A/N: Hello all who have been waiting patiently. Little Dragon-kun is back in business with chapter eleven of Agent Reach. Now, quite a few…observations were made in the previous chapter, and I would like to clarify a few things:

1). Wash will be making a return during the Reconstruction series, and his part with Epsilon will happen. North and York were busy elsewhere at the time, and I know that. They'll be mentioned by Florida in this one.

2). Tex is OOC because one, it's my fanfiction, and two, she's NOT an AI. One has to remember that being human, she'll still have those very same emotions that all the other Freelancers have (apart from the Meta). I went off canon ages ago by making Tex human and bringing in Missouri to become the Meta instead of Maine.

3). If any of you who complained about this have seen Season 10, more specifically, the ending couple of episodes, then you would know that the Counselor does in fact sink the state of Florida in the simulation, which is what I meant but I worded it a bit wrong. Sorry for the confusion.

4). I did notice that really dumb typo. And that is the reason why I hate my auto-correct -_-

5). The armor may be based off of the MJOLNIR armor, but it isn't. One, no shielding, as it was proved when North got shot in Season 9 Episode 3 (Yeah, I memorized that. kinda sad…). Besides, Tex isn't augmented; she's just a badass soldier wearing powered armor suits that can take abuse, but getting a half ton Spartan thrown into you is gonna cause damage.

Now that this little thing is done, let's get onto the real story, instead of having to listen to this BS.

*Chapter 11*

Blood Gulch

Date Unknown

Reach landed the Longsword, having finally arrived at Blood Gulch. The place was seemingly a box canyon in the middle of nowhere, with a Red Base at one end and a Blue Base at the other. A capture the flag simulation, to be precise. 'We're here.'

Maine stepped out of the craft first, sweeping the area with his Brute Shot. He let out a growl, and Reach gave the white Freelancer a slow nod. 'We're clear.' "We'll need to find Florida, ASAP." Maine hissed in agreement, helping Texas out of the craft.

Eta ran a quick diagnostics check on Reach's suit, making sure the newly repaired night vision and Active Camouflage units worked properly. "All systems are online, though the night vision won't exactly last long. Use it sparingly, if possible."

'Good. With my equipment functioning, it should be a bit easier to maintain it and protect the Alpha,' Reach thought, placing a Magnum on his waist. "Thank you, Eta." The AI nodded and vanished back into Reach's armor, the three Freelancers' vitals appearing on Reach's HUD. "It seems Agent Texas's wounds from the encounter with the Meta are fully healed. Though Sigma and I would suggest she take it easy for a few days, just to be safe."

Texas shook her head, drawing a Battle Rifle. "I'm fine, Eta. Just a little stiff." She flexed her newly repaired leg, and Sigma curiously stroked his chin. "Maine, did any of the other Freelancers make it out alive?"

'I didn't think about that. North, South, Washington, Wyoming, York…what happened to them?' Reach wondered, glancing over in the white Freelancer's direction. They already knew that Carolina was gone; the Meta had killed her and taken Iota. 'Of all the Freelancers to be killed from the Meta, I didn't expect Carolina to be on that list.'

Maine shook his head, grumbling something. Sigma let out a sigh, running a hand over his flaming head. "I didn't hear anything from them, either. Perhaps Florida knows; he was on the ship at the time of the Meta's attack."

The three saw a small outpost in the middle of Blood Gulch, with a Blue Flag in the middle; this was Blue Base, for sure. Reach kept his Battle Rifle aimed, not knowing exactly who would be the first to appear. 'Florida might be keeping his word, but he also might not be. We can't afford to take that chance.'

'Though really, I doubt he'd try to make us come all this way just to kill us off in the middle of nowhere.'

A lone figure, wearing standard issue blue armor, walked forward, an Assault Rifle in his hands. "Hello Maine, Texas, and Reach. It's me, Florida." The former Freelancer placed his weapon across his back, walking towards them.

Reach frowned slightly. The FOF tag on his HUD wasn't picking it up; in fact, according to the records of Project Freelancer, Florida was dead, and Carolina, Texas, Maine, and himself were listed as MIA. Although they had confirmation that Carolina was dead; no one could survive a fall that high without augmentations and shielding.

