Forewords

Well, can't believe I'm actually writing a third story in my life...

And another conspiracy-themed fan-fic! In a game that has no established cannon plots!

I hope this doesn't go into hiatus like Metal Slug: Mercenaries...

Oh, right. Since this is already a Team fortress 2 fic, I'll be focusing most of my references on another work since its usually TF2 that's being focused on in other works...

Prologue

Time: Year 1965. Exact date unknown.

Location: Gray Mann's Carrier Base; Near Mann Co HQ.

"Give 'em hell, boys!"

"Need a Dispensah here!"

"POOT Dispenser here!"

"JARATE!"

"Dispenser Goin' up!"

Echoes of the RED and BLU Mercenaries' commands and cries bounced all around the gorge as they fought their way into the Carrier Base where the robotic Grey Team is headquartered.

RED Soldier charged into the front of the attacking group, laying down oppressive fires with his Rocket Launcher.

RED Scout ran all over the battlefield harassing the Robot Mercs by beating them up with his Baseball Bat (He would harass them even further by drinking a can of Bonk! Atomic Punch which renders him invincible for a few seconds).

RED Pyro also ran all over the place, but the masked arsonist does it by lighting all the robots on fire and Air-Blasting their rockets and grenades back as he laughed like a maniac behind that gas mask.

RED Demoman launched grenades at every direction like a drunkard (which he is at the moment), blowing up robots randomly and unpredictably. "Oh, they're gonna hafta' glue you back together... In HELL!"

RED Heavy and RED Medic tag-teamed at the moment, the former mowing down robots with his Minigun, while the latter healed the Heavy with his Medigun.

RED Engineer decided to turtle in a blind spot of the Carrier Base, in which his Level 3 Sentry Gun will easily mow down any Robot Mercs that passed by. Even after a while, even the Robot Spies still doesn't notice him.

RED Spy is of course gone to do what he's best at, and RED Sniper was so well hidden even his teammate isn't sure where he is firing from at the moment.

"Attack!" RED Soldier barked an order, and a flood of BLU Team mercenaries proceed to swarm the Robot Mercs. The BLUs did the same thing as their RED counterpart, but are much worse at their job, being killed off quickly before getting blown up by an approaching Giant Charged Soldier. "You idiots! Gray will send each and every one of you home to your mommas in boxes!" Lectured RED Soldier angrily, as he begins to pepper the Giant Charged Soldier with rockets.

"Yo, incomin'!" RED Scout launched a single baseball at the head of the Giant Charged Soldier, stunning it on hit.

RED Pyro rushed toward the still-stunned GCS, spraying flames at it crazily like he was supposed to, lighting it on fire.

RED Demoman took this chance to unload all the Sticky Bombs he has at the feet of the GCS. And then with the press of a button, "Ka-bewm!" the Sticky Trap launched the giant robot into the air, still stunned.

"It is good day to kill giant baby robot!" RED Heavy aimed his Minigun at the airborne GCS and fired a barrage of bullets at it. Helps that the RED Medic deployed an Ubercharge at the same time, rendering both of them immune to the Robot Mercs' attacks for a while.

Despite all the punishments it received, the Giant Charged Soldier landed in front of the entrance of the Carrier Base still functioning, albeit barely.

"Ha! You puny meat maggots will never put a dent in my hu..." The giant robot chose to stupidly waste the attack opportunity by flipping off the human mercs, complete with both hands flipping middle-fingers, but was interrupted mid-flipping by a headshot courtesy of the RED Sniper from all the way back at Mann Co HQ.

"Thanks for standing still, wanker!"

Just as the human mercenaries are about to make their charge into the Carrier Base itself, a lone Robot Scout suddenly ran out, yelling at the top of its simulated respiratory system while swinging its Baseball Bat in a way that would've made even the Pyro look sane in comparison...

...Until a Sapper is suddenly placed on its back, causing it to freeze in place.

"Leetle baby robot..." The Red Heavy deadpanned about the situation, and proceeds to Quick Draw the heck out of that Robot Scout, killing it outright.

The REDs and BLUs stood their ground to make sure there weren't any more robots coming out to attack them. There weren't...

Instead, it was the creator of the robots - Gray Mann himself, coming out of his hiding place to greet the human mercenaries like a true villain.

"I must say, gentlemen..." The evil mastermind congratulates with an evil tone. "I am quite surprised that you all made it this far..."

The REDs and BLUs weren't really listening. They all aimed their guns at Gray, and fired.

