Ch 8 reds and blues
The night was quiet. After leaving the desert, they camped next to a small pond. Wash woke up and walked to the water. Taking his helmet off, he observed his face via helmet visor. Noting he had some facial hair he felt it with his gloved hand. Pulling out his knife, he put it to his hair when he heard some leaves rustling.
Grabbing his DMR, he waited for anything to appear. Ursa gasped and took a step back. Wash put his rifle aside and motioned for Ursa to come forward.
"It's alright." Wash said, sitting down.
"I wish it was." Ursa said, sitting down next to Wash. She removed her shoes and put her feet in the water.
"Can't sleep?" Wash asked.
"No. Haven't been able to for the past couple days." Ursa said.
"What's on your mind?" Wash asked.
"Everything. The banishment, years on the run, Azula, and now this." Ursa said.
"We can't choose our situations, but we can choose how to respond to it. Cliché, but it's so damn true. Something I've learned from the human covenant war, and project freelancer is that we shouldn't hold onto the past. We let it go." Wash said.
"Easier said than done." Ursa said.
"You're right about that." Wash said.
Wash brought his knife to his hair again.
"What are you doing?" Ursa asked.
"Shaving." Wash said.
"Your right hand is shaking. How about you let me shave?" Ursa asked.
"Sure thing." Wash said.
Laying back, Wash felt water dumped on his head as Ursa filled his helmet with water and chucked it at him. Straddling the freelancer, Ursa carefully moved the blade upward and scrapped away the hair. With the hair now gone, she got a new look at the agent. His face was handsome, with a few scars from combat. But his eyes got her attention. They were a hard cold blue, veteran of years of intense combat. She wondered what those eyes saw, day after day. Things that honed Washington's high reflexes.
And yet part of her shirked away from knowing. Some things were just better left untouched.
"I'm worried about you as well." Ursa said, finishing the shave.
"What about me?" Wash asked.
"You're quiet and reserved. And it seems like you're carrying a painful past with you." Ursa said.
"That makes two of us. We haven't told everyone else about everything about us. Perhaps it's the best." Wash said.
Ursa began to take her clothes off, much to Wash's surprise.
"Ursa?" Wash asked.
"I'm taking a bath." She said.
"I'll leave you alone, then." Wash said.
"Actually, I prefer if you stay. If Azula attacks, I'm dead." Ursa said.
Wash sat down and tinkered with the scope on his sniper rifle. Scanning the lake, he observed how the scope easily penetrated the water with its advanced IRST system. Seeing something, he swung back and cleaned up the image. He saw a… human leg. Bringing the scope up and reversing the dial, he saw Ursa fully nude, although over half her body was in the water. He couldn't help but thank the UNSC and Project Freelancer for the advanced scope.
"Wow. Ozai was a complete… something to ditch her." Wash said, as he ogled Ursa.
"Hey, Wash. What are you doing?" Aang asked.
Wash's reflexes kicked and he twirled around standing up, aiming his rifle at Aang.
"What are you doing here?" Wash asked.
"Came to check up on you and Ursa. You left this early morning." Aang said.
"Well, I'm fine." Wash curtly said, wanting Aang to leave.
"Okay. Where's Ursa?" Aang asked.
"She's taking a bath. And she's asked me to stay for protection. Not you." Wash curtly said.
Aang left, and Ursa walked out of the water.
"You don't like Aang, don't you?" Ursa asked, as she dried herself.
"Not at the moment. Yes, were in a difficult situation, but he handled it the wrong way. If it wasn't for Katara, we'd all be dead." Wash said. And the last person I met who did such a thing, I killed. Wash thought, but didn't add.
Wash heard some static and pressed the side of his helmet.
"This is Agent Washington. Who's there?" Wash asked.
"Washington! It's great to hear your voice again! Now we can be friends again!" Caboose shouted over the intercom.
"Hello, Caboose." Wash said, in a highly depressed tone.
"Wash, we have your location. Don't move. We'll be here to rescue you." Sarge said.
"Thanks, Sarge. But I'm in a complicated situation here." Wash said, glancing at Ursa.
"How complicated?" Sarge asked.
"It's best if we talk face to face." Wash replied.
