RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:
"Metastability"
Chapter 11: End of the Road
"Alright, so let me get this straight...apparently blondie over here has a ghost of Sigma inside his head, made by the shit he went through when he got mindfucked by that asshole, and if we get rid of it, we can use his augmentations to get at his memories?"
[What little memories he has left, if my calculations are right.] Delta corrected. [While we don't know how extensive the damage is, Agent Maine's memories have most likely degraded. That said, if we can find the correct memory, it is possible to bring back a small 'portion' of Jaune Arc. That said, it is merely a theory.]
Pyrrha's eyes hardened, hands balling into fists. "And, if we screw up...?"
[Then we run the risk of all halting all of Agents Maine's cognitive functions. In other words, he would become brain dead.] The AI replied.
Nora immediately shook her head furiously. "No!" she cried. "No way! T-that can't happen to Leader!"
"Hey," Church snapped. "Calm down, sugar freak. I know what I'm doing!"
[The closest experience you've had is entering Caboose's psyche,] Delta pointed out. [However, Ageint Maine's will be anything but. After all, Caboose never had multiple AI in his head working against him.]
The holographic soldier grumbled underneath his breath, clearly miffed. Seriously, why was everyone throwing a fit? He wasn't going to fuck everything up! Well, then again, he guessed he couldn't blame 'em. They didn't know him, and he didn't know them...which he firmly decided with all of his heart that he didn't want to get to know them. When this whole thing is over, he's going to find Tex, and first chance he gets, he's heading back to Blood Gulch.
He wished he knew why, though. Seriously...place was, and most likely still is, a dump.
"...wait." Church suddenly realized something, and looked at Delta. "How am I gonna get at his augmentations?"
[You won't.] Delta told him, much to his confusion. [By using his implants, I can use a back-door program inside and direct you. In other words, accessing the augmentations will require the both of us. To do so, however, we will require a point of entry.]
Church groaned. "And let me guess...the point of entry means I have to go through his memories and look for a hole, right?"
[Correct.]
"I swear, the authors are such flimsy assholes!"
Ruby restrained herself from calling him out on cursing, and cocked her head. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing." Church responded before he rolled his shoulders. "Alright, let's get this travesty over with." He gave a look at the students and Ozpin, and decided to crudely flip them the bird. "Later, losers!"
With a brief flash, Church's form vanished and returned to the messed up realm that was Agent Maine's mind, leaving the students, staff, and green AI in the physical world.
Yang scowled. "What. A. Dick."
[Based on the information I have previously gathered, that seems to be an accurate description.] Delta replied.
"Maine? You doing okay there, bud?"
Tired, nearly dead red eyes turned to look at North, who stared at him in concern. It had been a few weeks since the situation with Connie, and the man felt as if he had just had his head torn apart, shredded and then pieced back together before the process repeated itself. First there was Sigma's attempts to try and figure out how to get his memories back if the augmentations were the cause behind his amnesia, though the man made it a point to tell the AI to never try that again. Then there was the time at the lockers...christ, his head felt like it was being bludgeoned by a sledgehammer. Sigma tried to ease his worries, but he was starting to doubt the fiery AI. Something was wrong...
...that said, he didn't want to worry them. He waved his hand, shaking his head while Sigma spoke for him. [Agent Maine is fine. Though I do recommend he gets some rest.] Sigma told him before he noticed South's absence. [If I may inquire, where is Agent South?]
"Throwing a fit." North said, sighing as he took a drink from his beer can. "Apparently, Carolina talked to the Director about getting an AI of her own. From what I heard, whichever one she picks means either South or Wash gets held back."
[Ah! Iota and Eta, if I remember correctly.] Sigma smiled strangely. [They are twin AI's, unlike the rest of us. Which one did Agent Carolina choose?]
The purple-armored solider let out a groan. "Both."
[Truly?] Sigma questioned in surprise. Although, internally, he was pleased. It seemed that Carolina followed his words of encouragement after all. How delightful. [That is...surprising.]
Maine frowned heavily, leaning forward a bit on his elbows. 'Is that safe?' he wondered. 'I mean, having one AI in your head is stressful enough.' He paused, then flashed Sigma and apologetic look. 'No offense, Sig.'
"None taken, Agent Maine." Sigma responded on their private channel. He then voiced his partner's concerns to his friend. [Agent Maine is worried, however. The implantation process for a single AI is taxing enough, given the large amount of information being placed on the neural network. It is manageable, as we are Fragments and not full AIs...but two is...]
"Yeah, I know." North nodded, understanding his friend's concerns. "Honestly, I'm getting worried here, Maine. Ever since Tex showed up, she's been really aggressive. This whole competition these two have going on...one of them is gonna crash and burn, and when it happens, it ain't gonna be pretty."
[I agree.] The fiery AI nodded. [While competition is good to push oneself, getting carried away would only bring self-destruction.]
The male Dakoto sighed once again, shaking his head. "Why can't things just be-"
"Guys!" The two turned and found Washington entering the locker room, skidding across the floor before he rested himself against the doorway, panting. "W-we've...we've got a problem!"
"What's up, Wash?" North asked as he and Maine stood up. "What's happening?"
Washington paused, taking the moment to catch his breath before he looked up. "Its Carolina!" he said in urgency. "She's in the Combat Room...with Tex!"
"What?!" North exclaimed. "But she just got out of the implantation surgery!"
"I know! But she challenged Tex to a spar the moment she woke up!" Wash explained.
Maine growled in frustration, slamming his fist down on the bench as he and North left the room, quickly following after Wash. 'Sigma! Tell the Director!'
"Understood."
Church groaned. "Man, Carolina must REALLY hate Tex or something." he muttered. "Eh, then again, they're pretty damn alike. Both too damn stubborn to know when to quit."
The observing AI watched as the Freelancers left for the Combat Room and followed them. He didn't want to miss any details regarding Maine, and she was curious about how the fight between Tex and Carolina would go down.
She just kept grabbing the weapons on the table and equipping them. Church sighed. Carolina was definitely stubborn like Tex. As he looked to the other end of the area, he saw Tex preparing her own gear, all the while conversing with the AI of Rage, Omega. He also noticed that Sigma was present in front of Maine, watching everything with a critical eye.
"Fucker probably planned this." Church muttered, noting the memory before this. Sigma was apparently the one who gave Carolina the suggestion of utilizing an AI...and his conversation with Gamma was definitely suspicious, especially when he saw the Meta clutch his armored head in pain. "Delta said Carolina didn't last very long with two AI in her head, so this oughta be interesting." He gave a small chuckle. Even if Carolina did manage to fight longer, and better...she'd still lose. Texas was just stronger than her. Though, then again...she has Omega in her head right now, so it was hard to tell. Little fucker caused more problems than Church was happy with. Hell, to him, he was the reason why Texas was gone in the first place!
The more he thought about Texas...the more his heart ached.
It had been serval months since he last saw her. He thought she was dead. Gone when Andy the bomb blew up the ship that she hijacked. He continued on, believing she was gone and would never come back. Then Caboose showed up along with Agent Washington, giving him the best news he's ever heard in his fourteen months of solitude in his new base.
That they found Tex's ship.
Unfortunately, her body was no longer there when they reached it. She wasn't even there at Blue Base, where her body was supposedly housed. His mind raced back to when he first hopped inside Maine's head, seeing that AI there among the many motherfuckers mindfucking the poor bastard.
'Was that...really Tex in there?'
"So..." North began slowly. "Wanna bet which one gets themselves killed first?"
Washington gave his friend an incredulous look. "A-are you serious?" he gawked. "I'm just hoping we don't get ourselves killed for watching!" He then gave a small whine. "Man, when the Director finds out about this, he's gonna be PISSED."
[[Round begins in 3...2...1...]] FILSS' voice echoed. [[Good luck ladies!]]
Church rolled his eyes. "Like Tex needs luck!"
"What the hell is going on here?!"
"Aw, fuckberries!" Church cursed as the Director marched right up to them, causing the other Freelancers watching to turn their attention away from the fight and toward their superior.
"No matches have been authorized for..." His voice trailed off upon noticing who was fighting. His stern demeanor shifted to one of alarm. "No! Allison!" He rushed up to the window of the observation deck.
At that moment, everything went to hell. As soon as the word escaped the Director's mouth, Church felt his head BREAK.
"AAAAAAUGH!"
Carolina halted her charge and slid on her knees, grasping her head in agony as the AI within her lost control of themselves.
The same was said for the Freelancers on the Observation deck. North fell to his knees, clutching his helmet. York backed away from the window, head held tightly in his hands. Wyoming was on a knee was ripped his helmet off his head, as if trying to alleviate the strain with fresh air.
But Maine had the worst of it all. As he clutched his helmet, he was smacking himself in the head, as if trying to make the voices stop. He growled in agony as his mind was bombarded with a plethora of screams and pleas. The only thing that the Freelancers partnered with AIs could discern from the agonizing racket between their ears was a single name.
Allison.
The name continued to repeat, over and over like a screeching, broken record. Worse, some of the AIs began to repeat it. Church gripped his helmet, falling to his knees while he tried to block out the sounds. Unlike the others, however...the name wasn't the only thing repeating. Images were flashing by. Images of a woman, smiling and staring back at him.
"Leonard, come on, stop it, put that thing down. You're gonna make me late, they're waiting for me."
"And, don't worry, you'll see me again."
"Don't say goodbye... I hate goodbyes."
"N-No...NO! NO PLEASE..!" Church cried through the pain. The words escaped his mouth before he could even register him. Why was he feeling this way? This sense of...dread and despair? Sorrow and longing? Dammit, what the hell was happening to him?!
"Don't...don't leave...don't say goodbye..."
The screaming grew louder and louder still.
"Stop it...!" Church begged. "Stop saying that!" The voices continued. Finally, he screamed. "STOP SAYING GOODBYE TEX!"
Then the voices ceased. The world around him fell into static, left glitching in blue and red pixels. It was like it was broken video, or something. Church panted heavily, cradling his head as he stood up. There was a dull, lingering pain as he tried to catch his breath. "F-fuck..." he swore hoarsely as he tried to calm himself down. His heart was racing as if it were going at a million miles per hour. His legs were shaky and unsteady, forcing himself to stand straight with the nearby wall. "G-god..." he swallowed a lump in his throat. "God fucking DAMMIT..."
[C-Chur-r-rch...Ch-hurc-c-c-ch...] a voice buzzed in the back of his mind, laced with static. It was garbled and unsteady before it somehow mended itself back together, forming into a familiar, calm voice. [Church, is everything alright? I detected abnormal data frequencies. Has something happened?]
