This is a callback to the Project Freelancer Saga and how Wash's personality was re-written into his colder self in Recollections. Don't get me wrong, I loved Season 10, but what I didn't like about it was how little focus Wash's personal struggles and characterisation got. And so, this is my take on that. Like, Comment and Enjoy!
Washington waited patiently in the testing room. It had been an hour now, and he was getting more agitated with each passing moment.
He tried to calm himself; It's okay. That AI will be here any moment now...
His thoughts were interrupted as a calm, collected voice spoke over the megaphone.
"Agent Washington?" "You're AI is ready and waiting"
The Councilor's voice resonated through the megaphone. Washington looked up and saw him, lucid and emotionless, his expression unreadable except for the pensive focus on the task at hand
"Finally," Wash sighed, and relaxed as operators began to strap him into the operating table.
"Is this really necessary?" He asked as he winced slightly at the tightening of the cuffs.
"I'm afraid so." The Councilor replied, "These precautions are mandatory, should the subject succumb to... the AI's will"
Wash smirked. "Don't worry, I can handle it"
The Councilor did not reply. Instead he turned to the screen in front of him.
"FILSS, please begin procedure."
"Acknowledged, Epsilon AI implantation procedure commencing"
Wash tensed slightly as he saw what was heading his way. A small, computer chip with a small sapphire light gleaming in the middle.
Yeah, this will go just fine.
Wash closed his eyes as the chip was implanted into the rear slot of his helmet.
Wash opened his eyes. He felt normal. Except he could hear a small voice in the back of his head. No doubt his new friend making small talk.
Wash ignored it. He had other things on his mind right now. The operators removed the cuffs and once he was released, Wash stood up, and started to wobble as his head pounded.
"Agent Washington, what is your status?"
Wash groaned, and stumbled slightly, but shook it off and regained his footing.
"I'm fine, just feeling a bit... out of sorts"
"Very well, Although protocol dictates that you must undergo further simulations to determine whether or not your condition is stable, the Director has requested that you participate in the upcoming assignment. You are to report to the bridge immediately"
"Sure, wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting"
With that, Wash left the testing chamber, and headed for the bridge.
Several minutes later, Wash was up at the bridge, where everyone was waiting for him. Carolina, leaning on the holomap, with her arms crossed, exuding authority, York, his posture laid-back and casual. The Twins, North and South standing side by side, watching him with curiosity and finally Maine, a silent, hulking mass of muscle, giving off a soft growl as he approached the group.
Carolina greeted him. "Glad you could make it, how's the new AI feel?"
"Ok, I guess"
"Maybe it can teach you to be a better fighter" said York
"Hey!"
"Take it easy, man. I was just messing with you..."
"That's enough" the Director replied as he walked towards the group, his voice cold and distant. He stood next to Carolina and then he spoke, his voice uncompromising;
"We have located an Insurrection weapons cache down on the outskirts of Arcadia. We believe that black market dealers are involved in an transport of Covenant weapons and vehicles. Agent Carolina will brief you on the details.
Carolina nodded and replied. "Our objective is to infiltrate the weapons facility, identify those responsible for the weapon shipments and retrieve them. But security's been tight ever since we obtained the Sarcophagus. We will need a diversion..."
He is responsible. Their blood is on his hands. He will suffer for it...
Wash groaned as the ghostly voice echoed through his mind. At first, he dismissed it as an illusion. But the voice was growing louder and clearer as his head pounded more and more. He shook it off and forced himself back to the briefing.
"...Team B will consist of Washington, York and me. We will stow away in the Elephant's cargo hold and then make our way towards the weapons cache. Once we're in, we sample the weapons and make our way to the extraction point here"; Carolina indicated with her finger on the holomap. "Where Four-Seven-Niner will be waiting for us." she finished.
"Anyone questions?" the Director inquired. When no one spoke up, that was it.
"Very well, DISMISSED!"
"Sir!"
As they boarded the Pelican, Wash couldn't help but cringe as he felt the little echo of Epsilon whisper within him.
He lost her. He lost her, and now he makes us feel it
He started to stumble, and he began to lose his balance once again. As he started to slump to the ground, Carolina turned and looked at him. She had her helmet on, but he could tell she was concerned
"Are you okay? You look like hell"
"No, I'm fine, just this fucking AI. I'm still getting used to it"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fine." He replied sternly, in fact, more sternly than he had intended. "Don't worry about me" He said, more calmly
"Alright, but if that AI starts to mess with you, just remove it, okay?"
"Got it, boss"
As Carolina headed up towards her seat, Wash could feel the voice in his mind growing louder and somewhat angrier, as if someone was in agony and was blaming him for it.
He killed Allison! He killed Allison! He killed Allison!
Again, Wash shrugged it off, whilst getting into his seat, he didn't noticed that everyone was looking at him. South was leering with interest at what was happening.
"Aw, what's wrong, Wash?" she purred mockingly. "That AI too much for yah?"
"Knock it off, South" North replied, lightly elbowing her in the stomach
But Wash wasn't listening. He was ignoring everything around him. South's degradative comments, the Pelican taking off, heading down towards Arcadia, York's dumb comment about a vacation, but finally Carolina's voice shook him awake.
"All right, people. Let's move!" she barked as she leapt out of the pelican.