As if the AI could sense his uneasiness at the situation, Eta whispered in Reach's ear. "Don't worry; I ran a quick biometric scan. It's Florida, and there are no other Freelancers in the area." Reach nodded slowly, easing his stance, but still keeping his Battle Rifle raised.

Florida stopped in front of the three Freelancers, sighing. "Loosen up, will you? There's no reason to be this edgy; the Meta and the Director are nowhere near hear. In fact, the Mother of Invention isn't even in this system. She's light-years away from here."

Reach lowered his weapon, Maine and Texas doing the same. 'Let's get right down to business.' "Where's Alpha?" They had all read the files about what the Director did to his own clone, and Sigma was as shocked as Eta. The fiery red AI let out a sigh, shaking his head. "To think that the man we trusted so much would be a war criminal…it's unbelievable."

Maine growled in agreement, running a hand delicately over the blade of his Brute Shot. Reach glanced over at the white Freelancer, sensing the huge man was very angry. "Calm down. You'll get him soon enough." 'He probably wants revenge for Carolina, too. She was the first victim of the Meta, and if we don't do something, she won't be the last either.'

-0-

Mother of Invention

Date Unknown

The Director flipped the operating table over, looking at the chip in his hand. "F.I.L.S.S., stabilize the patient." The cruiser's AI seemed to either not know what the Director had done, or she didn't care. Either way, her tone was as chipper as ever. "Agent Washington is stabilized and ready for AI implantation, designated Epsilon. Ready whenever you are, sir."

The black/gold Freelancer was asleep, heavily drugged with the newest anesthetics the UNSC's top scientists had developed. His helmet was placed on a small table next to him, and his eyes, squeezed shut, were flickering as though he were dreaming. His black hair was scattered across a small portion of his face, making him look a good ten years younger than he actually was.

The Director looked at the chip in his hand again. 'David…I hope this doesn't lead to disaster.' If this AI failed, then the package Carolina, New York, Maine, Washington, and Texas recovered from the Insurrection would have to be either sent to ONI at Sydney or be terminated.

The creature inside the package was not something the Director was willing to lose.

The creature was practically a living computer; it had the amazing ability to fix damn near any piece of technology or equipment, making it very useful for when Epsilon was created and needed repairs.

Epsilon was created shortly before Texas and Reach disabled the Mother of Invention's engines, sending the cruiser into Sidewinder's frozen hell of a surface. He had enlisted the help of Zeta and Gamma to oversee the Alpha's breaking into a fragment. In fact, Zeta particularly enjoyed it when Alpha started to scream in pain when the Director said that Washington and Texas had died in action.

The Director heard loud footsteps on the other side of the medical door, knowing who the owner of them was. "Come in, Meta." 'About damn time he got here. If this all goes to hell…he'll need to collect and keep the AI fragments, apart from the ones he already has in Gamma, Iota, and Omega.'

The Meta entered the medical wing, flanked by the Counselor. He let out a deep growl, placing his Brute Shot across the magnetic back piece of his armor. The Director noticed that the blue/green Freelancer's armor was covered in blood, yet there was only one hole in his side.

The older man's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Busy in the Training Room again?" The Meta nodded, cracking his knuckles and rumbling. Ever since both Reach and Texas managed to escape his iron grasp, the Meta seemed more intent on becoming even more powerful; he often spent time lifting Scorpions as a warm-up exercise before taking on more and more 'volunteers' in the Training Room. To say the Meta was becoming the ultimate show of strength and raw power was an understatement; even Maine wouldn't be able to beat him in hand-to-hand combat now. 'He really hates to lose. Even before I turned him into the Meta, he was always determined to beat anyone and be the best.'

And after each new test, with the Meta trying out new equipment each time on those 'volunteers', his complete disregard for life seemed to increase; he only cared about whether or not he was able to use the equipment properly, regardless if the victims lived or died in horrifyingly painful ways.

The newest addition to his armor, a time manipulation unit previously owned by Wyoming, had worked perfectly. The Meta was able to freeze time and then slice his targets in half with his Brute Shot, making him even more powerful.