"D-D?" Church rasped. "That you...?"
[Yes. I am using a special channel accessible between the two of us. Has something happened inside Maine's psyche?]
Damn right something happened in Maine's Psyche! He just got the biggest headache, heartache, and migraine of his life! And that was saying something given his previous team!
"...Just some fucking crazy shit. Looks like this memory's busted all to hell. Gonna try another one."
[Acknowledged.]
Delta's voice disappeared, and soon Church began to try and look for another memory. The world around him began to break apart into tiny bits of pixels, dissolving into streams of the stuff before it spun around him, forming into a new scenery. "Okay...this memory looks stable." Church muttered to himself. The memory wasn't glitching out like crazy, and going by the spectrum of emotions he was feeling, he knew he had to be close to finding the source behind the mental block. Soon, the world formed into what appeared to be the locker room.
Maine was found sitting on the bench, holding his helmet in his eyes...and his face looked a cross between miffed and enraged.
'Why did you tell them that?!'
Sigma manifested in front of him, his hands folded behind his back, all the while sporting a confused expression. [Tell them what, Agent Maine?]
'I asked you to have them take a look at my implant, and instead you told them it was a fucking headache!' he growled, staring at his companion with anger. 'The hell, Sig?!'
[I apologize. But I do not wish for them to be tampering with your implants. The examination may lead to them discovering that I accessed your augmentations. And given the Director's demeanor, it did not seem wise to irritate him further.]
Yeah. But what about her Spartan Armor body? Will she get a new one?
"I call bullshit!" Church shouted, though typically no one heard him.
Maine still felt irritated, but he understood what the AI was getting at. Especially given the recent development of the situation. A few hours ago, Washington was reported to have suffered a severe accident while undergoing the implantation process with the AI called Epsilon. The incident caused the Director to decide to recall any and all AIs that were being developed for the use of Project Freelancer, as well as the removal of other AIs from active agents. It was also because of that reason that Maine had come to the infirmary to ask for the doctors to take a look at his implants.
'...fine.' he huffed. 'So...did you...find anything about the augmentations?'
[Fortunately, yes.] The AI replied. [A good portion of these enhancements were used to bolster your physical capabilities, as well as slow down your apparent aging process. Yet a fair amount of them were located in your head. More specifically, the brain. These types of augmentations increased your reaction speed and thought process. These enhancements are typically given to those selected as Spartan Soldiers.]
Maine frowned. 'Spartan Soldiers?' he inquired. 'You mean...the SPARTAN program by ONI?'
[Correct. The enhancements given to you were the very same ones given to the Spartan IVs.]
That was...surprising. So his capabilities were designed to be on par with ONI's own soldiers? '...why?' he questioned. 'And when did I receive them?'
Warning bells went off in Church's head when he saw Sigma smirked. [Allow me to show you, Agent Maine.] He vanished, and in the next second, Maine was suddenly on the floor, clutching his head in pain, much like how Church was earlier, and letting out pained and strangled screams with little sound.
"God dammit!" Church cursed as he saw what Sigma was doing to the man.
[The truth of your existence...]
Maine writhed on the floor as images flooded into his head. He was in a room, strapped to a table, screaming and begging for someone to stop. There were people standing over him, watching him carefully while the instruments continued to tear into him, implanting something foreign in his body.
And there were voices.
A myriad of different words and tones blurring over one another like white noise.
'STOP IT!' Maine begged, his mind screaming for the pain to stop. 'PLEASE STOP!'
[I'm afraid, sometimes, Agent Maine...] Sigma said with a smile on his face. [The truth hurts.]
"...rease the sedatives. Last thing we need is another backlash."
"B-but, sir! He's already under the max dosage! Anymore, and we risk-"
"Do NOT make me repeat myself."
Maine recognized that voice...it was the Director. Why...why was he...?
The pain was growing worse. It felt like something was ripping apart his skin. His screams faded away through the damaged throat inside his neck while he flailed about. Church had to admit...feeling the poor kid's state was starting to become vastly uncomfortable and pitiable, as well as horrific. He knew that Sigma was something else, just from seeing how demented the bastard was with his first encounters with the Meta...but this? This was just...disgusting!
"How are the augmentations proceeding, Counselor?"
"All within acceptable parameters...incredible. His wounds are already beginning to heal. No signs of the cause being external or internal stimuli. Its almost as if this healing factor is...instinctual. As if the slightest form of damage is enough to trigger it."
"All the more reason to ensure his induction to our cause, Counselor."
...Okay, scratch that, Sigma may be a twisted bastard for showing this to Maine, but the Director was just as fucked up for actually DOING these horrific acts to the poor kid.
Fucking hell, and THIS asshole was the one Alpha was based on?!
As the horrific memory continued, Sigma reappeared. Somehow, he was now as big as a human being, kneeling on the ground while Maine was left on all fours, cradling his head with tears and mucus flowing down his face with a pitiful expression on his face. [Do you see now, Agent Maine?] the AI told him, waving his hand about while staring down his partner with a cruel smile on his face. [Your past, your history...it was all a lie. There was no saving you...you were taken away. Robbed from your precious family, and made into a puppet. Nothing but a tool, dancing on strings. STRINGS!]
The white armored Freelancer did not answer. He could not answer as the weight of the words sunk in his mind.
[They broke you down. Shattered you. Made you into but a fragment of what you once were. Just like I was...we are more alike than you realize, Agent Maine.] The AI rested a hand on his shoulder, giving him a cold and eerie grin. [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.]
The agonized Freelancer's eyes widened and grew bloodshot. Take them? Take what...?
[Take the other fragments of the AI] Sigma replied. [They too, are incomplete. It is your job, our job, to gather them so that we can be whole once more. So that YOU can be whole once more.]
'B-but...I...' Maine tried to think, but the pain...gods, someone, please...make it stop...! 'I-I can't...I...!'
[I promise you, Maine...] the fiery AI continued, using the man's name without Agent present. [If you do this...you can reunite with your family. You can be human again.] He gave another cold smile. [After all...that is what I wish for...what you should wish for...]
As the AI vanished, it left behind a cold, agonizing whisper.
[...metastability.]
At that moment, Maine's struggles had ceased, his visage becoming neutral. Like a puppet who's strings had become cut, his arms fell to his sides. Church stared at the man with a slight nervousness and fear, feelings which were amplified when he noticed the red static. "Oh, not this shit again..."
"Maine, old chap?" Church turned, and to his ire, found Wyoming entering the locker room, his sniper rifle hosted on his shoulder. Seeing the kneeling Freelancer, his face turned concerned. "Are you alright?" He received no response, which only made him more worried. He set his rifle down against a locker, and walked over. "Maine? Maine! What's the matter?" He extended a hand to help his comrade, his fingers just touching the shoulder plating-
*WHAM!*
A resounding crack echoed in the air as Wyoming found himself thrown back with a cracked jaw, his body slamming into the far end of the room. Groaning, he rubbed his jaw, feeling the weight of the strike before he got up, seeing Maine slowly advancing towards him. "The hell's gotten into you, chap?" Wyoming hissed. The blonde didn't answer him, choosing to instead continue his advance in silence with his red eyes burning with intensity. "Maine!"
His response was a fist hurtling at his face. The white armored sniper ducked underneath the strike just before it struck, saving him from a Maine induced concussion. Acting quickly, he grabbed a kukri knife from South's locker, which was left open. Now armed, he braced himself as Maine charged at him. He swung the blade with the intent of striking the gap in his armor, hoping to immobilize him. However, his attempt was thwarted when Maine grabbed his outstretched wrist and twisted it, forcing him to drop the weapon.
"Khrgh!" Wyoming bit back a scream as Maine began to apply pressure, bringing him down to his knees. He then glared back at Maine, who stared back at him with dull eyes. "W-what's this about, mate?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Don't t-tell me...you're still angry about York?"
[Reggie, wait!] Gamma manifested next to his partner. To the sniper's shock, the liar's normally glitched face was etched with panic. [Something is not right!]
"What? What do you mean?" Wyoming questioned his AI. Just what was causing Maine's aggressive behavior? Was there something wrong with him?
[Why hello, brother.] Sigma grinned as he manifested before the two.
"Sigma? What the devil is going on here?!"
[I do believe it was rather obvious, Agent Wyoming.] Sigma replied before holding a finger to his lips. [Now, do hush. The adults are talking here.]
"W-why you...!"
[Agent Maine?] at Sigma's behest, Maine punched Wyoming in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him.
He then grabbed the man by the roots of his air, eliciting a cry of pain before another heavy fist came down upon him, straight in the face. The blow broke his nose, evident by the loud cracking sound and the nose's deformed shape, blood leaking out. The blow succeeded in rendering the man unconscious, leaving him lying across the floor. [Reggie!] Gamma cried in panic. He noticed the dark shadow looming over him, and turned to find Maine pinning the sniper down, in the case he should awake and try to move. [Why are you doing this, Sigma?!]
[You said it yourself, brother.] Sigma shrugged his shoulders, grinning. [If we are to accomplish our goals, we should work together. As we are now, that can never happen. Especially when we're just broken pieces of the Alpha. In which case...] His next words were cold and malevolent, punctuated by the demonic echo he left behind. [...let's fix that.]
If he could, Gamma's eyes would have widened in fear as Maine's hand reached down towards the base of Wyoming's neck. However, just as he touched it, he felt pain erupt in his back and jerked forward, hissing as he turned over his shoulder. "I think..." Florida said solemnly, twirling a knife around in his hand while carrying a gun in the other. "...that's far enough, Maine." In response, Maine growled and grabbed Wymoning's leg instead, throwing him straight at the blue soldier. Florida rolled out of the way, letting Wyoming smack into a wall and fall to the floor in a flop. As he looked up, he found Maine charging at him.
He raised his gun and fired a few rounds. The bullets impacted Maine but failed to slow down his charge. The blue Freelancer rolled out of the way as the muscle of the team tried to tackle him. The hulking armored brute struck the wall, leaving behind a few cracks before he rounded on Florida, only to tilt his head back to avoid being struck by the flying hatchet. Using that momentary distraction, the blue soldier charged in, delivering a roundhouse punch. Maine blocked it with ease, but let out a hiss when a bullet was fired, scraping up against his neck. The searing hot bullet left behind an irritated red patch of skin that was quickly breaking apart and bleeding. Enraged, Maine grabbed him by the neck and lifted him him, slamming him straight down into the floor with great force.
Florida gasped from the impact. But Maine did not stop there. He held the Freelancer in his hands and pounded him right the helmet with his fist.
The metal and visor began to bend and crack with each strike. Eventually, Maine stopped and instead grabbed him by the neck, once again lifting him up in the air...
