A/N: Hey guys, I am here with Chapter 26 of Agent Reach, which may have a slight issue. For one, how the hell do I follow up a smut chapter in RvB? Especially considering it was ReachxTexas smut…I guess it has to be something that I consider dangerous? (Like fluff moments?)

*Chapter 26*

South let out a frustrated growl as she attempted to repair the damaged cannon on the Scorpion. "Goddammit…" 'This is harder than it looks, even with Delta providing the manual to help.' "This is bullshit!" 'Just how many stupid pieces are there for just a fucking cannon!?'

It had been two days since their failed attempt to break Washington out of prison, and so far, she had not told anyone of the truth about her brother North's death. Delta had kept his mouth closed on the matter, as she requested. But the longer she postponed it, the more the guilt in her heart increased. 'I…I have no choice. If I don't admit it, then I might be cast out and left to fend for myself…'

Above her on the cliff wall, the two idiots on the Blue Team were using a Sniper Rifle to spy on the Red Team. 'What a pair of morons…no wonder Maine is fed up with being the Blue Team Leader already. He doesn't have the patience for it at all.'

"Why do I never get to use the fucking Sniper Rifle?" the aqua blue soldier by the name of Tucker growled in irritation. The standard issue blue guy held the rifle, and he let out a gasp. "Hey, the Reds got another girl!"

Tucker turned to face him, folding his arms. "Bullshit, dude. The only girl on the Red Team is that one who beat the living shit out of them, shot me with some pink paint shit, and is screwing that dude with the sweet red and black armor. There is no other chick over there."

"Look! Pink armor!" Caboose cried out, handing Tucker the rifle. The aqua blue soldier looked through the scope, and he let out a groan of annoyance. "What the fuck, man!? How come the Reds get to have two girls!? This is bullshit!"

South put her hands on her hips, hefting a wrench over her shoulder. "You guys know I'm a girl, right? And I'm standing right here?" 'Morons. They wouldn't know what a girl was if one showed up and started to striptease for them. Which is probably what Tex is doing to Reach right about now to wake him up.'

"Yeah, but we mean like a 'girly-girl'," Tucker shot back. South let out a growl, picking up a small screwdriver and throwing it at the aqua blue soldier. "And what the fuck is that supposed to mean, you asshole?" 'Goddammit, just because I don't have fucking ribbons in my hair or want to kiss all the boys doesn't mean I'm not a girl.' The small tool struck Tucker in the side of the head, and he yelped out in pain before hiding behind a rock. "Nothing! And why does everyone in this canyon hit so hard!?"

South rolled her eyes, getting back to work on the damaged Scorpion. "Dumbass…" 'This is ridiculously complicated…how come the damn Reds get three people who are good with mechanics on their team, and we get a pair of idiots who don't even know their right from their left?' She then heard something from above, and a group of small rocks fell from the top of the canyon wall. 'Someone's here!' "Caboose, toss me the rifle, now!"

South was aware of Wyoming's activities, including his murder of Florida and attempt at the Blue Team. Both Maine and Reach were constantly checking the top of the canyon, but with the Red Leader currently wounded and Maine undergoing surgery for an Achilles tear, the watch shifts were not exactly up to date. As both of the leaders were injured, it would be a perfect time for Wyoming to strike.

Caboose threw the weapon, and South caught it before looking up at the top of the canyon. And at the edge was someone wearing white armor, a Sniper Rifle in their hands. 'Wyoming! You fucking asshole!' The white Freelancer fired at her, and South slammed her hand down to create a Drop Shield. "Delta, I need you, now! Adjust the shield to my rate of fire!" A bullet from Wyoming's rifle deflected off her shield, and Delta's hologram flashed up. "As you wish, Natalie. Fire at will."

South fired, watching as the shield slightly dropped to let the bullet travel through without ricocheting and killing her. She had seen what happened when her brother threw a shield down around a group of Insurrectionists and one of the idiots fired an SMG inside, killing everyone inside the shield and staining it red. There were quite a few bodies to get rid of, or as York jokingly called it, 'toss to the crows', and it wasn't pretty.

