"There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after.

"But the hero... never gets to see that ending. ...They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith.

"...Ain't that a bitch?" -Epsilon


RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:

"Metastability"


Chapter 10: Welcome to Maine

After having given that annoying red riding hood girl a brief rundown on how exactly he wound up getting a bomb in his stomach and thrown back into the past before winding up in the future and lots of other bullshit, he dived back into the Meta's head. The memory he was looking for was one that wasn't as heavily damaged as the others, but centered around Sigma in some way. Eventually, he found it as the world around him materialized into what appeared to be the command room aboard the Mother of Invention. He found Maine standing across from the Director, who was looking over the information displayed on the board, though if the blonde's face was anything, he was confused and angry.

"Director," Sigma spoke for him, tilting his head. "Agent Maine would wish to know why we are not to be deployed with the others to retrieve Agent Connecticut's equipment."

The Director looked up, green eyes frowning before he looked back at the information he was sorting through. "A foolish question," he said. "Recently, Agent Maine, you have shown intense signs of anger and aggression, signs that, frankly, do not work for a mission that requires us to retrieve valuable equipment." Maine's eyes flared, hands balling into fists. Church felt his frustration about not being able to go after Connie, still bitter about her betrayal, though the Director spoke again before he could speak out. "In the initial stages, at least."

This caused Maine to pause, looking at Sigma. The fiery red AI looked equally as stumped, and turned to the man. [Please clarify, Director.]

"The primary objective is to recover Agent Connecticut's equipment at all costs. This requires us to locate her location inside the enemy base, and take it back. Ideally, we hope to accomplish this as swiftly and as quietly as possible. However, given that the location is one of the major outposts of the Insurgents, we expect heavy resistance. Resistance that you should be able to direct your anger at." The Director stood up, closing the holographic panel and adjusting his glasses. "Agent Maine, I value each and every soldier's combat capabilities, including yours. While I understand your anger at Agent Connecticut, you are not suited to retrieval. That task falls to Agent Carolina and Texas."

Maine blinked. [We were not made aware that Agent Texas would also be deployed.] Sigma spoke for him, though he sounded quite interested. Church, for his part, felt his heart starting to leap. Texas...god, when was the last time he saw her, heard her voice?

"Minor details that don't concern you, Agent," the Director said harshly. "Now, await deployment. By now, our forces have already engaged the Insurrectionists." As he turned to make way for the bridge, he gave Maine one last look. "Don't let me down, Agent Maine."

[We shall not, sir. We endeavor to meet your expectations.] Sigma answered for Maine, the white armored Freelancer growling in agreement.

"Excellent. Dismissed." Maine and Sigma saluted before exiting the command room, heading to his assigned post. He received details for his assigned duty. He was to be dropped off into the Insurgent outpost once the transmitter signaling his cue was activated. From that point, he was to eliminate any and all Insurgent opposition. Easy enough job for him.

[Agent Maine,] Sigma called, using their private channel. [Just to be clear...should we encounter Agent Connecticut, you will have no reservations?]

'Of course not...' Maine growled in denial. 'She betrayed us. Why should I show someone like her any mercy? She's the enemy.'

[I'm simply making sure that your personal feelings won't get in the way,] Sigma said simply. [After all, the Director's own credibility, and mind you the respect of other Freelancers, are on the line here. The United Nations Space Colonies won't appreciate the fact that experimental equipment has been taken by the enemy, much less by someone from inside Project Freelancer. If Agent Connecticut escapes with the armor, there is sure to be repercussions.]

'Don't worry...it won't happen.'

[I am fully aware of that, Agent Maine. I'm simply keeping you aware of the stakes.] The AI paused a bit, holding a hand to his chin. [By the way...there is a matter that concerns me.]

The blonde Freelancer entered the aircraft that would be trailing behind the Pelican with the strike team on board. He was still unsure why he wasn't going with them directly, but far be it from him to question orders. As he entered the main interior of the craft, and making his way to one of the shock drop shuttles. 'What is it?'

[I noticed that there is a significantly large gap in your memories, prior to you joining Project Freelancer.]

Church perked up, now more interested. He was finally making some headway now. "Here we go..."

'What do you mean, Sigma?'

[I mean, that you are missing quite a bit of your past. From what I could ascertain from that I have seen, you have no recollection of anything before waking up in the infirmary and meeting the Director and the Counselor, correct?] The fiery AI inquired. Maine nodded. [I also noticed that you were installed with a number of augmentations. Did you receive them prior to joining Project Freelancer? Or perhaps after?]

'Augmentations?' Maine frowned heavily. This was the first he's ever heard of it. 'No...at least, I don't think so.'

[I see...Agent Maine, it may be possible that the installation of these augmentations may be the cause behind your amnesia.] Just as he entered the pod, the blonde Freelancer stopped, eyes widening. [With your permission, I can look further into these augments, and see if there is a way to recover these memories.]

Maine paused to ponder on this. Were his lost memories truly the result of the augmentation procedure? Was it an unintended side effect? He was getting more curious with each passing second...but he had a mission to focus on.

'You can do that later, Sigma. I don't want to be distracted by these thoughts during the mission.'

Sigma nodded, and subsided back into the chip. Church, however, was now more and more curious. From the sounds of it...the reason why Maine didn't remember his life as Jaune was because of the augmentations...but why? Why did he get them? Moreover, had Sigma found something about the Meta to manipulate him, like how he did in the present? Sighing, Church shook his head. The only real way to know was by watching the events that were to come unfold.