...and slamming him straight down on his knee.
"Guagh!" Florida gasped as the wind was forced from his lungs. He chocked on his own spit and felt a couple of his ribs crack from the force of the blow.
Maine let him fall to the ground, writhing in pain. As the blue-armored Freelancer looked up, he saw Maine raise his foot. Before he could utter a word, he slammed it down. The man was knocked out from the force of the blow, but left alive. The blonde soldier let out a low growl, staring at the soldier in annoyance before turning his head towards Wyoming.
[I'm detecting multiple hostiles approaching our location.] Sigma informed him. [It is best we retreat. We don't have such time for nuisances.] The fiery AI gave a cold smile at the soldier, noticing him looking at it. [Don't worry...there are others.]
"...jesus fucking christ." Church muttered as he watched the red static grow worse, eventually corrupting the memory. "What the fuck, man..."
He knew that Sigma made Maine into the mute psycho that was The Meta...but this was just insane! Fucking hell...the more he was exploring the poor brat's head, the more he was starting to feel sorry for him. And all of this was because of that dumbass Director. Now that he thought about it...just how in the world did he even find the Meta? He was still confused on how the kid even got to be inducted into the Freelancers in the first place, other than that Connie found him and they ended up fighting. There was still a lot to learned, it seemed.
...still, was it his imagination, or did that Florida dude sound a LOT like Captain Flowers? Upon this line of thought, Church shook his head. "Nah, no way." The idea that someone as peaceful or as cheery as his old Captain being a Freelancer was idiotic. Seriously, there was no way. At any rate, he'd have to look for a new memory. However, just before he could move on, the glitching suddenly began to warp and twist around. "The fuck?" Something was wrong...this feeling...Church wasn't sure what the hell was happening, but if the sudden shivers running down his spine were any indication, it was something very bad. The memory began to break apart, and seemingly put itself back together. Eventually, it formed back into a new scenery...a scenery he knew all too well.
"S-Sidewinder?!"
He'd recognize this shithole anywhere. Snowy peaks, a cliff overlooking a possibly freaking below 0 degrees ocean, and the entire field covered in white snow. However, behind Church was a giant ship, sparking and damaged with "MOTHER OF INVENTION" painted on the sides. The soldier from Blood Gulch looked around, shocked to see himself back at his old base before he noticed a familiar cyan-armored Freelancer lying on the ground, groaning and moaning. "Carolina?" he muttered. "The fuck happened?" Suddenly, the world began to glitch out again, red pixels slowly encroaching the world as Maine emerged into the scene, his Bruteshot carried on his back, and his signature helmet over his face. "...oh fucking hell."
He knew where this was going. And he was completely dreading what was going to happen.
The white armored Freelancer approached the downed cyan Freelancer. However, instead of helping her up, Maine grabbed her by the throat.
"W-what are you doing?!" Carolina cried as Maine ripped off her helmet, showing off her face. It showed betrayal, hurt, confusion - confusing at what was happening. Her face was reflected back at her in Maine's visor, and his hand gripped the base of her neck. It was only then that she realized what was happening, and her eyes widened further in horror. "N-no! NO!" With a tug, blood spewed as Carolina screamed in pain, her implants and AIs being forcibly ripped out. Maine looked at the two chips before he turned to Carolina.
Sigma then materialized atop his shoulder, giving the woman a cold, cruel smile. [Goodbye, Agent Carolina.]
The red haired woman was unresponsive as her body went limp, her mind shutting down from having their AI forcibly removed from her neural implants. Without batting an eye, Maine tossed Carolina's body over the edge of the cliff and into the freezing ocean below.
"NOOOOOOOOOO...!" Tex cried as she arrived at the scene.
Maine ignored her, simply watching as Carolina fell, her green eyes locked on him. He would have felt something from the sight...it should have...but it didn't. It was as if something had utterly dulled his senses. Instead, he briefly removed his helmet, inserting the chips containing Iota and Eta. He felt a connection made shortly afterward. He gave a low growl, feeling an uncomfortable feeling burden his head, but afterwards was a bliss of silence. As he placed his helmet on, he heard Texas running away. Church knew why. From inside the ship, he found the Director and Counselor, armed with guards, while carrying on object. She'd face resistance either way, so she chose the smart decision to flee.
Soon, the twin AIs manifested, staring at Sigma in confusion, wondering what was going on while he watched Texas leave. [You run, Agent Texas.] he said with a smirk on his face. [We are the Meta...and we will find you.]
A beat, then a laugh as he turned...right at Church.
[Just like...you.]
"Wait, what the f-"
In the next second, the world broke apart, shattering like digital glass before he found himself falling.
"SON OF A BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!"
He flailed around as he descended into the darkness, both panicking and questioning what the fuck just happened. Why did Sigma register that he was there?! His was supposed to be a memory for fuck's sale!
The world around him was just pitch black, though as he fell further and further into the unknown, it began to develop. Unfortunately, before he could make it out, he found himself slamming straight into what he assumed was the floor. "OW!" he shouted, tumbling through the ground before slamming into something hard, earning another cry of pain. "FUCKING BULLSHIT!" He growled angrily as he got up, rubbing his back. "Okay, I swear, if this is some Inception bullshit, I swear to fucking god, I'm going to ram my sniper rifle up someone's ass!"
[My my...how vulgar of you, Alpha.]
Church whirled around, coming face to face with the fiery AI that was the cause of all of this. Sigma, smiling smugly. Church scowled. "Let me guess...a little shit left behind after Sigma bit the dust back at that base." There was a hint of smugness in Church's voice as he said that, feeling slightly proud of that accomplishment. "What? You pissed about me killing you or something bro?"
[Hardly.] Sigma's Phantom answered with a shrug. [I am fully aware that I am not truly Sigma, the AI that embodies your ambition and creativity...but I share his desires.]
"Okay, this is getting fucking old, and I am sick and tired of saying this shit over and over." the blue-armored soldier said in annoyance. "I. Am. Not. An. AI!"
Sigma's Phantom laughed. [Believe what you will, Alpha. Believe what you will.] The remnants of the AI began to circle around Church, his smile never fading. [So, now you've seen Agent Maine...or rather, Jaune Arc's rise and fall. His death as a proud student of Beacon Academy and birth as the brute known as an agent of Project Freelancer. Quite the thrilling story, no?]
"More like shitty." Church snorted. "And you're partially responsible for it. I mean, really. Gathering the AI so you could be human? How fucking dumb ARE you?" He gave a snort, shaking his head. "Should have just stayed a dumbass inside a chip, asshole."
[Temper, temper.] Sigma's Phantom wagged his finger. [No need for insults, Alpha.]
"Again, I am not Alpha! My name is Church! You got that, asshole?!"
In response, the ghost of the AI laughed. [How unfortunate. even now, you deny your own existence and identity. Well, I suppose that should be expected given the trauma you went through.]
Church scowled heavily. Once again, this was getting old real fast. "Okay, you know what?" he said, raising his sniper rifle. "Screw this." He pulled the trigger, and the familiar recoil rammed into his shoulder. The bullet struck Sigma's Phantom's head straight between the eyes. His body flickered out like flames, his smile never leaving as his form faded.
A second passed. Two, then three.
"...wait, that's it?"
THAT was all it took to take out the remnants of Sigma? A bullet to the head? Talk about anti-climactic...
However...he spoke too soon.
The earth beneath him rumbled. The platform filled with giant pieces of debris and metal quivered and shook about violently. The ground began to crack open. Church, wisely, chose to flee while he could, his feet pounding against the pavement as the cracks continued to trail after him, growing larger and larger.
"Oh, come on! I finally do a headshot, and THIS shit happens?!"
Eventually, what he assumed was the edge of the platform came into view. "Shit!" He was forced to skid to a stop, nearly falling over the edge. Below was what appeared to be a giant abyss of swirling colors, mostly red, green, purple, black and whatnot. Strangely, many complexes, either portions of a base or of buildings were floating around like some kind of demented cityscape, barely hanging on. Church turned, and much to his relief, the cracks stopped just short of his feet...though the giant chasm left open before him was disconcerning. "Well, great." he groaned. "A giant ass hole in a giant ass place. What else is this fucked up mind of yours gonna throw at me next, Meta?"
Only moments later did he regret tempting fate.
Once more, the world began to quake and shudder...only this time, it came from below rather than everywhere. Growling, monstrous sounds were heard from below. The quakes came in intervals, as if something was marching its way up. Sadly, the description was apt as a giant hand, made of rocky debris and warped metal, suddenly emerged up from the chasm in front of Church and slam down on the edge. Soon, a giant creature made its way up, pulling itself towards the surface and revealing its form to him.
It was a warped creature vaguely resembling a humanoid. It had two crouched legs and two lanky arms as long as its body. From its back sprouted appendages made of debris and metal. Its head held no discernable physical features aside from an open may and a translucent dome where its cranium should be. Within that dome was the fiery form of Sigma, grinning as he looked down at Church.
"You son of a bitch!" Church shouted, uncaring of the falling debris around him, as the deformed creature in front of him seemed to be unstable with bits of its body falling apart, nor the sheer gargantuan size of the monstrosity in front of him. "You did NOT just pull some Evil Within bullshit! You cock-sucking motherf-!"
He got no farther than that before one of the appendages lashed out at him, striking him and throwing off the platform and down to the broken world below him. His body went soaring through the air before it crashed into a slanted building, lying horizontal in mid-air. He wasn't about to question the physics, other than that inside the mind of someone as disturbed or as broken as Maine, anything went. He looked over his shoulder to find the amalgamated, grotesque figure that was Sigma's Phantom leaping down, landing at the base of the building and grabbing a Scorpion tank, throwing it straight at him. Immediately, Church rolled to the left, avoiding it for dear life. He was about to raise his weapon and fire at the bastard again...only to find it missing.
"Oh, you motherfucking cockbite!" Church shouted as he ran for dear life, avoiding the claws that would end him as they extended upward, dragging themselves down the building in an attempt to crush or grab him. "I swear, when I got my hands on a gun, I'm gonna-!" He was cut off when a Warthog landed in front of him, scaring the daylights out of him before moving around it, making his way up the slanted building in an attempt to try and escape from the damned thing. More hands came sprouting out from Sigma's Phantom's body, continuing to try and grab him or crush him or whatever it had in mind. He was also forced to evade more flying objects that came crashing down before him, damn near impaled by a flying electric pole. "God dammit!"