Some of the other agents…were not taking the news of Carolina's death along with Reach, Texas, and Maine's disappearance in a good way. York had become obsessed with the idea that the Director had something to do with Carolina's death, and he deserted Project Freelancer to find out for sure if he was correct.

Wyoming, having believed that York was a traitor, sent out after him in an attempt to bring him to justice for betrayal. So far, the British man had found nothing. 'All according to plan. Now, let's see if Washington will still be my soldier.' "Send word for the Counselor, Meta. This is something the annoying tool will be interested in." 'It's only a matter of time before we have no further use for him, and we can throw him to the UNSC for all I care.'

The Meta nodded, turning on his heel and leaving, grumbling as he did. His small outburst made the Director's lip twitch ever so slightly. 'Sometimes, I wonder if he still feels like he is still Jason. Although Zeta should have erased that by now…'

After a few minutes, the Meta returned, this time with the Counselor. The black man walked towards him, stopping when he saw Washington on the stretcher. "Director, why is Agent Washington here? Shouldn't he be looking for the missing agents?"

The Director let out a slightly annoyed sigh at the man's inquisitive nature. He never seemed to stop asking questions and poke his large nose into places it didn't belong. 'So bloody annoying he is…I can't wait to be rid of him.' "Your place is not to ask questions that don't pertain to you, Couneslor. You are needed to make sure that Agent Washington's implantation goes smoothly, and to make sure it doesn't go haywire, which is why the Meta is here as well."

The Counselor glanced uneasily at the massive armored figure beside him, his eyes wide. "Sir, it is really necessary to-"

The Director's eyes flashed, wishing he would just shut up and obey orders like he was supposed to. "Do I hear a complaint, Counselor!? Let me remind you that your orders from the spooks at ONI are to serve me as I see fit, and I'm sure the Meta would only be too happy to throw you into space. Don't question my views, Counselor. Do I make myself clear!?"

The Counselor gulped nervously, glancing over at the Meta. When he saw the massive man crack his knuckles, he nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."

'Annoying coward he is,' the Director fumed, motioning over to the AI chip containing Epsilon. "On my mark, start up the implantation. We'll need to get this done quickly, and I am not in the mood for wasting time." 'I've already wasted enough talking to you.'

The Counselor nodded again, beads of sweat appearing on his brow. "Yes sir." The Director placed the AI chip into a laser drill, lining it up with the base of Washington's skull and starting the process. 'Let's hope this stupid new equipment works. It's been awhile since we've used laser surgery for AIs; the conventional rubbish worked better.'

"F.I.L.S.S., begin the process," the Director ordered, straightening up and pushing his glasses back onto his face, making him look more professional again. 'York…you're as good as dead now. If Wyoming does find you, he has strict orders to kill. No second chances this time.'

The 'dumb' AI began the process, the laser drill warming up. "AI implantation beginning. The drill is all warmed up, and Agent Washington is stabilized and prepped for surgery."

The Director folded his arms in the square of his back, his expression unable to be read by the Counselor. "Begin." The laser drill began to bore a small hole in Washington's back, where the spine met the skull. After the neat incision was made, the Director plugged the chip into him, and that's when hell broke loose.

Washington's eyes shot open, and he began to spasm, screaming. His violent thrashes broke the bindings keeping him on the bed, and he stood up, a crazed look in his grey eyes. "Who are you!?"

The Director nodded towards the Meta, giving him permission. "Stabilize him, immediately!" 'Dammit! Epsilon's remembering what the Alpha went through, and is partially taking over Washington's mind! He's become metastable.'

Metastable was the process in which an AI becomes human, taking over its host's mind and body, bending them to their will. In this case, Washington was probably not even aware of his actions.

The Meta grabbed the out-of-control agent, slamming him onto his stomach with a sharp hiss. He held Washington's arms behind his back, preventing him from lashing out at the Director and the Counselor. 'Pity. This could have been a good chance to get rid of him…but I think spending eternity in the UNSC's 'care' would make me far more satisfied.'

Washington's screams and struggles didn't die down, and the Director jerked his head over to the Counselor, the man standing there like a star-struck schoolgirl. "How about you be useful and hand me that syringe!?" 'Don't just stand there with your mouth open; you look ridiculous enough.'

