Chapter 1: Desert Dweller
Chapter Text
PREY FOR THE NIGHT
"I'm cast out of heaven and I'm praying for a night with you
Your body's a temple and I'm praying for a night with you"Prey for the night- Creeper circa 2025
Of all the places he expected to end up it definitely wasn't the middle of New Mexico in some dessert. He also expected that the other mercenaries would be here already, but it seemed that aside from Miss Pauling and a gentleman she referred to as "The Engineer" he was alone in this monolith building of concrete and steel. Not that he minded any sort of solitude after the rough few days he'd spent here already. The empty hallways and the soft hum of the fluorescent bulbs were perfect for allowing him to keep himself trapped inside his own thoughts. Almost everything he'd brought here and requested had been unpacked and strewn about his tiny new home. The med bay was modest, but after spending such a long time without any sort of clinic or practice of his own it might as well have been paradise. Clean concrete floors, brand new equipment, and a few small bookshelves adorned the public area of the med bay. In his personal room he had everything he thought he might need to keep to himself.
In his personal Quarters he kept a small queen size bed with a metal frame, a coated steel cage filled with his beloved doves, a wardrobe, and a small kitchenette composed of a small stove and a sink with cupboards underneath it for storage as well as a small bathroom. He'd Already decided to make weekly trips to the small town of Teufort twice a month to gather his own food and other supplies.
Medic never really thought of himself as someone who desired any sort of social life. After spending his first thirty-five years on the outskirts of the cities of Austria moving from one small domicile to another, He'd never really had the chance to make any sort of long-term connections with anyone. He supposed it'd be best to leave the new recruits to their own devices as best he could outside of the occasional illness, wound, or checkup. He'd often be accused of being an "odd duck" to put it lightly. Sure, his experiments could be considered deeply concerning and or immoral, but he chalked that up to most people not understanding the proper means of which he needed to make progress. For the past two years it was Just Herbert and his doves moving from place to place unheeded by any sort of family ties. Granted it may have been to avoid the law but still he found it to be a rather exciting adventure.
Here inside his empty room, he felt a tad agoraphobic knowing the base outside it was soon to be filled with seven more strangers. Most of his time spent not reorganizing his small spaces, he made a habit of reading over the medical files of his coworkers and while they definitely seemed like a strange cast of characters, He wondered how friendly they would be towards him. Especially considering the jobs they'd been hired for.
After skimming through the pages at least a dozen times he found himself anxious, squirming around on the stool in front of his desk. A look at the small clock above him on the wall he realized it was almost midnight. The others wouldn't be here until the morning at least, and the people that were here were likely asleep or in their rooms for the night. It was the perfect time to take a walk and clear his head. Medic opened the med bay doors a crack checking to see if his suspicions were correct. No one in the waiting area, and when he traveled out to the main hallway only one small sliver of light was visible from under the engineer's door. It seemed the engineer was also a night owl. Not that medic slept at all if he could help it. Sleep interrupted his focus and his work. Most days he'd avoid it like the plague, even forgetting mealtimes.
After creeping further down the hallway and doing his best to pass by Engineer's doorway he was startled by the door suddenly bursting open, revealing it's occupant (who apparently has an amazing hearing ability). Medic jumped at the sudden appearance of the man, wrapping his arms around himself with a yelp before coming to his senses and readjusting to a more casual posture. "Oh... Hallo Herr Engineer erm... Guten Nacht?" The smaller Texan seemed to be sizing him up, though medic couldn't really tell through the Texan's tinted goggles. "Evenin' Doc. Wasn't really expecting anyone else to be up this late. You get everything unpacked ok? Any problems with the med bay?" Herbert backed off a few steps subconsciously. "Ja everything is unpacked. No problems to speak of so far. I'm just heading out for a quick walk." Engineer gave a short nod at that, exiting his doorway and shutting his door. "Sounds like a nice way to pass the time I suppose, but maybe you'd be better off waiting 'til morning, all kinds of wildlife outside."
Medic offered a reassuring smile. "Nothing I can't handle I assure you, I've spent a good portion of my life outdoors." Engineer nodded and joined Medic as they walked down the hall and into the garage, as they walked, they discussed the projects they were currently engrossing themselves in. Engineer seemed a bit more than excited once Medic Began to share the details of one of his inventions, The Medi-gun, even going so far as to offer to help improve the device. "Any help you can offer me I'd gladly accept! There's always room for improvement especially in the medical field!" He told engineer chipperly. Maybe this man wasn't as he was expecting. Engineer seemed to be a fellow scientist after all. Reaching the end of the garage Medic waved goodbye to the man as he left to work on his truck.
He watched the man crawl underneath the aging vehicle before he opened a door to the right of the hefty steel garage doors and stepped out into the cold and quiet night air. The moon was full and the stars shone brightly overhead, nearby he could hear the hoot of an owl and the sound of small creatures in the brush. Stepping to the side of the building he began to walk along the perimeter of the base, towards the back of the building. As he neared the dumpsters, he noticed the silhouette of a man (or maybe a deer?) Digging through the contents of the trash receptacle. "Excuse me? This is private property you can't be here" The figure turned, barely acknowledging Medic's presence before returning to his search. Medic steeled himself knowing the base and the property around it was classified, as such any sort of intruder needed to be dealt with swiftly. Slowly approaching the figure he realized it was indeed a man, wearing black robes and a deer skull for a hat. Strangely the man's eyes seemed to have a green glow to them.
The figure turned just before medic could reach him and the next thing he knew he was blinded by some sort of massive white light. Less than a second later Ludwig fell to the cold dessert ground unconscious.
...
When Ludwig awoke there was nothing but sand, rocks, and brush around him. He slowly pulled himself up from his prone state facedown in the red and gold sands. His glasses were gone, luckily due to his rather risky experimenting method he had found a way to order the cheap wireframes and perscription lenses in bulk and he was sure there was a crate or two packed away in a storage closet somewhere. After adjusting himself into a seated position, he squinted, trying to adjust his eyes to the harsh desert sun. Everything was swimming and blurry he couldn't see the red clad building in any of the directions he turned in. Letting out a huff he took off his white lab coat and threw it over his shoulder. At least he could see the soft disturbances of soil his footprints had made. At least he thought they were his footprints. He noticed once he took a step forward that his nice leather boots had been abandoned somewhere as well. Every branch and rock dug into the soles of his feet as he wobbly made his way down his path of footprints hoping he wasn't too far from the base.
His head ached and he already felt woozy a bit like he was hungover. Who was that strange man that attacked him and what exactly was he looking for that he felt it necessary to abandon the doctor in the desert? Was that even real? Perhaps he had fallen asleep at his desk and merely got here by way of his chronic sleepwalking issues. Medic groaned and shook his head from side to side trying to make sense of the whole ordeal. Making his way to the top of the hill in front of him, he hoped that the increase in altitude would at least provide him a glimpse of the R.E.D. Base in the distance. He cupped his hands around his eyes to block out the light and try to make sense of his position but turning in every direction he couldn't see anything that looked like a man-made structure of any kind.
That ruled out the sleepwalking he supposed. "Scheiße" He hissed the word through his teeth. There was no doubt now that he wouldn't be there in time to meet his coworkers as they arrived. He decided to walk in the opposite direction of the glaring sun, glad at least that he had a small pocketknife clipped to his belt. Maybe he'd start carrying a lighter and a compass if this was to become a reoccurring problem. He wondered if anyone had noticed he was missing. It was doubtful, the only person who might have noticed was the engineer. Medic knew the man would likely still be working on his many projects. After walking for what he hoped was about half a mile he stumbled upon his boots. Literally. He tripped over one of them and ended up once again face first in the sand. After once again picking himself up and reclaiming his boots (being careful to check them for any sort of venomous insects) he put his boots on and tied them once again rising to his feet to continue his trek.
The sun burned through his thin white button up and he could feel that the parts of his torso not covered by his vest were raw likely blistered. Ludwig had been walking in this direction at least an hour now. Still no landmarks in any direction. He found a large boulder to sit down on and groaned, taking a moment to rest his face in his hands. After a moment of self pity he began to hear what sounded like gravel under tires and snapped his head up to look for the source of the noise hpoing he could flag down the vehicle. Though when he saw the blurry shape it appeared to be some sort of box truck of sorts. He rushed up from his seat and began to run in the direction of the shape waving his arms in an attempt to get the driver's attention. It seemed that he already had their attention however as the truck sped towards his location from the distance, making quick work of the brush in it's way. The truck grew closer and closer and after a few seconds Medic began to worry that the driver had no plan on stopping.
Raising his arms to shield himself he heard the vehicle slam on its brakes beginning to slide a bit before it stopped a mere sixteen inches in front of Ludwig spraying sand and bits of plants up in it's wake. Before he could address the van in front of him it's occupants quickly exited and swarmed him. "When you said you were going for a walk I hoped you'd meant maybe around the base or the property! Doc we've been looking for you all morning!" The familiar voice of Engineer might as well have been the songs of the angels. Medic didn't wait a second before he wrapped the smaller man in his arms. "Herr engineer! I'm so happy to see you!" Engineer let out a chuckle before brushing the Docter's arms off of him. "How in tarnation did you get all the way out in the middle of the desert?"