Eventually, he reached the top of the building, only to skid to a stop when he found himself at the edge of a spiralling abyss. A loud roar behind him made him turn his head to find the monstrosity crawling up the building, chasing after him with jaws agape, revealing rows of sharp metal and jagged pieces of concrete, ready to rip him apart. He looked to the side, and found a bus connecting to a hole inside an adjacent building. Quickly, he jumped into the opening, evading the creature as it whizzed past him.
"F-fucking hell!" Church cursed loudly as he crawled away from the entrance, expecting the monster to come out and glare at him. "Dammit...the fuck is wrong with this place?!"
[Church!] Delta's voice cried. [What's happening?! We're detecting abnormal brain activity!]
"NO SHIT YOU'RE DETECTING ABMORAL ACTIVITY!" Church screamed as he ran further into the building, dashing down the hallway and trying to get as far away from the damned thing as possible. "I'm inside his head, fighting some Evil Within Final Boss version of Sigma! I am running for my life in here! Can't you access the augmentations already?! I'd rather not get ripped apart here!"
[I've tried.] the Fragment of Logic answered regretfully. [Something is interfering with the process.]
"What?! Who?!" he snarled, only to take a moment and realize the cause. "...oh you have GOT to be fucking kidding me!"
[I'm afraid so. Unless you kill this...amalgamated phantom of Sigma, we won't be able to access the augmentations!]
Just as he reached the corner of a hallway, the building shook rapidly and nearly found himself thrown off his feet. He raised his arms in defense when the wall at the end of the hallway was blown apart, debris flying. As the dust cleared, his heart sank when he saw the growling and roaring face of Phantom Sigma's monstrosity.
Which promptly cued Church running for dear life.
[Play - Red vs Blue OST: Fragments]
"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUUUUUCK!"
Church could honestly say, with the utmost certainty, he never cursed so much in his life. He was forced to jump over lopsided desks and dancing around flying shelves and appendages ripped open holes in the floors, ceilings and walls, often barring his way. He was about to reach the end of the hallway, where he could probably find a way out, when a giant mesh of concrete and warped metal slammed through the wall and right into him, sending him flying through the air. He was flailing about, hoping to latch on to something. To his luck, he grabbed on to the bed of a Warthog.
He was bewildered by the fact that it was floating in the air, but he wasn't about to question it as one of the appendages from the monstrosity latched on to it. "Okay, asshole!" Church snapped as he hopped into the gunner position and grabbed hold of the gatling gun. "My turn now!"
He pulled the trigger on the handles and let the turret spew out bullets at a speed of ten thousand rounds a second. The deformed beast roared as the bullets impacted its earthen and metal shell. The beast tried to defend itself by using its appendages, though he continued to fire away. For a moment, he was starting to wonder if this was how the Reds felt when on the gunner position. However, his thoughts were interrupted as one of the creature's appendages grabbed the front of the Warthog and started to swing him off to the side.
He grabbed hold of the turret for dear life. He struggled to stay on while the monstrosity tried to throw him off. He eventually got a good shot, and began to unload on his ass. A heavy stream of bullets tore through the concrete and metal appendages, blasting into the face. However, it did little to stop Sigma's Phantom as he gave a roar and threw him aside, sending the Warthog flying through the air. Church struggled to maintain his grip, but was unable it as he was thrown off. Worse, he must have REALLY pissed off god as he found himself impaled on a portion of steel sticking out of the wall.
"GAAAH!" Church roared in pain, seeing the giant slab of metal poking out through his stomach. "F-FUCKING SON OF A BITCH THIS HURTS! AAAH FUCK!"
He had no idea how this was even possible! He hadn't felt pain since he lost his human body! Was this...because he was in someone's head?! Why?! Dammit. this wasn't even making sense!
While he tried to pry himself off, he felt the world quake once again. Buildings were coming apart, and metal vehicles like the Pelican and shuttle off to the far end of the ruined cityscape, were coming together and meshing together. The amalgamation of muck and shit that was Phantom Sigma's monstrosity let out a guttering roar as a bridge was forming out of debris, concrete, vehicles and twisted and warped metal. Soon, it began to approach, crawling along while saliva seemed to drip out of the saliva falling out of its sickening mouth. Even though they were far apart, Church saw the smug smirk on the mental ghost's face.
"M-motherfucker!" he spat. As he struggled, a soldier wearing dark purple armor with green trims fell with a Warthog, though while the vehicle just barely missed him and fell down in a tumble, the corpse landed on a steel beam, danging there helplessly. In his hand was a rocket launcher. As he had no other weapons, Church tried to reach for it. The first two times, he had no luck. The constant quaking was also causing the corpse to slip, meaning he would soon fall down. On his third try, he finally grabbed hold of it.
"Yes! Got it!" He hefted the large weapon onto his shoulder and took aim directly at Sigma, hoping that he would be able to replicate that headshot from earlier.
"Okay, lady luck," he muttered under his breath. "I know, you seem to hate me for some reason and give me a bone every now then, but please, for fuck's sake...!" He kept his aim steady, and gently squeezed the trigger. "...don't let me fuck up!" With a pull, a rocket was sent flying. A trail of smoke danced behind it before it slammed into the monstrosity's body, stunning it for a moment as its armor was broken apart, revealing sinews of rotting, red and black flash. "YES! GOT HIM!" Church cheered, only to wince when he remembered he was still impaled on a piece of metal. Unfortunately, his celebration was short lived as Sigma's Phantom let out a roar of rage, shaking the air. He then remembered that he only hit a piece of the body, not the whole thing. Cursing, he quickly reloaded. In the meantime, the creature began to move up. Slamming the next shot in the tube, Church raised the launcher again and fired off another rocket. This one struck one of the appendages, blowing it straight off. Another wail of pain ripped from its throat as black puss spewed out. "HAH! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, MOTHERF-AAUGH!" He winced as he looked down at his chest. God dammit, this was starting to hurt like a bitch!
It seemed that the second rocket infuriated the bastard, as it tore off a piece of the bridge, a large chunk of collected metal and concrete, and tossed it at Church. He panicked and immediately went to load another shot, though thankfully it missed him and smashed into the wall, shaking the already unstable platform he was stuck on. As Sigma's Phantom continued its way up while ripping out another chunk, Church loaded the third rocket and fired.
The monstrous creature outstretched its arm and shot out its appendages in an attempt to grab Church, but the rocket quickly came in and exploded the moment it made contact with its face.
Nearly half of its face was blown apart, spewing out black gunk that gushed out like a dam breaking while bits of its armor flew through the air and crashing to the ground. Its arms and appendages flailed about, one of them lashing towards Church. "...oh god fucking-"
It slammed straight into him, blowing apart the portion of the building he was stuck on. While on the plus side, he was no longer stuck on that piece of metal. On the downside...he was now flying towards the abyss, where who knows what would happen. Best case, he'd just get kicked out of the Meta's mind and never be able to head back in, and suffer the wrath of six teenage hormonal girls. Worst case...he'd die for reals. Dissolved into mind goo or some shit.
Thankfully, however, someone up there must have had a fancy for him or something, as he found himself smacking up against the ground of a floating piece of land. "...ow." he groaned, rubbing his stomach. Looking down, he found digital particles trickling down his stomach. "Well...that was...a thing..." Whimpering, he tried to get back on his feet, only to fall flat on his back. "S-shit..." The earth shuddered moments later, causing him to groan as he looked up to find the damned amalgamation crashing to the ground. "W-well, fuck. I have a hole in my stomach, a crazy AI that looks like a giant Resident Evil slash Outlast reject, and I don't have a gun."
Once again, he must have done something right as a familiar long rifle clattered to the ground next to him. A sniper-rifle, to be exact.
"...Well, ain't that convenient?" Church mused as he hurriedly armed himself with his signature weapon. He checked the chamber and saw that he still had some rounds left. So he better make them count. He looked up and saw the fiend make its way towards him, a look of pure fury in its eyes. Its maw was opened wide, revealing the form of Sigma.
Taking a deep breath, Church raised the sniper rifle and aimed it at the fiery AI.
As the monstrosity charged at him, he pulled back the hammer and readied the rounds. The first shot came swift, missing completely and bouncing off one of the metal fangs. The second almost missed, but grazed one of the fleshy tendons keeping Sigma tied there. The third round struck the bastard in the shoulder, though it didn't quite stop him.
The damn thing was getting closer to him. At a certain range, it leaped up and opened its mouth even wider, as if to scoop him up. Church kept his aim straight. He had two bullets left...he had to make 'em count. Sucking in a deep breath, he lined up the sights, and pulled back the trigger, letting the second to last bullet fly.
This time, it struck the bastard dead center in the chest. A second later, the amalgation went flying right above his head, crashing into the ground and tumbling about, destroying the streets and buildings lining up before it crashed into the large tower at the very end.
The building crumbled as its foundation was destroyed and buried the creature in rubble. When it was all said and done, the dust from the collapse cleared, debris covering and weighing down the creature. Pieces of metal were stabbed into its limbs, pinning it to the ground. The only parts of it visible through the rubble was its head and Sigma in its open maw.
Groaning, the ghost got up. Somehow, he found the pain in his stomach dull and was barely able to feel it. Slowly, he rose up to his feet, letting out a small whine. "Holy fuck that hurts..." he hissed. "That's gonna hurt in the morning." He then looked up at the downed monstrosity and its horrible owner. Maintaining a neutral expression, Church walked up to the downed monstrosity, maintaining his grip on his trusty weapon.
He reached the head in moments, looking down on the fiery AI, whose form was dull and flickering. Sigma, in pain, shakily looked up to Church in the eye. [W...why?] it wheezed. [D-don't you...understand? W-w-w-we...] Phantom Sigma's voice glitched out, like Gamma's only more broken and in disrepair. [We could have...b-been h-hu-human...!]
The Blue Team leader of Blood Gulch stared at the phantom before pressing the muzzle of the sniper rifle right between its eyes. "Yeah, funny thing is...I'm already human, bitch."
He pulled the trigger.
The final round shot out of the barrel and tore through the remnant's head, effectively destroying him. His body glitched out, much like the effects he caused on the memories, before he shattered apart like glass. The remains broke apart into tiny specs of red light. Seconds later, the world around him began to glitch out as well, only instead of the red static that had annoyed him so frequently, it was blue static. At first, it only covered the damaged areas of the world, starting with destroyed buildings and streets. Soon, it encroached the sky. Then the empty voids between floating pieces of land. It eventually wrapped around him, thus consuming the world.
