A/N: Hey guys, Little Dragon-kun here in intense pain due to a broken collarbone and a few broken fingers, and with a major milestone for this fanfic, Chapter 20. It's a real struggle right now,so if you spot a mistake, give me some slack…As for the idea of add smut or not to add it, I'm still thinking that over whenever I'm not swearing black and blue in pain. Reach gets some new armor pieces, and he'll be wearing my old Halo 3 armor (which I thought looked badass). Also, don't pester me about updates, alright?

*Chapter 20*

Tucker's arm began to throb in pain, strained out from constantly throwing grenades at the Red Base. "You son of a bitch!" 'I am going to kill that fucking bitch in black! That shit was not funny in the slightest!'

The woman in black on the Red Team had stolen one of his prized porn discs, swapping it with some…extremely disturbing shit. In the few brief (and very painful) moments of seeing two guys get fucked in the ass by a giant tentacle porn monster, Tucker had been more mentally disturbed than he had ever been. He had been looking forward to masturbating to hot Scandinavian chicks, not being mentally tortured by the weirdest abomination to ever play on his screen.

Tucker rubbed his aching arm, and he began to pant heavily. It was really hot once again, and he was also by himself in hostile territory. And if the Reds responded by throwing both that black/red guy and that black chick, then he was most likely going to have to run as fast as he could to base. If he didn't want to suffer an agonizing beatdown like the rest of the Reds.

He squinted, and he gulped as he saw the jeep approach him. 'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…I better run!' Tucker turned around and ran, the low growl of the jeep's engine growing closer and closer. 'How the hell did they get that goddamn thing fixed so quickly!? This is bullshit!'

He then stumbled, unable to move for some reason. "Son of a bitch!" 'Why can't I move!? What the fuck is going on!?' Tucker looked at his legs as he fell, covered in some weird pink shit that was really hard. 'What the fuck is that!? This shit isn't funny!' He tried to pry it off, but whatever the hell it was, it wasn't budging. 'Oh, come on!'

The jeep pulled up next to him, and he heard a blunt male voice. The new Red Team leader. "Nice shooting. He definitely can't move." Tucker looked up, seething as he saw the golden visor of the woman who had resulted in his now disturbed mind. "It was your fucking fault!"

"Really now? Because it seems to me that you were the one throwing grenades at our goddamn base, not me," she returned dryly, giving him a kick in the ribs. Tucker winced in pain, still unable to move due to the weird pink stuff all over his legs. "Ow! What the fuck is this pink shit on my armor!?" 'It's really sticky, too! It's like that black stuff from the teleporter!'

"It's paint. When it hits your armor, it sticks to it and locks it down," the Red Team leader answered, giving the aqua soldier a tap on the head with his pistol. "I am aware of how Tex here sent you the worst thing ever to end up on a disc. But, that does not mean you start randomly throwing grenades at our base. And I am sure that Maine won't appreciate you wasting supplies. Grenades aren't cheap."

'This is some serious bullshit!' Tucker thought as he could do nothing but glare, though it didn't have an effect as he was wearing a helmet. "So, are you just going to stand over me and lecture me, or are you going shoot me already? I'm getting tired of fucking baking to a crisp here."

"No, I'm busy sticking my tongue out at you!" the fat orange guy and the black chick said at the same time, the orange guy covering his crotch as the woman in black turned to him. "Grif, shut up."

"You're both wearing helmets," the Red leader sighed, placing a hand over his golden visor. "The effect of that is nonexistent. Like this guy's chances of not getting brutally thrown halfway across the canyon by Maine."

"Would you just fucking get me out of this shit!?" Tucker yelled in irritation. "It's too hot for this!" The Red Team leader snorted, giving him a prod with his boot. "I don't have to. Someone else is already here to do that."

'The fuck does he mean by that!? None of you assholes are on my team!' Tucker seethed. Just then, a large shadow appeared over him, followed by a low, rattling hiss of annoyance. The aqua soldier gulped, for he knew he had fucked up big time. 'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…it's Maine.' "Fuck me…"

"No thank you," the black woman and Red leader muttered at the same time, the fat orange guy laughing. Tucker strained his neck, only to stare into Maine's enormous domed visor. "Um…hi?" 'Please don't fucking kill me…'

Maine let out an annoyed hiss, grabbing Tucker by the arm and heaving. The aqua soldier yelled out in protest, his already aching arm now on fire. "SON OF A BITCH!" 'This is bullshit!'