Wash followed onwards, behind York as they all landed in a barren canyon, overlooking a small city over the horizon. He heard a low rumble, and instinctively he ducked as he, Carolina and York surveyed what was going on.
Below them, the Convoy had arrived. It was a couple of Warthogs, and a huge Elephant moving slowly towards the city. With the Elephant's speed less than that of a man's jogging speed, it wasn't difficult`to sneak in behind them. But even then, the once-subtle voice in Wash's mind banging with intensity.
He must pay! For what he did to them!
Wash suppressed a groan and focused at the mission at hand. They had boarded the Elephant and snuck into several crates, each one stuffed with weapons. The Freelancers quickly and quietly made space for themselves and hopped into a crate each.
"Alright, boys. Wait for my signal, then we breach at the checkpoint" Carolina whispered on their comm links. "Clear"
"Clear"
Good; Wash thought. He could simply lie here and pass out momentarily to clear his head out.
35 minutes later…
"BREACH!"
Carolina's voice boomed through the radio. As soon as it came, Wash kicked out through the crate with all his might and began gunning down a group of dumb-struck Insurrectionists. As he powered through, firing at any soldier foolish enough to walk into the line of fire, his vision started to blur and he slumped to the ground just as he put a burst of lead through the last soldier's visor.
York turned and stared at him: "Hey, Wash, you don't look too good"
I'm fine, York, really, I'm…
But before he could finish, he froze as a ghostly image of young man appeared in front of him. Wash gaped. It looked like the Director, though younger, thinner and in a way, even scarier.
The ghost started to speak: "Can you believe what they did to us? What they did to her? WHAT THEY DID TO ME!"
A piercing scream pierced through Wash's mind, he screamed out and writhed in pain as he saw several images unfold around him, each one blurry in it's own sense, and more confusing than it looked.
The Director was standing over a whimpering apparition of an sapphire man, his voice cold.
"I'm sorry it has to be this way, but you know what they say. Alpha. Science requires sacrifice"
The sapphire figure let out a scream, a haunting wail that Wash echoed out, in blinding pain and rage.
Then he saw a tall, beautiful woman with short red hair, in black armor, firing a pistol and a assault rifle at advancing aliens, as she was tackled to the ground and promptly stabbed in the neck with an small, triangular plasma blade.
He heard the scream again: ALLISON!
The images flashed throughout in front of him, and finally everything went cold as he heard the panicked cries of his friends growing ever so distant
5 days later…
On the bridge of the Mother of Invention, the Director stood, passive and waiting as his agents stood assembled in front of him. All of them were helmet less, and none of them looked happy.
Carolina stood tall, her hands to her side, exuding her natural discipline, yet grim and concerned
York stood next to her, bearing a brighter look than Carolina, but miserable nonetheless
The Dakotas looked equally worried, despite South's attempts to laugh it off, she genuinely felt awful and her brother didn't look any better
Maine's face was unreadable, he was the only one who didn't seem worried in the least. In fact, he appeared to have been smirking
and CT, behind the Dakotas, looking as if she was fighting back tears; the petite Freelancer was fiddling with her hands and muttering under her breath, no doubt a prayer.
Finally, the Director attempted to speak, but stopped as the bridge doors opened, and Washington stood there and walked towards the group. As they turned to face him, they gaped when they saw him.
Wash's hair had been cut, almost identical to York's, but slicked and neat, with a large back portion of it turned pale grey. For some reason, despite being hospitalized for five days, he looked bigger with broad shoulders and strong arms, yet still retaining a catlike elegance to his posture, but what really stood out about him was his expression, He wasn't wearing his usual passive, obedient stare, instead he wore a grim glare through bloodshot eyes.
The Director addressed him. "Agent Washington, what is your status?"
"Fine, sir" Wash hissed, more angry than presumptuous
"Very well, are you fit for duty in your next mission?…"
"I'm not participating in the next mission. As of now, I refuse to be involved with anymore AI or field agents"
"WHAT?!" The Freelancers all cried out
The Director raised an eyebrow
Wash ignored them, and continued. "My experience with Epsilon has changed me. Being in a team would just ensure failure for me as a soldier"
South snapped "Oh what? Some crazy AI fucks your head up, and you think you're too good for us, now?!" she snarled, her grey eyes glinting.
Wash responded with an vicious gaze, and faced her. He was a good four inches taller than her, and he growled. "I've been compromised, and it's cost us the mission. What do you think?"
South recoiled along with the others. This was a different Wash. He had never been this ruthless or this angry before. And now he looked as if he wanted to snap someone's neck.
The Director took over the conversation. "Enough. If this is the case, Agent Washington, then you will be re-assigned to a different section altogether. It will void your status as a standing soldier."
"I honestly couldn't care less" Wash said silkily.
South started to advance on him. "You fucking, stuck-up son of a…"
But without warning, Wash decked her with a powerful right cross. The force of the blow sent her crashing on the floor, and she could feel that her nose was broken.
Everyone was silent, CT looked terrified as if she thought he was going to go for her next. Carolina, York and North were stunned and Maine was trying to conceal an eerie grin.
"Agent Washington" The Director spoke, sounding slightly annoyed. "You are dismissed, until further ado"
"Yes, sir" he growled, as he turned away from the bridge and headed for his quarters.
P.S: This was written before Season 10 was released, and what I was hoping RT would do with Wash's character arc. So, the storyline is sort of a mesh between Seasons 9 and 10. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it!