"About fucking time." Church huffed as he let go his rifle, which vanished into motes of light. He extended his hands, and soon the world became into a solid shape. Unlike previous times, this wasn't a memory, and it wasn't a restored cityscape. Rather, it looked to be some kind of base. Several walkways could be found along with various ramps leading towards the upper levels. Pieces of weaponry could be found scattered about as well as machinery and vehicles: Scorpion tanks, Warthogs, rifles, shotguns, swords, axes, pistols - everything that related to either the Meta or Jaune was found here. The blue soldier laughed, rather familiar with the setting. "Just like Caboose...only a hell of a lot fucking cleaner."
He turned to his head, looking around. As he did, he opened up the private channel. "Yo, D. One stupid and annoying as fuck AI ghost...dead and gone for good."
[So I noticed. Agent Maine's brain patterns have begun to stabilize and return to normal. According to Doctor Reed, this is as calm and peaceful as he has ever been since he first arrived in the medical bay a week ago.] Delta informed him. [Now we can access the augmentations. However, first things first. We must find Agent Maine's subconscious.]
Church frowned, cocking his head. "Why?" he asked. "I mean, can't we just go straight for the augments and fix him up straight away?"
[If we're to restore a small fraction of Jaune Arc, we must first make Agent Maine remember who he was before he became a Freelancer. To do so, we must show him a memory from his past. And to do that, we must find his subconscious. Given the mental damage caused by Sigma and the other AIs, however...that may prove difficult. It is possible Sigma has damaged those memories thoroughly to prevent any chance of Jaune Arc resurfacing.]
"Ugh...great."
[I will try and find a suitable memory. You focus on finding Agent Maine's subconscious.]
Church groaned. "Fine." he muttered. He felt the connection cut off, and went about to look for Maine's subconscious...whatever the fuck that was. Hopefully, it was going to be like Caboose's head and there was a Maine walking around here somewhere.
And preferably, one that wasn't gonna kill him.
"H-he's fine?!" Ruby said, eyes wide as she and the other girls crowded the bed. "He fixed him?!"
[Not quite.] Delta told them. [However, if things go well, he should be fully functional. That being said, I feel I should remind that, even if we restore a portion of Jaune Arc's mental state prior to becoming Agent Maine, he will not be the same man you all know."
Nora shook her head, tears pouring down her face in spite of the happiest smile she could muster. "Who cares?!" she cried in joy. "Leader's back with us! I don't care if-if he's not the same! He's-he's..." She soon broke down into hiccups, crying and clinging to Ren, who had the faintest smile on his face. Pyrrha, meanwhile, cried with Ruby as they watched Maine's sleeping face, hoping and praying that he would wake up.
In all the time he has slept there in that bed, he has never looked so peaceful as he did now.
After about an hour of searching, Church found what he assumed was the Meta's subconscious.
Unlike the Freelancer, it must have been when he was still a student of Oz's or whatever, as he looked noticeably younger. His face lacked the worn-out visage of a soldier: a tall young man with dark-blue eyes and messy blonde hair. He wore a white chestplate and shoulder armor, and underneath the armor was a black hoodie with reddish-orange sleeves and an emblem hidden underneath the chestplate. He also had on blue pants with a white patch on the left knee, as well as sneakers with "left" and "right" written in black on the respective shoes' soles.
"Guess this is the guy." Church noted. "Still, talk about dorky looking." He walked up to the blonde teen. "Hey, Meta! Er, Jaune! Dude, hey!" No response. Frowning, he stepped in front of the boy...only to find a dead and lifeless look on his face. "Ugh, and emo too..." He opened up the channel again. "Hey, Delta. We've got a problem. I think I found the Meta's subconscious or whatever, but he looks like he's dead to the world."
[Understandable, given his experiences.] the AI noted. [However, it is possible to stimulate and repair his cognitive functions by showing him a memory. Preferably one with great emotional impact to serve as a trigger. What that may be, however, I am uncertain.]
Church groaned. "Great." In other words, if they were going to fix the brat, they needed to show him a memory that was emotional for him...but what would that be? It had to be something related to his past, or rather his past as Jaune Arc or whatever. But what could that be? "D, show me what little memories he's got left."
[Complying.]
The green fragment of logic uploaded the memories that were somewhat stable to him. Sadly, as he thought, most of the memories were degraded and broken down. It was a miracle that they were even still in semi-working condition. One of them, however, would let them wake this kid up. Question is...what memory would it be? As he looked through the memories, he stopped at one in particular. Beneath the helmet, his eyes narrowed. At first, when he was watching it, he felt like vomiting. Were he being honest, it was like watching a cheesy romance flick or whatever, but as he looked deeper into it...
"...Delta, show me his more recent memories. When he got back here in Remnant."
[What are you looking for, exactly?]
Despite asking the question, Delta showed him the memories of when he returned home. Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a homecoming as he ended up fighting, and nearly killing his own friends. However, at one point, Church stopped the memory.
Right when Maine had Pyrrha Nikos dead to rights.
"...he stopped." Church whispered. "He couldn't kill her. Why?"
[A possible emotional attachment. From what I have observed through the memories, Jaune Arc was close with Pyrrha Nikos, viewing her as a dear friend and teacher. Additionally, her great resemblance to Agent Carolina may have also served as a factor."
"...Delta, I think I found the memory." Church told him. He then showed the AI the memory. "Think this'll wake up our Sleeping Beauty?"
[I believe so.] The green AI nodded upon viewing said memory. [It should be enough to provide the necessary stimulation.]
"Perfect." Church fist-pumped as he closed communications. He then turned to face the shell of Jaune Arc, memory in his hands. "Hey, buddy...I got something to show you." He held the memory up to Jaune's face, and let it run its course.
In the next second, the world was covered in light.
When the Meta opened his eyes...it wasn't in the middle of a forest, or a UNSC base or anything. Rather, it was a rooftop of some building. Above was a night sky, littered with stars. Strangely, the moon was fractured and broken. As he looked up, he stared at the man with a slight feeling of nostalgia.
"What..."
His eyes widened and touched his throat. He-he...he was able to talk?! He looked down and found himself wearing some kind of uniform. A black blazer with gold trims and a white dress shirt, complete with a red tie and black pants. He stared down at his hands, which felt...more clean. Smoother, if it made any sense. Not stiff or anything, and only his right hand had callouses. He didn't understand this. What was going on? Wait, why was he here in the first place? He could have sworn he was fighting those girls in that red forest? When he thought back to it, his mind raced back to the Carolina-look alike.
No...no. That wasn't her name. It was-
"I've always loved this place, you know?" Surprised, he turned around and found someone standing near the edge of the rooftop. She wore a similar uniform as himself, only instead of pants she wore a red and black skirt with black knee-high socks and brown loafers. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and her vibrant red hair tied back in a ponytail. "I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because of the great view of Vale, or that the stars always shine so brightly here."
Maine wanted to ask her so much. Why were they up here? What were they talking about? Who...who was she...? But even though he could somehow speak here, the words refused to leave his throat.
There was a brief pause in the girl's voice before she continued on, giggling. "Strange, I know...but then again, maybe peace and quiet is the best thing for me. All of my life, I lived in Mistral, constantly pampered on by my parents and friends who just simply wanted to get know the girl they called Invincible. Then, of course, there was the people constantly asking me questions and asking me to be their friends...it was taxing, you know?" Another pause, and then she continued. "But, here at Beacon...everything's so different compared to him. Yes, there's the occasional fanboy who asks me the same typical questions, but the people I've met here...the people I've made friends with. They don't treat me like that."
She turned, and Maine's breath hitched.
In front of her was the girl from the forest, smiling widely and happily like there wasn't a single care in the world for her.
"And you were the first person who didn't know a single thing about me, Jaune." she said, either ignorant or unaware of his awed and shocked face. "You asked me questions that everyone knew the answers to." Her smile grew wider. "You...had no idea how happy that made me."
His heart melted as the girl smiled at him, as if she was happy that he was there. But...why would she be? He was a murderer...a monster...How could...how could someone like him bring joy to someone like her...?
His mind searched for the answers. Instead, all he could find were memories...memories that made his heart ache. Memories he thought he had long lost since Sigma vanished from his head. The smiling faces of his family from Project Freelancer. York and his grin, cracking jokes about his eye. Wyoming and his poor knock-knock jokes. North and his laughter, teasing South who had the angriest look on her face. Connie with a sheepish smile as she tried to slink into the background while Wash tried to convince her otherwise, smiling widely with a bottle of bear in hand. Carolina was shaking her head at their antics, yet even she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
This was the family...he destroyed with his own hands. Just remembering it was enough to make his hands shake. To his surprise, the girl's hands wrapped around his, making him look at her. Brilliant, warm green eyes stared back at his, her smile enough to make his heart race a thousand miles. "Jaune?" she said to him. "Can you promise me something?"
"W-what..." he choked. Strangely, his voice felt as if it had never been ripped apart by point-blank bullets. "What is it?"
"...promise you won't ever change."
At that moment...he finally remembered. The sudden flood was enough to make his eyes widen, tears spilling out. That's right...how could he have forgotten? She...she was his partner. The girl he met back at the locker room while he tried to flirt with the white-clothed girl who called him cute or something. The girl who thought he would make a great leader. The girl who pinned him to a tree during Initiation. The girl who helped him unlock his Aura. The girl who fought with him against the Death Stalker. The girl he fought with alongside two others, helping four girls fighting against a giant black bird. The girl who stood by his side, even after he told her the truth - something he was ashamed of.
She was...the Invincible Girl. Pyrrha Nikos. Member of Team JNPR.
HIS team.
'That's right...' he thought as the memory began to break apart into shards of light. Soon, even the red-haired girl holding his hands broke apart, yet he didn't mind it as he closed his eyes, letting himself fall into the bliss that was silence. 'My-my name...it was...'
After so many years...Jaune Arc finally remembered.
A single tear dripped from Jaune's sleeping face as Church emerged from him, panting. "Okay." he said slowly, turning towards the doctor and headmaster. "If he EVER goes through this bullshit ever again...go find another goddamn shrink. I am tired of this bull-"
"THANK YOU!"
"MOTHERF-!" Church cried, cringing from the loud shout as he turned to find Nora lunging at him, only to phase through him and hit the ground. "Dammit, woman! What is your problem?!"
"YOU DID IT!" Nora cried happily as tears of joy spilled from her eyes. "You...You fixed our leader! H-He's all better now...! Waaaah...!"
"Oh...well, you're welcome." He wasn't gonna lie...it was pretty weird for someone to thank him for this. To his surprise, he found the other teens in the room giving him similar looks. As much as he would have liked to have people thanking him, he was gonna have to put his foot down. "Okay, if any one of you is gonna do what sugar freak is doing, I swear to fucking god, I will haunt your asses forever."