Medic took a few seconds to collect himself now that he was sure he wasn't going to spend the rest of his life wandering the burning sands around him before he relayed the events of the previous night. "I'll be sure to install a few more cameras around. Didn't expect company anytime soon of the unfriendly type." Engineer grabbed Ludwig by the shoulder and led him towards the vehicle, helping him through a door. Medic sat himself down at a small table after taking a moment to realize he was in some sort of small camper van. Engineer patted the shoulder of the driver who turned them around and began to travel in the direction they had come from. Medic wiped his brow with his lab coat taking a few deep breaths. He was startled by Engineer gently placing his glasses on his face. "Oh hallo" Medic adjusted his glasses smiling up at the other man. "Danke mein freund" Having his glasses massively improved his vision, dulling his headache.
It turned out that that strange man had left him in the desert at least three miles from base. Even at his fastest walking speed Ludwig estimated it would've taken him at least all day to walk back on foot. "Sorry it took us so long to find you. The whole base has been buzzing with activity all morning what with the arrival of our coworkers and all. I don't think anyone had any time to unpack before Miss Pauling raised the alarm and sent everyone to hunt you down." Engineer sat down across from Ludwig letting out an exasperated sigh. "I'm sorry for that, I didn't expect anyone to be outside let alone awake at midnight. Rest assured I'll still make sure to get the genetic samples you need for the respawn." The Texan shook his head. "Don't have to push yourself, we still have about a week before we need them. You've already had a hell of a day as is. Lucky Sniper and I found you when we did though, we might make it back in time for lunch" Engineer gestured in the direction of the driver and Ludwig took a moment to examine what he could see of him.
Course black hair and a hat, it appeared he was wearing a jacket or a vest. The man looked in the rearview mirror and offered a nod as a greeting before turning his attention back to the desert road he pulled onto. Medic waved but decided not to distract the man. He'd have to find a way to make it up to everyone once they got back. especially after unintentionally causing them to execute a manhunt. Ludwig decided he could think about that later after he got back to his room and made himself more presentable. After they made it back, Medic quickly exited the stranger's camper and rushed up to his room, shutting out any and all external stimuli. Once he reached the med way and slid down to sit on the cold floors, he realized he had just left the two men behind without so much as a thank you. He was sure they would forgive him especially after spending the night in the desert. He then realized how absolutely exhausted he was, and before he could even think to change his clothes and start preparing to introduce himself to his patients his vision began to fade and he drifted off to sleep right there on the floor.
Chapter 2: Meet the madness
Summary:
Meet the team. Discover a couple feathers. Nothing unusual to worry about.
Notes:
“The moon eats the sun. The night swallow's day. An evil is hunting, and you are its prey” -Creeper 2025
Chapter Text
It wasn’t long before he was rudely awakened from his impromptu floor nap time. He had responsibilities after all. The knocking that came from his glass and steel door was less than polite and Ludwig wondered briefly if the person outside would somehow manage to knock his way through the door itself. “Ja! Ja Ich komme! Ein Moment bitte!” Picking himself up off the floor he made a brief attempt to brush the dust off himself before unlocking the door.
“Es tut mir lied Agh I didn’t expect to find myself asleep already.” Medic adjusted his glasses and looked up at the stranger. “Morning Maggot! We’re having a team meeting in the cafeteria! We need you down there pronto!” The soldier. Ludwig winced at the sheer volume of this man, almost missing what was being shouted to him. “Ah Soldier, bitte I am right in front of you. There’s no need to shout.” The soldier only offered a grunt before he gave a small salute and turned down the hallway. “I’ll escort you there. Don’t need you getting yourself lost again.” Ludwig chose not to answer, merely rolling his eyes before stepping out of the med bay and locking the doors.
Following the soldier down the hall, he could hear rather loud chatter coming from the mess hall. It seemed everyone was starting to introduce themselves. Some were definitely arguing while boisterous laughter seemed to come from someone near the door. A Scotsman if Medic had to guess. He was at least glad he wouldn’t be the only foreigner on the team.
Ludwig stepped inside but slid to the side to lean on the wall away from the rest of the menagerie taking his time to observe these men he found himself working with. “Well good looks like everyone’s here! Sorry for the rude awakening partner just figured you’d want to meet everyone before you started your checkups” Engineer smiled up at Ludwig and Medic offered him a small nod before turning to the table beside him. The table had a small coffee maker set up with cups beside it and Ludwig was quick to take advantage, barely letting the tar-colored liquid cool before downing it. He wasn’t sure if it was the burn or the rancid taste of the cheap coffee that woke him up but whatever it was definitely did the trick.
There would definitely be words shared later with Miss Pauling about this absolute travesty. “Why don’t you start us off Doc? Tell us about yourself!” Engineer offered encouragingly. Ludwig looked up at the table before him. “I am your Medic; you can find me at any time in the med bay down the hall. I keep mostly to myself but don’t let that discourage you.” Ludwig hoped that would be sufficient.
He waited patiently as the men took their turns introducing themselves. Aside from himself and the Scotsman he had earlier, there was also a Frenchman who held the title of “spy” and a rather sizable Russian man as well. The spy appeared to be a fellow man of expensive tastes, donning a red pinstripe suit and leather dress shoes. He seemed to keep a clove cigarette between his lips at all times, guessing from the ashtray that sat near his elbow that held several cigarette butts. Though Ludwig couldn’t make any sort of assessments for the absolute behemoth Russian man.
Ludwig noticed the man hadn’t taken his eyes off him yet, staring at him as if searching for something with a hint of a frown on his face. Medic decided to avert his eyes, feeling the man's gaze continue to burn into him. “Doc’ll need y’all to make time to head into his office for a blood sample. We’ll need it for the respawn system.” Engineer clapped his hands together subtly signaling the end of this particular meeting.
Everyone was eager to file out at the news. Medic wasn’t surprised his teammates didn’t like the idea of dealing with a stranger poking and prodding at them. Well, he was sure they’d show up eventually. The Physical and blood samples were a requirement on their contracts after all. Ludwig didn’t bother sticking around to chat with the engineer and the strange Man? Woman? Creature in the Gas mask sitting next to him.
Making his way back to the med bay the waiting room was empty as expected. Ludwig rolled his eyes and let out a huff, making his way inside and starting to unpack his equipment. Several jars of miscellaneous animal and human organs and tissues were hastily crammed into the fridge, which he was sure to lock. The key he attached to a cord around his neck, hiding the key discreetly under his shirt. His experiments were his business alone.
Years on the run, years without any particular progress in his research. All he had to do was keep the nature of his work a tight-lipped secret. Mann co. had graciously overlooked the nature of his work, providing him with everything he needed in exchange for a “Doctor” for their precious mercenaries. The requirements he had to satisfy for the company were practically child’s play compared to his personal agenda.
A chorus of coos and chirps from his birds. Ludwig opened the dove cage and allowed his feathery children to flutter about the lab, exploring their new home. Where they explored wasn’t terribly important. Ludwig kept his birds clean. Archimedes, his research partner and the eldest of the birds wasted no time, landing on Ludwig’s shoulder and giving a chirp.
Ludwig smiled at Archimedes. “Home sweet home, eh?” The bird puffed up at that. This cold metallic dwelling was far beneath the bird’s standards. It was painfully quiet in the office, even with the soft sound of doves cooing and feathers rustling. After the last sample tray was in its place, Ludwig took a seat at his desk having successfully unpacked without anyone interrupting him.
Alright it has been two hours now. Surely these “mercenaries” aren't too cowardly to take part in a simple examination. He’d have to hunt them down. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Archimedes flew onto Ludwig’s other shoulder as the doctor straightened his tie. “Well Archimedes, it looks like we’ll be taking a few house calls.”
+++
He slipped through the halls like a ghost. His time spent evading capture in Europe had him sneaking through the halls silently, though it was more a subconscious thing at this point. A hard habit to kick.
A loud explosion sounded from outside. It was loud enough to rattle the walls. Ludwig wasted no time wrenching a fire extinguisher from the wall. After setting Archimedes on the wall mount for the fire extinguisher Ludwig wasted no time. He wasn’t about to lose any of his patients the first day. After a moment of deliberation he decided his best course of option was to vault from the second story window at the end of the hallway. The other exit was all the way on the ground floor, at the end of the hall, in the garage.
Hopefully those gymnastic lessons his mother forced him to take as a youth would prove themselves useful now. He opened the window and leaned out of it. Not far was a large ball of fire where there used to be a utility shed and near it stood Spy, Demoman, Soldier, Engineer, and Heavy. Spy had his face in his hands, already accepting the shed as a lost cause. That left three people unaccounted for.