"Maine, do and try not to kill him," the Red leader sighed. "He's just pissed at the fact that Tex sent him one of our men's incredibly disturbing porn discs." Maine growled, staring at the black woman and hissing.

Tex laughed, leaning against the Red leader. "Reach and I had a bet to see if he would be mentally disturbed and crying in a corner. Sadly, I lost." Tucker winced as Maine smacked him in the legs with his giant knifle, the pink stuff breaking and falling off his armor. "Ow! Why the fuck do you hit so hard!?" 'This guy hits harder than a fucking grizzly bear!'

His blood then froze as he remembered what Church had told him about Tex. 'Oh fuck…did I just piss off the Freelancer who could've killed Church if she wanted to on Sidewinder? Fuck me…'

Tex looked at him, glancing briefly over at the Red leader. "Hey, honey…do I have permission from you and Maine to kick him to the other side of the canyon~?" The Red leader, now known as Reach, let out an exasperated sigh. "No. And I doubt Maine will…um, Maine?"

Tucker looked around, only for him to get picked up and multiple rocks to hit him. "Where the fuck is this shit coming from!? Who the hell are these people!? What the fuck is going on!?" 'This is just bullshit!'

"Now, don't come here and start throwing grenades at our base, unless you feel like getting shot," Reach grunted. Maine smacked Tucker on the head again, a dull pounding starting to make his eyes water. "Ow…" 'This really fucking hurts…' If he didn't have a concussion as a result of the constant head injuries, he'd be surprised.

Tucker then felt something cuff him hard on the back of his head, and he then passed out.

-0-

Reach sighed and looked at Texas, unamused by her action of smacking the Blue soldier in the head with her Battle Rifle and knocking him out. "Was that really necessary? I think we got our point across." 'Besides, Maine's already about to launch him to the other side of the canyon.'

Texas shrugged, nudging his shoulder gently. "Yes. He called me a bitch. No one does that and walks away conscious." Maine grunted in agreement, throwing the limp Tucker over his massive shoulders. Sigma flashed up, shaking his head as he looked at the unconscious Blue soldier. "Agent Maine did warn him what would happen if he attempted this stunt. Do we still have that chain of yours?"

The white Freelancer growled and pointed in the direction of the Blue Base, making the red AI laugh. "Ah. At least have it handy for situations like this. Private Caboose will be waiting for our return, so we shall be on our way. Reach, we'll be in touch."

With the unconscious aqua soldier draped over his shoulders, Maine headed back to the Blue Base, while Reach got back in the driver's seat of the Warthog. "Come on. We better get back to base." 'Goddammit Tex…why did you write 'Puma' on this thing?'

The black Freelancer got in the passenger seat, while Grif took the gunner position. "Aww, but I wanted to stick my tongue out at that aqua asshole more~." Reach sighed as he started the engine up, driving back to base. "Tex, you're wearing a helmet. That sort of eliminates any effect it might have had." 'You're doing this on purpose…' "And by the way, did you write 'Puma' on the sides in pink spray paint?"

The blonde took off her helmet, sticking her tongue out to tease him. "Maybe~. I personally think it looks more like a cat than a pig~. Meow~!" Reach rested his head in his hands, parking the Warthog (or as everyone else calls it, the Puma) outside the Red Base. "Then take it up with the UNSC. I'm sure they would love to change the name of a vehicle that has been in place for over half a century." 'And why the hell do you act like a goddamn cat?'

"That takes way too long though~. And there's only one long thing that I like, mreow chicka mreow mreow~," Texas purred at him. Reach froze, a rather dirty thought entering his mind at that time. 'Goddammit…now is not the time to imagine that.'

'Wait a fucking minute, did she see my…?' Reach was glad that the helmet was able to prevent the blonde Freelancer from seeing his face, which was incredibly red and hot due to the possibility of Texas seeing his manhood. 'Reminder to self: make sure the bathroom door is locked next time I take a shower.'

"Aww, is someone embarrassed~?" Texas asked, stepping out of the Warthog. "I must say…you looked to be in the double digits for length~." Reach hissed and whirled around, placing his hand over her mouth. "Tex, not now!" 'That's enough out of you…I don't want you revealing the size of my manhood to the entire fucking canyon.'

