(A/N) Hey guys, NicKenny here welcoming you to a fantastic collaboration of some of the best RvB writers out there, bringing you the full story of Project Freelancer, from the very beginning onwards. Ambitious, we know, but as the Director always says, "It is important to have ambition!" This is the prologue, as a little bit of a teaser for all of you, and chapter one will be going up on Saturday, and I'm very excited to see how it goes down. We've got some great writers taking part and I've been twitching each day, yearning to get this all up and running. So here we go, I guess. Updates will hopefully take place every Saturday and Wednesday, barring unforeseen complications. For those wishing to take part, we'll have the next batch of Freelancers coming by in a few months, so just keep checking this fanfic out! We'll keep you posted. We're not going anywhere. We hope you'll all enjoy this, and support us as we document the reason to why we're all here.

Prologue

The Director

Written by NicKenny

"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent." – Barbara Bush.

I hear her steps grow quieter and quieter behind me as she walks away, leaving me alone but for the raging figure floating above my shoulder. I long to call her back, to apologise for all I've put her through, but I cannot. The time when apologies could have bridged this rift between us had passed by long ago. My chance for redemption was long gone. It was time I resigned myself to my fate.

"You were my greatest creation," I murmur, the finality of the situation finally dawning on me. This would be our last goodbye. Except I'd never say goodbye…

The figure by my shoulder snorts angrily, assuming that I was talking to him, practically vibrating with anger. "I don't know what I am," he retorts, disdain evident in his voice. "But I do know this - I'm more than just a copy of you. I'm better than you."

My eyes remain fixed on the screen in front of me as I quietly reply,"I wasn't speaking to you." At some level his words resonate with me. I can hardly deny their truth after all. I may be many things, but a liar isn't one of them, especially not the kind who lie to themselves.

Epsilon leaves the room, shaking his head slowly, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I wonder what he must think of me, and I know that his hatred is justified. However, I have only two regrets, and my actions towards him and his kind are not one of them. Everything I have done, I would do all over again, just to have her back in my arms. That had been the purpose of the last few years, after all.

That was all I ever wanted. I have given up so much over my life, but I would give up the rest, just for one more day by her side. But no one can reverse death. No one can turn the clock back. No one can fix all of their mistakes.

Not even me.

I raise my head, lost in my own self-pity and regret, and make one of the last requests I'll ever make to the one companion who always stood by my side, who remained with me from the very beginning until now – the end. "Play it again, F.I.L.S.S."

A woman's soft voice swiftly replies, just as it always has before. Computers tended to remain the same way they had always been. AI were no different. "Beginning playback."

The video begins to play again and my eyes drink in every motion, ears absorb every word. If only I could reach through the screen and be back there, in that moment, the last time I ever a saw her.

The last time I ever truly felt complete.

I wish I could go back, take back every harsh word, every argument, every stupid comment. I wish I had been the man I should have been, the man I would be if only she was here with me. But I'd never get that chance now.

I sigh and make another last request of my A.I. companion, regardless of how much it hurts me. "Thank you, F.I.L.S.S. Now, I would like you to erase all our files except for this one."

She hesitates, which I find curious. An AI of her level shouldn't be able to hesitate; they shouldn't be able to express real emotion. "All our files? Does that include me, Director?"

I nod to myself, blinking away the tears which form in the corner of my eyes, but managing to keep my voice level. "It has been a pleasure working with you, F.I.L.S.S. I am sorry."

I really was. If there was any way I could ensure her survival I would. This was no way to repay her, but unfortunately I had no other choice. I couldn't risk someone finding her, learning all that she knew. I was already going to be labelled as a monster; I didn't want to supply them with extra ammunition. When the history books are written, my name will go down in the annals as a villain, but that was never how I intended all of this to turn out. I had such high hopes in the beginning. How had I fallen so far?