"Hmmmmmmmmm..."

A sigh. "Nora," he called. "Staring at Jaune's face isn't going to bring Church out faster, or tell you what happened." Ren deadpanned, pulling her away from his unconscious team leader.

"But Reeeeen..." Nora whined. "He's been gone forever! I wanna know now...!"

"He's only been gone for about five minutes." Weiss reminded her. "That hardly counts as forever."

"Now now, Miss Valkyrie," Ozpin told the girl with a hint of amusement. "Let the man work."

"...Fiiiiiinneee..." The hyperactive ginger pouted.

She returned to Ren's side, though it was clear she was anxious. They all were. Even though Church had more or less told them he was here to help, they felt apprehensive, leaving their friend's fate to what was one of the causes behind his current state. Despite Church being quite the odd man, but appearing trustworthy, it was still hard for them to put their trust in someone that they didn't know. More importantly, they were still unsure whether or not he would really be able to help Jaune.

On Pyrrha's part, she was worried that whatever tiny trace of their leader that was still in them may not be with them when he woke up. She was dreading that moment when he wakes up, seeing their faces. Suppose Church fixed him...what then? Would he attack them? Would he remember them?

Would he even recognize his own team? His actions in the forest certainly didn't paint that impression.

"Hey," Yang called, seeing the Mistral Champion's expression and tried to assure the girl with a disarming smile. "Vomit Boy will be alright. We just gotta let Mr. Cranky Pants do his thing!"

"However bizarre it may be," Weiss huffed. "Whoever heard of resolving a mental conflict by jumping inside one's head? Does he even know what he's looking for?"

Ruby frowned, optimistic that Church would be able to help Jaune. "Well, he did say what happened to Jaune has something to do with Sigma."

"I'm aware, Ruby. I'm just stating that we shouldn't really put our faith in something that was apparently one of the many reasons why Arc went insane." Weiss reasoned. She had every right to be suspicious, given that the cause of this disaster was the AIs that took residence in Jaune's head. It didn't help that an AI in denial of his existence as an AI is the one helping them.

"But he's trying to help us." Ruby countered.

"That may be...but we still don't know much about them. Who knows how much he's saying is true?"

Ozpin took a drink from his mug - his tenth cup of coffee, mind you - as he turned to the heiress. "I can vouch for Mr. Church, Miss Schnee," the Headmaster told her reassuringly. "Admittedly, he appears to not have the best of...relations with Mr. Arc, however those interactions were as a result of the AI Sigma's actions."

[And you would be correct in those assumptions, Headmaster Ozpin.]

The group blinked, hearing a calm and even voice speak out. Ozpin looked at his scroll, noticing that it was glowing. Curious, he removed it from his pants pocket, and opened it up, revealing that the holographic screen was colored light green. Seconds later, an armored soldier, not too different from the one that Church appeared in, appeared in a miniature form, barely as big as the average adult's hand. It was also colored green, the same color as the holographic screen on Ozpin's Scroll. Naturally, his presence spooked the students while Dr. Reed and Ozpin looked on in fascination.

[Greetings,] the green soldier bowed his head. [I am the AI Fragment, Delta. It is a pleasure to meet all of you.]

"Another AI?" Blake inquired as she and the other approached the minuscule green figure.

"Aww...he's so cute...I wanna feed him a tiny cracker." Nora said.

[I am afraid that would be a futile endeavor, as I lack a physical body.] Delta replied.

Weiss gaped, thrown for a loop. "H-how in the world?" she said, dumbfounded. "Have you been hiding all this time?!"

[No, I have not,] Delta responded. [After I was brought back online by General Ironwood, I asked permission from Special Officer Penny Polendina to use authorized channels. Given that the Headmaster's Scroll was registered to a private channel between the General and himself, I believed that this would be the best course of action.] He looked at the unconscious form of Jaune Arc, also known as Agent Maine and the Meta. [So, Agent Maine survived his injuries after all...]

"Injuries?" Pyrrha frowned. "Wha-what...do you mean?"

[Though we were damaged severely by the EMP blast released at one of the many Command Centers of Project Freelancer, some of us managed to obtain a sort of 'visual outlook' if you will. We could barely understand our surroundings, but were able to make some sense. Prior to his arrival here, Agent Maine had fought with the Red and Blue Simulation Troopers that were previously stationed at Blood Gulch. Just before his Time Displacement Unit malfunctioned and somehow transported him, he was tied to a light reconnaissance vehicle and sent over the cliff. Had the Time Displacement Unit not malfunctioned, Agent Maine would have died from either drowning, due to the puncture wounds his suit received, or of hypothermia. Sidewinder's temperatures are close to freezing.]

His announcement caused all the students in the room to pale visibly. So Jaune had barely evaded death due to a malfunction of equipment? It was a terrifying thought. If that hadn't happened, none of them would even realize that he really WAS dead...and all it took was a couple of idiots tying him to a car and throwing said car off a cliff into a freezing ocean.

In Yang's opinion...it would've been a pretty hardcore way to go.

"My word," Reed muttered, staring at the unconscious soldier in surprise. "How in the world has the boy managed to survive all of that?"

Delta turned to the doctor. [Out of all the Freelancers, Agent Maine was by far the most powerful in terms of physical strength and adaptability. Feats made possible by the augmentations the Director implanted into him, as I learned from Sigma during my time with him after my capture.]