"You've said enough, you who are worshipped by scrap metals!" RED Soldier taunted at the same time he fired his Rocket Launcher.

Gray Mann didn't flinch one bit when he saw the barrage of projectiles coming toward him.

Instead of hitting him, the projectiles all bounced off what looked like the force field of a Wrangler-controlled Sentry, and killed a large number of BLU mercenaries.

It took the RED Engineer to stop the other mercenaries' attacks. "Hold yer horses, fellas! Ah' think he's got some kind of shield!"

RED Soldier was oblivious to the calling until he had to dodge one of his own rockets.

"...Using the same old strategy you lot have been using for the past nine years..." Gray Mann continued. "Don't you think its time to ring out the old..."

As that is said, a Tank Robot suddenly appeared behind Gray. Unlike the other variations, this one has several guns attached to it.

"...And ring in the new?" Gray continued again, as a pair of slender, robotic arm grabbed him gently and put him down in what looked like the driver's seat. "How does a battle tank sounds like, folks?"

The human mercenaries all stood there, frozen in fear as they watched Gray's Tank pointing its cannons at them.

"Freakin' unbelievable!" RED Scout exclaimed at the sudden unfair turn-of-situation.

Gray's Tank fired the cannons once, and the ensuing explosion destroyed RED Engineer's Sentry nest and killed the Texan before he can even shout "Sentry down!"

"Give him hell, boys!" RED Soldier commanded several BLU Soldiers to all fire on Gray's Tank with their weapons, all dealing little damage to the massive vehicle.

Gray fired a single shot from the Tank, and the entire group of BLU Soldiers was promptly exploded into gibs. "Dammit!" RED Soldier narrowly avoids being killed by the shot, only to be later squashed under the Tank when Gray drives it over him.

"Ah, crap..." RED Scout frowned upon seeing the armed Tank that is being driven by Gray, and turned around in an attempt to escape. Shots from the Tank's cannons exploded behind him as he makes his getaway.

RED Pyro attempted to face Gray's Tank like a boss, but too bad for the masked mercenary that its cannons are immune to airblasts, and he gets blown to bits for his efforts.

RED Heavy and RED Medic, the latter of whom have yet to build up another Ubercharge are scarred stiff when they see Gray's Tank aiming at them.

"Tell me, doctor, how can this go so wrong?" RED Heavy asked RED Medic.

"I HAVE NO IDEA!" RED Medic answered casually in the face of danger.

"You're precious Sandvich won't save you now, fat man!" Gray taunted the Heavy from inside his Tank.

RED Heavy did not back away, instead he lifted Sasha the Minigun up, and stared down the occupant of that Tank while firing his Minigun at it. "You. Yes, YOU! YOU ARE DEAD!" Bullet after bullet are fired at the Tank, and all of them did little damage to it.

Strangely enough, Gray did not use the opportunity to blow the Heavy right away, despite the massive Russian being not Ubercharged at the moment.

The other mercenaries also wondered why didn't the builder of robots just finished off RED Heavy despite the opportunity.

RED Sniper aimed his Sniper Rifle at Gray's Tank, and found out why it didn't fire.

Turns out someone placed a Sapper on the Tank, in a spot where Gray wouldn't be able to see it from the driver's compartment.

"Fire!" Gray shouted furiously from inside the Tank. "I said FIRE! What's wrong with this piece of junk?!"

The RED Spy uncloaks in font of Gray's Tank, brandishing the Dead Ringer, Enforcer and Spycicle.

"Gentlemen..." The Frenchman announced to his teammates. "My apologies for being late. I appear to have been given a taste of my own medicine by my robotic counterpart..." He drops the decapitated head of a Robot Spy, which then rolls down the hill toward the feet of the RED Heavy.

RED Scout had to suddenly come in and ruin the moment. "Could've saved us sooner, chucklenuts!"

RED Heavy knocked RED Scout away with an offhand punch.

"Spy is credit to team!" RED Heavy gave RED Spy a thumbs up.

"Thank you..." RED Spy replies kindly. He then reminds the entire team of something. "Gentlemen, shouldn't there be something that we all need to do?"

All the RED and BLU mercenaries remembered, right at the same time RED Soldier hastily made his way back from Respawn.

"Our Spy is right! We all have some business left to settle with Gray!" RED Soldier shouted. "Let's give him all the hell we have, boys!"