"And, you, as well, Director." She replies, although I barely hear this, my eyes locked on the screen in front of me, staring into the eyes of the woman that I once loved. The woman that I still love. The woman I have never been able to get over, never been able to forget.

So this is it, I muse. This is where the great Director of Project Freelancer finally meets his end. But first, one final order. "And, before you do, please shut down all the facility systems as well. Take everything offline."

She whirs away to herself, almost…puzzled. Curious. She then informs me of facts that I already know, not fully understanding what I was asking her to do. After all, this sort of thing isn't something that A.I. usually go into. It isn't a topic they'd be fully able to understand. "Director, this is a sealed facility. If I shut down all the systems, life support would not..."

I cut her off, this time my voice is filled with authority; commanding, not simply asking as I had before. "Thank you, F.I.L.S.S. Shut them all down. Lock me in."

She whirs away again, clearly contemplating on my order, once again something that she technically shouldn't be able to do, until finally replying with a grudging: "Alright."

Does she understand the full meaning behind my order? Maybe. It matters little now.

A few seconds pass before she does something which would have immediately piqued my interest, had I not been so focused on the woman on the screen in front of me, and on ignoring the gun on the table to my left. She asks a question that neither assists her in carrying out the task at hand, nor will help her to do so in the future. Something that should be impossible for an A.I. programmed the way she was. "Was the project a success? Did you find what you were looking for?"

I smile to myself, amused at her question, although something inside me dies at this question. What I would have given to be able to answer yes… "No. No, I did not. But I believe I might have come very close. I wish... I wish I knew."

I guess that's all it comes down to, in the end. Wishing. I wish I could have talked her out of joining the UNSC. I wish I knew what I could have done to bring her back. I wish I knew where I went wrong. I wish I knew if there was a world after this one. I wish I knew whether she'd be waiting for me.

I wish so many things, but know so little. So this is how it ends? Wondering, terrified, like a child in a thunderstorm. So this is how the great Director Leonard Church goes out, not with a bang but with a whisper, like a candle in a gale.

F.I.L.S.S. is silent for a moment, and when she replies I'm barely listening once again, staring at the video of Allison as if by reaching out my hand and touching the screen I would be able to pass straight through.

"I see."

Does she though? Can she truly understand the meaning behind those words? Can she truly understand how much I wish I could have answered yes, how much I wish I knew if there was anything I could've done?

I dismiss her, my hand stretching out and grasping the gun, shaking slightly as I murmur: "Perhaps the next time around."

I raise the pistol to my chin, my hand shaking, a solitary tear trickling down the left side of my face as I stare into Allison's eyes for the last time, soaking in the last moments we had spent together, my mind lost in the past.

"It has been an honour, Sir," F.I.L.S.S. murmurs as I hear the doors close behind me. I incline my head, accepting her words and at the same time, accepting my fate. I stare into her eyes, knowing that I'd soon be with her, knowing that I'd soon be complete again.

Her voice rings out over the loudspeakers, echoing the same words that she had told me time and time again, words which I had heard every time I watched this video. Words which still cut me to my core, even after all this time, every time I heard them. "Don't say goodbye. I hate goodbyes."

Allison.

Many years ago...

"Good afternoon, Director," the man in front of me murmured softly, turning to face me, his back leaning against the railings of the bridge. "My name is –"

"I know exactly who you are, Counselor," I snapped, my lip curled in distaste. "I see the UNSC don't trust me to run this project without leaving someone behind to hold my hand."

The man held up his hands and shook his head slowly. "I assure you the UNSC had no such intentions. I applied for this position, which they saw fit to grant. I read many of your papers while studying in Corvus Academy, and when I saw that there was need for a…Counselor aboard your ship, I immediately handed in a transfer request."

I stared at him for a moment, before inclining my head in acknowledgement, seeing only the naked truth in his eyes. Perhaps this is a man I could have use for, I mused within the privacy of my own mind, although the jury was still out. I wasn't the sort of man who could just trust people. My years working for the UNSC had thought me that trust was too valuable a commodity to hand out freely. It had to be earned.

