I wrote this at 4 am because I couldn't get it out of my head.

I might write more for this AU if people enjoy it.

The cold hard ground was almost as uncomfortable as the annoying monotonous voice that refused to let Dexter Grif sleep in for the five extra minutes he had requested. Grif tries to rub at his eyes only for his helmet to obstruct him once again. After years of waking up with the damn thing on most would have broken such habits. Grif wasn't one of them. Even though Delta did love to remind him he sleeps far more than the average person.

"You must awaken Sergeant Dexter Grif. Your ally, Caboose is under attack."

Grif knows Delta was saying something important, he just couldn't really make out what. Yes, he was speaking directly into his brain but there was something else going on. A noise just a little louder than the voice inside his head.

Grif yawns as he sits up. His head leans back against the cold rock he had fallen asleep behind. As his mind slowly stirs into activity the noise grows louder. It almost sounds like gunshots. Shots and was that screaming? He leans and tilts his ear up higher into the sky. Yeah that was definitely screaming.

'Caboose is under attack.' Delta repeats a little sterner this time. Grif was actually awake enough now to listen.

"Oh shit. Under attack by who?"

"The meta."

"Oh. that guy sucks." The complaint was unneeded. That specific consensus about the former freelancer had already been met with general agreement. The part they often couldn't agree on was what to do about him.

"Welp, I guess that means it's time to get out of here."

"After we retrieve Private Caboose that will be our smartest course of action."

"Retrieve? No Delta we need to get the fuck out of here.

"I can not allow you to abandon Private Caboose."

"Oh yeah?"

"Sorry allow me to clarify Sergeant Grif. I will not abandon Private Caboose."

Grif rolls his eyes. "Of all the times for you to be stubborn, you had to pick the worst."

"He reminds me of someone. If we leave his chances of dying increase by 89%. I would not feel right leaving him."

"And you say you aren't human. Fine. Let's go save him." He forces his body to stand and wills the sleepiness away. It did nothing to remove the sand still sticking to his eyes, but he would just have to deal with that later. Grif leans past the rock to see Caboose currently running back and forth shooting sporadically towards a Washington that was quickly closing the gap between them. How that blue idiot was always able to attract trouble was beyond his understanding.

"Delta prepare the dome. I'm gonna rush over there and activate it."

"Starting up dome shield."

"Ow!"

"We must hurry Grif. Caboose has fallen."

"If he's dead let's just get out of here."

"He is not dead. He fells while running back and forth."

Grif groans as he loads his knifle. "Of fucking course he did."

Holding the knifle at the ready Grif charges out from behind his hiding spot. He feet carrying him straight to Caboose as he fires rapidly at Meta. He trips over the elevated stone Caboose had found himself on top of. Whistling Delta activates the dome as Grif collides with the ground. Dirt and who knows what else covers this visor in a thin cloud. He pretends to cough it out, despite the fact his helmet had filtered all of it before he could breathe it in. Delta starts to point this out but Grif only coughs louder to stop him.

The laughing that came from the Meta was enough to piss anybody off. This added with the fact that Grif was sick of dealing with the guy, well it only fueled his desire to leave even quicker. The orange soldier pushes himself up from the ground and glares at the former freelancer. He wants to make a joke about how the mighty fall, but there was never really anything mighty about him, that he could ever recall. As the laugh dies down an uncomfortable silence settles between them. The dome was really the only thing keeping Grif and Caboose alive now.

Grif stands with the knifle aimed at the Meta. His black and yellow armor was off-putting, but he wasn't the only one that had multiple components. The yellow shield dome blinks as another round of bullets bounce against it. They fly away back towards the monster trying to kill them. Grif risks looking away from their enemy. His blood pumps louder in his ears, reminding him of the danger. This simple act of looking back at Caboose could be the one that kills him. All his attention had to be on the fight and maintaining the dome, or else they were done for. Internally Grif rationalizes that he would be able to remain calmer if he knew just how badly Caboose was injured.

He was lying on his side, hunched over on to his hands. His helmet had fallen off and rolled over to the edge of the dome. Dirt and blood cover the golden-orange tinted visor lense. The blue soldier was looking at Grif with a mix of awe and excitement in his eyes. Somehow he was able to smile despite almost dying. The orange soldier looks away with a new feeling in his chest. It was how he felt when he dove into the pond by their house to save his little sister all those years ago. Delta was right, they couldn't leave Caboose behind.

