Hello once again readers. I'm back with another RvB oneshot. I'm starting to find it odd that I can create stories based on RvB a lot easier than making my own. I wonder why? anyway, hope you enjoy it. ;)

Creating Bonds

'The Mother of Invention has a different feel to it now.' thought York as he walked silently down the hall. Things seemed to be going too fast. Some of the Freelancers, York included, had begun to doubt whether they were doing the right things, as far as the project was concerned. Rumors of insubordination were floating through the ship as well, someone that was giving away info to the insurrectionists. Wash was currently charged with investigating this rumor, but it seemed to York that he already had a good idea who it was, but did not want to admit it. But the biggest change had affected everyone: Carolina was beaten.

It didn't make any sense. Carolina was a perfect soldier. She was the fastest, strong enough where it mattered, a brilliant tactician, and (as far as York was concerned) incredibly beautiful. It seemed as though there was no one who could best her. Then Agent Texas appeared.

Texas was a complete mystery to York. She had been here no less than a week, and she was already the Director's new favorite. On her first day, she had succeeded in mopping the floor with Maine, himself and Wyoming at the same time. It was true that the two white armored Freelancers were not working as a team, and Maine only knew how to deliver a knockout blow, but at the time Wyoming had been number three, and York had been Number two. While he was not the best fighter, he should have easily beaten any new recruit. No, there was something up with Texas' story. York worked over what he had previously analyzed. Texas had her own fighting style. It combined powerful boxing style attacks with fast, fluid motions, although not as graceful as Carolina and not as powerful as Maine. She was also a quick thinker, being able to fight three guys at once, and also figuring out how to save him from that grenade, more or less. York's eye twitched. Her only problem York could find was overconfidence. She was so sure of herself and her abilities that she sometimes didn't see things coming, which was how she got shot in the shoulder by Wyoming. But as far as York was concerned, she didn't seem at all like a new recruit, but an experienced soldier.

He was walking through the halls, half looking for Carolina and half keeping to his own thoughts, when he walked by the entrance to the training floor.
'Maybe she's in there.' he thought. Carolina was always trying to prove that she was the best. Now that she was second, she would likely be trying her hardest to climb back up. He walked up into the viewer's box and looked out the window onto the training floor. There was a lock-down paint session currently underway, but Carolina was not there. Instead, York recognized the pitch black armor of Agent Texas herself. She was squaring off with only a pistol against roughly 20 standard soldiers, each with their own battle rifle and sidearm. York checked the scoreboard, and learned that there were 50 soldiers to begin with. He returned his attention back to the floor, and was impressed with her methods. She weaved in and out of the cover blocks with impressive speed and little sound. The troopers had dispersed to try and find her, which York already knew was a mistake. He recalled his game of cat and mouse with the black-armored Freelancer, how she toyed with him for a while until "killing" him. He watched her take them out, one by one, sneaking up on them and delivering a silent takedown, or deliberately making a rather loud kill, involving smashing some blocks, to scare the others. She was always moving, running between blocks, delivering a kill, pausing slightly to strip them of their ammo, and moving on. Within three minutes, she had dispatched nearly all of them. There was only one soldier remaining, in the middle of the field. Looking at him, York's bad eye twitched. He had come to take that as a sign that something was wrong.

Tex kept her breathing shallow as she dashed around the field. The last guy standing had spent his time setting up proximity alarms 10 feet around him, anything that got close would alert him. There was no way to do this efficiently. She had to improvise somehow. She dashed back to where she had left one of the other soldiers, in between one of the cover blocks. She pushed the block off of him and it hit the ground with a loud crash.
'He'll be looking over here now.' she thought as she holstered her pistol and shouldered the soldier's battle rifle. She then grabbed him by the arms and quietly dragged him back towards the center. The paint he had taken to his head had frozen up his armor, making it easier for her to carry. Soon she made it back to the soldier's circle of safety. Leaving the body on one side, she sprinted over to the opposite side.

Taking the battle rifle off her back, she threw it towards the circle, smashing into a block and setting off a shrill alarm. Tex could see the soldier turning towards the sound, but she was already off, running back around to the body of the soldier she had dragged over. She lifted him up and threw him into the circle as well creating another alarm. Again she sprinted back around the circle. The soldier was expecting the body that had set off his alarm, his back to her. She ran through the section of the circle that had been set off by the battle rifle, and sprinted towards him. As she was drawing her pistol, the soldier seemed to have sensed her coming, and spun around. She fired a shot at him, and he brought his rifle up to block it. Pink paint spattered across the black gun, but none hit him. The soldier brought the rifle to aim and fired it at Tex. the Freelancer dodged to the left, but a paint round struck the barrel of her pistol, disabling it. Without stopping, she dropped the handgun and leapt at the white armored man, hands clenching into fists. She threw a hard punch to the soldiers head, but he brought his rifle up to block her fist. Her armored gauntlet collided with the pink spattered weapon, the fingers getting stuck to the fast drying paint. The soldier pushed Tex away, letting go of his battle rifle and jumping back in the process. Tex landed on one knee and ripped the rifle off her fist. She looked back to the soldier to see he already had his pistol drawn and aimed at her. The man stood in a confident, pompous stance, upright with only one hand on his gun. His finger twitched.