"Very well then, Counselor. I shall look forward to working with you." I looked away from him, out through the glass of the observation deck, into the magnificence of space. "She is a fine vessel, is she not? More than I had expected them to grant me, given the circumstances that we find ourselves in."

"A fine ship sir, certainly. The name, indeed, has a certain aptitude. We live in a time of necessity, after all."

"And necessity is the mother of invention." I finish solemnly, smiling slightly. I turn away from the glass, striding towards the control platform, hands behind my back. Technicians rushed to-and-fro around me, making all the last minute checks and repairs before we left the relative safety of the planet's thermosphere.

"F.I.L.S.S.!" I barked, my tone commanding, my smile widening as the various screens lit up and took on the semblance of activity. "What is our status?"

The dozens of screens quickly flicked through a variety of images, and a woman's voice softly spoke up. "All current systems operational. Life support, online. Engines, online Defence systems, online. Shields, online. Artificial gravity, online. Ship's AI, the Freelancer Integrated Logistics and Security System, online. Waiting for your order, Director."

The Counselor smiled, evidently surprised. "I am impressed, Director," he murmurs, a slight tone of wonder in his voice. "I was not aware that the UNSC had granted this ship an AI."

I chuckled to myself, amused at his words. "Not a "Smart" AI, alas, but a damn good one for all of that. I should know, after all. I designed her. She was one of the first projects I undertook for the UNSC and, up until now at least, one of my most successful."

I smiled again, hands softly caressing the smooth metal surface of the control panel. The panel itself immediately lit up, holographically projecting the personnel records of eight people.

Records that I had not left open.

"F.I.L.S.S., when was the last time these files where opened?" I asked calmly, my eyes locked on the Counselor's suddenly worried eyes.

"Four minutes and thirty five seconds ago, sir," came the swift reply.

I took a step towards the Counselor, who visibly winced as my expression darkened. "I suppose you mean to tell me that viewing my files were a moment of weakness. Perhaps you couldn't wait for me to publish my next paper?" I remarked darkly, venom in each word.

"In my defence, sir. The files were hardly encrypted. And it is my job to psychologically analyse any and all personnel aboard this ship."

"Your job, Counselor, is to obey my orders. I am in command of this project, after all. I would advise you to bear that in mind in the future."

I fell silent, fuming slightly, and glanced back at the reports. Eight soldiers. It was a start, for now. Some of them were the finest soldiers the UNSC had ever trained, and one or two that I myself had personally picked out. They would do the job at hand, of that much I was certain. They would make the universe take note of Project Freelancer.

The Counselor is quiet for a moment, before inevitably opening his mouth once more. "I'm sorry sir, but may I ask one final question?"

I stared at him for a moment, irritated, before turning back to my reports, grudgingly muttering: "If you must."

He looked at me and then glanced at the reports in front of me, and I was immediately able to guess what topic he had in mind. After all, anyone would make the connection.

"O-one of the names…" he began, stuttering over his words. "I just wanted to ask…if there is any…"

I cut him off, knowing exactly what question he was struggling to phrase. "I'm sure you're aware that I lost my wife over the course of this war, Counselor."

He nodded slowly, not realising that this was a statement, rather than a question, not exactly sure where I'm going with this line of answering.

"Losing my wife was the most difficult event that I've ever had to deal with. It almost destroyed me. I was a better man back then, Counselor, but if I can assure you on one thing it is that my grief has hardened me. Back then, I wouldn't have been fit for the responsability of running this project. And as this…woman, seems so intent on following in my wife's footsteps, well…I just don't want to be keeping myself awake at night, wondering if I could have done more, Counselor. Not this time. Not again."

He nodded again, seeming to understand, although I doubt if he truly could. I lost almost everything when Allison died. How could he, with his privileged background, ever understand that sort of pain? How could he, with his smooth words and oily mannerisms ever contemplate true, heart-breaking grief?

