Sorry this took long to finish XD. I'm trying to improve my speed at this but other got in the way. aka life.
Chapter 14 Detachment
Noble Six on this day was in the locker room with the only other people inside were Maine and Wyoming. However both were tinkering with their personal weapon of choice,
Maine it was his brute shot, Wyoming it was his sniper rifle. The spartan was just sitting on the bench thinking about the future and when exactly he will leave Project Freelancer. Lexi's response back to him made it clear she was going to be busy for a long time. Six was still in thought until a voice broke through his thinking,
"Hello Noble Six." Six turns and saw the flaming fragment of creativity, Sigma, "What's on your mind? As of late you have been more distant with the other agents." Six knew what the fragment was talking about.
Six responses back to the flames of ambition with, "Well I've been thinking about leaving Project Freelancer. I think the Director wants me gone since I outlived the role I was needed to fill. Or he simply wants me dead because I killed someone he cared about and is now seeking revenge. Why else would he have given one of the agents the mission to kill me." Six's tone making it sound like having your boss give one of your fellow workers the sole mission to kill you on the job is a regular occurance.
Sigma nodded and then said back to Noble Six, "So would you say you would leave if something "terrible" happen to one of the agent's? Like Agent Carolina?" Six looked away from Sigma, more or less confirming the fragment's theory, "Interesting. Well I leave you to be spartan three." The Fragment moved closer to Maine as Six got to his feet and left the room.
"Six is still a wild card?" said by the very robotic voice of Gamma who was a blue humanoid hologram that formed near Sigma and faced his brother, "I believe the spartan three would make for a better host for us than Maine does. So why not jump ship? He alone could help take out everyone else to collect our brothers and sisters that the others' have?"
Sigma did agree with his partner in crime but said, "I heard from Omega that he tried and failed. Six has mental defenses strong enough to push him right out. I believe it will be a fruitless endeavor. Unless we tip the scales into our favor." Sigma ponders what could win the spartan to their side and maybe even better to get him to willingly merge with them to become the Meta.
Gamma suggested to the fragment of ambition, "There's also our missing brother." Sigma was confused who Gamma was talking about? Was it Xi? the one piece Sigma is missing to complete the Meta? Gamma clarified, "Me and Wyoming overheard the doctors that work on injecting the fragments into the agents. They mention there is one that is too uncontrollable, and he seems to be able to possess people much more effectively than Omega." At least from What Gamma heard.
Sigma was astounded by this information, this fellow fragment could be a powerful ally in their quest to become Meta, or just a simple pawn in Sigma's game. "Thank you Gamma. I'll try to meet this wild brother of ours and see if he will-" the two fragments heard a helmet hit the wall as Carolina entered the room and sat down clearly upset, "I think the solution to our spartan dilemma might just have walked right into our hands." Gamma left having an idea where this is going as Sigma approaches the agent in aqua armor.
Carolina sat on the same bench that Six was moment's before as she grumbled to herself, "Nothing is working… maybe I do need-" Sigma appeared up near her and though Carolina was clearly upset she was not going to lash it out on Sigma,"Hello Sigma can I help you with something?"
Sigma shook his head and says, "More like what can I do to help you? Judging by you tossing your helmet, your training has been a fruitless endeavor to surpass agent Texas." Carolina nodded yes and Sigma kept talking, "Texas is not only a naturally skilled warrior but the Director is giving her… special treatment."
Carolina's emotions were clashing as rage duels sadness, pride tries to silence doubt. While her emotions brawl it out,words exit out of Carolina's lips, "What makes her so special that she was given access to a fragment before any of us. I mean if I had one she would not seem so fucking high and mighty." Sigma was surprised Carolina already knew of Omega but he kept on his poker face as Gamma decided to drop in unannounced.
"Unlikely agent Carolina. Omega is far more powerful than any of us." Gamma appeared on the other side of Carolina, the two fragments were like the devil and angel on Carolina's shoulders.