"Your healing is at max capacity. Any more shots and it will be more difficult for you to recover."

"No worries Delta. I got this."

"The shield will collapse in three minutes."

"Just long enough for Caboose to catch his breath right?"

"I will advise him to put his helmet back on for his own safety."

"That would be smart ." As Delta flicks away Grif could still hear him talking just behind his back. The AI's tone had shifted. From his typical annoyed, reading to sass back at any moment, he was talking softly. Taking time to check up on and answer all of Caboose's questions. Half the time he didn't even bother trying to answer Grif's. The green AI always claims it's because Grif already understands. Then the questions about why he pretends to be incompetent and simple-minded start and it's like Grif was talking to his first Sergeant all over again. People already expect so much, and it had taken years for Grif to destroy those expectations. Delta on the other hand, well it was somehow harder to convince an AI stuck in his head.

"Give up!"

"Hah! If I was allowed to I would have hours ago. This fight wasn't really my idea." Grif barks back. The Meta growls and for a moment Grif couldn't tell Sigma from David. How the Hell was this Washington?

The former freelancer jumps into the air right at them. Grif drops his gun behind his feet and holds his arms out. Forcing all of his body and mind to focus every ounce of his attention on running the fucking dome. He could feel it give under Wash's weight for a moment. The mirroring spot of his head erupted in a volcanic like an explosion of pain. The feeling quickly spreads all over causing his body to shake under the weight. Grif looks up to see he was now sliding down the dome. That didn't stop him from punching at it as much as he could before falling off.

Digging his feet into the sandy stone, Grif pushes his hands back out. Alarms and red flags bing throughout his helmet as Grif pushes the dome out further. It was draining his suit to quickly. Pushing it out would only increase the speed of depletion. Delta's voice rings out louder than the rest of the noise. It was little more than just another part of the background to Grif though.

"Grif if you continue on like this you'll lose the dome before Private Caboose is ready to run."

"I've," he pants before taking another step. "I've got to push him away Delta. Just a few feet more."

"I would not recommend this course of action."

"Fuck," his chest felt like it was caving in on itself, "off."

His left leg gives out from under him as a bullet makes it past the left edge of the dome. Wash pauses and Grif can picture the fucked up smile that must be there under that helmet. He imagines it was almost identical to the one he wore when he held Simmons at gunpoint.

"Thirty seconds left."

"Caboose can you move yet?" Somehow he was still able to shout. His throat was sore, and his body was slowly quitting on him, but as long as Caboose heard then nothing else mattered. They would get out of this.

Wash holds out a hand towards the shield. He takes a step back just out of it's every slowly growing reach. With a pose that spoke volumes about his confidence, he holds one finger out and flicks the dome. It shatters into a million little pieces of reflected light. Somehow the power behind such a small move was enough to push Grif back. He falls off his collapsed knee onto his ass.

Wash strides over to him and draws out his small arm, pistol. He holds it towards Grif's head while holding his other hand out welcomingly. The smile on his face could be heard all over his sickeningly arrogant voice.

"Delta. I know someone who's been dying to see you again. Why don't you come out Theta?"

Grif looks up to see a purple and pink glow appear next to Delta. His form was smaller then he remembers. It also seemed to shake more. Was he struggling to keep it up? Why?

"Delta! We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Theta?" There was an emotion he had never heard in Delta's voice before. It causes his audio to shake somewhat, under the rest. Was it fear? Surprise?

"Come with us Delta. We're going to find Alpha."

Grif holds his tongue as Delta looks down at him. There was plenty of bad blood between the two of them. Delta never let Grif relax, and Grif hardly ever listened to his advice. The Alpha was a goal the two often discussed, hardly ever at length. It was something Delta wanted to do. Not Grif.

"I-i-"

"Delta? Are you alright?" As Theta reaches out towards his counterpart Wash pushes the gun closer to Grif's head. Enough that this time it actually pushes down against the top of his helmet. If he was faster Grif would knock the gun right out of his hand and,

'I can not go with them.'

Grif blinks a few times before realizing Delta was talking privately to him again.

'No shit, but I'm not seeing another way out of this Delta. Either they kill me and take you, or they take you and maybe let Caboose and I live.'