Wash stood watch while the children, and Ursa, played by the lake. He watched as Ursa jumped off a cliff into the water, followed by Katara who shouted "Water-bending bomb!"
Sokk and Toph were drenched, and Sokka complained about it.
"Great. Water on 5,000-year-old maps from the spirit world. Just great." Sokka said.
"Sorry." Katara said, bending the water out.
"So, did you figure out what route we're taking?" Aang asked.
"We just got out of the desert, so we must be around here." Sokka said. "And we need to get to Ba Sing Se which is here. It seems like the only passage is the serpents pass."
"You sure about that?" Toph asked.
"It's the only way. It's not like we have Appa." Sokka said.
"Shush about Appa. Can't you at least try to be sensitive?" Katara hissed.
"Katara, it's okay. I know I was upset, but I just want to focus on getting to Ba Sing Se." Aang said.
Wash didn't believe Aang. He decided to keep an eye on him for the time being.
"Then to Ba Sing Se we go. No more distractions." Sokka said.
"Knock on wood." Wash replied, earning a look from Ursa.
"Hello there, fellow refugees." A man said, walking towards the group.
"Told ya." Wash said.
"So you guys are heading to Ba Sing Se?" Aang asked.
"Sure are. We're trying to get there before my wife, Ying has her baby." The man said.
"Great. We can take the serpents pass." Katara said.
"Only the desperate take that deadly route." Ying said.
"Deadly route. Great pick, Sokka." Toph said, punching Sokka in the arm.
"We are desperate." Sokka said.
Wash saw a sizable group of contacts heading towards them, and upon looking he saw the group he somewhat dreaded to meet again.
"Ursa, come here." He said.
"Who are they?" Ursa asked.
"See the one with the aqua armor? Shoot him if he tried to hit on you." Wash said, shoving the DMR in her chest.
Wash walked forward and met with Sarge.
"Nice to meet you, Washington." Sarge said.
"You to, Sarge. Let me catch you up to speed. The planet you crashed on, is nearing the end of a hundred-year war. Fire nation is attempting to conquer the earth kingdom, and the northern and southern water tribes. I've been helping this group fight back against the fire nation. Recently, we've uncovered valuable intel that could end the war. We're heading to the earth kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se." Wash said.
"Wash, this isn't your war. We came to rescue you. Or we would have, but Griff fucked up the landing. Thanks to that, the FTL drive is damaged and we only have one Pelican operational." Sarge said.
"Well, I guess you're stuck here like me. And I'm helping them fight." Wash said.
"Wash, this is stupid. I hope you know that. None of us, are in any condition to fight a war." Tucker said.
"I've fought against the fire nation. Their weapons are thousands of years old. Swords and spears. Something like before the middle ages. Although, they can manipulate fire itself, and use it as a weapon. But our armor was built to handle Covenant plasma weaponry, so fire is no threat." Wash said.
"I don't know, Wash. Today's Tuesday and a holiday, that's time and a half." Caboose said.
"What?" Wash asked.
"Yeah. I get paid by the hour." Caboose said.
"Listen, just help me escort them to Ba Sing Se, and then we can talk." Wash said.
"Okay. Maybe you can escort me to your lady friend." Tucker said.
"Who?" Wash asked.
"The one wearing the red. Man, she's hot." Tucker said, eyes on Ursa.
"Yeah. She is." Wash muttered under his breath.
"Great. So you can introduce me to her." Tucker said.
"No." Wash said.
"Come on, Wash." Tucker said.
"She already has a boyfriend. Me." Wash quickly said.
"You?" Tucker asked.
"Wow. How'd you do that?" Donut asked.
"En realidad no es su novia. Él simplemente no confía en Tucker en absoluto." Lopez said.
"Lopez, I don't speak Spanish. I will never speak Spanish." Griff said.
"Get with the times. Assimilate." Simmons said.
"Guay. Estoy envenenando tanto sus próximas comidas." Lopez responded.
…
"Wow. I can't believe how many people's lives were uprooted by the fire nation." Katara said.
The large group walked into a large cavern, seeing hundreds of refugees, trying to keep one step ahead of the war.
"100 years of war. What'd you expect?" Sarge asked.