Wyoming returned fire, and somehow, both high velocity rounds struck each other, the ruined remains sprinkling down. The Blues ran for cover inside the base, with South starting to feel the strain of trying to keep the shield up, even with Delta's assistance. 'This shield can't last much longer…I'm losing it.' "Delta…if I don't make it out alive…tell Maine the truth about my brother's death." 'I'm sorry…I never got to say what I wanted to, Maine.'

The shield started to flicker, losing strength. One clean shot from Wyoming would break through, and South would be nearly defenseless. She then heard a series of small explosions, and she turned to see Maine limping behind her, firing his Brute Shot in fury. "Maine!? What are you doing!? You can't walk on that kind of injury!" 'How is he even standing!? York couldn't walk for 3 months when he tore his Achilles!'

Maine let out an infuriated growl, firing more rounds from his weapon at Wyoming. Even wounded, he wasn't going to let Wyoming get away with what he did to Florida. South's shield gave way, and she fired two more rounds from her Sniper Rifle. "You fucking coward!" Wyoming had vanished, but this time, he hadn't been able to murder any of the Blues (even though Maine and South wouldn't be too distressed to see Tucker six feet under). 'You're not going to be alive for much longer, Wyoming. But you are too much of a sniveling little coward to face anyone in a proper fight, asshole.'

South lowered the rifle, growling in anger. 'Goddammit…if he returns, I will shoot him with the fucking tank.' She felt Maine place a hand on her shoulder, letting out a soft growl. "I'm fine…" 'How do I tell him what I did? That my fear of death drove me to kill my own brother? No matter how you look at it, this is one thing that the end will never justify the means…'

"South, there is something you're not telling us, isn't there?" Sigma asked, folding his arms. "No matter what, it is always best to tell the truth, even if it is painful. A shitty truth is better than a good lie, and you know that." The blue/green Freelancer nodded, a single tear running down her cheek. "Yes…I know." 'I'm so sorry…why did it have to come to this?'

"Delta and I will leave you and Maine alone to discuss it. We will check in on Reach with Eta," the red AI stated, him and Delta vanishing. South took off her helmet, lowering her eyes to prevent Maine from seeing her cry. "M-maine…there's something I need to tell you…" 'Oh my God, oh my God…I'm starting to have a fucking panic attack.' "About what happened to North."

Maine motioned with his head for her to follow him to a more secluded place of the canyon, as to not be overheard by the Blues. He took off his helmet as well, giving a low grumble of questioning. South met his dark green eyes, swallowing hard and throwing her pride out of the way. "The reason North was killed by the Meta…is because I shot him. I used him as bait to try and get away." 'Brother, I'm so sorry! Even if there was a reason behind it, I should be dead for what I did to you!'

The guilt in her heart exploded, consuming her. Her eyes burst, and Maine let out a growl. South knew that as the, "Why the hell didn't you tell me?" growl, and she refused to meet his stare. "I was scared…and now, my cowardice has driven me to this. I will always have my brother's blood on my hands. Not even in death will he ever forgive me. I've even thrown away my given name…" 'Oh God…I just want to curl up and die. I've caused enough trouble…'

Maine let out a sharp hiss, and South closed her eyes, waiting for the strike, or hopefully the bullet. "Go on. Shoot me." 'This burden is too much for me to bear. It should have been me who was killed by the Meta, not you, Nathan. I was always your bitch of a twin sister, and deserve the fate I forced onto you.'

But it never came. The massive white Freelancer wrapped his muscular arms around her, drawing South into him. South looked up, a pair of tears rolling down her cheeks as she met his dark eyes. "M-maine…" 'Why are you doing this? Is it so I can live with this forever? Or…do you really care about me?'

Maine ran a hand through her silver-blonde hair, growling softly. South blinked slowly, leaning into him. "Maine…" 'This feeling…it's not hope or relief…true love?' Her heart slowly started to warm up, for the man she loved didn't cast her out to die in the middle of a desert box canyon at the ass-end of the galaxy. "Please, don't tell anyone what I did."

Maine nodded, and South leaned up to gently kiss his cheek. "Thank you…" 'He's too damn tall. I have to stretch my fucking legs just to reach his face.' The bald man's face flushed red from the contact, and when South sank back down, he let out an embarrassed grumble, prompting her to give a small smile. "Seeing you blush is kinda cute…" 'He might be a big brawler, but he has a soft side that he very rarely shows…'

'And I think I can be the one who helps him show it more often.'