Texas pouted, giving his hand a few licks. "Mehhhh~!" Reach tensed at the feeling off her tongue on his gloved hand, giving her a hard stare. "Can you not?" 'Seriously…you're just going out of your way to find different ways to fuck with me.'

"Then remove your hand," the blonde Freelancer muffled, trying to bite his hand. Reach took it off, making his way back inside the base. "I wouldn't have had to if you didn't try and announce how big I am." 'Goddammit…you're just trying to tease me in every single dirty way possible.'

"Just trying to see how far you'll let me go~," Texas purred, butting his shoulder. "I guess I found your limit then~." Reach sighed and stopped when he saw Donut and Simmons, both soldiers standing next to the flags. "Pinky and you can go." Donut let out a small huff, his head held high. "For the last time, it's not pink."

"What a colorblind fruitcake," Simmons and Grif muttered at the same time, walking away from the flags. Reach took his helmet off to massage the slight throbbing behind his eyes, his lip twitching. 'I swear…I get the feeling this team is getting even worse than I originally thought. What's next, Lopez only being able to speak Spanish or something?' "Worst team ever. Of all time."

"No, it's the second worst," Texas corrected, laughing as she heard Grif get hit by a soda can. "And he's lucky it was a 'soft drink'." (A/N: *Badum-tish!*) Reach let out a frustrated sigh at the horrible pun, shaking his head. "Boo. That was so horrible…" 'Reminds me of when Emile made that stupid pun about the fucking dead batteries being given out 'free of charge'. Goddammit Emile.'

"What? Not 'pun-ny' enough for you~?" Texas stuck her tongue out, making Reach groan in annoyance. "Just stop. Your jokes suck." The blonde Freelancer gave him a slow wink, nudging his shoulder. "Something else does, too. Wink-wink, nudge-nudge."

"Fucking hell…" the former Spartan sighed. 'If you're not making puns, you're dropping perverted sex jokes. If you're not doing that, you're making shitty puns. Fuck me…wait a minute. If I say that out loud, she might actually take that in a literal way.' He was going to have to be very careful with his swearing.

Sarge stopped in front of him, dragging Lopez along. "I was about to put in the unit." Reach looked at the button on the robot's back, pushing it and turning it on. Grif and Simmons came from their rooms, looking intently at the robot as it sparked, the visor on the helmet glowing. It looked up at them, and when it spoke, Reach and Texas face-palmed. "Hola."

'You've got to be fucking kidding me,' Reach sighed. "Great. Now we have a robot that can only speak Spanish. Goddammit." Texas shrugged, her shoulders slumped. "Well…I guess we need to start taking Spanish lessons."

"Me llamo es Lopez," the robot said in its monotone voice. Grif let out a gasp, even though he probably had no idea what the brown robot was saying. "He said Lopez! I can understand Spanish! Simmons, do you know what he's saying?"

The maroon soldier shook his head, exchanging a glance with Reach. "Uh, no. Why the hell did you think I would understand what the fuck he's saying? I know more German than I do Spanish."

"I'm surprised you know anything," Texas muttered, bringing a snort from Reach. 'I'm surprised he hasn't shot his own fucking foot yet.' Grif stood with his mouth agape, eyes wide. "I thought you did! Aren't you, you know…of Latino descent or something?"

"Dude, I'm fucking Dutch-Irish," Simmons replied, smacking him on the head with his pistol. "The name Simmons does not sound fucking Spanish, you idiot." Grif winced in pain, holding his head from the strike. "Ow…dude, what the fuck?"

"Can you both act your goddamn age for once?" Reach asked dryly, getting fed up with the two bickering simulation soldiers. "I'm sure Sarge would love to show you his idea of discipline." The red Sergeant pumped his Shotgun, aiming it at Grif. "Damn right...I've got a Shotgun full of pills for insubordination. Do you feel like getting Sarge'd?" Grif backed away from the extremely deadly weapon, which was held by his angry Sergeant. "That's your new line? Goddamn, that shit's awful."

"Disagreeing with a superior is now punishable by death, Private," Sarge grunted. Reach rolled his eyes, his lip twitching. "Unless you feel like giving the Blues an advantage by killing your own teammate, I'd suggest you not do that. Otherwise…Tex here would show her disapproval." 'Meaning she'll kick them all in the dick and beat the living shit out of them. Again.'