Medic steeled himself, tossing the fire extinguisher in the general direction of the fire and backing up to take a run towards his impromptu exit. He easily dove through the window, conducting a forward roll before he pushed his hands forward onto the ground and maneuvering through a backward handspring. Once his feet landed he barely waited for himself to catch his balance before he rushed over, snatching up the fire extinguisher again.
Once he was closer he was able to spot the scout, clutching his arm which appeared to sport several first degree burns. The Sniper stood over them inspecting the injuries with a look of indifference. Well at least everyone was still alive. It took Ludwig a second to notice that everyone was now looking at him. Medic shook his head and handed off the fire extinguisher to Engineer before he made his way over to the scout.
“Come I’ll treat your wounds upstairs. Probably best to give the fire some distance. Who knows what was in this shed.” Medic grabbed the boy by the arm and quickly rushed him back to the med-bay. Scout stood awkwardly by the examination table still holding his injured arm and shuffling his feet. Ludwig gathered the gauze and the burn creme from a cabinet before he rushed back to Scout, quickly lifting the small man to sit him down on the raised table.
Ludwig didn’t even acknowledge his possible overstepping, having hoisted Scout like he weighed the same as a bag of potatoes. Scout’s wounds weren’t as bad as he had initially thought. Sure they’d sting for a while but they could be treated easily. Donning his gloves he hurriedly applied the ointment and quickly wrapped Scout’s arm in the soft gauze.
“Oh, you're lucky! Not only did you survive an explosion but it seems Mann co decided to spring for the fancier gauze. If we were at the hospital where I did my internship, the gauze would be like sandpaper!” Scout chuckled nervously after snatching his arm back from the medic. “Uh yeah thanks uh… I better get back out there.. You know, to help put out the fire and all.”
Ludwig shook his head. “There are seven people out there already! Surely they can handle this little mishap for a few minutes longer. I simply need a small blood sample for the Engineer’s respawn machine. The rest of the exam can wait if you're in such a hurry.” Scout sighed but resigned to his fate and allowed Medic to take the small samples.
Dismissing the Scout from the med bay, Ludwig decided that tonight would be a complete loss. Especially after the chaos just outside the windows. If anyone else was injured they at least knew where to find him now. He was tired now even though the sun had barely set. His skin burned and itched. Instead of panicking at the intrusive feeling Medic quickly brought out one of his journals in order to study this strange new stimuli. Perhaps he had contracted something on the flight over. Sure enough after removing his shirt he began to notice quite a few anomalies. What appeared to be goosebumps had taken over his left side of his neck and torso.
“Facinating” He used a scalpel to remove a small sample of the affected skin. Giddily he trotted to the microscope and placed the small sample of skin on a slide beneath the lens. After a moment of quiet deliberation Ludwig all but threw himself away from the machine, knocking over a cart of tools behind him.
Were those…. Feathers?
Chapter 3: Off to a bad start
Notes:
sorry for the late chapter i got the burnout
Chapter Text
Chapter 3 Off to a bad start
I’ve got bad blood
I’ve done bad things
How can I control myself
If I enjoy these nasty habits?
I can hear the voices stirring
Oh, the awful things they’re planning
I don’t play nice
I don’t give in
Was it nature, was it nurture?
Maybe I was just born evil
Circa 2013
TW: Gore, violence, body horror
Ludwig felt the sensation of muscles burning, bones creaking, his body felt as if it was taking a new shape. He stared wide eyed at his hands, the skin appeared to wriggle and shift as if it were full of writhing worms. His hands, his arms, everything he could see of himself started to show tiny pinpricks of blood as the feathers sprouted from his skin. Fingernails grew out into sharp hooked jet black claws, color faded from his vision, and he felt as if his shoulder blades had separated into two. From his back he sprouted bones and muscular tissue that was quickly coated in the same black feathers. They fashioned a strong pair of wings.
Ludwig tried to call out, to scream, but all that came out was a shrill shriek. It sounded inhuman to his ears. The pain soon became unbearable. Ludwig found himself almost impressed at that. After all he was quite a masochist to begin with. Fear gripped him hard and he soon lost consciousness, the last thing he was able to see and feel was his own body lurching out of his control and out the window near his desk.
***
When the Medic awoke again, he was pleased to have found himself atop the cold tiles of his med-bay bedroom. For a brief moment he believed last night’s occurrences to be a dream. After hoisting himself to his knees and blinking the bleary haze from his eyes he cried out in shock. The oak panelling that adorned his abode were covered in thick slash marks, each a set of four. As if a bear or any other large predatory mammal had found itself trapped in here. Ludwig felt his heart sink as he took in the sight of the damages.
After quickly showering and getting dressed, He locked his bedroom and quickly cleaned up the med bay, making a note that the window by his desk was broken, covered in blood and a few strange feathers. Ludwig found his rational mind panicking at the thought of last night’s events. There was no way any of that was even remotely scientifically possible. Surely it had to have been a nightmare caused by poor sleep. He decided that it had to have been some messed up fantasy his overtired mind came up with and quickly discarded the evidence.
“It wasn’t a dream” Ludwig nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the voice over his shoulder, but when he turned around he found the med bay still empty. The doors were still locked. He wrapped his arms around himself for a brief moment before he unlocked the door and made his way down the hall. The clock near the mess hall told him it was only five in the morning, it’d be a while before he could finish getting his samples and examinations finished. Or so he thought. As he passed by the soldier’s door it suddenly burst open, the manic man wielding a shovel like it was a weapon.
Ludwig barely had time to dodge out of the way of the downswing of the soldier’s weapon, landing on his ass on the floor. “WAS? What on earth are you doing?!” Medic scrambled to get back on his feet and put distance between himself and this obvious lunatic. “Oh… It’s you. I heard someone sneaking around. Assumed some sort of invasion was taking place.” Soldier frowned and threw his shovel back into his room. “You can never be too careful. Especially with enemies so close by.”
Ludwig shook his head. It was a reasonable explanation he supposed. “Well now that you're already awake would you mind joining me in the med bay? Just a routine exam. I’ll need a blood sample as well.” Soldier answered him with a stiff salute before turning and leading the way back to the clinic. The exam went by relatively uneventfully. Trying to get the blood sample however felt like trying to bathe a feral cat. Apparently Soldier had a phobia of needles. Ludwig scrambled to try and hold the soldier in place contemplating the use of the leather straps the examination table offered.
Soldier, despite everything, finally mustered enough brain power to conjure up a distraction. “Hey aren’t you supposed to be wearing glasses?” Ludwig paused at this. He was wearing his glasses wasn’t he? His vision was perfectly clear, more clear than it was when he did wear his glasses. Soldier took advantage of the momentary distraction, flopping about like a fish out of water and knocking himself and the medic onto the floor. Medic was able to get to his feet on time to observe Soldier crawling out the door on all fours before quickly getting to his feet and sprinting down the hall.
Ludwig would have to hunt him down again later. He pressed his hand to his face as he seethed in frustration. Was he completely surrounded by idiots? It was then he noticed that his glasses were indeed missing. “Impossible.” He rushed into the small bathroom inside of his bedroom and rushed to look at himself in the mirror. No glasses. His eyes looked deeper blue than he remembered them being but otherwise nothing looked out of the ordinary. After a moment of deliberation he decided to find his glasses and put them on. He didn’t want to stumble about blindly in case this miracle proved temporary.
***
Most of the rest of his morning and afternoon were spent chasing down his coworkers in order to get the examinations out of the way. It seemed each of them had their own special brand of crazy. Ludwig quietly entered the workshop where the engineer was working on what appeared to be some sort of blueprint. Some sort of highly advanced prosthetic from what Medic could decipher from the man’s design. “Fascinating. It’s good to see that someone here may share my passion for medical discoveries.” The engineer smiled up at him as Ludwig handed him the labeled samples for the respawn. “Something like that. I just figured my non- dominant hand could use a bit of an upgrade” Engineer moved the blueprints towards Ludwig so that he could examine them. “It’s truly a fascinating design. Perhaps we could assist each other.” Ludwig took out his notes for his “Medi-gun” taking a moment to hold it to his chest. This man had saved him from death in the hot New Mexican sands. Surely he was trustworthy, if anyone here was. He set his notes on the Engineer’s desk before he could change his mind. The Texan shuffled through the papers, a big grin forming on his face. “Tell you what doc. You scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. I’ll help you build this device of yours and in exchange you can use it to help me upgrade my arm.”
Ludwig perked up at that. “Wunderbar! It’s a deal, mein freund!” He quickly reached out and took one of Engineer’s hands in both of his and shook them quickly. Engineer wondered briefly if he should be concerned that a man of medicine was so excited to amputate a perfectly good limb. It made sense. They were all mercenaries after all. Maybe the medic would have a more active role in the field after all.
