The large group continued on their long drive. Kaede actually groaned once it started getting hotter and the dirt turned to sand. She groaned even louder when she realized they were stopping at the temples she and Tucker had holed up in.
"This where you found the body?" She hears Carolina question.
"Yep, she's right up there." Wash responds.
"We'll see. Take me there." Carolina says. "Sync"
"Sync." Wash responds.
"Automatic dishwasher." Caboose adds. With that, the Freelancers run off.
"Man, where was this chick when we had that awesome tank? Bitches love tanks!" Tucker exclaims.
"What? You think THAT will get her to go out with you?!" Kaede seriously questions.
"Not the time?" Tucker questions.
"Actually, I was saying that you can't get ANYTHING to pick Carolina up. But yeah, also, its not the time for that kind of stuff." Kaede clarifies.
"I don't get it. What is she looking for?" Church asks.
"You tell me! I don't know half of what's happening these days. You found me here remember?" Tucker exclaims.
"Oh yeah! You were actually kind of a badass that time." Church admits.
"I heard about it too. I'm actually disappointed I missed it." Kaede adds.
"Dude, I'm kind of a badass, all the time! You guys just happened to notice it then." Tucker says. Caboose then joins the group.
"Ah, that's not true. I never noticed it." Caboose nonchalantly admits. This response causes Kaede to burst out laughing with Caboose awkwardly joining in.
"Ha! I guess I never noticed it either." Kaede adds.
"Look, the point is she's not telling us everything. I just don't understand why." Church brings up.
"Who knows man? I tried everything I can to get some info out of her. I tried hitting on her, I tried sleeping with her, I tried making out with her-" Tucker lists off.
"Sounds like a complete effort." Church sarcastically remarks.
"Dude, no kidding! I used the whole playbook! I even used my best pick-up line: "hey baby, did you fall from heaven, cause I've always wanted to bone an angel!"" Tucker explains.
"Please, dear God, tell me you actually didn't use that line." Kaede groans.
"I did. She got the privilege of being the first girl I used it on." Tucker explains.
"You call that a privilege!" Kaede exclaims. "Actually, I change my answer to: YOU CALL THAT A PICK UP LINE!"
"What? If a guy walked up to you and said that, you wouldn't go for it?" Tucker questions.
"I'd go for the face if someone said that to me." Kaede says. "And by that, I mean my fists would."
"On that note, Tucker have you ever had sex with anything besides an alien?" Church asks.
"Church, the more important question here is: do you know any girls who aren't complete bitches, that won't sleep with me?" Tucker questions.
"Sorry, dude. That seems to be all I have in my life." Church says.
"You're like the worst wingman ever." Tucker complains,
"Of all time." Caboose adds.
"To be fair, its not like Tucker needs help to strike out with women." Kaede also adds. Caboose then walks into Church then walks out, then keeps repeating the process. "Caboose, what are you doing?"
"I'm seeing if Church can see inside of me!" Caboose exclaims. "Can you Church? Can you?" Caboose repeatedly walks into and out of Church.
"Stop it." Church boredly replied. "Stop it. Stop i-"
"Attention Blue Team!" The group hear Sarge behind them. "We would like to propose a temporary truce so that we may discuss our current situation. Do you accept?"
"I don't get it, does he still think we're fighting or something?" Church asks.
"He always thinks we're fighting." Kaede answers.
"Maybe it's a trap." Caboose suggests.
"I doubt they're smart enough to think of that. But then again, neither are you." Tucker says.
"How do you know that? Are you in with them?" Caboose questions him.
"No. I doubt its a trap." Kaede assures them.
"Yes! We accept!" Church yells back. With that, the reds join in the group.
"So, whats up?" Tucker asks.
"It's our mutual friend slash enemy slash companion. Or "friendenemepanion" for short." Sarge explains.
"We're all starting to get a little concerned about Carolina." Simmons translates.
"Really. Did these concerns start before or after she left us to die in the desert?" Tucker asks.
"Dude, not now. The heat is killing me!" Grif exclaims.
"Doesn't your helmet have cooling fans?" Simmons questions.
"Yeah. Take all that shit off, then come talk to me about hot." Kaede adds.
"Bow chicka wow wow!" Tucker can't help himself.
"Yeah, but I sweat so much they short circuited." Grif says.
"Geez, we haven't even been in the desert that long." Simmons replies.
"The desert? These things broke during basic training!" Grif exclaims. "Pretty sure its you who isn't at my level." He says to Kaede.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I don't see how this applies to the trap." Caboose comes in.
"Guys, look, we need to focus. Now, I realize that's asking a lot of you since we're all a little uneasy about Carolina." Church brings up.
"No. 'Uneasy' is sitting next to a homeless dude on the bus." Grif says.
"Yeah, we've got a trigger-happy psychopath." Simmons adds.
"It's like she's some sort of half- woman, half shark! Except the shark half has been given cybernetic powers. And the woman half is one-quarter jaguar!" Sarge exclaims.