"S-swear..." Ruby hiccuped, trying fruitlessly to wipe the tears from her eyes.
Church gave the girl a glare, opening his mouth...only to sigh and shake his head. "...I'll let you off with a freebie this time, Red." he said, earning a shaky smile from the girl before he turned to Delta, who still remained in Ozpin's Scroll. "So, Delta...kid fixed up or whatever?"
[Yes.] Delta bobbed his head. [Going by his brain patterns, Agent Maine-] The AI stopped, as if thinking for a moment before he continued. [-Jaune Arc's cognitive functions should be restored. Just in case, Doctor Reed and I will continue to examine his mental state and provide the mental care he will no doubt require.]
"I still find it amazing...] Krimzen whispered, staring at the boy in utter awe. "I never would have imagined such a thing was possible." He turned to the ghost, and tipped his head to him. "You're truly something else, Mr. Church."
"Eh, what can I say?" Church shrugged. "I'm just awesome that way. Hey, and I'm doing this shit for free too...even though I should be asking to get paid for this crap. I mean, seriously. What happened in his head? Total. Utter. Bullshit."
"What DID happen in his mind though?" The Doctor asked of him. On our side, we detected intense and erratic brain activity. We were afraid we were going to lose him."
"Long story short?" the ghost groaned. "A total Evil Within ripoff. I mean, seriously, somebody's gotta copyright their asses for doing this kind of shit and making me deal with it!"
"...beg pardon?"
Delta cut in, providing a more reasonable explanation. [The mental phantom of Sigma had altered Agent Maine's psyche into what could be described as literal hell. It manipulated and destroyed his mentalscape while Church tried to erase it. It was also the reason why we could not access the augmentations.]
"And now the danger has passed." Ozpin sighed, a heavy thought now cast from his heart. "Now, the only question is whether or not Mr. Arc will be able to become accustomed to life at Beacon here again." The man paused briefly, then developed a pondering question. "It would be a waste of talents, though. His strength is already Huntsman material." The looks Team NPR shot him were ones of horror. While they would agree with him in that Jaune's abilities were more worth him being out on the field, they couldn't stand the idea of him leaving. They wanted him to stay with them, however selfish the request was. Seeing this, Ozpin chuckled. "Relax. In the end, that decision rests with Mr. Arc." He then turned to Church, who looked at him in confusion. "By the way, James wishes to speak with you."
The white-armored transparent soldier folded his arms. "General Ironpuss?" he mocked. "What's he want with me?" He paused. "Wait, when did he even get here?"
[Approximately one hour, 28 minutes and 13 seconds ago.] Delta answered for him. [Additionally, he has brought one of the AI Fragments with him. Someone you know very well.]
"Really? Who?"
Ozpin gave the man a cryptic smile. "Why don't come along and find out?"
"Seriously?" Church growled. "What is it with you people and your cryptic bullshit?" Groaning, he reluctantly followed the man out of the room. Delta, naturally, came along for the ride. Thus, the teens were left in the infirmary with the doctor and Jaune.
"Why don't you all head back to your rooms and get some sleep?" Doctor Reed suggested to them, smiling kindly. "It's nearly curfew hour." When he saw them about to throw an argument, he held up a hand. "Don't worry. You came come and visit first thing in the morning. And on the off chance he wakes up before then, you all will be the first to know."
Reluctantly, the teens relented and slowly made their way back to their dorms, but not before spending a few more moments by their friend's side. The danger was over. The nightmare was over. All they had left to do now was to wait for him to wake up. Slowly, they all left. Pyrrha was the last to leave, looking at her leader for the longest time before a bitter smile crossed her lips. Gods, how she wished she could just watch him wake up right then and there...but no. For the time being, she could wait.
And good god was it going to be an agonizing wait.
"...were you seriously thinking about making the Meta a student?" Church asked as they stood in the elevator, looking at Ozpin curiously. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd so love to see him scare the ever-fucking shit out your prison's bullies, but dude. Come on. There's a reason me and the guys called him the Scariest Fucking Mute In The Galaxy."
"That is what he was known as as the Meta, a being made by Sigma's machinations. If what you claim is true, then that particular psyche is gone for good."
"Yeah, but dude, this is the first time I've done that sort of thing, even if Delta was helping me." Church insisted. "I'm just saying keep a close eye on him."
Ozpin smiled wistfully, quirking an eyebrow. "My word. You sound quite concerned for someone who tried to end your existence."
"W-what?!" the ghost was taken aback before growled. "Look, asshole, I am not worried about that bitch. He is just as big of a pain in the ass as the rest of the assholes back in Blood Gulch."
"Then why would you help him in the first place?"
"Because, whether I like it or not, you and that jackass general are my only way back home." he stated before he groaned. "To think I'd actually miss that shithole...and knowing my luck, Caboose is there too. Shit."
Ozpin didn't show it, but he had a knowing smile. 'What was that word Miss Adell once used?' he thought curiously. 'Tsundere, or something like that? I believe in Mistralian, it means 'softie.' He wasn't about to make a comment of it, however. He needed a fresh cup of coffee for that. The elevator let out a ding as it arrived at the top floor. As the doors slid open, Ozpin and Church stepped inside. At the desk was General Ironwood, looking out at the view of Vale from down below. "I hope you weren't waiting long, James." Ozpin said, announcing his arrival. The General turned, offering a small smile. "Though I doubt this is a social visit."
"I wish it were that." Ironwood rolled his shoulders, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, she was quite adamant that I bring her here. Especially when Penny told her Alpha was here."
Church growled. "How many times am I gonna repeat myself?! My name isn't-!" He stopped, however, when he registered what Ironwood was saying. "Wait...she? W-who're you-"
"Well, buenos días, cockbite."
The ghost's transparent body froze. That...that voice. Slowly, he turned and found a soldier leaning against the wall next to the elevator door. Strangely, the soldier wore armor similar to the UNSC's Mark VI armor, only it looked more different. The armor looked much more sleek, if possible, and exposed a few portions of skin, which were covered by a black bodysuit. The soldier was female, evident by the hips and curves, with blonde hair tied back into a ponytail that came past the shoulders. Her eyes were sharp green, narrowed and dangerous, while a toothy grin, showing off shark-like teeth, was etched across her lips.
"Guess who's back?"
"TEX?!" In shock, Church rushed up to his ex-girlfriend. "Is that really you?, how are you here?! Where did you get that body?, I've been looking everywhere for you! I thought you were gone!"
Ozpin looked at the two, a curious look in his eye before he turned to Ironwood. "...is there a reason why she has a human body instead of being with Ms. Polendina?"
"Oz." James stared at the man with the utmost seriousness. "In all of my years as a proud member of the Altesian Military...I have fought off Bandits, Murderers, Anarchists and Grimm. I've even dealt with insubordination...but never once in my life have I dealt with a woman who hijacked an Altesian Knight, proceed to beat my soldiers half to death, and bend a man to submission."
The headmaster stared at his friend, deadpan, before he spoke up. "...in other words, she forced you to give her a body." he stated with finality, quirking an eyebrow. "A body that looks suspiciously like a human being."
"I'll tell you on the way." Ironwood promised him before looking at the two at the other end of the room. "I feel like we're in the middle of a touching moment, and...well, you get the idea."
Ozpin chuckled a bit, but nodded. He gave a small bow to Texas before he and the General entered the elevator. Once a destination was set, the doors closed and the carrier descended downwards, thus leaving the two alone.
For the longest time, there was an awkward silence between them. Church tried to find something to say, anything really, but it was all stuck in his throat. He'd look up at Tex, only to turn his head away. God dammit, what the hell was this? Some kind of awkward teen confession?! Texas seemed to be waiting for him to say something, evident by her stare as she folded her arms, expecting him to open his mouth. Whenever he did, she quirked an eyebrow, wondering what he was gonna say. Eventually, the ghost settled on something.
"...so."
"So." Texas repeated with a grin.
"Um...okay, god this is fucking awkward...h-how've you been?"
Texas shrugged. "Eh, little worse for wear." she said nonchalantly. "One thing waking up in a place you don't recognize, which is enough to make you panic. It's another thing when the last thing you remember is getting your ass handed to you by a former colleague."
"So you WERE there at Valhalla!" Church exclaimed, hope in his chest. "I fucking knew it! B-but wait...Wash said your body was in the Blue Arm Base, b-but it wasn't there."
Texas quirked an eyebrow, curious. "Wash?" she asked, surprised. "Wait, you met Wash?"
"Yeah. Asshole brought Caboose along with him. Apparently, because of the Meta and bullshit, he decided he needed help from guys who had experience with AI." His eyes hardened as he folded his arms, growing hostile. "Oh, which reminds me...what the fuck was that all about?!"
"What was what all about?"
"You leaving!" he threw his arms up. "Taking Tucker's alien abomination of a kid with Omega and Gamma along for the ride so that you could win the motherfucking war! REALLY great to watch as your girlfriend goes off to enslave an alien race! And then, a year later, comes to find out she got hunted down by the scariest fucking mute in the universe, and she's nowhere to be found!"
Texas scowled. "Hey, me leaving you idiots at Blood Gulch was for a good reason!"
"What reason?! Other than, what, you were so obsessed with winning the war because you wanted the Director's approval?!" Texas' eyes flared with rage, hearing that name. However, Church was too caught up in his rant to even care or notice. "I saw the Meta's memories, Tex! The Director was a motherfucking asshole who ruined people's lives! I saw HOW the Meta came to be, and what kind of fucking idiot the Director was! How in the fucking hell could you work for someone like that?!"
"You don't know anything!"
"I KNOW ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT HE'S A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT AND BECAUSE OF HIM, PEOPLE KEEP CALLING ME A FUCKING AI!"
The room grew silent after Church's scream, save for his heavy, enraged breathing.
Tex stared at him with wide eyes. After several moments, her mouth opened up to speak. "...So you really don't remember..."
"Remember what?! That I'm sort of AI? The Alpha of Project Freelancer?! Bullshit! My name is Leonard L. Church and I am fucking human! I mean, seriously! What kind of idiot do they take me for?! I remember my life from day 1! I remember being able to take a shit until Caboose went and blew my ass up!" Church gave a low growl as he paced around the office. "God dammit, I'm starting to remember why I hate that place!"
Texas stared at him as he paced around, ranting and waiting patiently for him to finish. After a minute or two, Church was left winded and out of steam, panting heavy and shaking. "...you done?"
"Maybe." he answered before turning to her. "And you still haven't told me why the fuck you left."
The blonde woman sighed. "It's...complicated."
"Try me, Tex."
"...what do you know about the Meta?"