***
Murmurs tingled behind his thoughts as he readied himself. A light breeze swept in and out of his office from the broken window. Under his microscope sat another skin sample, this time the pearl white feathers had turned black. There was no scientific explanation for this. As a doctor he knew he had to find some sort of cure for this “Curse” for lack of a better word. So far the tiny feathers underneath his skin were easy enough to hide. He’s always overdressed anyways. The last thing he needed now was to be thrown out before he got any kind of progress done with his experiments. All he could do now was to bide his time, act inconspicuous, scare away anyone who got too close.
Avoiding dinner was easy enough, Dell was kind enough to bring him a plate of leftovers. “Something on your mind doc’?” The engineer sat in one of the unoccupied chairs by Medic’s desk. “Nothing too fancy. Just trying to invent immortality.” Medic took a toothpick from the plate and placed it between his teeth. Dell nodded, taking a look over his shoulder at the books and papers scattered across the desk. “And a book on native American mythology is gonna help with that?” Ludwig closed it, now giving his attention to his guest. “It might… but that’s not what I'm using this book for.” He debated for a minute. “I’ve been having strange dreams… stranger ailments. I’ve already checked all my logical books. I’m afraid i’m grasping at straws until I can get a few more textbooks. That’s not important right now. I have much more important things I wanted to discuss with you.” Ludwig left the room before Dell could acknowledge the abrupt change in topic. When he returned, he had the battered prototype of his medi-gun. “I’m afraid I lack your mechanical prowess Dell, But I believe this should save us a great deal of time. The engineer took the device from him, setting it on his lap to look it over.
“You know you can tell me if something’s bothering ya. I’m not one to judge doc’ we’re gonna be neighbors after all, teammates too.” Ludwig sunk back in his chair, he’d hoped the Medi-gun would’ve been a better distraction. “I suppose if anyone should know, it should be a fellow genius. I’m afraid it sounds crazy.” He looked over at the microscope. “Why don’t you go and see for yourself.” Dell set the device to the side on the counter, taking a good look under a microscope. “Bird skin? Nothing too unusual about it I think.” Ludwig walked to his side, peeling off the bandage where he’d taken the skin sample. Dell looked up from the microscope to see the Doctor’s bloodied arm, raising an eyebrow at his new friend. Ludwig used a scalpel to take another sample, placing it on a clean slide and putting it on the glass. Dell turned and looked again and what he saw turned his bones to ice. Not bird skin, human skin, Ludwig’s skin covered in tiny pin feathers.
“It came about after I confronted that man outside by the dumpster. I’m afraid that this isn’t the only side effect either. Something happened last night, I’m not sure what it was, I just know it was incredibly violent, extremely painful. I wasn’t myself. Dell, I think we should design an emergency lockdown for the med bay, at least my bedroom until we can figure out what the hell is going on.” Dell looked up at him in disbelief. Ludwig looked incredibly exhausted, as if he’d been awake for days. A new environment could be incredibly stressful. He knew that much, maybe this was just some sort of allergic reaction, something easy to explain. Some sort of psychotic break.
“Ludwig I think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill, whatever this is can probably be explained once you get some more sleep, settle in you know? You’ve had an eventful few days!”
Ludwig sighed. “Maybe mein freund… I’m still not so sure.” That familiar bone deep pain was starting to return already. He looked out the broken window, the sun was setting, the sky turning a fiery orange. Dell let out a yelp once he noticed the broken window. “How long has that window been like that?” Ludwig chuckled, leaning against his bedroom door. “Oh I have no Idea, it’s probably nothing to worry about right now. You have your work cut out for you already after all.” Dell sighed, taking a notepad out to write down the window on his never ending task list. “I’m going to turn in, tell the others to come if there’s an emergency.” Ludwig turned and entered his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him.
Dell could hear the man gasp and groan in pain on the other side of the door. He’d be up all night with his new project. The engineer took the medigun back to his workshop and got to work. As he worked he kept an ear out for his neighbor. The poor doc had definitely had a rough few days after all. Towards midnight he heard a muffled cry from the med bay. Dell jumped up from his workbench, grabbing a pistol and a flashlight before he rushed into the next room. All of the Medic’s doves were cuddled up in the corner of the room, shaking with fear. A loud bang came from the bedroom door, as if whatever was on the other side was trying to break out of it. Whoever was in there wasn’t trying to be subtle about it.
Dell turned the safety off and crept towards the door, using a spare key from his belt to open the door. A massive black shape burst through, knocking over the heavy operating table as if it weren’t bolted to the floor, sending hydraulic fluid flying into Dell’s face. Dell wiped his eyes and looked up at the intruder. A massive humanoid-bird creature, entirely enrobed in black feathers with massive wings, a sharp beak filled with razor sharp teeth, long black claws where there would be fingers and toes, it had the same impressive build that Ludwig had and the same striking silver blue eyes. The bird man glared at him, as if he was assessing prey. Dell quickly raised his gun. “S-stay back now y’here? Back!” He cocked his pistol.
The bird reared back, letting out a screech that made the edges of Dell’s vision turn blurry. Dell barely had time to react before the creature lunged at him. He emptied the gun’s clip into the bird but it didn’t even seem to slow him down. After dodging a swipe of claws, he tried to make a break for it. Dell could hear sniper call out to him from the main hallway but he didn’t have time to cry for help. The bird grabbed him around the middle, throwing both of them from the window. Dell squeezed his eyes closed, glad that the respawn was set up that morning. The embrace of the ground never came. The engineer opened his eyes to see that he was in the respawn room. That thing, whatever it was, had killed him. “Oh god… Ludwig!” He wasn’t here, so he must be still alive upstairs. Dell rushed back up the stairs almost knocking over Sniper who was looking around the med bay at the damage. Once he made it inside the bedroom he recoiled in horror. There was blood everywhere, deep gouges from the creature’s claws in the walls and through the sturdy tile floor. Sniper picked up a few black feathers from the floor, turning to Dell. “What the bloody hell happened here.”
Dell took one of the feathers, his hands trembling. “There was a monster. Some nightmare creature, part bird, part man. I know that sounds crazy. Ludwig tried to warn me but I didn’t listen…” Sniper kept his stoic features, but inside a spark of excitement ran through him. A real life cryptid. The hunting story of a lifetime. Finally a challenge.
Chapter 4
Notes:
Tw: arguing, confrontation, self-harm, canon typical violence, angst? Herbert has a tantrum because Heavy wont let him experiment, death (temporary and deer)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Dell spent most the night repairing the med bay, trying to think of an excuse to give Miss Pauling for the sudden disappearance of their (brand new!) medic. The battles hadn’t even started yet and they’d already lost the poor bastard twice. This time for good. Frustration caused his chest to ache and his hands to shake. The poor man had come here all the way from Europe just for some sort of creature to take it away. Dell pushed his back into the corner of the lab and sank down to sit on the ground, resting his head on his knees. The first real friend he’d had in years, and he couldn’t listen to him for a god damn minute. Ludwig had warned him about the damn thing and Dell had gone and brushed it off as a hallucination caused by lack of sleep.
He couldn’t even stop the damn bird from leaving. Tears burned at his eyes behind his goggles. The wrench in his hand got thrown across the room in a rage. Dell shoved himself back on his feet and stomped out of the med bay and into his workshop. He pulled open his gun case and pulled out his shotgun and pistol. This thing wasn’t going to hurt his team.
***
If the roar of his truck’s engine didn’t wake the rest of the crew, the angry screech of Engie’s tires definitely did. The metal hardbody of the old beast shuttered and protested the rocky landscape, but powered through. Dell kept his head out the window searching the skies for any sign. He could see feathers on the ground pass by every so often and knew he was going the right direction. As he got deeper into the desert he started to witness the carnage this thing left behind. A few of the local deer met the same gruesome fate of the doctor, only a few bones left behind. Dell finally let the pick up slow. These kills were fresh, it couldn’t be far now.
The sun had barely started to glow on the horizon. Dell gripped his shotgun, following a blood trail. As he walked he started to notice little pieces of Dr. Ludwig’s evening jacket, bits of beige denim, and white fabric stuck in the beast’s massive clawed footprints. He couldn’t wait to kill this damn thing. Sunlight peeked over the horizon as the trail led to an old stone mining pit. The chain mail gate that led to it had been torn apart by something big. As if the creature had ripped through it like tissue paper. Dell hurried forward before he could begin to question his decision, eyes locked on the trail.
The footsteps were fresher now. As Dell walked down the slope that led into the pit he started to notice the claws of the creature were shortening, its heels elongating. A screech ascended from the pit below, still too dark for Dell to see the bottom. It was apparent the thing was in pain. Maybe something else got to it before he did. Hurriedly, Dell rushed down to corner the thing before it could fly off. As he got deeper the screeches grew more desperate… more human. The fact caused Dell to pause, grabbing the flashlight from his tool belt and turning it on he carefully crept to the edge of the pathway to look down. The thing was down. On its hands and knees shaking as its feathers seemed to fall freely from its back, leaving bloodied pale skin in its wake. The bones of its wings lay on the ground to its sides. There was no way this thing was going to escape now. Dell ran down the spiraling ledge of the pit eager to put an end to the miserable thing. When it was before him he turned the safety off and raised his gun.