-0-

Massachusetts let out a small laugh as she saw Washington prepare a Battle Rifle and a Magnum for their mission. 'You might need a bigger weapon, kiddo. If the Meta can shrug off grenade blasts, then what makes you think a Battle Rifle will slow it down?' "I'd take a Shotgun or something heavy, if I were you. Those rounds won't kill it."

The black/gold Freelancer gave her a sharp stare as he picked up one of the powerful close-range weapons. "Then why don't you take one?" Massachusetts laughed again, picking up her specialized DMR. "Because you need someone to keep an eye on you from long range. Check these rounds out." 'Whoever gets hit by one of these will be dead. No one can survive them. Not even someone wearing Freelancer armor.'

The rounds were a special explosive type, capable of piercing even the armor of a Pelican dropship. Whatever they impacted on, they made a large hole going in, and a messy hole on the way out. Massachusetts developed them in her spare time, and had finally perfected the rounds after a few years of testing.

"Explosive rounds?" Washington asked as he picked them up, eyeing them. "You think these will keep the Meta from killing us? It can shrug off a grenade no problem. These will only make it angry." Massachusetts reached into her leg pouch, pulling out a cooler filled with ice bullets. "These will keep him out for awhile. These are what you call 'Freezer rounds', made from the icy glaciers of Snowbound. They freeze on contact, and can keep someone in frozen stasis for more than three days. If anything can keep that mutated psychopath out until we return here, it'll be these babies."

She loaded a clip of explosive rounds into her specialized DMR, which had a 5x scope for more precision. "Also, take this." The blue/white Freelancer threw him another small device, and Washington stared at her blankly. "What the fuck is this?"

"An EMP device." Massachusetts picked up a Sniper Rifle, placing it across her back. "Let's be honest; even with the Freezer rounds, the Meta is still able to throw a Drop Shield down to protect itself, or use its time manipulation unit. The EMP will disable its equipment, making the fight much easier." 'I hope to God he doesn't find out my true intentions. I have to string him along until the last possible moment.'

She did in fact lie to both the Chairman and Washington about her plans. Massachusetts had zero intentions of bringing the Director or the Meta back. Especially considering the personal connections she had with both of them. 'You said creating AIs by breaking Alpha would be your last experiment. But you used my older brother for your own ambitions, and made him a monster. I'll kill you, Director, and try to find some way of bringing my brother's heart back. You stole the last of my family away from me, you bastard.'

Missouri was Massachusetts's older brother, until the Director turned him into the abomination he now was. Even during his rage-filled fights in Project Freelancer, including the ones where he accidentally killed three trainers, his fury was always able to be calmed down by his younger sister. But, the Director knew exactly how to manipulate his quest to get stronger, and used his own ambition against him.

As Washington got ready, Massachusetts reached around her neck to pull out a small locket, a birthday present from Missouri ten years ago. 'Jason…I won't stop until I bring you back. Even if it means I have to betray the people who trust me. Family bonds run deeper than brief acquaintances.' She tightened her hand around it, fighting back the tears of anger. 'Even if that acquaintance is another Freelancer.' The Meta may have committed murder, but he was still her brother.

"Ask the Chairman for one of his black-ops Pelicans with a Slipspace drive. We're setting a course for Sandbox," Massachusetts ordered, placing the locket back down her armor, hiding it from view. 'It's isolated, and where I would hide if I was an AI on the run from the UNSC. Deep in the desert, there is an abandoned temple, hidden from everything and everyone. Perfect hiding spot for a rogue AI that used to be part of Project Freelancer. The Director won't even know we're hunting it down.'

'You might run, but you can't fucking hide forever. I will find you.'

A/N: Sorry guys, but I'm starting to lose it for this chapter and need to end it now before a horrible, horrible idea pops up, like Reach waking up to Tex giving him a blowjob (BTW, that is the best fucking way to wake up in the morning) or Tucker secretly masturbating to the 'pink chick' on the Red Team (even though it's just Donut). Hmmm…good idea maybe?