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.