I slowly got to my feet as the stiffness of my armor wore off. The paint completely enveloped my helmet, so I ripped it off and showed my face—crimson with embarrassment—to Carolina. As the training floor reset itself, I approached her and held out my hand to shake hers.

She stood, arms crossed, staring at me. When I reached out to her, she stood for a moment, savoring my defeat before painfully crushing my palm in what couldn't rightly be called a handshake.

We both walked toward the exit of the training room, and I expected the Freelancers to crowd Carolina and congratulate her. They'd give her all the adulation she expected, and then I would be the new object of scorn. I cringed as we made our way through the exit of the training room. Had I just usurped my own mission?

Just as I began to panic, I was charged by a group of Freelancers. They all spoke at once, laughing heartily and clapping me on my shoulders.

"Damn, girl, where'd you learn those moves?"

"That was some pretty sweet action."

"That moment when you slammed her into the wall—blew my mind."

I cocked my head. "But… but I lost."

"Who gives a shit? You're not a Freelancer. For being from the UNSC, that was pretty legit."


Later on, after I had separated myself from the Freelancers who had approached me, I hit the locker room; I was in desperate need of a shower. I found Georgia there, who I still hadn't talked to amid the chaos of the battle's aftermath.

"You know, I don't think that could have gone better if you planned it," she was saying. I was showering, and she sat casually by her locker outside, speaking to me through the curtain. We were the only two present. "I'm serious."

"What do you mean by that?" I called.

"Well, I think the fact that you lost was probably beneficial for you," Georgia replied. "If you had won, it would have just increased the suspicion that you're here to replace us. Now we know that you have imperfections. And I don't think anyone believes you're a Freelancer or Agent Florida or something anymore. Some of those moves…" her voice trailed off and she chuckled. "Well, I don't mean to be rude, but…"

"Yeah, I know they were clumsy," I replied, shrugging. "I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most graceful fighter. And, honestly, if you all like me better for it, then I'm willing to accept defeat."

"But, you know, it was also a good thing you had a fighting chance to win," Georgia added thoughtfully. "Carolina really is a jerk sometimes. She's so pretentious. I was glad you got to kick her butt a couple times."

"I guess you're not the only one who was excited about that," I said, turning off the water and wrapping myself in a towel. I stepped out of the shower and approached the Florida locker, opening it to grab my armor.

Georgia nodded. "I think a lot of us are glad you could show her a thing or two. Seriously. I mean, she is an excellent soldier, but she flaunts it." Georgia's face shone with an uncharacteristic sheen of bitterness. "She deserved everything you gave her."

Suddenly, just as I finished changing into my armor, my radio beeped loudly.

I looked apologetically at Georgia, but she shook her head and smiled. "Don't worry," she said. "I was just going to go lift some weights anyway. I'll catch you later."

We both left the locker room and I made my way to my bedroom, clicking the radio on as I walked.

"Agent Eleven here."

"Eleven!" Hale said sharply into my radio. Oh, shit. "You had better have an amazing explanation for this!"

I gulped nervously. "Sir, I was just invited to undergo a normal training exercise, and I accepted."

"Dammit, Eleven!" Hale yelled. "You are not here to play silly games with the Director's recruits!"

"We were just training—"

"Eleven, do you understand what your recklessness could have caused?" Hale interrupted. "Do you not comprehend the implications of your stupid and childish decision?"

I was silent, waiting for him to answer.

"Listen, Agent," Hale continued angrily. "Maybe you don't appreciate the delicacy of our position here. If you had gotten injured, you would have ruined the entire mission, do you realize that? You would have had to pull out, and we haven't found out anything about the Director yet. Nothing. You are the one conducting all the inside reconnaissance work here, Eleven! I'm the higher rank—only the distraction! You put yourself—and, by extension, this entire mission—in peril!

"And then, what if you had injured Carolina? The Director is already secretive of his plans, and that would have gotten us kicked out of the Freelancer facility in an instant! Injuring one of his best soldiers would not have helped our relations with Dr. Church!"

"Well…" I said quietly. I was pressing my luck. "No one was injured…?"

"And that is the only reason why this mission still may not be a failure," Hale responded irritably. I had reached my room by this point and was pacing furiously around it.

I was silent. And embarrassed. Again. Angry tears even began forming at the edges of my eyes, but I gulped and banished them instantly. Arguing at this point would be futile.

"I'm sorry," I said as composedly as possible. "The decision was reckless."

Hale sighed heavily. His anger seemed to have been spent. "Eleven, you and I both know you're a good Agent. We just can't afford to press our luck here. I know I told you to interact and get on good terms with the rest of the Freelancers, but that was just a bit much. Besides, even though you didn't win, you may have made some enemies among the Freelancers that will be hard to overcome. The whole point here was to try to better your relations with them."

"I know, sir. I apologize. But… sir?" I asked, a thought occurring to me. "Speaking of bettering relations… is this something that worsens our reputation in the eyes of the Director?"

"Luckily for you, since no one was injured, no," Hale replied. "I brought it up casually today, and he just responded lazily that the training sessions happen all the time, and that it's no surprise that Carolina won. He wasn't interested in it at all. So, fortunately for you, the Director isn't the problem here. But I don't like the fact that you brought attention to yourself at all, Eleven. You were supposed to stay inconspicuous."

"I… I know, sir. I'm sorry."

"Yes. Now you do, at least," Hale said. "All right. Moving forward. If you're done acting like a child, we have serious work to do. Continue to submit your Freelancer observations to the Director. Keep a low profile. Gain the Freelancer's trust to find out more about what the Director is planning. These are orders."

"Yes, sir."

"And, Eleven? Do not put this mission in jeopardy again, do you hear me? Do not let your emotions get in the way of your job."