The Counselor blinked, stepping out of his stupor and handing the Director the syringe. The anesthetic inside was enough to put down a grizzly bear to sleep; hopefully it would be enough to subdue Washington.

The Director snatched it from the Counselor's grasp, stabbing the needle into Washington's neck. His spasms began to die down, and his eyes became glazed, as if he were drunk or high. The dazed agent looked up at the Director, his eyes unfocused. "Who are you?"

The Meta growled, pushing his head down onto the floor and slapping a pair of fiber-cuffs on him. They hadn't changed in the centuries they've existed for. They were still incredibly hard to get out of. If the ties had been stored in a cupboard for a few years, the material might have become brittle. But, with the Meta holding him down, there was no possible way Washington could throw him off and break the handcuffs. 'Good thing, too.'

Still, one could not argue with the result of the implantation. Epsilon was an unstable unit at best; it could be very dangerous in the future if the Director allowed it to continue functioning. But, did he really need to scrap the entire AI program, just because one became metastable? 'With that bastard here practically being shafted by ONI, he'll have the spooks hunt me down if I continue and ignore this.'

The Director sighed, walking out of the medical wing. "Scrap the entire project, Counselor. Have North Dakota hand in Theta. As for you, Meta, I'll need you to collect the other fragments. We're still missing quite a few of our little friends in Delta, Sigma, and Eta. Find then, at all costs. Do you understand?"

The Meta nodded, his lips curving upwards in a toothy smile as he hissed in enjoyment. 'He'll have a chance to take out all of our threats. Let's see how this roll of the die works.'

-0-

Blood Gulch

Date Unknown

Florida led Reach, Maine, and Texas into Blue Base, where a powder blue soldier wielding a sniper rifle was waiting. He seemed surprised to see them, but he snapped to attention upon seeing his Captain. "Captain Flowers, I wasn't aware of any guests arriving at base today."

Reach's eyes narrowed under his helmet. 'Could this be…Alpha?' Florida's laidback stance proved Reach's earlier theory; he wasn't out to kill them in the middle of fucking nowhere, in the middle of a box canyon with a Blue Base at one end and a Red Base at the other. 'This is…sort of a relief. Florida's not going to try anything; he knows well enough that he can't hope to take on three other Freelancers by himself.'

'And I seriously doubt these simulation soldiers are smart enough to think about ambushing us.'

"Oh, you don't need to be so formal now," Florida lightly reprimanded, his carefree attitude making the other three Freelancers look at themselves. 'Is this for real?'

The blue soldier seemed taken aback, and he placed his Sniper Rifle across his back, fumbling for words. "U-uh...yeah…um, sorry Captain." Eta chuckled inside Reach's head, seemingly amused by the way Florida managed to stun just about everyone. "Sig, are you watching this? This is pretty funny."

"Indeed it is, Eta. Although Agents Maine and Reach are…a little confused, to say the least," Sigma commented from Maine's shoulder. The massive white Freelancer hissed, placing his armored hand over his visor.

Texas nudged him, making him grunt. "Liven up. This is actually…kinda funny."

Florida seemed to know he had the blue soldier's number, and he pressed on with his very easy-going attitude. "I thought I told you and Private Tucker to call me Flowers, or even Cappy. I don't want rank to get in the way of our relationship."

Reach, now beyond confused at what the fuck Florida was playing at, turned in the direction of Texas. He dropped his voice to a whisper, making sure the blue Captain didn't hear him. "What kind of joke is this?"

Texas shrugged, her hand over her face. "No idea. But, it is keeping the mood light." Reach gave her a hard stare, but with his helmet on, it didn't have much of an effect. "We came here to make sure the Alpha was safe, not to piss around playing games." 'At this rate…'

Texas let out a sigh, folding her arms. "Florida knows what he's doing. There's a reason he was entrusted with this and not anyone else. The guy's dependable and has endurance. Not too sure about the patience though."

Reach let out a low grunt, bringing a chuckle out of Eta. "He's put up with it for this long. I'd say he's doing okay." 'I seriously doubt I could stand being stuck with an AI and another unintelligent human for long.'

