Law of Retribution

During the day, Dustbowl was an unforgiving battlefield. RED mercenaries would defend against the BLU team attempting to capture their control points, hidden within barn-like structures that looked ready to fall apart. Screams declaring domination and childish taunts harmonized with the explosions of launched rockets and pipe bombs. The heat from the desert sun escalated the tension between both teams. However, nighttime was a different story. Dustbowl was quiet. Mosquitoes buzzed and reveled in the humid atmosphere. The wide expanse of white stars against the ink-black sky replaced the scorching sun. RED and BLU returned to their respective bases, preparing to fight again the next day. Tonight, two RED mercenaries sat on the roof of the camper van beside their base. On most nights, only the Sniper would be sitting on top of the roof. However, the Soldier insisted on joining him for the past two days. To refuse Soldier’s demands would only lead to increased persistence. Sniper gave in and accepted his presence. “We really got them today! Those BLU team maggots didn’t stand a chance against us!” Soldier thumped a fist against his chest, grinning widely at the man beside him. Sniper nodded, then continued stargazing, as per his routine. He stayed silent. Not knowing what else to do, Soldier took Sniper’s lead and stargazed as well. He had no idea where he was supposed to look or what he was looking for within the night sky. Sure, the stars looked pretty tonight, but they were always there. There was nothing new about them. After a few minutes of silence, Soldier wondered if he should say something. As part of his team-building efforts, he had been trying to bond with their resident marksman for the past few days. After all, he rarely saw Sniper in the common room during off-work hours. Whenever he caught him in the common room, he would be sitting by himself, observing the other occupants. When he was not in the common room, at a team meeting, or at the table during mealtimes, Sniper was nowhere to be found. He would often be in his camper van or in his RED-issued bedroom at the base. At least, that was what Soldier heard from Demo. Certainly, Sniper was a lone wolf. If there were to be any hope of victory for the RED team in future battles, there was no room for lone wolves. Except for Spy, but Soldier figured that Sniper was easier to talk to first. He could focus on the Frenchman at a later date. Beside him, Sniper shifted his position on the roof, scuffling his feet towards the side ladder. He looked as if he was about to leave Soldier alone and retire for the night. His heart pounded. Soldier could not let that happen, not when this team-building project was failing before it started. In order to keep Sniper’s attention, Soldier did one of the things he was the best at doing. He screamed. He screamed as if a BLU Spy stole his rocket launcher, insulted America, and called him a Canadian civilian. It was one of the worse possible insults that Soldier could ever receive. The screaming echoed off the desert canyons. Soldier could faintly hear Scout from within the base, yelling at him to shut up. It was either that, or Scout was yelling about buttercups. Within seconds, Soldier felt a sharp shove on his right arm. He lost his balance, toppling towards the edge of the roof. When he stuck out a hand to balance himself, he also lost his grip on the smooth surface of the van’s roof. He fell, landing face-first in the desert sand. That stopped his screaming. Sputtering, Soldier rubbed the sand off his face. He felt around for his helmet, which rolled off an arm’s length away. Once he found his helmet, he dusted it off and wore it. Then, he glared at Sniper. Sniper was looking down on him with a smirk.  The nerve of this man. “What was with that insubordination, you camper?” Although Sniper still wore his aviators, he moved his head in a way that indicated he was rolling his eyes. “What were you trying to do, you wanker? You acted like some rabid animal for a moment!” “I was attempting team-building, you numbnut!” Sniper looked down, removing his aviators. “…What?” “Forget that! But what cannot be forgotten is this insubordination! Under the law of retribution, I also have the right to push you off a roof as well!” “Like hell I’d just let you push me off the roof of my own bloody van!” “Then I would have to catch you off-guard next time!” Sniper scoffed. “I’d like to see you try that. But with those pipes of yours, I don’t think you can do it. No offense, mate.” Soldier stood up, clenching his fists. “Full-offense taken! I’ll show you where you can shove up your words!” Challenge accepted, maggot.