Chapter Nine
Clear as Mud
Nevada sat atop of a rock formation not too far from the ship, but far enough to not be bothered by potential issues from the team. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the gentle breeze with her helemt removed and hanging on by two of her fingers. Her hair blew around her face as she stole a deep breath from the wind and held it in her lungs like treasure.
She racked her mind with the things that worried her so.
How much longer could they really manage here on Chorus? It had already been five days, they know that one of the Simulation Troopers former Freelancer allies had paid a visit to Vanessa Kimball, the current leader of the people of Chorus. They moved someone to a former alien outpost and began to "train" more.
What was she going to do once this mission was finished, if she even wanted to finish this mission. All evidence pointed to them not needing to be here, should they have even been sent here in the first place?
What would happen to all the others?
She tried to clear her mind but she felt the stress pressing on Lambda and saw flashes of images inducing deja vu in her mind. Lambda flickered with the power fluctuation and she felt Psi lend him energy. This sort of thing occurred on occasion. This wasn't the first time, and certainly wouldn't be the last. When she started to over-think, more or less Lambda was stressed by immense amounts of rumination and anxiety.
The first time it had happened, it happened during a training exercise under Arizona's supervision and the doctors had written it off as overexertion. It had been three weeks after the AI's were installed, and she knew damn well what she had done. She had studied for their courses too hard before going to train and she saw the same deja vu inducing imagery. Sometimes it was corridors, sometimes it was a different, and distinctly smaller ship. Other times she heard other voices instead of voices belonging to those she was actually speaking to.
But of course she wasn't going to tell that to the medics.
Arizona approached the rock formation, and for the brief moment she was unaware of his presence, he took in all her features, and her absentmindedly humming and playing with a necklace she had always worn underneath her suit. He grinned and he cleared his throat removing his helmet as well.
"Joel!" She shouted surprised. "How long were you fucking standing there?" She demanded.
"Long enough if I was an enemy I'd regret killing you." He said sarcastically. "You keep going solo and you're leaving yourself a target for anyone nearby, why are you out here?" He inquired. Nevada sighed and swung her legs over to swing off the rock. She misjudged the distance of the rock greatly and didn't nail her graceful landing, but instead fell flat on her ass.
"To clear my head but we see how well that's turning out." She grimaced. Arizona leaned down and grasped her arm, and when he helped her up she had tumbled accidentally into an embrace with him. They locked eyes for what felt like an eternity to them. She looked over his features, admiringly bringing it all in. His tan complexion, blonde tresses and his sky blue eyes. One more worry inched its way to fruition. What about Arizona? What about love?
That's when Lambda flickered out and she flinched in pain.
Felix observed Nevada from a safe distance, and noted how much of a stalker he felt he was becoming in the last few days. Her helmet off today really confirmed it for him. This was Samantha. He fiddled with a matching charm on his own necklace he kept well hidden to, it clenched out of sight in his hand. His heart was pounding with so much emotion. Who did this guy think he was, smoothly yanking her into embrace and disturbing her peace of mind?
Felix watched her flinch and had to resist the overall compulsion that nearly propelled him forward to help her. He hated feeling helpless to her still after all this time. There was no way he could safely re-enter her world at this moment, and each breath he took knowing this infuriated and frustrated him beyond belief.
"Sierra? Sierra you ok?" Arizona inquired cupping her face and moving her hair from her face.
"Sierra?..." Felix muttered. He knew agents changed names but, would she really need to?
"W-what? What did you call me?" She took a tone that was clearly unfamiliar with Arizona, but totally recognizable to Felix. He knew that was the attitude when someone said something totally unprecedented to her and she was questioning intelligence.
"Sierra. Agent Nevada. Your name?" Arizona elaborated. Sierra had clearly been giving him a totally different look by that moment's end.
"R-right..." She muttered.
"Lambda, Psi..." Arizona stated, and two AI popped up beside her. One in the shade of orange that the sunrise would paint the sky and the other, the one flickering, was gray with a green aura. "Status report."
"Lambda is currently experiencing a small power shortage trying to hold himself to her neural connections. Combined we are functioning at about 65% and I have lent power to Lambda to keep him online and without failure causing unwanted damage or thought flooding. Agent Nevada has been experiencing sleep deprivation and it has caused her to have issues with reconstruction of her neurons and the connection between her and Lambda. I suggest she sleep." Psi ratted her out. Arizona sighed and he met Sierra's gaze. Her eyes pleading to not be nagged or for him to further prod into her thoughts.
Felix knew this gaze.
And he wished he was the one gazing into her hazel eyes that resembled a lively planet against that bloodshot galaxy in one of her weakest moments, there to kiss it away.