Sigma says to Gamma playing along, "Now Gamma, we're not meant to speak about Omega. You know the rules." keeping an eye on Carolina to see how she reacts and shift what they say to get the right reaction out of her.
Carolina says to Gamma in a friendly tone, "Well hello Gamma. Does Wyoming know you are talking to another A.I.?" not really caring about the rules just teasing the blue humanoid A.I.
Gamma corrected Carolina, "I'm not talking to another A.I., we are simply both talking to you." Carolina could not argue with that logic as her focus returned to Sigma and asked more about Omega.
Sigma informs the emerald eye agent with information he got, "As you can probably guess he is one of our brothers. The strongest one in fact." Sigma was smiling as Carolina clearly did not like this information. this was going better than he thought, hopefully it doesn't do a one eighty on him.
Carolina stood up and said, "That bitch has been riding high off her fragment's hard work. So maybe if I get one as well that would-"
"I don't think even with a fragment assisting you will be able to stop their combined might. Six is the only one I can think of that is stronger than Texas with Omega backing her up" Gamma said to Carolina, cutting her off as he had a change of plans, why not aim higher? I believe working together is the best course of action if you wish to surpass agent Texas Carolina."
Sigma likes where this is going and says playing along, "Indeed. We are just fragments, pieces of a whole, so it is safe to assume two pieces together would form a larger piece." Sigma really hopes this pushes Carolina on the right path they desire which is being the straw to break the camel's back for the spartan.
Carolina smiled as a thought popped into her head, "You've just given me an idea." Sigma appreciates that the agent has been inspired by his words and hopes she uses it well, Carolina's response back to the fragment of ambition, "Don't worry Sigma. I'll be more than fine." Exiting the locker room as Sigma smiles as the pieces were moving as he planned, now to see it all unfold.
Time has passed and we see Four Seven Niner as she was looking for Six to inform him what bone headed decision Carolina is pulling. She found him in the mess hall resting on one of the tables with his back resting against said table. Niner did find the sight amusing but the Carolina issue was more important than teasing Six about how he was resting on this table.
Niner approaches Six who did not move, making her wonder if he was asleep under that helmet of his, "Six if you're asleep wake your ass up!" Six did not move or even made a sound, "Carolina is getting her own A.I. finally. But she decided not to simply have one, but two."
Six leaned his head to face the pilot and said in a very tired tone, "What?" Niner repeated what she said and Six let out the most frustrated sigh Niner ever heard as he got to his feet and said, "Thanks Niner. I'll try to keep her from making it into a bigger mess for me to clean up." Patting Niner's shoulder and attempting to walk away.
"I think you should let go of Carolina Six." The spartan paused and looked back to Niner confused what she meant? Niner went into greater detail,"I tried to keep some of my sisters from being dirty whores by pushing them into aiming for better, more fulfilling careers. You can guess they still refuse to listen to me." Niner's tone made it clear she regretted the life path they chose like it was her fault.
Six asked the pilot, "So do I just let Carolina destroy herself? Last time I let someone go… she's now forever gone in my life." This girl the spartan was talking about was someone he cherished a lot, clearly regretting pushing her away to the very end.
Niner said, placing a hand on Six's shoulder, "I'm not saying to abandon Carol, I think just only act when she asks for it. Or when she is literally at death's door. "Six nodded understanding as he left the room heading to the medical bay.
After a short jog to the medical wing of the Mother of invention, the spartan saw around the still out cold Carolina was Wyoming, New York and Washington. York was first to notice him, "Oh hello Six, came to check on Carol?" Six nodded as he walked closer to the rest of them as York kept talking, "Back to your question Wash I did have headaches at first, but they went away pretty quickly, though. The other side effects were way worse."
Washington got worried and asked York, "What are the other side effects?" York was trying really hard to keep a straight face.
"You know, bleeding from the eyes, ringing ears… Inverted penis." The penis one got Washington ultra worried about York could not keep up his straight face, "Dude, I'm just fucking with you! 'Kay? Couple of headaches, that's it."
Washington then asked, "So What's different about Maine, then?" but his question was ignored as Carolina was steering awake which York pointed out.