I dismissed him, turning back to the control panel, but just when he's almost made it to the door at the far side of the room I called him back, one last thing to impart.

"You may be interested to know, Counselor, that she was, in fact, one of the soldiers on the UNSC's list of recommendations. There is no room for nepotism here in Project Freelancer. In here, all that matters is that you're the best. There is no runners-up prize on the battlefield. There is no second place in war. You can file that in your report."

He nodded stiffly and I dismissed him once more, hearing the doors close behind him as he leaves the room. I put him out of my mind, for now, and turn back to the matters at hand. There is much to check up on, after all. I can't afford anything to go wrong. Not now. Not when we're this close.

"F.I.L.S.S., would you be so kind as to give me the current status of pelican Five Niner Two?"

She whirred away quietly to herself for a moment, before happily replying. "Pelican Five Niner Two has just left the facility and is on route to our location. All items have been loaded on board, as ordered. By my calculations it just arrive at our location in approximately five hours."

I nodded, acknowledging her words, and began smiling once more. All is going to plan.

I was glad that I had sent the Counselor away before asking this, however, as his curiosity would prove most…inconvenient at this time. If I could be certain that he was trustworthy, maybe I could let him in on this little secret. It was quite the achievement, after all.

For the moment, however, this would have to remain a secret, as I shuddered at the thought of the UNSC getting wind of this. For all the funds and assets they had granted, I had little doubt that what was currently in that Pelican would have me behind bars. After all, they weren't prepared for all of ONI's secrets to come out. Not yet, at least.

Regardless of the possible penalties, I couldn't let that armour go to waste. Even if it had been red-stamped for incineration by the UNSC, it was far too a valuable for us to simply destroy. While it was years behind what ONI currently were working with, without the sort of funding and equipment for augmentations that they had it was better than anything else that Project Freelancer had access to. Better than any other project had access to. More than good enough to give the Insurrectionists a reason to pause, and after that, the Covenant…

Not that they were the only things I had…obtained after my time in ONI. Sadly, all I could manage to get onto that pelican was the armour. I couldn't afford to rouse the suspicions of the UNSC this late in the game, and they surely would get more than a little suspicious if dozens of unscheduled freighter pelicans decided to visit the Mother of Invention. Especially if the UNSC themselves had not authorised them. They had, after all, perfected the whole unscheduled pelican drop tactic. If politicians could get away with doing something not technically legal, they generally would, providing they always had a safeguard. Plausible deniability and all that jargon.

Despite this, I felt fairly confident that the various drops I had planned to take place over the next few weeks would go by without a hitch. The UNSC preferred to take the "we didn't know" approach to the vast majority of the actions of their various Projects. After all, nothing that ONI had done over the past few years could be considered to be ethical. My misdemeanours were minor, in comparison. After all, we were all servants to the greater good. The ends justify the means, and while the means are not savoury, the end is the survival of the human race. Surely there is no greater goal?

Suddenly, F.I.L.S.S. voice echoed through the room, interrupting my train of thought and bringing me back to the real world. "Director, pelican Four Seven Niner's E.T.A. is in approximately fifteen minutes. Do you want me to establish a connection?"

I nodded, turning to a screen to my left which lit up before me, displaying the triplicate logo of Project Freelancer. "Very well F.I.L.S.S., establish the connection. Could you also alert the Counselor? I will need to speak with him shortly." I pause, searching my memory for information. "Four Seven Niner was to escort…Agent Florida, correct."

"Correct sir, Agent Florida is currently on board. Patching you through now, sir."

I stood alert, hands behind my back as I gaze into the screen, feeling confident and satisfied, eager to meet one of those few selected to take part in this project. Finally, my agents were arriving. Finally, Project Freelancer would begin. Finally, I would be able to have my revenge, and let the ashes of my enemies rain through space for all eternity if they believe that they can stop me.

Project Freelancer is officially operational.

God help our enemies.