"Thank you, honey~," Texas grinned, cracking her knuckles in preparation, just in case Sarge actually decided to shoot the fat orange Private. "I've been waiting for you to give me permission to beat someone into the ground~."

"You mean sand. We're in the middle of a desert." Grif muttered, backing away even farther now that Texas was within only a few feet of his ruined dick. Even the codpiece on his armor was dented as a result of the brutal beatdown he suffered.

"Shut up, fat-ass," Simmons hissed, elbowing him in the stomach. "You already got your ass kicked by a girl." Grif winced, rubbing his stomach. "So did you, asshole." Reach let out a frustrated sigh, going into the armory. "Tex, you're in brief charge. And for fuck's sake, I don't want to see them in the medical bay because you decided to punch them in the dick." 'I'm going to get these shoulder bits changed out…I don't want to see anyone holding their fucking crotch in agony because of a perverted blonde cat.' It was all too easy for him to imagine Texas walking around drunk with cat ears on her head.

Reach looked at the extra armor suits, raising an eyebrow at the one that seemed eerily familiar. 'That looks a lot like the armor developed during Project: HAYABUSA…' "Eta, what can you tell me about this suit in particular?"

"Checking…this suit was one of the first prototypes developed by Project Freelancer, called the HAYABUSA Mark I," Eta answered. "It was stowed away here after the Director refused to get ONI's permission to actually commission it."

"That's not a surprise," Reach muttered. He looked at the shoulder pieces on his own armor, which were burnt and ruined in places. 'I think I'll take the Hayabusa shoulders.' "I'll take it." Eta chuckled, looking at the freshly wrapped pieces. "Not bad of taste. The color scheme even matches."

The former Spartan removed the old shoulder pieces, the bits of ruined armor falling on the ground. "Yeah, well…I'm not colorblind. Unlike Private Donut." 'Seriously…when will the kid just admit that his armor is pink?'

Eta laughed again, and Reach put the new Hayabusa shoulders on, flexing his arms. 'Not bad. Provides good protection without sacrificing mobility. I can see why the Director wanted to use this.'

"Systems are reading green throughout, Reach," Eta informed. "For an experimental armor system, it actually works like it's supposed to. I'm surprised that ONI didn't allow the Director to use it for Project Freelancer."

'They only think he didn't. For all we know, the Meta could have been upgrading itself to get this new secret armor,' Reach thought, still aware of the new threat of Wyoming. 'He won't be around for awhile. Maine will have a weapon aimed in the direction of the canyon cliffs for at least a week. If he comes back, then Wyoming's dead.'

'We don't know what his motive for killing Florida was. It's possible that Wyoming went rogue and assumed that Florida was in cahoots with the Director.'

'And North, South, Washington, and York…what happened to them?' "Pull up the roster list for Project Freelancer. I want to check something," Reach ordered. The list of the Freelancers appeared on his HUD, and he looked at it, raising an eyebrow. 'North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming are listed as rogue; Washington is listed as imprisoned? How the hell…?'

He shook his head, continuing his way down the list. 'Connecticut, Florida, and Carolina are KIA; Maine, Texas and I are listed as MIA…and New York is KIA as well. Damn.' "Any files as to why Washington was imprisoned and why North and South Dakota are rogue?" 'The project fell to pieces rather quickly.'

"Searching…it seems that Agent Washington was used as a scapegoat by the Director, who has now gone missing. Washington is currently imprisoned by the UNSC and is being forced to collect Freelancer equipment," Eta informed. "As for the others…it seems that Agent Wyoming was sent to hunt down Agent New York, who was then killed by the Meta. Agents North Dakota and South Dakota deserted Project Freelancer once they found out about the Director's plans to give Theta to the Meta."

"I see. Well…it seems I have some work to do," Reach grunted, leaving the armory. "Sarge and I will be starting up a training program. We need to work these guys into shape, just in case either a bastard Brit or massive mutated asshole decides to come into Blood Gulch."

'As for you, Washington…hold on. I'll try and think of a way to break you out of there.'

A/N: *chuckles before holding my chest* Ow…is there an attempted jailbreak for Wash? And what about the twins who never seem to stop bickering? A showdown with the Meta? Well…let's wait and see. See you!