It screamed again, the sound completely human this time. Dell inched closer. The feathers continued to drip off of the creature’s body, revealing more and more bloodied flesh. Pale silver eyes, a human face slowly appeared from the creature. Dell lowered his gun in astonishment. This thing was a person. Strong fingers pulled free of the bird’s claws raising up to motion for Dell to stay back. “Bitte… please it hurts..” That voice. Why his voice? Hadn’t this thing taken enough?! Dell holstered the gun and ripped the man up from the ground. He glared into the man’s eyes as the last of the bird flesh dripped away. “Ludwig…”
Ludwig’s eyes looked relieved for a moment before they shut. Dell realized quickly that the blood that surrounded them.. It was the doctor’s. “ENGINEER!” A loud Russian voice boomed from the entrance of the pit above. The blood and viscera began to rot extremely quickly, turning into a thick black soot on the ground of the pit, leaving the doctor looking like he’d just spent the last year in a coal mine. Dell coughed, dusting off his friend as best he could. “Help Me! I need some doggone help!” Herbert groaned, struggling to fight away the fatigue that clawed at his mind. They could hear urgent footsteps starting to make their way down into the pit echoing off the walls.
Heavy, Demoman, and Soldier soon came into view. Heavy stopped them as they reached the bottom, noticing the engineer, who had Herbert in his arms the man barely conscious. “What do we do if doktor needs doktor?” Heavy questioned, coming over to lift the medic into his arms. Dell frowned, looking Ludwig over. “I think he just needs some rest son. Let's get him back to base.” Heavy grunted, turning to lead the group back out of the pit. “Doktor needs to stop this sleepwalking. Heavy cannot carry him back every time.” Dell paused. “Yeah… sleepwalkin’” Sniper waited at the top of the stone pit with Scout and Pyro. He turned a bit pale once he noticed the Doctor in Heavy’s arms.
Sniper gave Dell a look but Dell glared back at him. Whatever had happened last night he wasn’t about to talk about it now.
***
Ludwig woke up several hours later to see Heavy and Dell standing over him. The doctor jumped up grabbing his bone saw from beneath his pillow ready to face the intruders. “Ludwig! It’s us! Heavy an Engineer, remember?!” Dell closed his eyes and held out his arms to shield himself from the startled doctor before he heard the bonesaw bounce off the mattress and clatter onto the tiled floor. When he opened his eyes he looked up to see that Heavy had the doctor captured, squeezing the frightened man’s wrists to keep him from escaping. Ludwig stared into the bigger man’s eyes as if he was stunned. “Heavy.” Heavy nodded, slowly releasing his hold. “Doktor is alright now?” Ludwig gulped shakily, stepping down from his bed. “Sorry to wake you all so rudely… again.”
Heavy crossed his arms, turned, and left the Doctor and Engineer behind. Ludwig stared after him. How could it be possible for a man to be so perfectly built? Ludwig suppressed a shutter as he wondered if the insides of the man were as perfect as his strong stoic outsides. Dell cleared his throat to catch Ludwig’s attention, once again scaring the poor man half to death in the process. Before either of the men could speak, the entire flock of doves zoomed through the open bedroom door and piled onto their father, cooing and rubbing their cheeks against him. Ludwig smiled sheepishly. “Ah, zey missed me hah. Birds!” He chuckled, shrugging his bird adorned shoulders. “Doc… Do you remember anything from last night?” Dell shuttered as he remembered. The beast. The blood.
“Not really. I remember coming into the bedroom and zhen… und zehn zie pain. It felt like I was being ripped apart from zie inside and the next zing I knew everything had gone dark. I could hear everything but it was distant, like my head was under water. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t scream. Zhen I was there again.. I could feel my flesh peel off my body like einhundert sunburns. I heard you but I couldn’t keep my eyes open.” Ludwig sighed, wrapping his arms around himself. Dell sighed. “Maybe you should sleep in the vault tonight. Maybe you’ll wake up in the base for once.” Ludwig nodded, taking his birds into the med bay to put some feed in their cages. “Vat happened last night?” Dell put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Doc. I don’t think you should worry about that right now. You have enough on your plate as it is.”
Before Ludwig could retort Dell rushed out of the med bay, eager to put the night behind them. Ludwig sighed and sat himself down at his desk, eager to run some blood tests on himself. He journaled all his findings, giving himself a paper cut in his eagerness to flip the page. After he licked the blood from his finger he looked down to inspect the wound only to find that it was gone. “Ooh! Interesting!” Ludwig took a letter opener from his desk, shaped like a tiny dagger. As he sliced into his flesh he heard the med bay doors creak open but paid them no mind. He sliced further, deeper, it felt as if he was scratching an itch he didn’t know he had. The next thing he knew giant hands grabbed him by his shoulders and slammed him into the wall. “What is the matter with you?” Heavy stared at the doctor in a mix of bewilderment and rage. “Oh! Herr Heavy… it’s you! What can I do for you?” The large man dropped Ludwig to the floor, lifting his bleeding wrist and waving it in the doctor’s face. “Fascinating.” Ludwig tore himself out of the other man’s grip and went over to the examination table, grabbing one of the large lamps and holding it over his wrist. His wrist was healing, but not as quickly as the papercut had unfortunately. He’d need to stitch himself back together.
Ludwig had already forgotten his guest and jumped when the large man reached over and clamped a towel over his sluggishly bleeding wound. “Heavy! Do you have any idea what this means? I need to find a way to harvest this phenomenon!” Ludwig quickly tried to rush across the room to get more blood vials but unstoppable force quickly met an unmoving object. Heavy pulled the Doctor back and picked him up as if he weighed nothing, setting the man down on the examination table. “Ehm aheh.. Heavy? Vat are you doing?” Ludwig looked up at the man confused as to why Heavy had interrupted his creative process so rudely. Heavy glowered down at him, obviously unamused with the medic’s antics. “Stay.” The large man shook his finger at the medic like one would scold an unruly kitten and Ludwig scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“I’m fine, Heavy! Who is ze doctor here?” The second Ludwig tried to slide off the table, Heavy whipped his head around and narrowed his eyes at him, making Ludwig nervous. The feeling was something he wasn’t entirely used to. Ludwig quickly looked away from the other man. Heavy smiled to himself for a moment as he gathered a roll of bandages from a cupboard. The way Ludwig pouted reminded him of his little sisters. Heavy shook himself out of it quickly, now wasn’t the time to be thinking of such things. As Heavy approached Ludwig offered his wounded arm to him. Heavy began to wrap the bandage around the wound but Ludwig quickly snatched the bandages from him, taking them off before he wrapped his arm himself, tighter and neater.
Ludwig inspected his work before he looked up at the other man, a hint of defiance in his eyes. “Why are you here.” Heavy didn’t seem to be affected by the man’s attitude. “Battle starts tomorrow. You will stay behind me.” Ludwig guffawed, his eyes widening in amusement. “Oh really? Why’s that?” The larger man leaned over Ludwig, staring him down. Ludwig kept his gaze, eyes unamused as he waited for an explanation. “You are Medic. Not fighter. You will stay behind me. Large body protects you from bullet. Is simple.” The medic shook his head at the thought. “I’m not going to just stroll around and use you as a meat shield! You sound absolutely ridiculous right now! Can you hear yourself?” Heavy slammed his hands down on the table on either side of Ludwig, making him jump a bit in reflex before the defiant little glint in Ludwig's eyes turned to a silent rage.
“You will stay behind me Doctor. Do not want you in the way again.” Heavy turned and stomped out leaving his words festering in Ludwig’s ears. “In the way?” he repeated lamely to no one. Rage was replaced with guilt quickly. Archimedes flew over and into his lap. Ludwig realized then that traitorous tears had dared to leak from his eyes. Damn that man making him feel useless! Ludwig was the greatest medical genius these simpletons would ever have the privilege of knowing! He looked over his shoulder before he took a scalpel and sliced cleanly through the bandages. The wound was a few centimeters smaller now. Ludwig quickly grabbed his camera from his room and took a snapshot of the wound.
After carefully rewrapping it he returned to his desk, quickly returning to his bloodwork. Strangely enough he found his blood had trace amounts of Australium in it. Maybe that could account for his improved healing factor. Ludwig had worked well into the early evening before his work was once again interrupted by the window that Dell had just replaced shattering out of nowhere. He stood from his chair and went to inspect the window only to find a baseball now rested on the floor of his lab. The ball was quickly stuffed into his jacket pocket before he turned to the window to see Scout trying to sneak away from the scene of the crime.