"I see..." As a doctor, Krimzen was deeply disturbed. By what he just learned. Just putting an AI in someone's head was enough to push their limits, but to actually modify them? Change how their body worked? Make it...unrecognizable? It sickened him. "And all of that...to try and find the magic bullet to stop a war?"

[A conflict,] Delta corrected him. [One the Director has been running from all of his life. To my understanding, he saw something in Agent Maine, and believed that the best way to utilize this unknown potential was to erase his memories, create false records of his existence, and hone him into a solider that would end the war.] Teams RWBY and NPR paled upon hearing this. The Director had wiped his memories...just to make him into the perfect little soldier?! [Of course, that task deviated when he began looking for a way to bring Allison Church back to life.]

Immediately, Ozpin took note of this, frowning heavily. "Church?" he inquired. "As in Leonard L. Church?"

[Close. The Director's full name was Leonard Church, and his wife was known as Allison. Due to Sigma, all the gathered fragments learned a great deal about Project Freelancer's unknown goals and agendas. Among them was the truth about Agent Texas...or rather, Beta.]

This startling revelation stunned the inhabitants of the room, letting the words sink into their minds.

"Wh-what...were those goals?" Ruby was the first to question.

[Originally, the Alpha AI was meant to be given to a Freelancer Agent,] Delta explained. [However, Alpha was not compatible with any Agent on his roster. During one attempt, Alpha spawned what would serve as a 'companion' of sorts. The first of the AI fragments: Beta, later given the designation of Freelancer Agent Texas. Unlike the rest of the AI Fragments, who represent an emotional core to Alpha, Beta was based off of the memories of the Director's late wife. When the Director discovered this...he believed it was possible to bring Allison Church back in the form of an AI. It was this delusion of hope that caused him to deviate from his set path and start his experiments. I am a byproduct of one of those experiments.]

"When you say...byproduct...do you mean...?" Weiss didn't finish the question, but Delta understood and gave her the answer.

[Yes. The Director's experiments included torturing Alpha, forcing him to separate his raw emotions in which he would then harvest into AI Fragments. I am the AI Fragment that represent's the Alpha's logic.] The green AI said in his consistent, monotonous tone. [Sigma represented the Alpha's ambition and creativity. Theta, its trust. Gamma, its deceit. Omega, its rage. And so on. Until finally, the last fragment harvested, Epsilon, contained the memories. At the end of the experiments, what was once Alpha, the complete AI of Project Freelancer was reduced to what you all know as Leonard Church Private of the Blue Army.]

The group was stunned into silence. All of that...happened just because the Director wanted to bring back his deceased wife...? It was...it was just insane and wrong!

"T-that's..." Ruby couldn't find a way to justify or even defend someone like that. She knew her father missed her mom badly. Enough that, somedays, he would sometimes he would call out for her. However, to cling to someone like that, when they've been gone for so long? It wasn't right. If anything...she was beginning to feel sorry for the Director of Project Freelancer. "That's horrible!"

"So he...he used all of those people and broke several laws just to bring back someone he lost?" Ren asked, knowing the feeling of loss all too well.

[Yes,] Delta nodded somberly. [However, all attempts ended in failure.] The AI was silent for a few moments before it shook its head, and then turned to Jaune. [From what I've read from the information on General Ironwood's Scroll, Agent Maine was a student who went missing during a mission, is that correct?]

Pyrrha nodded sadly. "Yes...he's been gone for two months."

[And yet, according to Project Freelancer records, he's been with us for several years.]

"How is that possible?" Blake questioned. "Actually, on the subject, where was Jaune even sent to? I mean, with all of this talk and what we've seen...was he somehow sent to another world, or-or another planet? Mankind doesn't even have that kind of technology yet."

[Unknown.] Delta responded. [Though I do believe I have a theory. The Time Displacement Unit was meant to distort all sense of time around the target, as if one had literally frozen time itself. It could also be used to 'rewrite' time in a sense, as Agent Wyoming had used it against the Blood Gulch Soldiers by continuously rewinding time, and thus leaving behind sentient copies of himself form each use. Somehow, when the unit malfunctioned, it followed the same process that Agent Wyoming did. It rewound time, on top of throwing Agent Maine, to another location. By this sense, he left behind a copy of himself at Sidewinder, which suffered the fate I mentioned had his equipment not malfunctioned.]

Naturally, the explanation went over Nora and Ruby's head, who had swirls just from trying to understand the information. Weiss and Ren seemed to understand, as they showed fascination about rewinding time and leaving behind a copy of oneself. Yang was among the former, in that she was horribly confused. "...could you dumb that down a bit, green dude?"

[When his equipment malfunctioned, he not only transported himself here, but Agent Maine also left behind a copy of himself. Which no doubt died at the hands of the Simulation Troopers at Blood Gulch.] Delta answered her with a much more simple version. [However, as to how the Time Displacement Unit was capable of acting as a transporter...I haven't the faintest idea.]

"So even you don't have answers for that?" Pyrrha questioned.

[I am afraid not. I am merely the fragment representing Logic. Higher understanding and advanced calculations on the level of the human mind are beyond my parameters.]

"Eh?" Ruby tilted her head innocently. "But aren't AI's supposed to be like supercomputers?"

[Only an AI like Alpha. As I said, I am merely a fragment.]

"But what does that have to do with anything?"

[AI Fragments, compared to a complete AI, do not quite possess the same capabilities as they do. Even though I represent Alpha's logic, and therefore more mathematically capable than the other fragments, I cannot run the same capabilities as he does.]


