GLaDOS was not happy. Or, as unhappy as an A.I. could be, given her maximum processors were stll recovering from the massive power outage she'd just experienced.
Scout groaned as a migraine began to form. Holding a hand to his head, his fingers reached underneath his cap and scratched at his scalp.
He and GLaDOS caught each other's gaze, bewildered.
To Scout, he saw some weird mash-up of one of Grey's robots and a horse.
"Heh, Doc must be experimentin' again." he said to himself.
Glancing around, he discovered that he and the robo-pony were inside a small shack, a single bed in the far corner.
'The hell? This ain't the granary...' he thought, standing.
Juggling his bat in his hands, he boredly glanced around, before noticing that no sounds of gunfire or clash of weapons dominated the air outside. He thought it was odd, considering the shack he and the robot were currently inside looked to be close to what you'd find on one of many of Mann Co.'s gravel pits and deserted facilities.
A deep whirring suddenly made itself known in the crawlspace of a shack, and Scout deduced it must've been coming from the robot horse. Its eyes came to life, glowing a brilliant yellow.
"Sup?" Scout greeted, leaning against a wall of the shack.
The robot glanced around for a moment, before it stood, its metal legs squealing against the wooden floor.
"You will tell me why you have brought me here, and what your intentions are, pitiful human." it stated coldly.
''It' looks like it's a 'she'.' Scout thought.
"I won't hestitate to kill you, human." it stated, after Scout didn't respond.
"Yeah, yeah, heard it all before, doll." Scout stated nonchalantly, waving off the robot's threats.
Almost as swift as he himself was, the horse-bot had a hold on his neck, it's mechanical jaw right next to his ear.
"You will not disrespect me, or else I'll snap your neck." she hissed.
"Go right ahead, I'll just respawn anyway." Scout smirked.
"That," a new voice stated, prompting both the human and A.I. to glance over to the doorway "may present a problem, as it is my firm belief that none of us are in our respective worlds."
"Hot damn." Scout stated, drooling at the mouth over the woman in the doorway.
The woman was tall, wearing a white, almost skin-tight suit, her shoulderblades protected by silver bowls arching around her shoulders. She wore what appeared to be grieves, also made out of the same, shiny silver as the bowls. She stared at the two with an impassive expression through her silver eyes, her small mouth showing no expression.
"Is this what passes for beauty to you?" the robot snorted.
"Hell yeah." Scout stated, finally picking his jaw off of the floor.
Scout removed his cap, smoothed his hair, and approached the tall, blonde-haired woman.
"Hey there, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" Scout asked, staring into her eyes.
The woman's face remained impassive as she passed Scout, entering the shack proper.
"Well, uh, my name's-"
"Human, stop talking." the A.I. stated, glaring at the mercenary, before returning to muttering to herself.
"Well, excuse me for tryin' ta introduce myself."
"Your success rate with her is approximately 0.0000000000000000001%." the A.I. deadpanned.
"Hey, I still got a chance though, don't I?"
GLaDOS rolled her eyes, then looked to the mystery woman, whom was watching the exchange with the same impassive expression.
"So...all my friends call me Scout, you?" he asked of the woman and the A.I.
"I am GLaDOS." the A.I. stated sharply.
"...I am known as Anastasia." the woman said.
"Cool...so- what happens now?" Scout asked, glancing around the room.
"I don't know about your pointless existence, but I need to return to the facility as soon as possible." GLaDOS stated, clumsily walking across the room.
"Your precious facility is being taken care of."
All three occupants of the room turned to spy a stranger standing in the doorway.
"Who in the blue hell are you?" Scout asked.
"As of today...I suppose you could think of me as your employer."
Scout looked the slender man up and down, finding himself to be a bit unnerved by his presence. A black cloak covered everything below his neck, and everything above his neck was hidden by a mask that somewhat reminded him of Medic's Blighted Beak. A black, wide-brimmed hat sat on the man's head, making Scout wonder just who he was dealing with.
"I don't know 'bout you, pal, but I'm already happily employed." Scout replied, crossing his arms.
"I think you'll soon see that your contract with Mann Co. is no longer...shall we say...'valid'." the stranger said, sounding smug.
Scout rolled his eyes as he casually leaned against a wall of the shack, when actually he was reaching into his bag, searching for his Force a' Nature. Finding the stock of the gun in his bandaged hand, quick as a flash he brought it out, and charged the stranger. The cloaked man responded just as swiftly, if not moreso, than Scout. The man knocked the sawed-off shotgun out of the mercenary's hands, then delivered a swift blow to his chest cavity. Scout flew backwards, landing next to the robotic horse. He winced in pain, gasping faintly as his spine burned.
'Damn it...feels like he knocked Doc's pacemaker loose...' Scout thought, staying still as to not cause anymore damage to himself.
The robot and the knight-woman looked down at him in contempt, then back at the stranger.
"Does anyone else wish to try something foolish?" the man asked.
No response came, though for good measure, GLaDOS' hoof had firmly lodged itself in the mercenary's mouth, much to his displeasure.
"No? Good, I'll be expecting you in a town west of here, 'Appleoosa', I believe, within three days' time; do not disappoint me."
Scout found himself nodding, in spite of himself, as were the other two.
