Just a random idea I got while listening to Where I Belong from Spirit. Enjoy
"Wash? Where are you going?" Carolina asked as she watched the ex-agent packing up some water and food in his backpack. He put a gun on his back and slung the backpack over his shoulder as he turned to her. She sighed. "You're gonna try and find them, aren't you?" He nodded. "I can't stop you, can I?" He shook his head. She sighed. "Here, have my ammo. I can always get more." She handed him five reloads and he took them. "Good luck."
"I'll need it." Wash admitted. Carolina nodded and headed towards the Pelican with the others. Wash stood there and watched as it took off before turning and leaving himself. He shifted his backpack and took in a deep breath. He'd find them if it took his entire life, he'd find them and that was the end of it.
Wash looked out at the canyon from his perch on the edge of the wall and sighed. That had been almost four months ago and he hadn't even come close to finding them. He had been to Valhalla, Freelancer Head Quarters, the ice base where they fought the Meta, the Temple in the desert, and even to the place they had crashed all that time ago before Carolina and the others came. He was currently at Blood Gulch, but they weren't here either. What a disappointment. Though watching the new Sim. Troopers screaming at each other about Pie was entertaining. He sighed and let himself lie against his back on the ground, staring at the clouds.
Where else could they be? The only other thing he could think of was them in jail, but he doubted it. If anything those guys would have outsmarted them with pure luck alone. That seemed to be how they got out of everything that tried to kill them. They crashed an entire ship for crying out loud! Wash chuckled at the memory. They had never found out whose fault it was, everyone had apparently done something so it seemed to be a group effort. Wash found himself laughing at the thought of them all actually working together for a cause. Like that would ever-
"Get up and put your hands in the air!" Wash blinked and glanced over to see two reds and a blue pointing their weapons at him. How had they gotten up here so fast? Wash glanced back down at the canyon to see the same amount still arguing about Pie. Wash looked back at the reds and blue. "Hey! I told you to get up and put your hands in the air! Now do it!" Wash put his hands up and slowly stood.
"Ok, ok. Don't get your shotgun in a bunch," Wash said. One of the reds nodded toward the blue and he ran up to remove Wash's weapons and backpack. When he grabbed the shotgun wash grabbed his arm, the others flinched. "Be careful with that, it's an old friends and I have every intention of returning it in good condition." The blue nodded as if he completely understood and Wash let go of him, letting him go back over to his comrads. "I thought reds and blues hated each other?"
"Yeah well, things change. Now, move!" Wash sighed and turned. He felt a barrel at his back. "And don't get any ideas." Wash smirked under his helmet and moved where the blue lead him, humming in thought as they moved down the side of the wall. It was interesting how they hopped from rock to rock with ease, not that Wash had a very hard time but still, it was impressive for Sim. Troopers.
"Hey! We found someone up top!" the other, shorter, red shouted, getting the others that were arguing to look over. "He's got blue armor, but it's the wrong shade. He one of yours?" The red's voice lowered as they neared the others. The blues looked him up and down but shook their heads. "Well, I suppose he's a prisoner then, seeing as he isn't one of yours."
"What's in the backpack?" one of the reds asked, pointing to it. The blue that was holding it shrugged and dumped it. Wash jumped as he saw the things hit the ground. The blue jumped as the grenades impacted but, thankfully, didn't go off. "That was close." The others chuckled. Wash sighed. Well, now he was never going to find them.
"Hey, you said something about returning this to one of your buddies," the blue said, raising the shotgun. "Old war friend?" Wash stared at the shotgun, his expression going soft as a smile slowly grew. He nodded.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," he said. One of the reds grunted.
"Is that important? He's sentimental, so what?" The blue turned to glare at the red, who merely chuckled. "Oh, I'm kidding, relax. Nice of you to want to return it. What's your name?" Wash chuckled.
"I'm Agent Washington. Though people call me Wash," he answered. They all gasped and backed away from him as if he just had a plasma grenade stuck to his face. "What?"
"Agent? As in, you're a Freelancer?!" one of the reds hollered. They all aimed their guns at him. "We were warned about people like you! They said we should shoot any Freelancer on sight!" Wash swallowed nervously, this had taken a horrible turn. "And seeing as Washington is a state, that puts you on our shoot list."
"Whoa whoa, guys, come on, just calm down," Wash said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, if you just let me leave I can-"
"Gather up all your Freelancer buddies and terrorize more of us? No way! You're going down!" came a younger voice from one of the blues. Wash sighed. This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.