"Okay, okay, okay, we're all terrified of the scary Freelancer lady. That's why we need to stick together. It's just us. Against them." Church informs them.
"Them?" Tucker questions.
"We can't trust Wash. At least not as long as she's around." Church explains.
"I don't know. He seemed pretty with us when Carolina first appeared." Kaede tells him.
"Yeah, but do we know for sure he's willing to stand with us should things go south with Carolina?" Church asks. Kaede can only look away with no response.
"Alright then, Tooth Fairy. What's the plan?" Sarge asks.
"We need to figure out exactly what Carolina is up to. And why she isn't telling us anything." Church says. The group discuss the situation which some how leads to Caboose putting Church in Carolina's mongoose.
"So, uh, how do you feel?" Tucker asks.
"I feel like running over each, and every one of you." Church responds.
"So pretty much the same as before." Tucker deadpans,
"Yeah. Pretty much." Church confirms. "Man, this sucks."
"What are you complaining about? You finally got your own body." Tucker exclaims
"My own body? Tucker, I'm a fucking tonka truck!" Church yells.
"Okay, yeah, but you could literally pick up chicks with this thing!" Tucker assures.
"Oh, yeah, because every girl just dreams about settling down with Optimus Prime - HONK!" Church cries out. "Caboose. Don't do that."
"Sorry." Caboose apologizes from behind.
"Well your better off picking up chicks than Tucker is... thats gotta be... something?" Kaede offers.
"Better at picking up chicks then Tucker, Kaede! Everyone is better at picking up chicks then Tucker!" Church exclaims.
"I was only trying to help." Kaede says, downcast.
"Hey! I get Chicks. I get some real good game!" Tucker cries. Carolina then comes back and requests Church for a moment, but Tucker goes in his stead. After awhile, Carolina returns to get on her mongoose and ride away into the now setting sun. Washington assured them she would be back and to get inside for the night. Wash kept watch outside while everyone inside tried to get some sleep. TRIED being the key word. There was unrest everywhere and during that, Grif was pulling candy out of no where which was somehow causing more unrest. While the others were engaged in an actually civil conversation, Kaede went to the only one not participating.
"Everything alright, Caboose?" She asks to the blue soldier.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine Kaede." Caboose assures. "I'm- I just- I just think the others are wrong about Agent Washington."
"About how Wash won't help us if things get bad?" Kaede questions.
"Yeah, its just- its just that I think Washington wouldn't do the thing that the others were talking about." Caboose says. "I think he's my friend."
"Its nice that you think that, but you have to consider the possibility that they maybe right." Kaede advises.
"So you think Washington will be mean to us too?" Caboose asks.
"No, I don't. But I'm prepared in the event that he may betray us." Kaede says. "I don't think we've talked to each other about our pasts, have we?"
"I grew up on a moon." Caboose states.
"When I- wait... really?" Kaede asks.
"Yes. It was fun." Caboose says.
"No way." Kaede says incredulously. "Thats awesome."
"Thank you." Caboose says.
"Anyway, before I came to Blood Gulch I was raised in an orphanage." Kaede says.
"Uh Kaede, whats an orphan aage?" Caboose asks.
"Its where kids that don't have family's go." Kaede answers.
"That sounds sad." Caboose says.
"It was. I grew up with no one and to make matters worse, the other kids had taken to picking on me." Kaede says.
"They sound mean." Caboose says. "Why didn't you tell the teacher?"
"The caretakers were pretty apprehensive about me, they never did anything." Kaede answers. "One day, after one of their torture sessions, this girl had came out and helped me."
"That sounds good." Caboose says.
"In return, I told her about a dog I was feeding at the time." Kaede says.
"You had a puppy? That sounds amazing!" Caboose exclaims.
"Yeah... The very next day, the girl sold out my dog to the bully's. They beat him to death in front of me." Kaede says with barely disguised anger in her voice.
"How could anyone beat up a cute little puppy!?" Caboose exclaims.
"Psychopaths with nothing to themselves but the will to destroy." Kaede answers. "If it wasn't for Church and Tucker, I don't know what I would have done." 'What would I have done though? Would I have listened to that voices demands and tried killing everyone just for the sake of it?' Kaede thinks to herself.
"Yeah. Church is pretty awesome." Caboose agrees.
"And Tucker." Kaede reminds him.
"Yeah I mean- I guess you know an argument can be made fo Tucker." Caboose reluctantly says.
"You know, Tuckers put money on that Tomo, the head bully, never got picked up and has lived his life in the orphanage up until he became legal. I guess we'll never find out." Kade adds.
The next day, Carolina and Church returned and said they were headed to a place called Valhalla. Kaede interest was piqued when Simmons said it was where their old bases after Blood Gulch were. With that, the group headed straight for their new destination.
Kamakura
Tomo looked at the newly arrived letter he had just received. After the freak had up and vanished and some shady looking men came in and asked about her, his life took a downward turn with no one to pick on, his "friends" had just decided to stop hanging out with him. Other than that, things could be worse, but with this, things were going to turn around for sure now that he was accepted.