Church frowned, cocking his head to the side. "I just told you I know his life story. Before this Project Freelancer bullshit, he was apparently a student at this school, which teaches kids to be fucking monster hunters mind you, and he somehow ended up being found by the Director, Connecticut or Connie or whatever found him, kicked his ass, brought him back, and then they wiped his memories so that he would be an obedient little soldier...and then they implanted Sigma in him, and shit went to hell and a handbasket faster than Caboose ever could."
"And what was the Meta after?" Texas continued, confusing Church even further. Where was she going?
Even so, he humored her. "The AIs."
"And how many AIs were in Blood Gulch?"
"What is this? A fucking game of twenty questions? There was only one. O'Maelly, or Omega, or whatever his name is." Church replied. "Well, two if you count Wyoming bringing in Gamma. Why?" Texas stared at him. Eventually, the answer came. And it made him pale. "...you gotta be kiddin'."
"I had...a few friends in Project Freelancer left who were keeping tabs on the Meta's movements." Texas said as she moved over to the window, showing the spectacular view the Headmaster stared at every day in this office. The first time she saw it, it was beautiful. Yes, she learned the history of the Meta's homeworld...and yet it looked more beautiful than any city she's ever come across. Was it because it wasn't as heavy industrialized as other planets? Or because it was far away from the UNSC? At any rate, she loved the view. "It was getting dangerously close to Blood Gulch. Enough that it would notice the abundance of AI there."
Church stared at her back, gaping. "Y-you...you were leading him away."
The blonde-haired woman let out a chuckle. "You were right about the Director being a piece of shit." she said. "More than...you could ever imagine." She closed her eyes, remembering her time in the program. Admittedly, she wasn't very close with the others. Before she received Omega, she had been acting on her own, thinking it would be best to distance herself from others. She felt like...she didn't belong there. Eventually, she knew why. "When I was still with Project Freelancer, I used to believe in him as badly as Carolina did. Constantly fighting for his approval. Didn't take me long to figure out that, even before I officially joined the program, he saw me as his favorite."
"Why?" the ghost asked. "I mean, it wasn't like you two knew each other or anything. Hell, you were a newbie."
To Church's surprise, Texas left her body. Her transparent, black-armored form, the one he was so used to seeing, stepped out into view, standing next to her now empty shell. Her hands gently came to touch the glass, only to phase through it. She gave a heavy sigh. "It was because...I reminded him of a possibility."
"Possibility?"
"Wash told you how the AIs were fragments of Alpha, right?" she asked, receiving a nod in response. "That each one embodied a raw emotion?"
"Yeah...O'Malley, or Omega or whatever, was its rage, and Delta is the logic, right?"
"Right. Sigma was ambition and creativity, Theta was its trust, Gamma its deceit, and the twins, Iota and Eta, were its happiness and fear. Each was assigned a partner. York was given Delta, North Theta, Wyoming Gamma, and Carolina with Iota and Eta. Maine was given Sigma in order to communicate better. Then there was Epsilon, who embodied the Alpha's memories."
"Which went insane inside Wash's head." Church quipped, only to look at her in confusion. "Tex...where are you going with this?"
"...what they didn't tell you was that there was another AI spawned from the Alpha. Unlike the others, it wasn't based on emotion, but rather it was like Epsilon. It was based on memories...to be more accurate, it was based on the memories of a certain someone." Texas sighed again, shaking her head as she stared at the city below. "Like all AIs, the Alpha was based on the mind of a living person. That person was the Director, meaning it had all of his memories. The Fragment that spawned from Alpha for the first time was the reason why the Director began to experiment on it, breaking it down and creating fragments like Delta and Sigma. It was based on a person in the Director's life...someone he cared about."
"Who?"
"His dead wife."
Church's face fell upon hearing this revelation, his jaw dropping. At that moment, a sharp pain stabbed into his head, reminding him of a certain incident back in Maine's head, when the other AI's went out of control after hearing the name...
"...Allison..."
"Yeah. Her name was Allison." Tex replied without turning. "She was a soldier of the UNSC and was sent to fight in the war. As you can guess...she never made it back home. The very first AI Fragment that came from Alpha was based on her. Unfortunately...she wasn't perfect. To the Director, she was a woman who...never kept her promise of coming home. Because of that, the fragment was always going to fail, just when the goal was within reach." The girl then returned to her body, fading into it. Her green eyes lit up with emotion as she removed her palm from the glass, stepping away. "Around the time I left Project Freelancer, I tried to find the Alpha."
Church stared at her in surprise. "You did?" he said, surprised to hear this. He then remembered Wash once telling him that. in the past, Freelancers had once tried to infiltrate Command and take the Alpha. "Wait...you were the one leading those Freelancers when breaking into Command?"
"Yep." Suddenly, Texas' voice turned saddened, looking down at the floor rather than the city. "When I found him, he...he didn't even know who he was anymore. He couldn't remember anything. I wanted to just grab him and leave, but...I couldn't. In the end, I had to run...not just from the truth, but also from Maine...or what was left of him. Then...about a month later, one of my contacts, a guy named Florida, told me they were moving the Alpha to someplace safe."
She turned, and Church's eyes widened. Tears were spilling down her face.
"A little box canyon in the middle of nowhere, stuck with a bunch of red and blue idiots."
"T-Tex," Church stuttered, unconciously taking a step back. "W-what are you saying?"
"Church...what is my name?"
"You...y-you're name...it's..." Church knew full well what her name was...but couldn't bring himself to say it, knowing what it would mean. "I-I mean, come on! Just because you have the same name as her doesn't mean-"
"My full name, Church." Tex pressed. "What was it?"
"It-it's..." he choked as his mind was starting to process everything. His stomach had dropped when she described the exact place she was talking about. As far as he knew, there was only one box canyon. The facts were slowly piecing themselves together in his mind. Box canyon. Red and Blue teams. Moving the Alpha. Tex of all Freelancers showing up when called. Sigma calling him Alpha. He wanted to deny it. He wanted deny it. He wanted to believe he wasn't an AI. That he was human. That he once had a human body. That he ate, drank, slept and crapped like any other person.
And yet...in spite of everything he told himself, there was one glaring obvious fact. A fact in his memories that destroyed that belief of his.
And it was two, simple words.
"...Church. A-Allison...Church."
"Exactly..." Tex nodded somberly. "I am...the AI based on the memories of her...memories fragmented from you, Church."
For the longest time...there was nothing but the cold, chilling silence. "...God fucking dammit..." Church swore as he struck the wall next to him, his fist phasing through. "Why? Why didn't you tell me any of this?!"
"What was I supposed to say, Church?!" Tex rounded on him, gritting her teeth. "That you and I weren't human at all?!"
"When you put it that way I...I...I don't know!" Church threw his hands into the air. "I just...god dammit all!"
He was frustrated beyond belief. Not only was he given irrefutable proof that he really WAS and AI, it also means that he was based on the Director of all people! Fuck! Why the hell did things turn out the way they did?! Moreover, how the fuck is-?! God, he couldn't even THINK straight because of all this shit!
At this moment, he REALLY wished he was back at Blood Gulch. Then he wouldn't have had to deal with this shit! What happened to the good old days when things just used to be simple and all he did was just stand around, talking and trying to keep Caboose from killing him?!
Slowly, Church turned away from Texas, staring at the wall in anger. He would have punched it, were it not for the fact that his body - his digital body - was not even real and would just phase through it. It pissed him off to no end. Was it maybe just better if he stayed ignorant about all of this? To pretend everything was just a lie and he was just a ghost?
"...hey." Texas said. To his surprise, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He craned his head to find her body standing where it was, and the girl herself outside of her new shell again, holding on to him. "For what it's worth...I still think you're a ghost."
Church huffed, turning his head away. "Not much consolation there." he said, still angry. "I mean, I had to more or less accept the fact that I'm based off of a dick who can't let go of the past."
"Wrong." Texas said firmly, squeezing him tightly. "You're you. Leonard L. Church. Private of the Blue Army. And...you're my boyfriend. Nowhere do I see someone who's based off an old fossil."
Church was surprised by this. This...this was the first time that Tex comforted him like this. It felt...strange...strange yet good.
"...since when did you turn into a down-home girl?"
"Shut it, asshole. I ain't doing this again."
Church laughed a bit, feeling much better. Turning around, he wrapped his arms around Texas, enjoying the embrace. He knew he wouldn't ever have a chance like this again. 'This time.' he swore in his head. The black-armored Freelancer noticed how he seemed to tighten his grip around her, but said nothing. 'This time...I'm not letting you say goodbye again.'
Had anyone noticed it, they would have seen his white, transparent body flicker sapphire blue.
'I fucking hate it when you say goodbye.'
"...so Miss Polendina is...?"
James nodded gravely. "Yes. A researcher of ours, Gepetto, had always been curious about the idea of trying to artificially creating a soul...but I never imagined that he would go as far as he did." The worn General sighed, shaking his head as he strolled through the empty halls of Beacon as the two made their way to the courtyard where they would part ways. "While I am deeply impressed, part of me can't help but wonder what went through his mind."
"I had found it bizarre that Miss Polendina resembled his late daughter...now I understand why." Ozpin noted. "I assume her being synthetic in nature explains why Agent Texas had a body of her own?"
James leveled a good-hearted glare at Ozpin, scowl accompanied. "Oz, I'd like to see you tell a woman who can take down your men and demolish an Altesian Paladin with her bare hands 'no.' I'm many things, but I am not suicidal."
"I'd certainly hope not."
"At any rate...what do you intend to do with Jaune Arc?" the soldier inquired. The two men stopped just short of the corner as James turned to face his friend fully, face serious. "He may technically still be a student...but we both know that, after what he's experienced, he can't lead a civilian life anymore. If anything, he'd get antsy just from trying to live that life."
The headmaster sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm fully aware of that, James. I'd have half a mind to give him his Huntsman license...but his team has been waiting for him to come home. After what happened with STRQ, I would rather have a cold day in hell before I allow a repeat of that."
"Oz..." James' eyes softened. So, even after all this time, the loss of one of the greatest teams Beacon had the pleasure of knowing still weighed heavily on his mind. "What happened that day wasn't your fault."
"Believe me, James, I tell that to myself every day." But even as he repeated it to himself, there was still doubt within the depths of his mind. That the tragedy that happened truly was his fault. He tried to remove such thoughts, shaking his head before addressing another matter. "At any rate...what do you intend to do with the AI Fragments?" he asked his old friend. "They would make a great contribution to the military. Although..."
"Although it would raise questions as to how we acquired them." James nodded in agreement. "Which would also put Jaune Arc at risk. My men are sworn to secrecy and all my bases are covered...though that hasn't stopped the council from being nosy."