Pew

Tex blinked. A large pink ball of paint appeared. The thing that didn't make sense was it had appeared all over the white soldier's helmet.

Tex turned around. Another person was standing on top of a block. A tan armored Freelancer with a raised pistol in his hand.
'He's one of the guys who I fought on day one.' she thought, 'The only smart one.'
"Agent New York? What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded. York lowered his pistol and jumped down from the block, his body relaxed.
"Nothing." he replied almost lazily, "Just returning the favor for saving my life." Tex was a little pissed off at the Freelancer's sudden appearance, part because he interrupted her training, and part because she had been unaware that he had got so close behind her. He could have just as easily shot her in the back.
"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked, folding her arms. York strolled over to the frozen soldier's body. He grabbed his hand and wrenched the pistol from his grip. He then walked back over to Tex and disengaged the magazine, looking at its contents. Instead of little pink spheres, it was loaded with brass cylinders.
"Live rounds." he stated matter-of-factly, "Seems this guy was a little scared for this session. That or really wanted to kill you." Tex stared at the magazine, and then looked back at York.
"I still could have won. I've faced cheaters before, as I'm sure your aware." she exclaimed, almost a little too quickly. York pulled out one of the bullets in the magazine, examining it, and then gave a low whistle.
"Yeah, this guy wanted you dead. This magazine is full of armor piercing rounds. If you took a hit to the shoulder again, this would have taken your arm off." he handed the round to the black armored Freelancer, who took it and examined it. York was right. That thing could have torn right through her armor and splintered bones. She looked back at the tan armored soldier.
"How did you know this guy was packing lethal ammo?" she asked York. He jerked an armored thumb towards the view box.
"I was watching you for a bit." he said simply, "While you were picking everyone off, I noticed that this guy kept putting a hand on his pistol, even when he had his rifle drawn. That showed that he knew that his pistol was more effective, meaning it had different ammo in it. So I came in to warn you, but this way was more fun." he said, raising his own pistol again. Behind her helmet, Tex raised both her eyebrows, impressed by the man's analytical abilities.
"Wait." she stated, "How did you get in here?" she asked, "The floor locks down during sessions, and has the among highest security measures-" York began chuckling.
"I picked the lock. I can get anywhere on this ship, even the Director's vault, if I wanted to. I just thought you could use a little help with-"
"I don't need anyone's help!" snapped Tex suddenly, her tone full of thorns, "I never have and I never will." York stood there, un-fazed by the female Freelancer's outburst.
"Look, the tough girl act may work on the Director or others, but not with me." he stated calmly. Tex blinked. York continued.
"I'm not sure what the Director has you doing all the time, but you need to get this straight. The Freelancers are a team, scoreboard or not. We all look out for each other, even if that means failing the mission. You really want to be a Freelancer? You have to work with the team."
"Says who?" retorted Tex stubbornly, "Last mission I secured both the Sarcophagus and the briefcase without-"
"We both know that's bullshit so you might as well stop kidding yourself." York interrupted, his voice still calm, "We already had the Sarcophagus secured. You and the Director made it harder for us by blowing up that building, and then you swooped in and grabbed it. As far as the case goes, you lost it. We all would have lost it if Carolina hadn't been there, and you not only pushed her to the point where she injured herself, but you chose to gloat as well." He sighed.
"I know that both you and Carolina seem to hate each other, but can you imagine what the two of you could do if you worked together?" Tex stared at him, silent. Then the tan Freelancer held out a hand.
"Look, I'm not saying become best friends with everyone, but you are gonna have to work with us if we want to succeed. But you have made an acquaintanceship with me. Tex stared at the hand, then reached out and shook it.
"Alright then. Pleased to make your acquaintance Agent New York." York laughed a bit.
"Okay, okay. That name doesn't suite me. Too long for my taste." then he reached up and pulled his helmet off his head, running a hand through his slightly spiky brown hair.
"My real name is James. But most just call me York for short." Tex gazed at his face for a few seconds, and then she removed her own helmet, her long hair flowing out. York's breath caught in his neck a bit, taking in her jade green eyes and fiery red hair.
"My name is Allison. But you can call me Tex for short." York grinned slightly.
"Pleased to meet you, Allison."

After Writing my first two Red Vs Blue Fics, I'm starting to think I'm a huge sap. The style of these are on a complete different side of the Spectrum than my other story, and they come to me a lot easier. Maybe I should try for a writing job with Rooster Teeth? Probably wont happen, but hey, a guy can hope. Well, time to bid you all farewell for now. ARRIVEDERCI! ;)