Hola, people! This is my first Red vs Blue fic so please leave a review and let me know what you think!

Descent

"Agent York. I advise caution."

"Yeah, no kidding, D."

"No, it is not because of the current situation."

Click. Click. Click.

"What do you mean?"

"Agent Washington's combat effectiveness since coming on this mission with us has increased between 54 and 82 percent depending on the situation. A likely result from his AI."

"And?"

"And I believe he could win if he so chose to fight you, Agent York."

Click.

"So we'll be careful."

"I'm sorry. I am so s-s-sorry." Tears rolled down the man's face, unseen by his companion. He shook his head slowly, aimlessly recocking and firing his pistol. Click. His hand holding the weapon trembled as he pointed it at his temple. "Don't... Don't sa-say goodbye. I hate - hate goodbyes."

"Wash?" York started. "Hey, buddy, I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

The sitting figure merely shuddered and recocked the gun.

Click.

"Hey, Wash. Why don't you give me the gun, all right?" The man on the ground twitched his head and pressed the gun more firmly against his helmet. York swallowed and took a step forward. He knew that the gun was empty but that didn't mean Wash couldn't simply reload and actually take himself out. It'd be over faster than he could stop Washington. "We'll catch the Pelican out of here and we can go home. That sounds good, doesn't it?"

"I...can't." His voice strained. Click. "I ca-can't keep doing thissss. I'm so tired..." Click.

York reached out and put one hand on his shoulder and the other on Wash's wrist. The man let out a low growl and resisted when York tried to force his wrist away. "Wash... please."

"Agent York. I am detecting neural patterns indicative of increased agitation. May I suggest -"

York pried at Washington's hand to get the pistol. Wash growled in response then jerked York off of his feet when the latter tried harder. "Wash, no! Give me th- uh!"

The grey clad Freelancer twisted York's arm, pressing his foot into York's shoulder. "I am not going back! I can't!" There was an edge of panic to his voice. York grunted, mildly happy that his teammate dropped the gun but none too pleased about the boot grinding into his shoulder.

"Agh - Wash, c'mon!" He felt Wash's grasp lessen for the briefest of moments and made his move. He grabbed Wash's hand and pulled down, throwing him just enough off balance to wriggle out from under his boot. York found his footing just in time to catch Wash's knee to the side. In no time they were locked in hand to hand combat, York defending.

Washington lashed out, voice high and nearly hysterical as he yelled: "I am not going back!"

"Agent York, if I may. Agent Washington is weaker on his right side. A takedown maneuver has an 87 percent chance of success if initiated from his right."

All York had to do was wait for the right opening. When it came he grabbed Washington's arm and threw him down onto forest floor. York immediately pinned his comrade, breath coming in pants. Washington shuddered, breath coming in rasps as the tears started again, pooling at the bottom of his helmet seal. "Please... Please just let me die. I can't... It's too ha- hard."

"Wash. Wash we're gonna get you some help."

"Agent York, I do not think it is Washington that needs help."

CRACK!

Washington's helmet-clad head slammed into York's. In that stunned moment Washington shoved York off of him and bolted.

"Dammit! Wash!" York tore after him, jumping over tree roots and dodging low branches.

"Come in York. York, do you copy?" North. A hint of concern laced his voice over the sound of gunfire in the background.

"Now's not the time, North!" York huffed back, stumbling over a rock.

"We need the alarms s-"

"We have complications on our end!" York managed, lunging towards Wash. He narrowly dodged, frantically repeating the same nonsense over and over again.

"Shit! Tex is here!"

"Then - hah - let her deal with it!" York tumbled, swinging at Wash's foot. The young man tripped, scrambling to get back his footing. York threw himself at Wash, wrapping him in a bear hug and slamming him against a tree.

Wash sobbed. "I coul... I couldn't save her. It didn't matter wha... She always - al - alwa..."

"Wash..."

"I... am so sorry."

"...York. I do not believe Washington is in control."

"You mean Epsilon? Is that even -?"

"Theoretically, an AI can overwhelm the human host. It is a simple matter of finding a correct neural link between the host and the AI and exploiting any inherent weakness the host might possess. A lot like hacking a terminal, for example, York. Only, successfully. There is the extremely unlikely scenario in which an AI's personality matrix is strong enough to subdue the host without the neural link."

"So, you're saying it's Epsilon."

"Yes."

Washington had stopped fighting. His incoherent words turned into silence broken by his uncontrolled breathing. York slowly loosened his hold on the man and helped him to the ground. Washington pulled his knees up, rested his elbows on them and hung his head. His fingers twitched and his shoulders shook.

"York, come in." There was a pause before South continued. "Where the hell are you guys?"

York kept his eyes trained on Washington as he responded, "About two klicks southeast."

"Two klicks? There's nothing out there but forest." North responded, worry in his voice.

"I know. There were... complications." Wash started rocking as quiet, strangled sobs wracked his body. York placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and lightly shook. Nothing. "We're...we're gonna help you Wash. You too, Epsilon."

That seemed to help a little as Wash stopped rocking, stopped moving altogether. "You... mean... we're going back?" His voice was barely above a whisper, words quavering as they escaped into the air.

York could feel Delta in his head saying yes. Saying that they were property of Project Freelancer and could only be helped by the provided health facilities of Project Freelancer. That would be protocol. He managed to get Delta to remain silent. Instead, York knelt beside Wash and supplied a different answer. "We're gonna take you where you feel comfortable. Someplace we can get you the help you need."