Dell jumped with a start when both the med bay doors slammed open. He only relaxed a little when he heard Ludwig’s heeled boots click past his doors and down the hallway. Ludwig’s pace seemed to be increasing quickly though. Dell shot up from his chair and rushed after him. Scout jumped when Ludwig burst out the stairwell door. “Scout!” The boy slowly turned to look at him. “Hey Doc’ Uh.. What are you doing out here?” Ludwig frowned at the boy’s attempt to sound innocent. “My window was opened rather unconventionally a moment ago.” He took the ball from his bag and held it up. Scout chuckled nervously. “Ah Jeez I wonder who could of done that.. Ha” The boy was beginning to sweat. “Vell if it isn’t your ball then I'm sure you wouldn’t mind if something were to happen to it.” Ludwig turned the ball, examining it indifferently. Scout held back a nervous whine as he noticed with horror that it was one of his few signed baseballs. The Doctor noticed the recognition in Scout’s eyes and knew he had the boy’s full attention. Scout gulped as he watched Ludwig toss the ball up and catch it. Dell came through the door then, relief flooding over him before he stepped forward and onto a piece of the glass. Sure enough when he turned to look the Doc’s window was busted again. Dell groaned, kicking the dirt and stomping back inside. Muffled curses could be heard through the door even as the man walked deeper into the building.
Ludwig turned to scout, waiting for Dell to be well out of earshot before he snorted, laughter exiting the doctor as if it were painful. Scout just stared dumbfoundedly as Ludwig’s laughter shook him. Before Scout could decide if he should take his ball and run, Ludwig shook himself out of it. “That poor man is sick of us already, I just know it!” He looked around the barren yard, before beckoning the boy to follow him out to a much more open area. Scout trudged after him, not excited for the lecture he was sure he was about to receive. Ludwig motioned for Scout to stop before he stepped a good few paces away. He turned to look at the younger man, throwing the ball up and catching it before he nodded to the Scout’s bat, getting ready to throw the ball.
Scout’s posture went from anxious to excited. “For real? You’re gonna throw it for me?” Ludwig smiled. “Yes. Ve vont hit anyzing from way out here.”
Scout excitedly raised the bat over his shoulder, taking his stance and keeping his eye on the ball. Ludwig backed up a few more paces before he reared on his back leg and threw the ball to the left of scout. Scout’s bat hit the ball with force sending off many yards into the desert behind Ludwig. The Doctor stared after it in awe. “Did ya see that?! That was amazin’ probably my best hit ever!” Scout bounded up to the Doctor. “We gotta do that again!” As Scout ran off after the ball Ludwig smiled at his antics. He was definitely jealous of the endless amount of energy Scout seemed to have. Ludwig wondered if he would have had that kind of energy when he was Scout’s age. If things had been different back then. Ludwig perked up quickly pushing those thoughts aside as Scout handed him the ball. Eager for a distraction, Ludwig asked Scout to tell him more about the sport as they played together. The two of them played for hours, Ludwig letting the excited chatter of the younger merc keep his mind distracted. After a while a few of the other mercenaries came out to watch them. Pyro and Dell even joined them, acting as catchers. Sniper and Spy watched silently from the sidelines while Demoman and Soldier Cheered for Scout after every ball he sent flying through the desert sky. Ludwig knew he was going to regret all this strenuous activity in the morning. His body was starting to show its age after all. Still, seeing the team around him, all full of excitement and comradery had him debating if he should prolong the activity. Unfortunately Heavy made that decision for them, coming out to announce that he had made dinner. Ludwig tossed the ball to scout. The others quickly gathered themselves and began to head back to the base, scout leading the way bragging about his hit streak. Heavy kept his eyes on the doctor. Ludwig stared off into the desert as the adrenaline faded, the pain in his joints made itself known.
Heavy’s cold eyes softened as he noticed the Doctor sigh, the medic stumbling over to a boulder to take a seat. Ludwig’s face was serene, lacking the anger he had held before. The doctor rubbed at his aching elbow. “I never thought I’d be here now.” Heavy huffed. “Mercenary work isn’t exactly for everyone.” Ludwig finally turned to look at Heavy. “I never thought I'd be an old man. I thought for sure I’d have been dead a long time ago. Now I finally have a lab, a home, my freedom… And half my life is already gone.” Ludwig turned away again. “I am grateful for this chance. Still, I wonder if I have enough time to really change the world. I wonder if I’ll leave anything behind worth remembering.” Heavy made his way over, putting his large hand on Ludwig’s shoulder and squeezing it gently. Ludwig brushed the man’s hand away before he rose to his feet. “Well, I suppose there’s only one way to find out ja?” Heavy stayed at his side all the way back to the base. Medic kept silent at dinner, taking small bites of the stew Heavy had prepared for them. Barely acknowledging anyone as he sat at the table. After trying his hardest to focus on the food he gave up letting Soldier take the bowl from him.
Ludwig returned to his med bay and fed his doves, tucking them into their cage for the night. Dell knocked on the door before he stepped in. “It’s getting pretty late. Let's get you set up for tonight.” After leading Ludwig down into the bowels of the base they made it down to the vault. Dell had set it up to have a small bed and a lamp, a few filing cabinets were shoved into the corner, and a few locked briefcases littered the floor. Ludwig sat on the bed and nodded to Dell. Dell frowned and stepped out of the vault, closing the heavy door behind him. He slid a small window on the door open to wish the Doctor a good night before he sat at a desk in the other room, keeping his eyes on the vault until he could hear the soft snoring of the exhausted Doctor.
Dell returned to his workshop, deciding to work on a reinforced door for Ludwig’s bedroom. Ludwig awoke a few hours later, noticing that the pain had returned. Though the pain has lessened this time, as if his body was starting to get used to being rearranged. Ludwig noticed this time however his feathers were strikingly white as the dove’s. Maybe the bird beast that had taken control so often was too exhausted. Medic Stood uncertainly on his clawed appendages, barely keeping himself upright. He took time to notice each and every tiny difference this form offered him. His face was more humanoid, no beak but his mouth was still filled with razor sharp teeth, his body still covered entirely in feathers. His wings were still massive, making staying on his feet extremely difficult. Ludwig’s investigation was short lived; the mechanisms of the vault door had begun to twitch and jerk as someone tried to unlock it from the outside.
Ludwig quickly turned his lamp off and took shelter in a dark corner of the room. He couldn’t be seen like this. He folded his wings close to him and lowered himself down, watching the door as it finally opened. At first, he couldn’t see anyone, as if the door had opened itself. He started to hear footsteps slowly inching their way into the vault. Soon a man faded into existence before him, the BLU Spy. Ludwig’s eyes narrowed, the battles hadn’t even started yet and this man was already poking his nose where it didn’t belong. A voice spoke up behind his eyes. “How dare he come here… Into our territory. Tear him apart. Send him back where he belongs before he makes a fool out of us.” He could feel the feathers along his spine raise as he crept out. His body taking on the more beast-like form shifting with the snap and groan of his flesh. The BLU barely had time to look at him before Ludwig lunged, tearing the man apart, sinking his teeth into the warm flesh. He registered faintly the sound of heavy boots on the stairs leading to the basement. The man was dead before he ever got a glimpse of Ludwig. He heard the cock of a gun and whipped his head towards the sound, seeing Dell there, a shocked expression on his face.
Notes:
Hey, remember when this was a heady/medic fic?
Chapter 5: Buried Alive
Notes:
Tw: cannibalism, blood drinking, nonconsensual blood consumption, ptsd, mentions of torture and masochism. claustrophobia
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
I long for a loss of breath
And a most dire predicament
Murders in the rue morgue
Silence and shadow's what I adore
I can't explain just how it feels
The thought of my premature burial
Inside this oblong box I lie
With the hopes I'll be buried alive
The oval portrait upon the wall
Will someday cause this house to fall
The power of words left unsaid
As I join the spirits of the dead
-Creature Feature Buried Alive circa 2007
Dell kept his sights trained on Ludwig. Despite the complete color change, he was still a monster. As Ludwig tried to speak, all that came from his beak was broken croaks. His silver blue eyes held no malice. After a moment of staring at each other, Ludwig slowly began to approach, only standing when he was close to the other man. Dell shook, not taking his eyes off the creature. Ludwig stared at the gun before he bent his head down and rested his forehead against the barrel. They stayed like that for a long time. Despite everything, Ludwig trusted Dell completely. Dell slowly lowered the weapon, making sure to press the safety in and tossing it away.
Ludwig raised his head to look back at the man. He suddenly lurched, knocking the shorter man to the ground under him and wrapping him in arms. Dell squirmed at first expecting to be torn apart like the night before but the claws never dug too deep into his skin. Ludwig’s massive body was shivering over him, eagerly stealing the Engineer’s body heat. Dell groaned an
+++
Morning came all too soon, the pain of his flesh peeling away waking him rudely. Dell woke after feeling Ludwig shift, giving him the space he needed to shed the bird flesh. Ludwig bit his cheek as the viscera vacated his body to keep himself from screaming. Once again the bird creature’s flesh rotted away incredibly quickly. Only this time the power that was left behind was gold, glowing enough to stain the walls of the vault in yellow. Dell recognized it immediately. Australium. Rare, incredibly expensive, with life prolonging attributes. Ludwig slowly rose to his feet, dusting off the weird substance from his clothes.