After twenty minutes of waiting inside the pod, the signal was finally given. [We are being deployed.] Sigma notified Maine, who adjusted the locks on his helmet. [Brace for impact.]

'Got it.' Maine responded, bracing himself for the oncoming crash to the ground. He had been waiting for this.

The pod shook violently as it was sent down like a rocket towards the ground, where his friends and team were likely already engaging with the enemy. After twenty seconds passed, the pod finally struck the ground, creating a violet jerk. Maine barely felt it. Rather than waiting for the doors to open automatically, he decided to open it himself. He brought up his leg and slammed it straight forward, blowing the door right off its hinges. The metal door flew off and nearly struck the Insurgents in its path if they hadn't jumped out of the way. He pulled himself out of the pod and stood on solid ground.

As he did, he took a quick look around. Quite a few of the Insurrectionists were dead already, and if his HUD was any indication, his team was scattered around. Washington was nearby with York, sitting close near the large freighter nearby. Carolina was up top, dealing with someone while he detected Wyoming and Florida inside. He then focused on the group in front of him, which were the Insurrectionists. As soon as he saw them, however, his heart flared with rage as his eyes trained on a single soldier among them.

'YOU!'

[Agent Maine, isn't that the soldier you fought at the freeway?] Sigma asked with honest curiosity, fully aware of the fiery rage building in his partner. [The one who shot you in the throat?]

Maine let out a low growl, glaring at the man with utter hate while his fingers curled into fists. 'Yeah...it's him.'

[I thought so.] Sigma said before a dark smile formed on his face. [...sic 'em.]

'With PLEASURE!'

He stomped his way over to the sleeveless Insurrectionist, fully intent on killing him. But then a speeding Warthog drove up with the drivers intent of running him over.

The armored vehicle rammed into him, pushing him back and breaking the concrete. Maine grit his teeth, muscles bulging as he stood his ground. He kept his feet firmly planted into the Earth, and with herculean strength, began to grab hold of the Warthog's bumper, pulling it up. The drivers looked at one another, realizing what was about to happen, and tried to climb out. It was too late, however, as Maine hoisted the car above his head, and tossed it straight at the Insurrectionists.

As the soldiers scattered to run, Girlie groaned, shaking her head. As she turned her head, she found Carolina staring her down, a pistol primed and ready to put a bullet in between her eyes. "Hello," she greeted. "Nice to see you again."

However, before she could pull the trigger and shoot the rebel in the face, another Insurrectionist, one with a mechanical left arm, appeared behind her with said arm raised to strike her down. She rolled out of the way to avoid the hit. When the metal fist struck the ground, it cracked beneath the force. Carolina pulled herself up, noticing that the roll short-circuited one of her plasma rifles. Glaring at the interloper through he visor, she tossed the broken firearm away and raised her remaining plasma rifle to gun him down. But a knife flew and impaled her gun. Turning to her left, she saw Girlie spin two knives in her hand.

"Pleasures all mine, bitch!"

As Carolina sparred off against the two, the Sleeveless Insurrectionist stood up, groaning while holding his head, dazed before he turned to find Maine standing over him, cracking his knuckles and neck. 'Yo, asshole,' Maine greeted. Though the soldier couldn't hear him, his body language and rage spoke for him. 'Remember me?'

Sleeveless clenched his fist tightly before swinging his left hand in an attempt to strike the Freelancer. But Maine caught the fist with his right hand and tightened his grip on it while twisting it. He could feel the bones crack beneath his fingers and he brought the Insurgent to his knees, his visor inches away from his. Maine then raised his left hand into the air, fingers balled into a fist. 'Payback's a bitch!' he growled before slamming his fist right at his assailant's head, knocking it clean off from his shoulders. The helmet encased head flew and clattered a few feet away, leaving a trail of blood as the body collapsed to the ground.

Church balked, staring at the sight in terror and amazement. "Son of a bitch!"

'Welcome to Maine, motherfucker.' Maine growled before turning away from the corpse and re-averted his attention to Carolina's fight with Girlie and Cyborg.

Girlie swung her knives at the top Freelancer, ducking below one swipe before taking high into the air. She came down behind the woman, who went in to stab her knife into her face. Caroline intercepted her by delivering a solid blow to her side, but was forced to block as Girlie struck her with a strike. The Insurrectionist swung again, but Carolina grappled her arms and slammed her elbow on Girlie's arm before striking her in the face and punching her back. Afterward, Cyborg rushed in to continue the assault.

"Come 'ere!" He tried swinging at Carolina, but the teal Freelancer dodged his blows. She then jumped up and slammed both feet into his chest, kicking him away. She immediately jumped back onto her feet after landing, pulling out her Humbler Stun Baton from her belt before activating it, electricity crackling along the shaft.

She rushed at Girlie, striking at her. Each time, she either landed a solid blow and stunned her for a moment to attack her again, or was parried by her knives. As she went in for another strike, her HUD lit up, alerting her of movement. She kicked Girlie away, and turned just in time to find the Scout rushing at her. She brought up her arms, blocking the heavy punch that sent her back. However, she wasn't backing down. Carolina rammed her foot down and charged at him, catching him off guard due to the long-winded punch he threw. With a strike, she dashed around him and delivered a kick to his back, sending him sprawling to the floor, trying to catch himself. As he did, he looked up...