"Guys, I'm not going to hurt anyone, I just want to find some old friends of mine. That's it, I swear. I don't want to terrorize anybody, I just want to find them, ok? Please," Wash said, trying not to sound to desperate even though he was.
"Likely story," one of the reds snapped. One of the blues flinched to look behind him for a second, but then looked back at Wash. "Sadly though, you've got nothing to prove it so I guess we'll just have to-"
"Washington!"
"Huh?" Wash turned around. "AH!" Wash screamed out in surprise as he was tackled to the ground by two very excited soldiers.
"You're alive! I knew it! Tucker said you were dead, but I knew he was lying!" Wash shook his head and looked up to see Caboose straddling him while Tucker sat beside him, both with huge grins. Wash was to shocked to respond, stuttering and making noises.
"He is alive! YES!" Wash looked passed Caboose to see Grif fist pumping and accidentally punching Simmons in the face.
"Grif! Goddamnit!" Grif snickered and Sarge shoved them apart. They all looked at him. Wash felt his face stretching as a huge grin covered it.
"Where the hell have you been?!" Wash hollered, they all shared confused looks. "I've been all over creation looking for you! Hell, I went to the crash site a month ago!" They all were quiet, staring at him in surprise. "Don't ever do that again!" They all chuckled.
"Ok Agent Washingtub!" Caboose said, leaning down and hugging him. Wash chuckled and Caboose got off of him, letting Wash sit up. Tucker looked up at the other Sim. Troopers, who all seemed both confused and uneasy about all this.
"Relax guys, he's one of us," Tucker said they all nodded and gave Wash back his stuff. He grinned and stood, walking over to Sarge. He held out the shotgun.
"I believe this is yours," he said. The smile on Sarge face was short lived as he grabbed his shotgun. "It's a little beat up, but it still works. See? I promised to return it and I did." Sarge chuckled and clasped a hand on Wash's shoulder.
"I knew you would, Wash. You're a man of your word," he said. Wash chuckled and grunted as Caboose impacted him from behind in another hug. Tucker stood up and walked over, grinning. Wash patted Caboose on the head and sighed softly.
"I missed you guys," he said, making them all stare up at him in surprise. "I know you think I hate you guys and after what happened back there I don't blame you. But, when all is said and done, you are my team and that's the end of it. I don't care what you do, I'll keep coming back." He grunted as Tucker wrapped an arm around his shoulders with a laugh and Grif and Simmons joined in on the laughter.
"Yeah, like you could ever get rid of us! Good luck!" Tucker said. Wash shook his head and chuckled, looking over and Grif and Simmons hugged him.
"Dude, don't ever leave us again, ok? Caboose wouldn't stop crying and everything was chaos," Grif begged. Wash laughed at that. "I'm serious! It was horrible! You are an awesome leader, I fucking admitted it, ok? You are! Seriously!" Wash ruffled up his hair. "Hey!"
"Thanks, Grif," he said with a chuckle. Sarge shook his head with a chuckle and clasped his hand on Wash's shoulder again. Wash grinned. They were whole again, they were a team. And that's all that would ever matter. "Hey, you never told me what you guys are doing here. Answers?"
"Well, we didn't know where else to go so we decided to head for Blood Gulch, that's when we found these guys," Tucker said, gesturing to the other Sim. Troopers. "Apparently we're a legend with these guys, the Sim. Troopers who fought back. Blood Gulch Team Alpha, with their Freelancer leader. Apparently they didn't know which one it was, seeing as we ran into tons of 'em. We've been here for about two months now. The first two were spent trying not to get caught." Wash nodded.
"All right, but why here? I thought you hated it here?" They all shrug.
"Yeah, but that's the whole point. Why would they come looking for us here?" Grif said.
"Dude, they have," Tucker noted.
"Oh yeah." Tucker rolled his eyes.
"Then I suggest we get a move on," Wash told them. "They'll come back, if we keep moving it'll be harder for them to find us. I know that doesn't sound appealing to you, but it'll work.
"And we get to stay together!" Caboose cheered.
"Exactly. And like Tucker said, all the Sim. Troopers look up to you guys, so we'll have no shortage of hiding places," Wash noted. They all nodded. Wash turned to the other Sim. Troopers. "Thank you, for watching over them for me. But we really must get going." He looked at his team. "Go on! Get your armor on and your weapons, the sooner we leave the better!"
"Yes, Sir!" they all shouted and ran into the base. And that's how the journey began.
Oh, did I mention that this is the first chapter in a series? Whoops, my bad ;)
The next one will be out soon but until then,
Thanks for reading, please review, and have a bow chicka bow wow day
Petchricor, QotG, signing off ;)