"C'mon. Let's get you back to the compound turned into our quarters. Kansas and Missy did a great job of making it feel homey." Arizona said placing his arm over her waist and walking off with her.
Something wasn't adding up. When Arizona called her 'Sierra', she barely responded and when she did it was with a very reminiscent response with a girl Felix was more familiar with. She sounded genuinely confused, and she would have never agreed to having an AI installed with her let alone two. This was all striking a weird chord. Then it dawned on Felix; the day he officially lost her. Her prison transport was raided.
"Oh shit…"
"Agent Washington...my body...is trying, to die." Caboose heaved out before passing out on the ground whilst Carolina and Washinton experienced physical pain observing the struggle that was the out of shape Simulation soldiers. Donut, and Tucker were still performing squats as Caboose lay unconscious.
"When the rest of the rest of the reds get back, please tell me you are gonna double up this work, 'cause this shit is fucked up." Tucker said.
"And one more lap to the list for bitching, and probably. Who knows?" Washington answered. Tucker muttered more curses and Donut bitched at Tucker for bitching more and earning more work for them.
Locus manifested out from behind the two former Freelancers and uncloaked his armor.
"Agent Washington," Locus startled Wash and Carolina.
"Jesus, Locus. You startled me."
"I assumed because of your status as a former special operations soldier you possessed the skills to identify me being behind you." Locus answered, completely void of emotion but sincere in logic.
"Oh, buuuuuurn." Tucker chortled.
"Hey why don't you guys go ahead and give me those 8 laps you owe me? Like right now." Wash retorted.
"We only owe you seven dick face." Tucker argued.
"One for the burn comment, another for dick face. 10 laps because I feel like it. Move it."
Donut attempted to chastise Tucker for adding the extra laps and received a swift "Fuck off pink dude."
"So, Locus, see anything new today?" Carolina asked, trying to ignore the stupid that was occurring all around her.
"Nothing entirely new, but gathered interesting intell while observing through Felix. The team has not deviated from the perimeter except to place bombs or other trapping devices throughout points of interest in the perimeter." Locus cleared his throat. "This being said, no one has deviated in the last five days from the normal routine to my knowledge. Then again she has had them on such a stringent schedule and system I calculated taking into account that I may or may not have had someone leave my vision or not be under my surveillance because I am unable to see all team members at once."
"So, what's the interesting intell from Felix?" Washington asked, trying to not laugh at the heaving and panting from two of the three conscious and running morons of the group.
"I managed to locate Felix, and due to tracking him down, I in turn was able to confirm that the leader of the team is Agent Nevada, and that she is the woman I predicted her to be. She had her helmet off in plain sight today. Now, while I was observing I noted a private moment between her and one of the other male subordinates-" Locus was interrupted by a passing by "Bow chicka bow wow" and sighed and recollected his thoughts. "At any rate, in this private moment I discovered that she had changed her name, and was experiencing what may seem like a significant amount of distress." Locus established.
"That it?" Carolina asked. "Most special agents change their names."
"I am not finished." Locus replied. "During her encounter with the subordinate, he had activated her AI untis. She has two, and one was experiencing a mild malfunctioning error." Locus added.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Carolina gasped.
"She has AI's? Plural?" Washington asked incredulously.
"This can conclude that other team members may very well have AI, as well as advanced weaponry you two are familiar with." Locus elaborated.
"Son of a bitch." Carolina breathed.
"I however feel like she won't be the one to make the first move at this rate." Locus interjected, regaining their focus.
"What makes you say that?" Washington asked.
"She has yet to order any kind of deviation from setting up base, and perimeter. The true nature of their visit is unknown, but I know from small intercepted conversation in radio chatter, she is feeling dissonance from this call." Locus answered. "I want to throw in also how she is collectively a different individual than what I knew her as. I feel as though she has no free will in this mission as well. Whatever it may be."
"Free will or not they're here for something." Carolina snapped.
"I have more speculations, but I shall save them for another day and with more substantial evidence." Locus finished.
"Thanks Locus. We need to capitalize on this advantage we have been given as far as her prolonging this mission." Washington said.
"Affirmative." Carolina and Locus agreed as Tucker and Donut both collapsed on Caboose, all three of them groaning in pain.
Big shout out to the Guest reviewer, and my followers, y'all the MVPs here :) (Yeah I just let my southern come out a bit there!)
Also, getting closer to the break throughs and what not, but I wanna make sure I leave no room for too many unanswerables yet. Next chapter is going to cover mostly the AIs and Epsilon. Who knows, Illinois and Ohio might have made a break through, or perhaps Dr. Grey has. Only time shall tell.
Hope you all enjoyed, and please review if have the moment to tell me how weird it is to see Felix lovesick and how awkward of a position his stalkerish tendencies are with his romance!
~Sahara