The blue soldier, still taken aback by Florida's comments, was struggling to find words. "Um…okay, Flowers." Florida tossed Maine an amused grin, his helmet in his hands, before he turned back to his soldier. "I must be commanding the finest soldiers in Blood Gulch. If I wasn't your commanding officer, I'd make you call me Daddy."

Upon hearing Maine growl and hiss in frustration, Florida chuckled and slapped him lightly on his huge shoulders. "Kidding, big guy. I wouldn't go that far now. Still need to be professional, right?"

'A bit late for that,' Reach thought dryly, drawing a snicker from Eta. "No kidding." The former Spartan took notice of both a Red flag and a Blue flag standing in the far corner. 'Capture the flag? Is that all this little 'Red vs. Blue' fight is? A fight over a piece of cloth, which I haven't done since the early days of the Spartan III program?' He was beginning to doubt the military's intelligence in certain areas. Such as common sense, for instance.

Florida folded his arms, leaning against the wall of the base. "Can you bring me Private Tucker? I want him to meet the big guy here." The blue soldier nodded silently, obeying his Captain's order.

When he left, Florida glanced back over at them. "That one's the Alpha. But, at the same time, we'll need to keep the two teams from finding out about Project Freelancer. And with four agents, there's only one option."

'I have a feeling it involves two of us going over to the Red Team,' Reach thought, narrowing his eyes and tightening his jaw ever so slightly. "Go on."

Florida smiled, having thought this through and seemingly already having a plan. "Maine and I will stay here at the Blue Base to keep them from getting in trouble. You and Tex go over to the Reds and…well, keep them out of any deadly information."

'Sounds easy. I only hope they aren't the world's biggest idiots. From what Florida told us on the way here, one of his men thinks the UNSC's motto is 'When in doubt, rub one out.' What a bunch of idiots…' Reach thought with a sigh. "Alright. We'll be on our way."

Turning around, with Texas behind him, he patted Maine's shoulder. "Good luck with these guys." The massive Freelancer nodded, grunting in return. 'Nice to see he's still driven. We'll look for tabs on the Director while keeping the Alpha safe.'

Reach and Texas left Blue Base, with the former Spartan looking through the scope of his Battle rifle to see the entire canyon. 'This is just a box; how hard can it be to find another base?'

Not knowing what they could possibly be dealing with, Reach glanced over at Texas as they made their way over the hills, sticking to the rim of the canyon. "Does your cloaking still work?" Texas nodded, looking back over at him. "Yeah. Eta and Sigma repaired it. Should we use it just in case?"

Reach nodded, activating his Active camouflage to blend in with the surroundings. Texas did the same, and they crept slowly towards the Red Base. By moving slowly, their camo wouldn't flicker, possibly giving their position away to a sniper.

Beads of sweat began to pour down Reach's face, the cooling fans in his helmet having to work overtime from the intense heat of the canyon. 'Who the hell decides to place a simulation battle in the middle of a fucking desert canyon?'

The two Freelancers didn't share a word, and they kept up the silence as they arrived at the Red Base. Two soldiers, one wearing maroon armor and the other orange, were standing on top doing nothing but just talking. Reach and Texas stopped to listen to their conversation.

"Hey," the one in maroon turned to the orange one, who seemed bored. "Yeah?"

The maroon one took a deep breath before asking a question, one that actually made Reach and Texas look at each other. "You ever wonder why we're here?"

The orange soldier sighed, looking up at the sky. "That's one of life's greatest mysteries, isn't it? I mean, why are we here?"

Not listening anymore to the conversation only meters away from them, Reach glanced over at Texas, pressing up against the steel wall of Red Base. The black Freelancer seemed to be grinning at him. "Showtime."

Reach prepared himself, placing his Battle Rifle across his back. 'I know I should be above doing this kind of crap…but fuck it.'

'After all, we should find out the answer to that question. Why are we here?' Reach and Texas each shared a nod before stepping inside, prepared to give them a warm welcome.

A/N: Another long one. Now, this should answer a few who were wondering if Wash will get Epsilon and where the other Freelancers were at. Until then, see you!