...and promptly gulped, seeing the intimidating form of Agent Maine standing over him. He scrambled up to his feet and in a panic, tried to strike him. Maine effortlessly dodged it, ducking under the blow and moving around the Insurrectionist. Wrapping his arms around his waist, he lifted him up, and sent him crashing back down to the ground hard with a suplex.

He tumbled out of his grip as he rolled onto his feet as Maine got up. He unhosltered the Bruteshot from his back and aimed it at Scout. "Argh!" the Scout groaned. "To hell with you!" Maine pulled the trigger and fired a grenade. However, Scout caught it with his robotic arm and hurled it back. Maine jumped out of the way to avoid the explosion when it struck the ground.

As he turned his attention back to his opponent, he found himself caught in a lariat, metal ramming into him and throwing him at Carolina. The two Freelancers were sent into a tumbled mess on the ground, but were quick to get back on their feet. Carolina charged right back into the fray while Maine grabbed his Brute Shot, firing off another round. Once again, the Scout caught it and tossed it. It exploded right at his feet, but he stood his ground, growling as his red eyes burned. He reared his arm back, and threw the Brute Shot with as much strength as he could muster.

The alien grenade launcher spun in mid air like a wheel. It a matter of seconds, the blade dived through Scout's arm, severing it from his body before stabbing into the ground. "Agh! My robot arm!" He cried as he back up. Maine harged forward and grabbed the Bruteshot. "Oh you bitch!" The white armored Freelancer silently aimed his weapon and fired, shooting grenade after grenade at the armless Insurrectionist.

Each one imploded on his body, forcing him further and further back before Maine rammed the Brute Shot into his chest, firing off one last shot that sent him flying, his chest armor shattered and burned and diving straight into the ocean. Maine stared at the water surface, but found no sign of movement. [My word,] Sigma said. [That was rather...violent. Then again, one cannot afford to be lax when dealing with the enemy. Speaking of which...]

Maine turned his head, finding Carolina facing off against Girlie. She managed to remove one of the knives from the nimble Insurrectionist's grasp, but the woman was still going fierce. She tried to cut through Carolina's windpipe, only for the red-haired soldier to evade it and deliver several kicks to her body, knocking her back a bit. As she went in for another kick, Girlie ducked under it and striked at her face. Carolina blocked it, but Girlie followed up with a straight kick, causing Carolina to stumble back.

Just as Girlie was about to follow up, Maine fired a grenade at her, exploding on impact and halting her advance.

Her body was sent flying, landing back on the ground harshly. She groaned, shaking her head before she looked up just in time to see Carolina delivering a flying spin kick to her face. The heel collided, shattering the lens of the helmet and knocking it off of her face. She was thrown back to the ground, only this time sliding towards the edge. Just as she was about to fall, she grabbed the ledge, clinging on for dear life. "S-shit!" she cursed. Her body was aching and sore from all of the strikes from the stun baton. Thankfully, she found a familiar robotic arm holding a hand out to her. She grabbed it gratefully, only for her face to pale when she saw that the robotic arm was severed from its original owner, and the one holding it was none other than Maine. "...oh, fuck."

'Bye-bye, bitch.' Maine smirked beneath his helmet before releasing hold on the arm, letting her fall onto the ledge of the concrete pier, breaking her back, before falling to the water.

Carolina panted somewhat, taking the moment to recover. "Thanks for the assist," she said gratefully. "But are you sure you're safe to be back in the field so soon, Maine?"

[Do not worry, Agent Carolina.] Sigma appeared to voice his host's response. [Agent Maine is more than ready to return to the field. You should recall based on your previous joint exercise.]

Carolina still looked unconvinced, but gave a shrug. "Alright," she said in relent. "If you say so." She pressed the button on the side of her helmet, opening up a com-link. "Florida, what's the situation over there?"

[I'm on the leader's tail. I see CT with him, along with two others with chain guns.]

At the mention of Connie, Maine's fists curled tightly. Carolina noticed this, and her eyes softened. It was no secret that he cherished the woman as a dear friend, especially since she was the reason why he was even still alive and made an operative of Project Freelancer. "Where are they at?"

[Conveyor line of some sort,] Florida answered. [Looks like they're loading up cargo. Probably supplies...wait. I think they...ah frack.]

"Florida?" No response. "Shit!"

[Shall we assist you?] Sigma offered.

"No," Carolina ordered. "You and the Dakotas hold the line. They might bring in reinforcements." She tapped her helmet again, opening up a live feed. "Wash, York. We're going in. Wyoming, back us up!"

[Right!] came the unified response of the three aforementioned Freelancers. Maine wanted to protest to have her bring him as well. But her reasoning was sound. If there were reinforcements, then they were going to need him. Even so, he really wished he knew why Connie had left. As he went to reunite with his comrades, Church gave a moment to consider what was happening.

"Okay, so that CT chick betrayed the group, meaning she probably knew what the Director was doing," he muttered. "Maybe she had an idea what happened to the Meta? Now that I think about it...she was the one who found him. That has to mean something." He gave a low growl. "Dammit. If only I knew what the fuck that chick was thinking." At this, however, the world once again became touched with red static. "Ugh, great. This shit again. Memory's corrupted...wait," he paused, noticing that there was something wrong. The glitching was...warping. Twisting, even. "The fuck?"

Then the scenery changed. Suddenly, as the static began to regress, rather than the open space of a wharf or something, he was now inside the room. Even more than that, he wasn't alone. Inside the room was CT, and with her was presumably the leader of the Insurrectionists, wearing black armor with a red design on the chest plate and a red stripe on the helmet. The ghost was stunned by this. The hell was going on? Did Maine actually remember this? He then noticed a camera nearby, which unless he was on crack or something, had red circuits burning through lenses.

