaning up, before going their separate ways to their rooms. “
“ Scout always says to me in the cameras in the morning, say how i’m missing out. “ he laughs.
Unzipping her makeup bag and pulling out her mirror looking into it again, she asks you hesitantly, “ How do I look? is it too much? “
You shake your head. “ No, you look beautiful. “
Miss Pauling smiles, “ thank you. “ she then blushes, fixing her hair.
As she zips up her makeup bag again, you say while getting up, “ I better go back to my team. Thank you for your company. “
Miss Pauling nods. “ No, thank you for listening to me. “ she insists, as she walks you out.
Walking back onto the bridge moving to connect to the other side, Miss Pauling says, “ Careful you don’t fall, i’ve had that happen before with the mercs. “
You smile and she then laughs to herself, “ I better let the dogs back out to roam just in case. “
You then nod. “ Oh yeah, Engineer said to tell you hi. “ you add.
Miss Pauling laughs, “ Tell him I said hi back, and that i’m just doing fine. “
Laughing with her, you nod. " Sounds good. "
Leading you out, the men in the long coats and hats are awaiting for you two outside. This time the gate is open, letting you walk through easily. The men in the long coats and hats nod at you two.
Walking over to the RED BREAD truck, you then get inside the truck, putting the keys in the ignition.
“ Drive safe! “ Miss Pauling shouts.
“ I will! “
And you’re gone.
Driving back to the base, Engineer is awaits for you in the garage. Parking and getting out, you take the keys out from the ignition. Pocketing them, Engineer asks you, “ So, what’d she say? “
“ She told you to say hi back, and that she’s doing fine. “ you reply.
Engineer smiles, “ Hm, that’s good to know. “
From then on forward, you always waved to the cameras at Miss Pauling. And from behind the cameras, she smiled to herself, blushing.