"I already told you. No vegetables allowed! One cabbage slug could destroy the entire ecosystem of Ba Sing Se! Security!"
Moments later, a platypus bear destroyed the cart.
"My cabbages!" the man shouted.
"Next!" the ticket lady shouted.
"My god. What is that?" Griff asked.
"Some sort of hybrid between a platypus and a bear." Simmons said.
"Simmons, it's some strange animal created in a laboratory. We need to capture it, and make it the mascot of red team." Sarge said.
Ursa simply palmed her head in frustration. Already, she was annoyed by the reds and blues. And she spent only an hour with them. Wash must have spent years among them. That probably explained everything about him.
"Four tickets to Ba Sing Se." Aang said.
"Passports?" the ticket lady asked.
"No-one said we needed to have passports." Aang said.
"You better let us through! Or I'll unleash my brand of red-team justice!" Sarge shouted, pumping the rack on his shotgun.
Wash unslung his sniper rifle and socked Sarge in the stomach with the rifle butt.
"Dirty blue." Sarge muttered, trying to breath.
"Wash, a word." Ursa said.
"What is it?" Wash asked, as he and Ursa were away from the group.
"How long have you fought alongside those… soldiers?" Ursa asked.
"You don't want to know." Wash said.
"That bad?" Ursa asked.
"That bad." Wash said, giving Ursa his DMR and ammunition.
Toph tried her hand, and got the tickets.
"Alright. We scammed that lady good." Sokka said.
Just when things were looking up, the other foot came down.
"Avatar Aang, you have to help us! Someone took our passports and tickets!" Ying cried.
Aang tried to help them, but the ticket lady was unsympathetic.
"Well, that leaves the serpents pass." Wash said.
"Serpents pass?" Griff asked.
"There's a giant serpent? Maybe it can kill Griff." Sarge said.
"Ursa, if I tell you to kill me, kill me." Wash said.
"How about no." Ursa replied.
…
Washington walked with everyone else as they left the caves and headed to the serpents pass. They were joined by a girl named Suki. She was a member of a group called the Kyoshi warriors. Although in the eyes of Washington and the red and blues, she didn't look prepared for combat at all. The group stopped at an 'H' archway and noticed writing. 'Abandon Hope'
"How can we abandon hope? It's the only thing we have left." Ying said.
"My hope is that there's food at the end of this climb." Griff said.
"Forget it." Wash said, walking forward with team avatar.
"Where are you going, Wash?" Tucker asked.
Wash didn't respond, but continued onto the serpents pass. Unwilling to leave a teammate behind, the blood gulch crew followed.
"The fire nation controls the western lake. Rumor has it that they're working on something on the other side, and they don't want anyone to know it." Suki said.
"And no-one will find it. If you want to keep something hidden, you'll do anything to keep it hidden." Wash said.
Wash knew her words were prophetic. If the earth kingdom did catch word of the rumors, they probably did many recon missions, maybe a few strikes. If no-one managed to stop this new superweapon, that could be disastrous for Ba Sing Se. Looking to his left, he saw a fire nation cruiser.
"Everyone, out of sight right now." Wash said, hutting the walls. However, murphy's law was against them, as part of the cliff face almost gave away. Toph was able to prevent one of the travelers from falling to his death. And the fire nation cruiser saw it, and started to shoot at them.
"Get down!" Wash shouted, pushing Ursa to the ground and covering her form with his. The fireball slammed into the rockface above them, raining debris.
"On the count of three!" Wash shouted.
"One, two, three." Ursa said.
Both broke from their position and ran, followed by the simulation troopers and their passengers. Aang flew back on his glider, after throwing a fireball back at the fire nation ship.
"My life has taken a very interesting turn." Wash said.
"That can be said for everyone." Ursa replied.
Night came, and the motley group of soldiers and civilians made camp. Wash rested against a piece of earth, and grabbed a chocolate bar from his sack and started to eat it.
"Mind if I join?" Ursa asked.
"Sure thing." Wash said.
Ursa sat down, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Wash? What happens next?" Ursa asked.
"About what?" Wash asked.
"You, your… soldiers. This war." Ursa said.