Carolina rose up more or less ignoring York asking how she was doing and then said, "I want a match! Now!" Her tone making it clear it was not a suggestion, Carolina's desire for surpassing Texas is making her sprint before she even learns how to stand up on her own two feet.
Noble Six says to the red haired agent trying to stop her from doing this, "Carol you are not ready for a fight, you haven't gotten time to adjust to them being in your head normally. Let alone for a combat situation."
Carolina was ignoring Noble Six as she got to her feet and started to head to the door to leave, "CAROLINA! Stop being a fucking child and grow THE FUCK UP!" Six was honestly sick and tired of Carol's ego and pride for being number one.
Carolina turned to him and got into Six's face, "Last I checked Six you are not my father." Her voice makes it clear she no longer has any form of attachment to the spartan, burning the bridges that have been crumbling down since the arrival of agent Texas as she left the room.
Six wanted to yell at her, smack her, something, anything really, but the ghost of reach decided to take Niner's advice. Six decides to let Carolina have some distance, he will only step in if she asks for it or is in a life or death situation, the spartan still needs to let out some rage trap within his modified form.
The fragment of creativity and ambition watched this play out and honestly was let down that it was not Six's breaking point,but Sigma thinks the fight between Carolina and Texas will be just that.
Hours passed as they got the training room ready for the match between the two strongest ladies in project Freelancer, Texas and Carolina were getting geared up for this duel while York was filling Carolina in on how the fragments work, "At first the voice of the A.I.- sorry A.I.'s, it will feel like a tickle, okay? Just focus on that and it will become more clear. Trust them. I know that'll be hard, but I promise they'll help." F.I.L.S.S. said once more for him to leave the floor and York was getting annoyed by this, "In a Second F.I.L.S.S!"
"Clear the floor or enter the match agent York. your choice."making it clear she was not exactly happy about repeating herself, and York did not blame her. York told Carolina good luck in the match after she gave him a look after saying he was scared of agent Texas' wrath from past experience, only to be reminded Carolina is equally as scary.
Agent York as he heads to join the others to watch the match Delta appears and asks his partner, "Agent York, why are you not stopping Carolina from facing agent Texas with no practice using her A.I.'s?"
Genuinely York would want Carolina to take this step by step instead of leaping head first into it without a care in the world, "I can't stop her Delta. As much as I wish I could." feeling bad since it felt like he was abandoning Carolina, but she was the one pushing everyone away.
York arrived in the viewing room and was happy to see Noble Six was present, "Hey teach. I guess it means we don't have to worry about the girls killing each other." He was certain Six could handle both at the same time,York hopes no one takes that comment out of context.
"What about us?! Will Six protect us from being killed just by watching their brawl?!" a worried Washington said getting a chuckle from the other agents but Six did not say anything as he was laser focused on Agent Texas' and Carolina's match against each other.
Suddenly entering the room was the Director himself and Counselor following him like he was Leonard's shadow, "What the hell is going on here?!" The spartan three turned to the Director and made a hand gesture to tell him to chill the fuck out, " No matches have been authorized for-no, ALLISON!"
Six was shocked, why did he say that name? He highly doubts it's Carolina's real name and Tex… maybe that is her real name? In the arena Texas and Carolina ran to each other but out of the blue Carolina grabbed her head as she slid across the floor on her knees and was in agonizing pain, and she was not alone in that experience.
Agent North Dakota, York, Wyoming and even Maine all had their fragment's screaming in their heads. Removing their helmets helped lessen the cries to the point they could not hear them anymore, but when Carolina tried the very same trick and hoped it would help her, it did nothing to help her at all, probably due to having two freaking out fragments versus just one.
"Make them stop! Make them Stop, the voices!" Tex offers to help Carolina to her feet more confuse what the actual fuck is going on? Texas loves making Carolina salty though she never did hate her guts,
but for Carolina she'll gladly watch Texas burn in hell as Carolina slaps the hand away refusing help from her most hated foe, "Make the voices stop!"