'Agent Wash- I mean the Meta will kill you either way. He has not shown a history of mercy.'

"I must admit that it surprised me how long you managed to evade us Grif. I seem to remember you barely able to finish a lap, let alone remain hidden so well for so long."

"What can I say, being lazy has its perks." Grif quips back slowly moving his hand back behind him. If he could just get to his knifle. It had only fallen just behind him. A quick grab and a quicker finger then-

"Come on Delta!" Theta urges again now taking Delta's hand inside his own.

'This is not the Theta I knew Grif.'

'That's not Wash either.'

If the mixing of melancholy and a bitter, sickening feeling of unfamiliar-ness was Delta or Grif neither was entirely sure. When this is over Delta will insist that it all came from his human partner. That it must have been shock and anger mixing with the frustration of having once known the two. None of them was the same anymore. Not a single one of the four of them. A cracking sound fills his ears as Grif realizes the Theta he once knew was completely gone now.

'I know.'

'What's the plan Delta?'

'Caboose should be able to move now. It may be best to have him run before initiating a transfer of power.'

'So you'll leave me for dead? Figures.'

'I do not want to.'

'You're an AI. You aren't supposed to want anything. Don't worry Delta. I understand. Can you power up the dome for a few more seconds? One more time?'

'Possibly. I see so that's your plan.'

'Cut the healing. I just need the dome. Stay with me for a little bit longer, alright?'

'If you say so. It was a pleasure working with you Grif for as short a time as it was.'

'Some times more than others Delta.' Grif grabs his gun and waits. The moment he sees the dome begin to apparate into place again he pushes himself up. Headbutting the bottom of Wash's gun the pistol goes flying from the force of the dome and his head. Theta was gone as Grif shoots at Wash a couple of times through the holes within the dome.

"Take that you ass! Caboose, run!" He turns around to run away. Caboose was already on his feet but he looks confused. Gazing back and forth between Grif and Washington. Damn, why was he so dense sometimes? Grif fires a few more shots behind himself as he pushes Caboose ahead with his other hand. Delta strategically chooses a few well-placed pieces of the dome, reflecting bullets back at the freelancer. The man let out an inhuman grow before switching weapons.

Grif pushes Caboose to run faster as Delta summons multiple panels to cover them. Either a stray or an extremely well-aimed bullet makes it past and buries itself into his arm. His fingers tighten around his knifle as his other hand takes a grenade from the side of his armor. Without looking he pulls the clip out and throws it back. For safe measure, he throws his last three the pair of them run back towards the ship they had brought with them. Grif swears he could feel Washington's awful breath against his neck for half of the dash. The growing pit fo despair and desperation in his stomach was becoming far too common for him nowadays.

Caboose reaches the ship first, and Delta starts it up. Grif was still about seven feet away as it begins to rise. He checks his suit, Delta was still there. He hasn't completely given up on Dexter yet. That fleeting bit of hope is thrown out the window as the back of his neck is grabbed. Grif reaches out towards the ship as he is lifted above Meta's head and thrown headfirst into the ground. His healing unit was completely spent. Warnings and sirens about failing parts of his armor scream in his ear as a foot rests on the small of his back.

This was it. He was dead.

Honestly, this wasn't how Dexter Grif always thought he would go, but there worst ways. At least he assumes there are.

"Say hello to your sister for me."

Anger fills the space between his ears as Grif tries to force his body to stand just one last time. If it could just let him throw one more punch then that was all he needed. Just one. Last. Hit. To ruin that bastard's day.

His anger melts away into resignation as the more he fails the harder Meta steps. It felt like he was slowly cracking Grif's spine until there was just no feeling at all. He assumes that was it. At some point, there had been a snap and now he was just unable to feel at all. How long was this asshole going to take to kill him? Just end it already. He had already beaten him, what else could Meta want?

"Come on Grif. The smart green guy has the ship started. He says we have to hurry." Grif opens his eyes again to see a pair of blue feet standing in front of him. Suddenly he was being lifted like he weighed little more than a sack of potatoes would. Risking a look back as Caboose runs with him in his arms, the orange soldier was able to catch a glimpse of black and yellow armor lying in a small ditch a few feet away from where Grif had been.

And if he hadn't listened to Delta that would be him. Perhaps the AI wasn't always so bad.

'Thank you, Sergeant Grif.'