He was fine. Everything was fine. He wasn't disabled. He knew who Carolina was, he knew he agreed to a mission training some rookies. So what if he had to double-check the squad's name a few times? That's normal, he was normal.

Their new recruits filed into the waiting room, and introduced themselves. Blue was One, Pink was East, Yellow was Raymond, and…..n-no he's got it, the Red one said he was Axel right? That'd make the orange one West. Was West the one who escorted them here in the first place? Well it was a minor detail, he was too busy taking in the new sights then, that was all. He'd record them down properly in a few minutes once the meeting adjourned, no big deal. Fuck, how much did they discuss, had he missed anything important?

"-don't even need training! Have you seen my marks? Or would you like a test demonstration?"

"Yes One, I've read your entire squad's paperwork. But-"

"Yeah One, tackle the two Freelancers head-on. Should go as great as all your other ideas."

Oh boy.

"Oh of course you would think of fighting them right away, huh East? For your information, I meant showing off in the training room, but with how cool and rebellious you think you are? I bet you've never spent a day there. You probably cheat in fighting same as in racing."

"Girls-"

Oh Carolina. If those young blue and pink girls weren't steadily rising in volume, he might try telling her it was hopeless preventing anyone from standing around and bickering.

"Aw, still sore about losing?"

"Losing? West, tell her who won!"

"I don't-"

"Guys does anyone have a phone charger? My phone's realll low and if y'all could lend me one-"

"Shut the fuck up Raymond, unless you recorded the race on your phone-"

"N-no…"

"Then shut up."

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!"

Shatter Squad whipped around to face Carolina, stunned into silence. Damn, when he attempted leading on Chorus, no one was this cooperative!

"I don't care who has the highest marks or who won what race. From what the AOD reported on Viper, they have incredible armor enhancements and fighting techniques which left Falcon Base massacred. Unless you plan on joining their body count, I suggest you learn to work together and follow our instructions. Is. That. Clear?"

The three young recruits nodded meekly. The two older soldiers stood unphased, clearly used to working on a real squad before.

The gruff orange one spoke up next, "I think I should head back to Falcon Base, see if I can gather any intel."

The yellow one (Raymond, he still held a dying cell phone) perked up at the suggestion, "I can hack into the victims' helmet cams! I know that's a bit morbid, but we should get a good view of the action. Not like, in a movie way but-"

"You've made your point rookie. I also recommend sending our vehicles out to our local mechanic Tiny. Axel knows where it is."

Carolina nodded at Ea-Ax-West! He was West!'s suggestions. Wash, feeling a tad awkward for standing there silently for so long trying to keep track of everything, added, "I, um, wouldn't mind seeing some training from the others. Give them some pointers, y'know."

"Then it's settled. Agents West and Raymond, head out to Falcon Base, report back with anything you find. Agent Axel and I will drop the Warthogs off with Tiny, before heading over to where Agent Washington is watching Agents One and East train. Understood?"

And while Carolina's "Understood?" was asked to the room, Wash couldn't help but feel she directed it at him specifically.


One was wrong earlier. Well, One was usually wrong, but she was particularly incorrect a few minutes ago. East knew training rooms better than this entire squad combined. Not this particular one, but the ones back in Starlight Labs. Burst Step. Holo-Echo. An advancement for science. Despicable.

"Hey...East? Are you alright?"

She looked behind her in slight surprise to hear Washington address her. Why had he? Oh, of course. She must have subconsciously started rubbing against the scars through her armor again. Well, the light variants anyway. She lowered her arms, facing forward once more. "I'm fine. Let's get this over with."

One, who eagerly ran ahead, leaned out the door frame as she spoke, "Get this over with? Fighting is the best part!"

Fighting? East fought her whole damn life. She hated fighting. This was Phase's plan, not hers. But showing weakness never saved anyone. She marched inside like a good experiment should.

One flicked on the training simulation. The machinery whirred to life as Washington grabbed a spot in the spectator booth. Turrets and mechanical guards, simple enough.

One immediately launched into shooting the turrets, clearly attempting to prove to the freelancer her physical prowess. East honestly didn't care, but still shot any guards near her. It was a nice bit of anger management anyway.

As he came down the steps, Washington reviewed, "Well that was, good. Might I ask why neither of you assisted the other?"

One scoffed, "I don't need help. Deal with the major threats and move on. If weak links want to fight each other, not my problem."

"Uh-huh. And you East?"

She shrugged. What did he want her to say? She was part of the fractured mind and soul of an 18-year-old captured in hard light technology. Training to stop Phase from destroying the AOD and Starlight Labs was counterproductive.

Thankfully she didn't have to come up with a response, as Carolina and Axel strode through the entrance.

"That was fast," stated Washington in surprise.

"Eh, Tiny's a wonderful mechanic," commented Axel casually.

"She was certainly...interesting," added Carolina before asking, "How's training gone?"

"Accuracy-wise? Fantastic. Teamwork-wise? Not so much. One thinks a lot like you did Carolina."

"That so? Well then, how about you two girls face me? Let's see what you're truly made of."