"This isn't the Meta's memory," he whispered. "This...is Sigma's. He actually saw this." But that didn't make any sense! Why was he now looking at one of Sigma's memories when the AI was gone? Moreover, why was the AI interested in looking at this? Was there some sort of significance?

"Please!" CT cried towards the Leader. "We have all the information we need. I have my armor. All we have to do is take this to the right people, and they'll-"

"They'll what, Connie?!"

"I don't know!" the woman snapped. "Make a deal with us, keep us out of prison! Keep us out of prison!" She took hold of his hands. "Come on! We don't have much time!"

"Actually..." the two turned, and found themselves staring down the barrels of pistols held by two Freelancers. Agents Texas and Carolina, both of whom had their sights set on Connie. "You don't have any time."

"Dammit!" The resistance leader cursed as he raised his arms.

CT, however, remained defiant. The woman immediately put herself between the Leader and her former comrades. "Carolina," she said, not at all surprised to see the woman here. She was, after all, the best agent in their ranks. As she turned her head towards Texas, however, her tone turned venomous. "And you..."

"CT," Texas said. "You have something that belongs to Project Freelancer, and I think you know how the Director hates to share."

"You two are fools," CT told them. "The Director is playing you all. Don't you see that?!"

Carolina was having none of it, as she wrapped her finger around the trigger. "Enough, CT! We know you've been feeding intel to the Resistance for months!" There was a coldness in her tone. "Speaking of which...that was a blow, Connie. Did you even stop to think how much that hurt Maine?!"

CT didn't find a response. The leader of the resistance laughed. "Is that who he told you we were?"

"Of course not," Church scoffed, shaking his head. "Actually, now that I think about it...everyone in Project Freelancer, despite being a badass in all, really is an idiot. I mean, they have a mission so secret they don't even know what it is! That's, like, the glaring obvious factor that something's up!" Naturally, however, his words were unheard. It was a memory, after all.

"They're not the enemy, Carolina!" Connie insisted. "We're the ones working outside the rules, not them! You don't know what the Director has done! He's broken major laws!" Carolina scowled beneath her helmet, angered by her former friend's words. However, she wasn't done. "And when this war's over, we're ALL going to pay for what's done!" She stopped for a moment, her tone turning somber. "Maybe some of us are already paying for them." Her gaze fell on Texas for a moment before she regained her hostile tone. "After all, look at what he's done to Maine!"

Church leaned in. "Yes! A lead!"

Carolina faltered, startled by what she heard. "Wait, what do you mean by-"

"You need to stop talking, CT," Texas said coldly, taking a step forward. "Don't make this worse for yourself."

"No! I know what you are, Tex, and I'm not taking orders from a shadow!"

"What did you just call me/her?" Both Tex and Church questioned her proclamation. A shadow? The hell did she mean by that? But before they would inquire further, Carolina interjected once more.

"You're coming with us, CT, this is your last chance."

"No!" CT refused. As they conversed,Mage leader slowly inched backward to reach the hatchets lying behind him on the control panel. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

There was a chilling silence that followed. The four stared each other down like a western standoff, and like the old movies, it was going to end with someone ready to pull the trigger, and there were going to be bodies on the floor. "Actually," Texas spoke, her voice as cold as ice. Church rounded towards his girlfriend, and found her steadily squeezing the trigger. "We don't need you. We just need your armor."

"Nonono!" Church cried, though his words fell on deaf ears. It was only a memory. "Tex, don't-"

A second later, she pulled the trigger. The next second, the world was once again consumed by red static. Church had no choice but to leave the memory, as he would have to search for another point in time. As he re-emerged back in the nurse's office, he let out a scream of frustration. "God fucking dammit! I almost had it!"

"Whoa!" Yang yelped, jumping back. "Where'd you come from?!"

"Where do you think, bimbo?!" Church snarled, throwing his hands from the air. "I almost found out how Carolina Number 2's boyfriend over here-" he gestured to Pyrrha, who's face burned at the ghost's words and found herself speaking gibberish. "-and Tex went and ruined it! Fuck!"

"Wait, Tex? You mean your psycho ex-girlfriend?" Nora questioned with a tilt of her head.

"YES! I finally found a lead, and she went and fucked everything up!" He paused. "Also, she isn't really psycho. She got that way because of Omega."

"Really?" Ren inquired. "So deep down, she's a sweet-heart?"

"Oh hell no. She's always been a rotten bitch. Omega just made her worse."

[A rather astute assumption, given that Omega enhances one's aggression levels.] Church blinked, and turned. There, hovering above Ozpin's Scroll, was none other than Delta in his holographic green glory. [Hello, Church. It has been a while.]

"DELTA?!" Church zoomed over next to Ozpin to get a closer look. "You're alive?! You're back!"

[Indeed. It is good to see you again.] Delta nodded in agreement. [The last we met was inside Agent Maine's head, I believe. By the way, an impressive strategy, if a bit risky, given how many AIs you had to fight off.] At this, the AI rubbed his chin. [My sincerest apologies for hostilities as well.]

"Eh, don't worry about it," Church waved it off. "I blame it on that Sigma asshole. Anyway, how the fuck are you here?"