Six heard Carolina's screams but he did not respond due to him no longer in the spartan was returning to a place he would rather not be, the setting was that of an alien rainforest where it was pouring down, due to a storm raging in the sky above. Six was not bothered by the storm as his eyes were on a trio of kids in training gear as they laughed and were mocking someone.
The leader of the trio of ass hats, "Oh look, the runt twisted his ankle and needs our help." The minions laughed along with their leader as the spartan's gaze landed on the victim of their ridicule, himself.
On this day they were doing a capture the flag match and during it Nathan twisted his ankle badly and due to how bad the weather was being they decided to cancel it Seeing this as a juicy opportunity these douchebags decided to leave Nathan for dead. The red hair lad was covered in mud and his hair was more grown out compared to his current hair length.
Nathan said with his eyes red from crying from the pain he was experiencing, "Please. PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" The young lad was begging, fearing about dying alone in these alien woods.
The leader of the bully group said to Six, "If you are spartan material you would not need us to save you." Nathan knew he was right which made the leader even more pleased about himself, "That's what I thought, rest in peace, loser." as they left Nathan to die in this stormy jungle.
Nathan screamed for help, pegging for it but it fell on death ears as they kept on walking away. Six watches as the last fragments of Nathan were broken and washed away by the rain, and what took its place? Well it is not hard to guess.
Returning to the present Counselor asked the Director, "Director, we should sedate Carolina, Immediately. We have no idea how much damage two A.I. could-" but the Director cut him off.
"NO. She made her Decision let her-" A sickening crack filled the air. The agent's turned and saw the Director was launched back, landing on the floor with his nose broken and bleeding. The Counselor noticed Six's hand was covered in the Director's blood, Counselor was sure if Six's hit was harder he would have killed the Director by cracking his skull causing buckets full of internal bleeding.
When the Spartan's visor landed on him the Counselor wisely said, "I will call the medical team to prepare to sedate Carolina when she arrives." Six did not respond back as he jumped right through the window landing in the arena.
Texas looks at Six who just landed, "What the fuck is going on!?" but when she felt the angry vibes oozing off Six's body she got worried and defensively said, "I don't know what happened to her, she was charging at me and suddenly she is having a spaz attack." Her tone made it sound like Texas was worried for Carolina's well being.
Six walks towards Carolina and says to the black armor agent, "the two A.I.s in her mind are freaking out. We need to get her to the medical bay before-" Agent Texas punches Carolina in her face, knocking her out and silencing the agent's screams.
Texas explains to the spartan, "Don't want her to lose her voice, and also our eardrums." Six did not complain as he picked up Carolina bridal style as Six headed towards the medical bay but to his surprise Texas was following right behind him at first. Tex eventually caught up to him and placed a hand on Carolina's shoulder, comforting her like a worried mother. However the A.I. Omega who was in Texas's mind screaming,
"What are you doing? We could have gotten rid of this stupid brat, Than we can finally killed the spartan three." Texas pushed him down and told him to shut the fuck up which Omega did, not before calling her a pussy which only got an eye roll from her.
As they arrive in the medical bay, Six gently places Carolina on a table so the doctors can do their thing, however they were told to leave so as not to get in the way. Tex and Six waited to hear the news, honestly the two looked like a worried mother and father for their child after an accident. Texas looks at Six feeling his mood changed from panicking to a mood that was along the lines of depression.
Tex placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?" Six did not move even when her hand made contact with him, "Look Six I bet you're blaming yourself for but She has no one to blame for it besides herself.
Six shook his head and responded back to agent Texas, "Your right, I have to let her go." his sad tone confused the black armored gal as he rose to his feet to leave. Before leaving, Six said out loud to himself indirectly allowing Texas to hear him, "I should have known I did not deserve peace, let alone happiness."
Texas watched him leave and then pulled out the thumb drive she found in her locker wondering who put it in there, but probably more importantly what was contained within it? Texas knew she'll have to find an opening in the schedule to use the class room for it's computer to access the info within.