When Vanya woke up the next morning, someone was pounding on the hotel room door and the Medic was gone. The Administrator had gotten her note. She'd left one on her desk explaining where she would be and that she had defected. She made sure not to mention the other Medic. He needed his team. She dressed slowly and opened the door with a grin.

"Guten Morgen, Miss Pauling! Vhat's on ze agenda for today?"

The shorter woman frowned and strode into the hotel room. The BLU doctor was glad her lover had cleaned before leaving. Miss Pauling scanned the room carefully from behind her glasses then turned to face the German woman.

"I'm supposed to give you one last chance to go back to the base and work. Please, please take it. I think that if you keep trying the medicine…"

Medic held up a hand to shush her. "I know zhat it von't vork. Zhank you for your concern but I've made my choice. Vhat is next?"

"A one way trip to the mines."

"Excellent! My car or yours?" the ex-BLU asked cheerfully.

She slipped on her lab coat and followed the younger lady out the door. She would not give the Administrator the satisfaction of begging or crying. On the outside, she gladly hopped into the truck whose cargo included a tarp and some lime. On the inside, she was shaking. This was going to be the end of her.

She chatted along amicably with the woman who had dropped her off on her first day. Miss Pauling did not answer back but grew paler the closer they got to the site. Vanya's boots crunched in the dirt as they walked in the mine until she reached a small, deep hole. She set down her bag of lime and knelt next to the edge.

"Already prepped? Efficient. I have two requests, bitte."

"Yes, what is it?"

"First, I vould not like to squat by my own grave vith a gun at my back. It reminds me too much of ze executions at ze camps. If I may, I vould like to pull ze trigger myself."

"How do I know you won't shoot me?" Pauling asked suspiciously.

"Because I vas ze one who practically signed my own death varrant. Vhy vould I do all zhis just to get a gun from you?"

The younger woman pondered this for a moment. "And your second request?"

"Zhat RED and BLU simply believe I've been transferred. You can tell BLU zhat I left to get better but RED doesn't know about my illness and I prefer to keep it zhat vay."

"Why should I listen? I'm sure the Administrator won't give a damn."

The German raised her eyebrows at the question. "I'm sure she von't even aske about ze details. It's common courtesy to fulfill a last request, my dear. Zhis is basically my death bed. Besides, vith ze history of ze dead around here, I really don't vant to come back as an angry ghost. Let's help me pass on, ja?"

"I will uphold your second request. As for your first, you can remain standing but I will pull the trigger. I've killed plenty that never came back, ma'am, so forgive me if I don't follow your wishes to the letter."

Vanya nodded firmly and resigned that it was the best offer she'd get. She hadn't meant to seize control of the situation or to anger Miss Pauling but who wouldn't enjoy a bit of sass in their last moments? Now that she was in the mine and staring directly at her grave, she felt surprisingly calm. She smiled as she heard the gun cock near her left ear. She hoped the bullet would strike that accursed tumor.

She felt something small and heavy drop into her coat pocket right as the gun went off. She opened her eyes and stared down at her corpse in the hole. Miss Pauling sighed and discarded her gloves into the grave. She began shoveling lime in and someone pulled Vanya away by the wrist. She could not see her own body nor the person leading her.

They snuck quietly back through the tunnel and into the cab of an awaiting van. She reached into her pocket and removed the gifted object: a dead ringer. Seconds later, the BLU Spy and Sniper uncloaked beside her, both grinning from ear to ear. She stared at them in shock then at the moving scenery around them.

"Gott im Himmel! Vhat have you done?" she shouted as they sped off.

"We wanted to thank ya for finally gettin' the spook to speak up." Sniper explained.

"I would have told you eventually!" Spy argued.

"No, you wouldn't, love."

"I had everything all set up! No one vould get hurt or be at risk! I vas going out ze vay I vanted, nice und healthy! You've ruined zhat!"

"You need to keep fighting the tumor, you idiot!"

"Look in the dash, Doc. There's a plane ticket to Australia, $20,000 in cash, and you have appointments with the world's best neurologist next week and the best plastic surgeon this weekend in Canberra. We managed to 'convince' him to go pro-bono. There's a guy who makes fake ID's on the way to the airport. He's a real artist."

"I've researched a name for you based on your age and birth country. In the bag is also a birth certificate, social security card, and the man can make you a passport too. He just needs your photo. You'll have to dye your hair too, mon ami, and I advise contacts."

"Just slow down a second! Vhat if ve get caught? Vhat about vhen ze dead ringer wears off? Vhat zhen, dummkopfs?"

"I am a master at secret identities, Docteur. I know what I'm doing. The watch has been modified to last for a week. By then, if anyone checks, it's very plausible for your body to have dissolved. Your flight leaves in three hours. There's a rental car just over this hill with a cell phone in it that has our number. Wait a while before getting in touch. Good luck, my friend."

/

Vanya Hitzig, now known as Kat Hancké, was healthy and completely unrecognizable from her mercenary days. She used the money made in those times to build a new face and life for herself. She joined a hospital somewhere in Victoria, Australia and redid her specialty, opting this time for pediatrics. She wanted to try to save children now to make up for when she couldn't. And thanks to Sniper keeping her updated on their location, the RED Medic always got a random, unmarked gift in the mail every single month since she left.

/

At least, that's how Pyro liked to imagine it. Medic herself had come in to say goodbye before she left that night. He knew exactly what would happen but liked to create some daring escape in which she narrowly avoided the Administrator's guards before hopping on the escape plane. He knew however that with this job, comes death and that with life itself comes death. Humming to himself, he quickly finished sharpening his ax and burst back into battle with a grin on his face.