[I'm sure General Ironwood has already informed you that he has been repairing the AIs that survived the EMP. I was the latest to be repaired alongside Omega...who, as I am told, has been undergoing therapy sessions with Special Officer Polendina.] He then turned to Ruby. [Also, Agent Polendina gives her regards. It seems she does not have your Scroll number saved on her communication device. Shall I forward it to yours?]

Ruby's eyes lit up like a christmas tree. "You can do that?!" she squealed. "Yes, please!"

[Very well, then.] Delta replied. His form disappeared from view for a brief moment. As that happened, Ruby's scroll beeped, informing her that the number was forwarded. The green AI then reappeared. [Objective complete.]

"Thank you, Mr. Delta." Ruby smiled in gratitude.

Ozpin chuckled. "So then, Church," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. "What have you learned?"

"Nothing much, as usual," Church grumbled. "But...something weird happened."

[Something weird?]

"Yeah. I was looking at the Meta's memories before I wound up in a room where that CT chick was fighting Tex and Carolina. Except Maine wasn't there. The camera in the room had red circuits...I think I was looking at Sigma's memories." The ghost then shook his head, rubbing his neck. "But that's impossible. Oz here said Sigma and Gamma are dead!"

[...I may have a theory to explain that.] Delta said, earning their attention. [According to both Headmaster Ozpin and Doctor Reed, you said that whenever Sigma is present, the memories are corrupted by red static. Is that correct?]

"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"

[I believe those have become the instances when Sigma has been attempting to alter Maine's psyche.]

Everyone turned to Delta, looking on with trepidition. Church frowned. "But he seemed perfectly fine in all of those times."

[Minor altercations at first,] Delta said. [However, as time progressed, both myself and York noticed that Agent Maine frequently suffered from headaches. The doctors assumed that it was simply lingering effects from the implantation process, but looking back on it now...I believe it was because of Sigma. However, the implants have a failsafe that would have prevented that. Sigma must have found a way around this. If my assumption is correct, it must have to do with his augmentations.]

"Augmentations?" the ghost questioned before he remembered. "Wait! Sigma mentioned that! He said that the augments were why the Meta didn't remember anything before he joined Project Freelancer!"

[Which means Sigma must have tampered with those augmentations to bypass the implants' failsafe.]

"Say what?! How the hell was he able to do that?!"

[You said that Agent Maine lacked any memories prior to Project Freelancer due to these augmentations, correct?]

"Yeah? Why?"

[It is possible that Sigma utilized the augmentations that affected Agent Maine's mind to act as a bypass around his neurological implants' failsafe. Rather than manipulating him through these implants, he used his augmentations.]

"So rather than the implants..." Weiss frowned, disturbed. "He used the augmentations that made him forget?"

[Irony at its finest, I believe the saying is. The Director used those augmentations to make Agent Maine into the ultimate soldier, capable of rivaling a SPARTAN soldier...and instead those augmentations were made to turn him into a monster. Also, if you indeed saw a memory through Sigma's point of view, it would imply that, in a way, he has not truly died.]

Ruby tilted her head. "What does that mean?" she asked. "Does that mean this Sigma is like a ghost now?"

[In a sense, though rather than the literal definition, it is more along the lines of a phantom created by the trauma produced by Sigma's manipulations.] Delta answered her. [Sigma lives on as a phantom inside Agent Maine's head. I believe that, if you wish to find a way to help Agent Maine, erasing this phantom would allow a sort of healing process. It stands to reason that if Sigma was capable of manipulating the augmentations, we should be able to as well.] He paused briefly. [However...that would also provide its own dangers as well.]

"W-what do you mean?" Yang asked, nervous. "You just said we had a chance of fixing Vomit Boy!"

[The augmentations are what made Agent Maine into the man he is now. Tampering with them may affect his mental state in a way that may not be repairable.]

"Meaning...?" Ruby questioned anxiously, not quite understanding, yet afraid what Delta would say.

[If we fail, we run the risk of destroying Agent Maine's mind, All cognitive function would shut down.]

The words had brought a cold silence to the room. If tampering with his augmentations failed...then they would risk Jaune become brain dead?!

"...jesus, D," Church groaned. "Way to drop a bombshell."

[I am merely stating a fact, Church.] Delta said, not seeing the problem. [It is best that they are aware of the consequences.]


"Damn, Carolina's pissed," South remarked when they returned to the Mother of Invention. As they disembarked the Pelican, the former top agent stormed out, her face openly showing rage as she ruled shoved a worker away. The younger Dakota had rarely seen the woman like that, and while at other times it would have brought her joy seeing the pompous woman so flustered, it actually worried her. Especially given what the Director reported earlier. "What the fuck happened in that room?"

North shrugged. "Don't know," he said. He then looked at Tex, who took another route and away from Carolina, no doubt to give her report to the Director. "What I do know, though, is that I can tell that there's gonna be some big problems between those two." He sighed, scratching his head. "I miss the old days when things used to be simple."

"Seems like ever since Texas shown up, everyone's been on edge," Florida remarked, rubbing his shoulder. "Ow..."

"You alright there, chap?" Wyoming asked. "Getting hit by a hatchet is one thing, but its another to fall off a scafolding two stories up."

The blue-armored soldier chuckled. "What can I say? I'm made of sterner stuff," he said. "Still, North's right. Everyone's on edge...we should have a card game tonight."

"Sounds good to me," South smirked. "Strip as usual?"

York groaned. "Do we have to?" he asked. "Everyone knows Florida's gonna strip us down to our skivvies."

