The Gold of the Firepines

All of This Over a Mailman

It had gotten quiet again, but Spy was keen on movement and sensing even the slightest bit of activity. Finding the room was no issue...kicking the door in when he discovered it was locked? Also not an issue.

What was an issue? The display before him-
Upon arrival, he saw where Ms. Pauling was: tied to a chair and had tape over her mouth; not duct tape, but painter's tape, followed by a strip of Pyro's special rainbow tape which they sparingly use. Before he arrived, there was likely an ongoing argument, but everyone changed their stances as Spy stood in the doorway, looking appalled. Pyro was holding up their hatchet to Ms. Pauling as if to keep her there, Demoman's once waving hands stood still above his head, likely trying to talk to Soldier, as he was facing Demoman and had his rocket launcher pointed towards the back wall, Sniper was on the other side of Ms. Pauling and Engineer and Scout were in the corner.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Spy shouted, completely outraged.
"Are we having a party?" Medic poked his head in and beamed excitedly.
One angered Spy face looking at Medic answered that question for him.

"Spy?!" Demoman squeaked. "Ya weren't supposed to be back fer another hour or so-!"
"It has been another 'hour or so.'" Spy glared and repeated, "What is going on?"

"You're the problem solver. Use your deductive reasoning." Sniper said right back at him, unwavering.

"Stay outta this, Spy!" Scout snapped and pointed his bat at him. "We're gonna figure out what's happened to the Mailman, and you're not gonna try to stop us or whatever..!"

"Anything Ms. Pauling did, she did under orders of the Administrator..!" Spy defended her, as she couldn't say much through the layers of blue tape at the moment. "You are not only going against what the Administrator has ordered to be done, but you are all putting your careers on the line right now-!"

Pyro waved their axe and said something incomprehensible to the ears, but what can be summed up as, 'you wouldn't understand' - and they were right: Spy absolutely did not understand.

"I for one have nothin' to do with this here." Engineer spoke up and raised his hands in surrender. "I'm here to make sure nothin' gets too outta hand."
"But you made the plan for us...!" Soldier contradicted. "We are following your orders."
"Technically, it was a suggestion, not an order...And I'm standin' back here." He still continued to try to disassociate himself.

"Enough..!" Spy shouted over them and took out his revolver, pointing it up at the ceiling. "All of you will release Ms. Pauling at once...!" He looked over Scout's way especially as if disappointed and baffled he would do such a thing to Ms. Pauling of all people.

"Not happenin'...!" Scout said back. "We gotta know where y/n is, and we already made it clear that she ain't goin' until we find out...!" There was a wavering within his words, not wanting to have to do this to Ms. Pauling, but also not having a choice.

"Pray tell how you will get that answer if her mouth is covered with tape...!" Spy growled, annoyed by not only their horrible planning, but execution as well. If they were going to get answers out of her, even if it was going against their codes, they could at least do it in an effective way.

Scout blinked and looked back at Ms. Pauling. "Oh." He said.
Pyro and Sniper looked down at her, and even Ms. Pauling was glaring in a way that said she had been trying to tell them this. So Pyro promptly tore off the blue tape and bit of rainbow tape holding it down.

"You are not getting the answers out of me, do you understand? I am done with this silly game and am behind on several assignments now!" Ms. Pauling immediately spoke once it was torn off. She had been in hostage situations before, and didn't need a moment of time to recover from the tape being torn off her skin.