The grey helmet lifted to look at York. "I don't want to be helped. I just want to - to forget." His fingers aimlessly tapped at his armor clad legs, head slowly shaking. "I... I know you will take me back. There. I - I don't want to go back. I won't." Wash started rocking back and forth again, quicker this time. "No, nononono, no, no I - I..." He let out a low whine then sniffled quietly. "I - I am so sorry."

"Epsilon, I am detecting instability within your unit. I recommend shutting down and allowing Agent York to pull you to prevent further damage."

"NO." He growled, rocking back and forth. "I will not - Shut down? Shu- No. No, I - I hate goodbyes. Goodbyes." Wash shook his head, seemingly stuttering over his words as he repeated himself over and over again. He leaned forward, throwing his arms behind his head. "Don't say it. I hate - hate good - goodbyes. See each other. Again."

"Whoa, it's okay Wash. You don't have to say goodbye. We're not going anywhere." York placed his hand on Wash's back, attempting to stop him from his rocking.

"I do not understand. Epsilon -"

"D, stop." Every time Delta spoke Wash became agitated. York could tell by the way he would jerk his head to one side and scrape his fingers over his armor.

"Stop. Stop. Sssstop - stop it." Wash muttered, angrily. His rocking stopped abruptly. "S-stop. Shut down. I hate goodbyes. Don't - can't - go back. Want to for-" Wash slowly lifted his head. His arms dropped and his legs stretched out before him. His head craned towards York and stared for the longest time before whispering, "Goodbye, brother."

Washington's body tensed for a second; his back arched slightly and his arms lifted a fraction as his hands froze into claws. Then he screamed. It tore through his throat and echoed through the woods. He immediately clutched his helmet, snarls of agony escaping through clenched teeth. He fell to the side and curled his body into a ball as he started clawing at his helmet. York grabbed at his hands, afraid Wash might hurt himself. He thrashed even harder, bashing his helmeted head against the ground as the inhuman sounds continued to claw their way from his throat.

"Wash - Wash, stop!"

Wash wriggled free, tormented sobs mingling with the growling groans he made. He flung his helmet to the side, ignoring it as it bounced off a tree nearby. York could see his face now. Deep red from crying earlier and the pain now wracking through him. His teeth ground together as he screwed his eyes shut. The man rolled onto his knees, fingers flying to the base of his skull.

"Wash - don't!"

Before he could stop Washington, the man had his AI chip out and hurled across the forest floor. The man let out another desperate cry and smacked his face into ground. His fingers dug into the vacant AI slot, tearing. His whole body remained tensed and shaking. "Make it stop! Make it stop!" He shrieked, tears pouring down his face. His feet dug into the dirt as he pressed his head further into the forest floor. His fingers scraped and clawed where the AI had been.

York lunged forward, looping his arms under Wash's and wiggling his hands underneath Wash's frantically clawing fingers. "Mother of - WASH. Please, we're gonna get you -" His elbow came up to catch York in the head. Washginton continued to fight York, fingers scratching the back of York's gloved hands. Trails of blood oozed out from under York's hands and down over the back of Washington's neck. They remained locked that way - York preventing Wash from ripping himself to shreds and the latter trying to throw the former off so he could tear out the voices in his head.

"Wash, please just stop! I don't want to hurt you!"

Wash leaned forward, fingers digging into his skull. "Just make it stop! Please, GOD, make it stop!" He shouted, his voice unrecognizable and hoarse. Desperate. His hands started banging the sides of his head as another wail pierced the forest. He screamed again, breath coming in rasps. York wrapped his arm around Wash's neck, locking his other arm around the back of his head. Wash struggled for a few moments before going limp in his arms. York let Wash sink to the ground, turning him on his side. York heard footsteps approaching and grabbed his gun. The purple clad figure breaking through the forest put York at ease.

"What the hell?" North asked, weapon half raised.

"Wash and Epsilon went crazy." York supplied, motioning to Wash as he said it.

"Correction, Epsilon went "crazy," Agent York."

"Yeah, thanks, D. That really matters."

"I don't want to go crazy." Came the timid voice of Theta. The purple AI hid partially behind North. The fragment studied Wash's face, focusing on the way his eyes were screwed shut and the way he clenched his jaw.

"You won't, Theta." North reassured. Even as he said it he wasn't sure he fully believed it. "Why is he bleeding? Did you -"

"He ripped his AI out. ...Then he wouldn't stop. He kept trying to tear out his implants." York threw down his healing unit next to Wash. The green light washed over his unconscious friend and only served to emphasize the lines in the young man's face. The light changed the blood on his friend's head and their hands to a sickly color.

"Is he okay?"

"Bioscan complete. Heart rate still elevated, slowly dropping within acceptable ranges. Neural activity is a concern. Scans indicate a dangerous level of pressure building in Agent Washington's brain, likely a combination of -"

"We don't need details, D. Just get us an evac." York tried to move Wash only to find his limbs had seized. "North, gimme a hand."

"Think we should? We could do more damage."

"Paralysis is a result from Washington's injury. The healing unit is functioning in a capacity to prevent further injury and I do not believe moving Agent Washington could injure him more. However, if we do not move him, evac will not be able to retrieve us."

"Is... Is Epsilon still in there?" Theta asked. He had flashed over to where the AI chip lay. His violet figure illuminated the small chip enough for North to snatch it from the ground. "North? I - I don't want that to happen to you."

"It won't, Theta. Don't worry about it, buddy." He smiled, even though the AI couldn't see it.

"Epsilon was an unstable fragment, Theta. We are not." Delta chimed in.

York scooped up Wash's helmet and laid it on its owner's chest. "He's right, Theta. About Epsilon. We'll talk about it later. Let's just get him some help first."

It was a long quiet ride back.