Engineer

“Engineer?” you ask, checking over the information. “Is that the one?”

“Yes, of course it is,” the announcer replies, annoyed.

You shuffle through a series of loose Polaroids of the southern genius as he erects metal structures of escalating complexity, killing thousands while he eats a hot lunch and strums on a guitar. When you flip through them with your thumb, it makes a comical short. You do not laugh though, under the harsh gaze of the Administrator. "Such a clever machinist," you note.

"He's far more than that. He has 11 PhD's in hard science, countless others in sciences of softer degrees. He can build anything you can imagine and everything that you can't. He even made a machine that lets us pull scrap metal from weapons and even clothing."

"That sounds impossible," you comment skeptically.

"That's only the beginning of his abilities, each one sounding more and more impossible." She takes another drag and narrows her eyes. "His abilities are amazing, almost...inhuman..." she says this with the exhalation of smoke pouring from between her teeth, giving the strange appearance of a steaming machine. You are hardly unable to hide your shuddering.

You have to ask, "So what can a man so wondrous as this have a problem with? He's - as you say - amazing."

"He's having a lot of trust issues right now. Since we've done so much restructuring of late, the Engineer of the BLU team has been isolating himself, setting his sentries to fire on anyone regardless of color." The Administrator looks to her cigarette's brightly glowing end. "He used to just fear the Spy, now he thinks its safer to just avoid everyone."

You glance in the Spy's file for a moment and observe his fascination with impaling the spines of his friends and enemies. "I can't say he's not making the right decision."

"Right or wrong, it's the wrong decision for TF Industries. We need him to do his job, not stay alive."

Closing the folders you summarize: "Make him a people person again. Can do."

"Yes. Have him tear down the walls and build more dispensers," she echoes you louder. It was clear that she is getting impatient with the briefing. "Do you have any more questions?"

You smile brightly and neatly bunch the folders. "None at all." After you settle into the dorms, you plan to seek out your target and begin the game. As the Administrator walks away, you eye the rest of the envelopes. You can always get to them later...if you have time. For now, you decide to start with the machinist. You tremble in anticipation, it's going to be a good day.

As you walk down the stairway confidently, you wonder if you brought enough sunblock. You step off of the landing pad and notice the young secretary running about in the distance, just as frantic as ever. She trips over an uneven split in the sidewalk as you watch and topples to a painful stop, her documents flying all over.

You hesitate for a moment. You have a job to do, but just one distraction wouldn't be bad, would it?