Gray Man drew his attention away from the still-Sapped Tank too late to see the human mercenaries ganging up on him.

"I knew I should have made all the robots as smart as I am..." Gray deadpanned...

...Right as all the mercenaries fired their weapons all at once at him. Soldiers with their Rocket Launchers, Demomen with their Grenade Launchers, Pyros with their Flare Guns, Ubercharged Heavies with their Miniguns, Engineers with their Wrangled Sentries, and Huntsman Snipers with their arrows.

"I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE!" Gray shouted once more, right as the combined barrage of projectiles created a big enough explosion that it blew the Tank along with Gray Mann in it off the ground into the skies.

...

"Move it!"

A group of Mecha Engineers rushed in from the Carrier Base to assist their boss in fighting the REDs and BLUs. But he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the Mecha Engineers found themselves face-to-face with a mob of human mercenaries.

The Mecha Engineers were confused for a moment, until they looked at the skies, and saw the flaming wreckage of a Tank Robot coming down toward them.

The Mecha Engineers stepped out of the way, but one of them didn't, and got squashed under it instantly.

It is then that the remaining Mecha Engineers noticed the severed arm of Gray Mann himself from amongst the burning wreckage of the Tank Robot.

The Mecha Engineers allowed the fact to sink in for a while, before they turned back toward the Carrier Base and ran toward it like cowards in Humiliation Mode. "Fall back! Fall back!"

The human mercenaries gave the Mecha Engineers no opportunity to escape. Firing their weapons, they managed to down all but one of the escaping robots, with the last one getting a Bazaar Bargain headshot right before getting out of attack range.

With no robots left to kill, the REDs and BLUs dropped their weapons, and awaited the word they were hoping to hear.

"It's over! Congratulations, team! You have officially defeated Gray Mann and his robot armies!" Came the Administrator's voice from one of the Megaphones in Mann Co HQ. Not the words they were looking for, but the REDs and BLUs cheered loudly anyway when they heard it.

"We did it!" RED Scout shouted happily. "Take that, metal heads... oh wait, wrong game! Ah, forget it..."

"Each and every one of you deserves ten medals!" RED Soldier congratulated everyone... On his team, anyway. "But not you BLU scumbags!"

"Oh, and I was going to give him a taste of my own BARE DAMN HANDS myself, mates!" Came the voice of Mann Co CEO - Saxton Hale himself - from the nearest Megaphone.

"POW! HAHA!" RED Heavy Quick Draw'd the same Megaphone in response, destroying it in one hit. "Hale may be giant adult man, but he is noisier than an entire team of leetle babies!" The Russian gave an offhand comment.

"Jawohl..." RED Medic answers the Heavy, before suddenly going "OKTOBERFEST!"

RED Engineer, who had only just came back from Respawn, didn't frown upon the fact that he just missed the delivering of Gray Mann's mortem. Instead, the Texan slowly walked toward RED Soldier, and patted him on the shoulders. "Now that's how ye'all make bacon with a scumbag!" He quips. "A scumbag like Gray Mann!"

RED Soldier did not resist the patting. He patted the Engineer back. "Nice one-liner, Engie. Nice one-liner..."

...

Meanwhile, as the other mercenaries celebrated their victory, RED Pyro went searching for RED Demoman, and found the latter sleeping under a rocky outcrop, with a (somehow still full) bottle of scrumpy in one hand.

"Mmph Mmph..." RED Pyro face-palmed upon seeing that scene.

"Pyro..." Said a voice from behind.

RED Pyro isn't surprised one bit. He turned around, and found the RED Spy.

"Don't be on your own. Come, let us celebrate with the others..."

"Mmph Mmph?"

"Let that drunk Scotsman be. We all know how he's like..."

...

That night, everyone at Mann Co celebrated...

Afterwords

Done it: the Prologue chapter of a new series, which I will name Mann Of Conspiracy.

Yep, Gray Mann and the Robots have been defeated for good in this action prologue. Time for a new villain to take their place. We hope...

And like the title said, this story will be chock-full of conspiracies, much like how the on-going Fantasy Blitzkrieg and on-hiatus Metal Slug: Mercenaries are going to be. And full of references too...

Shout-out index:

"Take that, metal heads... Oh wait, wrong game..." - Yes, Scout. This isn't Jak And Daxter we're talking about. Good for you that you remembered on your own.

That's it, then. Look forward into a brand new frontier in Fanfic-writing, and hopefully not a hiatus!

That is all. "Need a punchline here..."