He couldn’t care less about the potential gold mine the transformation afforded them. His body lacked the soreness he would usually feel after a day of rigorous exercise. Dell ran out of the room and returned with a dustpan and a hand broom, eagerly scraping the dust from every surface. Ludwig sat on the bed and watched the man tiredly, listening to the thudding of boots from the upper levels. Maybe he would indulge Heavy just this once on the battlefield. Hell, maybe he would even let the man carry him. Once Dell had the dust contained in an empty briefcase he quickly stood up, grabbing Ludwig by the arm and rushing up the stairs with him. Ludwig pulled away once the hallway leading to his med bay was in view, eager to gather up his Medigun prototype and try and see if he could run a few experiments. As he made his way into the room, he unwrapped the soiled bandage on his arm. The wound was completely healed this time.
Ludwig stared at it in awe. The healing process was accelerating at an alarming rate. He quickly gathered a few more blood samples. The puncture wound from the needle healed instantly after he removed it. Ludwig rushed to the doors of the med bay and locked them, moving a curtain stand in front of the door to keep his next experiment private. He returned to the observation table with his scalpel, quickly recreating the wound from the night before. In a few mere moments the flesh had knit itself back together. Ludwig gasped, staring at the flesh of his wrist. There wasn’t even a scar.
After a few repeated experiments, Ludwig took a few pints of blood, rushing to distill the fluid into a vapor. This was it. The missing ingredient he needed for his Medigun. After filling the distilled vapor into the canister he took one of them and rushed out of his med bay and into the workshop. Nearly knocking Dell over in his excitement. Much to his dismay, Dell had a guest. Pyro stared up at Ludwig through their mask. Ludwig side eyed the masked person before he shook himself out of it. “Dell! You have to come and see zhis! I’ve invented a healing solution!” Dell chuckled at Ludwig’s excitement, motioning for Pyro to wait for him.
As Ludwig burst through the doors he quickly began to mix together some liquid vitamins, a healthy bit of water, and a few drops of his blood, shaking the mixture together before he turned to watch his friend step through the same doors. He quickly demonstrated, once again slicing eagerly into his own flesh before applying the liquid. This time the wound healed the instant the liquid touched it. Dell gasped at the sight, joining Ludwig in his awestruck excitement this time. “Shoot Doc’ You really invented a miracle!” After the excitement faded a bit the two of them discussed the medigun, Ludwig taking his time to explain how he wanted the device to dispel the vapor and at what rate while Dell nodded along.
The Engineer left with the prototype a few short minutes later, eager to get the device up and running before the battle started.
+++
Heavy knocked on the doors to the med bay. “Doktor are you here?” Ludwig groaned, pushing the curtain aside to unlock the door. When he was in arms reach of the other man, Heavy pulled him closer, grabbing his previously injured wrist to inspect it. Smooth soft skin where the injury was supposed to be. Ludwig suppressed a laugh at Heavy’s confused face, the man confusedly tilting his head to the side to try to figure out how the doctor had managed this illusion. “Doctor is not hurt?” Heavy looked at Ludwig expecting an answer. Ludwig wasn’t sure there was an answer he could give the brute that would make sense.
Heavy scowled at the medic, releasing him from his grip and crossing his arms. “It’s something I've been working on. A healing fluid we can use in battle. I’ve been able to heal slashes, bullet wounds, broken bones, and burns so far. On myself of course. I’m not sure how the solution would work for the others yet.” Ludwig stated with a frown. Maybe he could convince someone to round him up some field mice, maybe some lizards. They wouldn't do in place of human test subjects, but he knew well how pointless it was to ask anyone here. How people had reacted to his genius in the past.
“I will help you.” Heavy broke the silence. Ludwig snapped his head up to look at the giant. “Heavy! You would do that for me?” The Russian man scoffed. “I will do it for team.” Ludwig looked him over once again. How much pain would this man be able to donate to the cause exactly? He definitely wasn’t the same level of masochist Ludwig had grown into over the years. Sometimes he forgot how unaccustomed others could be to the idea of pain itself. “These tests won't exactly be painless. I’ll do my best to make sure they’re not terribly invasive at least.” Heavy grunted his acknowledgement, going to sit on the observation table. Ludwig locked the door once more, replacing the curtain.
After gathering some surgical (and not so surgical) tools, he dragged his tool cart over to his table. Heavy offered his arm, staring Ludwig down as if challenging the smaller man. Ludwig ignored him in favor of cleansing his hands and donning his red gloves. “Zhis may sting.. A lot.” Heavy was surprised to see Ludwig’s careful demeanor as he used the scalpel to slice a small slit in the flesh of his arm. No more than an inch long. He was even more surprised to see the wound vanish after the healing fluid was applied. Even the sting of the pain had vanished from the spot. Ludwig was surprised and a bit disappointed to see that the larger man hadn’t even flinched in reaction to the pain at all. He made a mental note to remember these sorts of tests would likely be dissatisfying with Heavy’s pain tolerance.
Heavy looked up at the doctor, noticing his bored expression. “Is not Heavy’s first time being tortured.” Ludwig turned away from him to heat up the scalpel with a bunsen burner. “Please this is barely torture. Who hasn’t been tortured in this line of work anyways.” He turned and gently pressed the orange glowing metal to Heavy’s skin, quickly applying the healing fluid after. As the wound vanished Ludwig took some notes on a clipboard from his desk, throwing the glowing scalpel into a sink. “Keep an eye out for any side effects in the area and let me know if anything changes.” The wounded area was quickly covered in a small bandage to mark the area where the heaving fluid was applied and Heavy was quickly and unceremoniously shooed out of the lab with a short polite ‘thank you’ from Ludwig.
So much for a fun and relaxing afternoon.
+++
Heavy came back after a few hours to collect the medic. Ludwig had been exactly what Heavy had expected of him. Just another crazed ‘doctor’ who got off on the pain and suffering of others. He’d met plenty just like him in the gulag. It seemed no matter where he went there was always something there to remind him of the suffering him and his family endured. Ludwig had probably never had any reason to feel empathy for anyone. He could feel the anger broiling inside his chest as he lumbered down the med bay hallway. The curtain was in front of the door again, who knew what heinous things were going on in there now.
The bright lights of the infirmary shut off suddenly, as if Ludwig somehow knew he was there. Heavy paused, waiting for the doctor to come out on his own. Instead, a faint orange glow started behind the curtain then dimmed. The curtain moved away after the glow dissipated completely. Ludwig left his office looking like he’d just taken a stroll through hell itself. Dark circles under his eyes, a more gaunt look to him. He looked frustrated and exhausted, offering a nod to Heavy as a sort of greeting. His pockets and bag were packed with the supplies he figured he could use on the field, his bone saw holstered to his hip.
Heavy said nothing as he led Ludwig down the hall towards the locker room. Ludwig felt as if he was being led to his execution. It was eerily similar. When Heavy turned to look at him in the locker room he noted that somehow Ludwig somehow looked worse. His gaze was on the blank steel walls as if he was reading them. Soldier watched from across the room, loading his shotgun. He knew that look well. Though it usually wasn’t typical for doctors. Not that he knew of at least. Ludwig jolted harshly when Dell came to put a hand on his arm, startling the two of them. Dell chuckled and turned to motion to the medigun, sitting proudly on the bench behind them.
“No better time to test it out.” Ludwig smiled, trying his best to shake away the thoughts that clung to his mind like a toxic black ichor. “Wunderbar! I look forward to it!” Dell helped him strap on the prototype, making sure the straps were fastened appropriately. After it was situated Dell made his way to collect his tool box and his weapons, waiting by the door with Pyro. Ludwig was already making plans to repay Dell for his generosity. Heavy and the others eyed the new device suspiciously before rejoining their prior conversations, discussing battle strategies. Scout was the last one in, pulling on his left cleat and almost stumbling to the floor before Ludwig caught him by the arm, giving the boy the balance he needed to put his shoe on properly.
Scout quickly pulled himself together, grabbing his weapons and his bonk. Ludwig pulled his eyes away, turning to look at the large doors between them and the battlefield before he dug in his pocket to pull out a handful of hard candies, selecting a few butterscotch for himself before offering them to scout to look through. “Man, this is old people candy!” Scout Joked before selecting a couple root beer barrels. “Ja. It’s perfect for me obviously.” Ludwig said blankly before offering the handful to Demoman, who happily took a cinnamon disc. Sniper reached over Demo to take a couple green apple candies muttering his thanks as well. Ludwig made his way to the other side of the room to offer the candy to the rest. Spy took a couple butterscotch as well, Soldier took one of everything, Dell took a couple root beer barrels while Pyro gazed in awe at the sweets. After a moment he offered the sweets to Heavy, who took a few without looking. Ludwig placed the rest of the candies in Pyro’s hand earning a muffled cheer from them. The woman on the intercom announced the battle would begin in a minute, Ludwig went back to stand behind Heavy.