"I don't know. But for starters, me and my friends aren't going anywhere. We can't leave this planet any time soon. So we'll stay and help you guys in the war. At least I will." Wash said.
"At least I will?" Ursa asked.
"We've been through a lot. Remember what I said about project freelancer?" Wash asked.
"A secret operations group." Ursa said.
"Yes. They manipulated and tortured us. Took us from our friends and families. And did horrible things to us." Wash said, clearly remembering the Alpha. The Meta, the other agents.
"So they may not want to help in the war." Ursa said.
"I don't blame them. There's only one reason I'm staying to fight." Wash said.
The silence was broken by Lopez ranting angrily in Spanish. Which no-one understood.
"I think all of you guys need some rest." Ursa said.
"We need to be put in an asylum." Wash said.
"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Ursa asked.
"If you'd been in our shoes, you'd come to the same conclusion." Wash replied.
On the next day, things were going well until they reached a divide in the water. Katara was able to fix the problem by performing a small version of the biblical feet of dividing the red sea. With Aang's help, an air bubble was created for the group to travel through. It all went smoothly, until Momo dived into the water to chase after a fish. The lemur came face to face with a giant sea serpent.
The serpent chased after Momo and broke the air bubble. Toph quickly reacted by bringing the group above sea level, saving their lives.
"Oh my god!" Griff shouted.
"Man, that should be the new mascot for red team. A giant angry serpent creature. But it has green skin. You traitor!" Sarge shouted, aiming his shotgun at the serpent.
"Oh mighty and powerful serpent, please accept this tasty and humble offering. Thank you." Sokka said, holding Momo in front of him.
"And you can also eat Griff!" Sarge added.
"Don't move! Its vision is based on movement!" Simmosn said.
Wash and Ursa quickly faced each other, weapons pointed at each other.
"It's turning us against each other!" Caboose shouted.
"Idiota. se trata de un pacto de suicidio entre los dos de ellos." Lopze said.
The serpent dove forward, only for Aang to knock it off course with his airbending.
"Katara, get everyone across." Aang said, lifting off on his glider to deal with the serpent. Katara quickly made an ice bridge, and everyone ran across. Ursa grabbed Toph and ran across the bridge. The serpent then broke the bridge with a swipe of its tail.
"Thank god for that. I thought I was going to die back there." Griff said, heavily breathing.
"You only ran that small amount of distance. Are you that out of shape?" Ursa asked, setting Toph down.
"He eats ten meals a day." Simmons said.
Ursa quickly gave up trying to understand the simulation troopers. Aang and Katara used their waterbending to create a maelstrom and threw the serpent against the cliff, knocking it out.
"I hope that's the last of our problems, but knowing the company we're in, something is bound to fuck us over." Wash said.
Ying groaned in pain and clutched her stomach.
"I knew it." Wash said, knowing she was going into labor.
"What's wrong?" Sokka asked.
"She's going into labor." Wash said.
"Can't you hold it in?" Sokka asked.
"Wow. We found someone more stupid than Caboose." Tucker said.
"And that's saying something." Sarge said.
"Sokka, calm down. It's a baby. And I helped gran-gran deliver plenty of those." Katara said.
"This isn't the same as delivering an artic seal. It's a real human thing!" Sokka said.
"And people have kids all the time. Not something to be losing your shit about. Unless you're the mother. Then you can bitch about it." Wash said.
Everyone waited outside as Ying had her baby. Sokka came in with the water, and came in at the same moment when the baby came out. He promptly passed out.
"It's a girl." Katara said.
Wash looked inside and saw the family, plus Katara and Toph, looking at the newborn child.
"It's a miracle." Wash said.
"What should we name her?" the husband asked.
"I want our daughter's name to mean something." Ying said.
At that moment, Aang spoke up.
"I've been going thru a really hard time lately. But you've given me hope again." Aang said.
"I know what I want to name our baby. Hope." Ying said.
"That's a perfect name. Hope." The father said.
Ursa peeked inside and grinned. Maybe there was a chance, although small, that her family could resolve their differences and be together.
"If not, I can start a new family with Wash." She muttered.
"Wait. What?" Wash asked, having heard her.
"Oh. You heard." Ursa said.
"Awkward silence." Caboose said, interrupting the two.