"Why not invite Illinois?" the older Dakota twin said. "Been a while since we've seen him." He then turned to Maine, who hopped out of the Peilcan. "Hey, Maine! Wanna join us for drinks and poker?!"

The white Armored Freelancer nursed his head before facing the others and shook his head. Sigma appeared once more. [I apologize, but Agent Maine is not feeling quite well.]

"Really?" North frowned in concern. "You okay, man?"

'Tell them...I'm fine,' Maine asked his AI. 'I just have...a small headache is all.'

[He says that it is merely a headache, and believes that it would best to have some rest.]

"Well, alright then." York said, looking with concern. "Maybe next time."

The Freelancers then parted. As the rest went to find their friendly demolition expert and invite him to a game of strip poker, which would end with Florida claiming both armor, clothes and underwear, Maine decided to retire to his room. As he did, he removed his helmet, showing a look of depression. A look that was expected. Not long after they were extracted, the Director had contacted them to reveal some...shocking news.

Less than two hours ago, Agent Connecticut of Project Freelancer's vital signature had dropped due to the monitor system in her armor. The recovery beacon was flashing, but it soon went silent, which meant only one thing.

Connie...was dead.

When Maine reached his private quarters, he stumbled inside and fell on the bed, his helmet dropping to the floor. [Are you alright, Agent Maine?] Sigma inquired, materializing him. His face showed concern. [It seems that news of Agent Connecticut's death impacted you more than I thought. I understand you two were close friends?]

'I...thought we were,' Maine confessed. 'She's the reason I'm here in the first place. She saved my ass and brought me back. I may not remember it, but...I'm grateful to her.' His hands gripped the sheets. 'I...never even got the chance to ask why she betrayed us. Why? she...'

[Whatever reasons she had are now no longer known to us, I'm afraid.] Sigma sighed. [This may sound callous of me...but it would be best to forget, and move on.] Maine snapped his head towards the AI. Was he seriously telling him to forget about her?! [Don't forget, Agent Maine,] Sigma told him. [You are a solider. And everyday, a soldier dies. Agent Connecticut, while a traitor, was a soldier as well, thus her dying was expected. You are not immortal. Please, remember that.]

The blonde Freelancer scowled upon being reminded of this. It was true...he is a soldier. It is not his duty to question or get emotional over this...even so...

He gave a shake of the head as he pushed himself up from his bed, beginning to take off his bulky armor. '...you said something about my augmentations before we left, right?' he asked, taking off the chest piece and tossing it to the floor. 'That they were the reason why I couldn't really remember anything about myself?'

[Indeed.] Sigma nodded in confirmation. [Based on the design of your augmentations, it seems that some of them were not only meant to bolster your physical abilities, but to alter your mentality as well.]

Maine frowned as he tore off the shoulder pads. 'Why?'

[Unknown. Would you like me to investigate? I should warn you, though...it might be painful.]

Maine thought about this. All these years, and he had no clue about his past. And now, his only link to them, CT, was gone forever. Did he really have a choice? '...alright,' he said. 'Do what you gotta do.'

[Very well, then.] Sigma nodded, a mildly eager grin on his face. He then disappeared and entered Maine's augmentations.

A few moments later, and Maine felt his body BURN. Growls and hisses escaped his mouth as his body thrashed around from the searing agony within his nerves.

He clutched his head. Were it not for his vocal cords no longer being functional, someone would have heard him. He was begging for someone to stop the pain. Images were flashing by. Images of him in a white room, strapped to a table and men above him, holding tools. Digging into his flesh.

'STOP! STOP IT!'

He cried silently, practically banging his head against any surface he came across, hoping to knock himself out and relieve him of his suffering. But the pain...oh god, the pain! It felt like something was trying to open his head!

'Why the hell did I give Sigma the okay for this?!' He mentally screamed. If he knew how much it hurt, he would've turned down the AI's offer.

He was barely able to hear himself think. As he flailed around, trying to find some way to end the pain, he found a fleeting memory. A woman with red hair. Carolina? No, she looked too young. When was this? Who was she?! As quickly as it came, the memory disappeared. Once more, Maine was howling but no voice screeched. He cradled his head, falling to his knees. Tears and mucus fell from his face, begging for something to stop the pain and let it end. Unknown to him, Sigma materialized above him, a cold smile on his face while observing the memories.

[It seems we're more alike than either of us knew, Agent Maine.] he said, knowing full well that his host couldn't hear him. His smile grew wider. [Or rather...Jaune Arc.]

Maine made no indication of hearing him, only a sharp pain stabbing into his head as tears of blood started to spill from his eyes.


"Why so serious? Let's put a SMILE on that face..." -The Joker, "The Dark Knight"


Preview:

Insanity...

"Oh, you motherfucking cockbite!" Church shouted as he ran for dear life, avoiding the claws that would end him. "I swear, when I got my hands on a gun, I'm gonna-!"

Madness...

[Don't you see, Agent Maine?] Sigma whispered, looking at him with narrowed eyes. [You're like me...incomplete. We're not human...but I know a way we can change that. All you have to do...is TAKE THEM.]

Torment...

[Unless you kill it, we won't be able to access the augmentations!]

It's just another day in the office, isn't it?

"You son of a bitch!" Church shouted, uncaring of the falling debris around him, nor the sheer gargantuan size of the monstrosity in front of him. "You did NOT just pull an Evil Within bullshit! You cock-sucking motherf-!"

Chapter 11: End of the Road

"Welcome home..."