His eyes stayed trained on his boots as he counted down internally. Soldier joined Ludwig at his side, clapping a firm hand over the medic’s shoulder. Once again shaking Ludwig from his thoughts. Ludwig patted Soldier’s hand before staring ahead as the woman began the countdown. “Three…two… one… Do not fail me.” Her voice rasped as the heavy door raised. “ATTACK!” Soldier cried, seemingly forgetting he was within talking distance of everyone else. Ludwig groaned following Heavy out onto the battlefield. Ludwig concentrated the beam on Heavy, focusing only on the men close to them to make sure no one within arms reach went without healing.
Heavy noticed the bullets would hit him and almost immediately be expelled from his body, the wounds mending themselves back together. It made him feel invincible. Ludwig noticed Scout run ahead, fighting the enemies for the first point already. Soldier and demo ran ahead to join him while Heavy fired at the enemy team who dared to try to join in on the other side of the point. Ludwig wanted desperately to cover his ears, the sound of gunfire once again deafening. He quickly kept the healing beam circulating between his teammates, for a while it looked to be working before a stray rpg hit the point sending soldier and scout to respawn. He peeked over Heavy’s shoulder to see the BLU soldier staring back at him.
Ludwig quickly ducked back down, hoping the beam would be enough to keep Heavy and Demo standing. Another rpg took out the Demoman, wounding both Ludwig and Heavy with shrapnel. Alright this was bad but there were still two people on the point. A strange blue dot started trailing around on the ground, before he had time to warn the giant, Heavy was sent to respawn by the blue Sniper. Seeing his shield go down, Ludwig quickly ducked into one of the buildings nearby, barely avoiding another rpg. He didn’t wait for an escort, deciding to quickly scamper down a stairwell and into a long cement hallway.
It definitely wasn’t ideal for avoiding any attackers. He heard the BLU soldier’s boots walk slowly down the stairs, as if he knew Ludwig was a sitting duck. Ludwig backed against the wall pulling his bonesaw out. The BLU kept close to the wall before lunging out clamping a large calloused hand over Ludwig’s mouth. “That you songbird?” a quiet British voice. Ludwig groaned at the name pushing the man off him. “Dusty? Vat the hell?!” The man jumped down the last three steps to land on the floor beside Ludwig. Immediately the man found his helmet thrown down the hallway and his face squished between Ludwig’s large hands. Ludwig traced the scars on the man’s face down to the man’s jacket.
He didn’t hesitate to rip the jacket open to place a hand over the man’s collarbone, where an old gunshot wound scar sat. Ludwig shuttered, his mind barely evaluating this sudden revelation. Isaac Menhrys was alive, in his arms. “I saw you. Songbird you died. We buried you.” Ludwig scoffed. “Leave it to the Army to bury a man alive. Ha. I was merely comatose.” Dusty frowned at him. What he was seeing in front of him he knew was impossible. When he dragged Ludwig out of that field he knew that man’s heart wasn’t beating, when they sent him back to Britain Dusty escorted him the whole way knowing the doc wouldn’t have any family left to bury him. He had stood aside as he watched the coffin lower into the ground.
Whatever this thing was wearing his best mate’s face, wielding his memories. It definitely wasn’t a bleeding ghost or some living dead. His songbird had aged, scarred, but he was the same man he remembered who took the brunt of an enemy assault for him, who died for him. Ludwig listened to the sound of gunfire as it filtered down the stairs for a moment. The men sat in silence for a moment before Ludwig lashed out, slitting Dusty’s throat cleanly, carefully lowering the man down. “I don’t have time to explain. You can’t tell them I’m alive. As far as I’m concerned, I did die that day. I don’t regret it.” Ludwig whispered reverently to the dying man.
“I chose the lesser evil.” He kissed the man’s forehead before the body faded away, likely being sent to respawn. Spy faded into view on the other side of the hall after Ludwig rose to his feet. “Am I interrupting something?” Ludwig shook his head. “We fought together. A long time ago.” The Frenchman considered this for a moment. “Heavy is looking for you. Best not to keep him waiting. Songbird.” Ludwig rolled his eyes at the nickname before he made his way back up the stairs. Heavy found himself fighting off the Blu Pyro and the BLU scout, huffing and puffing as he threw his fists at them. Ludwig quickly snuck up behind the BLU scout and relieved him of his head with the bone saw. It provided an adequate distraction for Heavy to land the finishing blow. The medigun quickly healed Heavy’s wounds. Heavy glared at Ludwig, eyes full of fury. “Where were you?! Doktor did not follow me to respawn!” Ludwig scoffed. “I’m sorry. Next time I’ll run wildly into a rain of gunfire just for you to have the convenience of my company.” Heavy growled at him, stalking off without caring whether or not Ludwig was following. Ludwig followed, if only to have a shield while he healed the rest of the team. He noticed the BLU soldier had found them again, this time he wasn’t hesitating before sending rpg rounds their way.
Pyro ran around the corner just in time to send the explosives back the way they came from.
+++
As Ludwig had expected, the battle went on for hours, the team had lost, but only barely. Ludwig was the first one in the base and the first to disappear, ignoring Heavy who called for him frustratedly. Once he reached his room, he made sure to barricade himself in his bedroom. The birds had food and water, that was all he cared about at the moment. He pushed all the windows open, letting the humid sunset air into the room. As the light sank down, he heard Dell on the other side of the door, but couldn’t really make out what he was saying. Whatever it was, Dell sounded desperate. Ludwig turned to watch the last of the sunlight disappear, letting the curse claim him.
The last thing he heard was Dell’s furious cursing. Dell finally managed to unlock the door and push it open a sliver, the creature took a look at him before it hissed, flying off into the night. Not caring who was around to see him. Heavy had left the base to clear his head after the disappointing failure. He noticed a massive black shadow fly over him and snapped his head up to see the bird. The thing landed ahead of him puffing out its feathers out folding its wings in. Heavy could easily compare its size to that of a bear. He stared the thing down, lowering himself, ready to grapple if it lunged. The bird tilted its head at the display.
Heavy kept himself ready for any sudden moves. “Where were you?!” The creature mimicked Heavy’s words in Heavy’s voice, sounding like it was shouting to him from the end of a train tunnel. The man felt his stomach turn as the hairs on his body stood at attention. His expression remained unchanged. He knew the thing was challenging him. Heavy sniffed, puffing out his chest and raising his fists, rising up to stomp towards the thing. The thing reared onto its back legs revealing its massive claws tucked up close to its chest. It turned its head to either side, examining Heavy curiously. Heavy knew he would be a worthwhile target if the thing was hungry. Once he drew closer it flew back a bit, assessing if the meal was worthwhile. Heavy lunged, tackling the creature and keeping hold around its neck. Unfortunately, unlike the bears Heavy was used to fighting, this creature had wings and quickly decided to use them, raising itself and the heavy man quickly up off the ground. Heavy shouted as the ground got further and further away.
“STOP” Heavy shouted. The bird stopped, keeping them in one place midair. The bird was intelligent. Maybe he could reason with it. “I will not hurt you. If you do the same for me.” The bird croaked, tilting its head as if considering it. “We do not have to fight. You misunderstand. I am not food.” The bird slowly let them float down towards a nearby lake, keeping Heavy nearby. A human could be a useful tool, it knew that. Just when everything started to calm down a gunshot came from the direction of the base and into the bird, causing them to freefall into the water. Heavy squeezed his eyes shut letting go of the bird out of reflex. When he surfaced, he noticed black soot was floating above the surface, but the bird was nowhere to be found.
Back at the base Dell was preparing the truck to go after Ludwig when his PDA notified him that the respawn had been activated. He quickly unlocked the door to see Ludwig, sitting on one of the benches. His human form had returned; his clothes clean. Dell slammed the door behind him and stomped over to Ludwig, sitting down beside him. “What the hell were you thinkin’ Doc? Pulling a stunt like that.” Ludwig’s eyes stared off. “I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted out. This place, this curse, these men. They’re all terrifying.” He laughed, as tears slid down his face. “I haven't felt anything like this in years. I haven't felt anything in years.”
Dell sighed looking down at his lap. “Have you ever been buried alive?” Ludwig broke the silence after a moment, his voice monotone and devoid of emotion. “That’s the only way I can describe it. I can't move, everything is dark, I can barely breathe. It hurts.” Dell wrapped an arm around him. “We’ll figure this out. I know we will. Some dumb ol’ curse isn’t gonna outsmart a couple geniuses.” Ludwig nodded solemnly. Letting Dell lead him back down to the Vault.
Notes:
woo new bird unlocked
teethteeth on Chapter 3 Mon 08 Dec 2025 09:04AM UTC
Comment Actions
ChucklesDaGoose on Chapter 3 Thu 11 Dec 2025 12:52AM UTC
Comment Actions