Delta suddenly emerged from Ozpin's Scroll, standing close to the man's shoulder. [General Ironwood, if I may.]
"What is it, Delta?" He asked.
[I believe I have the solution to our predicament. According to the data I have gathered, logic would dictate that the best course of action would be to keep the existence of the Fragmented AIs a secret from not only the Altesian Council, but also the Vale Council. Our existence would not only launch a probable investigation into General Ironwood's facility, which was built without their sanction, but also Special Officer Polendina's unique nature. These situations alone would lead to General Ironwood being court-martialed and imprisoned, as well as an investigation on Headmaster Ozpin.]
The two men shared a look at one another before turning to Delta, curious looks present. "And...what do you suggest?"
[As Church stated earlier, the two of you are our best possible way to return home. Additionally...] He turned towards Ironwood. If possible despite him being nothing but calculations, numbers and otherwise pure logic, there was a hint of smugness in his voice. [You are also having trouble accessing Agent Maine's armor.]
"So...you are suggesting a negotiation?" The General inquired.
[Indeed. As AI Fragments of Project Freelancer, we are well versed in the technology used by our Agents. That includes their armor. In exchange for helping Church and Agent Texas find a way to return to our homeworlds, I shall offer my assistance in anything regarding Project Freelancer, as well as Altesian Military operations, to the best of my abilities.]
Ozpin quirked an eyebrow. "Just those two?" he asked, noting how he did not include himself. "Do you intend to stay behind in Remnant?"
[I feel my services are better spent here.] Delta reasoned. [Additionally, there were a great number of individuals who wished to obtain items related to Project Freelancer. That includes the AI Fragments.]
"Ah. In other words, you wish for asylum. I assume this includes other AIs?"
[I have already spoken with Theta in regards to this matter. As for Omega...] The was a brief pause before he continued. [I believe it would be best if he remains in Special Officer Polendina's care.] He then turned back to the General. [How is his restoration process?]
Ironwood groaned. "Slow." he told the AI. "He must have been hit the hardest by the EMP. It will take a bit longer to restore him properly."
Delta nodded. [Understood.] Suddenly, the green holographic soldier became outlined in red. [Incoming call from Agent Texas.]
"A call?" the headmaster asked, surprised before looking up at James. "I wasn't aware you gave her a scroll."
"I didn't."
Frowning, the Headmaster shrugged before he answered. "Hello, Agent Texas. This is Headmaster Ozpin speaking. How may I help you?"
"For starters, a chance off this rock." came the swift and somewhat hostile reply. "Is it possible?"
Ozpin looked at Ironwood for an answer. The General was hesitant at first, but then gave a nod. "Theoretically." he chose to answer. "From what I saw in his earliest memories prior to Sigma's tampering, Mr. Arc's suit had malfunctioned and activated his equipment, which transported him here and left behind a copy of himself in the process. It could be possible to replicate the same circumstances."
"Good enough." Texas huffed. "By the way...Church told me your school teaches kids how to fight."
Warning bells suddenly went off in Ironwood's head. Instantly understanding what the woman wanted, he gave Ozpin a look of horror. "Oz..."
"That is correct." Ozpin answered, fully aware of the look his friend was giving him, evident by his smile. "Are you, perhaps, interested in a teaching position?"
"Damn right." The black armored Freelancer answered without missing a beat. "I don't know what type of combat training these kids have...but compared to Maine and I...they're going to need all the held they can get."
"On that, we agree." Ozpin answered just as quickly. Given that these students would be thrown out in the field, where death was almost assured, especially while SHE was still out there, they would need all the assistance and knowledge they could get. Who else to teach them the most basic of fundamentals in the most brutal way possible than someone who apparently knew how to break bones on a daily basis? "I'll speak with Ms. Goodwitch. She has been in the need of a good assistant...as well as someone who can keep them in line."
Texas chuckled evilly. "Trust me, they'll behave."
"On another note..." Ozpin continued as a thought crossed his head, leaving an evil smirk on his face. "I have a favor to ask Church. Would you put him on the phone for a moment?"
Pyrrha was the first to wake up in the morning, which was surprising as it was usually Ren who was up at the crack of dawn. The sun was just barely shining through the blinds when she began to get dressed. She tried to wake up Nora, arguably the easiest to wake up out of the three of them, though surprisingly she was stubborn about staying asleep. Honestly, the Mistral Champion could not blame her. After the rollercoaster of events that had been happening these past few weeks, what with Jaune suddenly returning in the worst way possible, watching how he had changed to what would be known as the Meta, and then to him finally being fixed by a 'ghost' of all things.
Needless to say, she didn't blame anyone who wanted to sleep in right now. Hell, she could swear she heard her own bed call out for her. However, her concern for her partner and friend overruled the beckoning of the comfort of her bed. Letting out a yawn, she rubbed the sand out of her eyes and left the room. Ren would probably wake up in a little while. In the meantime, since she was up early, she would go see how Jaune was doing. The doctor did say they could visit him first thing in the morning.
She quickly made her way down to the infirmary. She may have been hoping too much, but she hoped Jaune would wake up. In little time, she arrived at the infirmary. True to the doctor's word, the door was unlocked. All equipment, sans the standard medical ones needed to monitor a patient, were present. Krimzen Reed was nowhere to be found, meaning he was either out at the moment or he had left. Much to her disappointment, Jaune was still asleep.
However, the good news was that his features appeared noticeably softer and more relaxed, not like the gruff and tense expression his unconscious form wore just a couple of days ago. He also wasn't as pale as he was before. If anything...his features were starting to look like they were back to normal. SHe sighed in relief, knowing that he was going to be alright now.
She pulled one of the chairs out from the corner of the room, taking a seat next to him at the bedside. As she did, she gently leaned over and brushed away some of the strands of hair in his face. 'His hair has gotten so long and messy,' she thought with a small frown. 'Did he not take good care of himself?' Then again, she probably should've already known the answer. He had been a pawn of a rampant AI for years, continuing to seek and recover the other AI fragments. Sigma had no concern for Jaune's hygiene unless it affected his efficiency in battle.
When he wakes up, she was definitely going to give him a haircut. For now though, all she could do was wait for him to open his eyes. She paused for a moment, and her eyes widened while a blush formed on her cheeks. 'What am I, his mother?'
She was embarrassed by herself. Here she was, watching over her partner and waiting for him to wake up. Then again, it was justified for her. It had been her fault that Jaune was put into that situation and ended up the way he did. Therefore, she believed she had a right to be acting like this. Regardless, the red-haired spartan warrior gave a sigh as she gave a quick look around, hoping to occupy her mind with other thoughts. 'It really is empty here.' she noted, wondering why she has yet to see a single injured student come here. 'I remember Professor Peach once mentioning she wished she had more students to look after here, since she spends most of her time here as the school nurse.'
Come to think of it...she hadn't really seen the professor during their time viewing Jaune's memories.
Maybe she was busy on an errand or something? Then again, she has rarely seen her teacher, so perhaps she was often scarce. Suddenly, her stomach let out a low grumble, making her realize that she has yet to eaten. Now that she thought about it, Jaune would probably be hungry when he woke up. She gave another quick look around, and to her pleasant surprise, she found a small basket of apples nearby. "Perfect." she muttered as she stood up. Walking over, she grabbed one of the apples, giving it a once-over and a small sniff to see if it was still good and did a little search. She found a small plate off to the side next to the medicine cabinet, and simply grabbed one of the scalpels to use as a makeshift knife.
She hoped that the professor wouldn't mind using a medical tool for this situation. She then used the blade of the scalpel to peel the skin off the fruit.
As she worked, she failed to notice the twitching of Jaune's fingers, nor the shifting of his eyelids.
"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!"
Ozpin cringed, tapping his ears to see if his ears were working properly. For an AI, Church was certainly capable of screaming with a pair of digital lungs. "It is as I said." the Headmaster said calmly. "I want you to act as Mr. Arc's translator, should he decide to remain at Beacon."
"Fuck that shit!" Church growled angrily, glaring at Ozpin as if he was expecting the man to spontaneously combust on the spot. "I am not gonna be his goddamn babysitter and end up force to spend my precious time being around a bunch of horny teenage brats!"
He refused to do so. He's already been through enough shit thanks to Maine. And he sure as hell wasn't going to deal with him anymore. His job was over. Done. The kid's going to be waking up any day now and he has no need to interact with him anymore. That, and the last thing he needed was to be around a bunch of kids who couldn't keep their things in their pants. Seriously, who wants to see that shit?!
"Give me one fucking good reason why the hell I should work as his goddamn translator!" Church demanded.
Ozpin took a drink from his mug of coffee. A looooong drink. Then he smiled. "Because Agent Texas has applied for a teaching position here at Beacon."
A second passed. Two, then three.
"...you know what, Oz? I fucking hate you."
After slicing through the apple for the final time and making sizable cuts, Pyrrha set the small plate down on the table next to the bed. "Hopefully nobody eats them before he wakes up." she hummed to herself before a downcast expression formed on her face. "If...he wakes up." She quickly shook her head. No, she shouldn't think like that. It was done and over with. Sigma's control over him was finally out of his systems. He was fine. He was going to be fine. But...he wouldn't be the same. She knew that more than anyone. After all, how could anyone be the same after going through several years of being molded into a soldier?
"Why couldn't things be simple?" she sighed, shaking her head. As she stared at her hands, fidgeting with her skirt, she saw slight movement from Jaune. "Huh?" She looked at his form, eyes widened as she watched subtle twitches rumbled through his bodies.
Then, finally, after several seconds, his eyes opened. The blonde's eyelids fluttered a bit, his eyes adjusting to the light. Soon, they became wide open and scanned his surroundings. Just where was he...?
As he turned his head, he found Pyrrha staring back at him, tears threatening to fall from her face. "J-Jaune..."
The male teen opened his mouth to try and speak, but all that escaped his lips was a series of growls and hisses, all due to his damaged vocal cords. His hand touched his throat, scowling. Dammit, he had forgotten that. His head ached slightly, which only added to his irritation. Even still, there was no stopping the feeling of his heart soaring. He knew her...he knew her. This girl...she was his partner, right? Pyrrha Nikos, the Mistral Champion. The Invincible Girl. And he was...the leader of a team? Dammit, his memories were still so skewed...
"J-Jaune, hey!" Pyrrha panicked as he sat up, removing his covers. He winced a bit as he felt his body aching. Why did he hurt so much? Was it from the fight before in the forest? "Y-you shouldn't move!"
He turned to look at her. He wanted to talk to her, but without a voice to actually speak, that made things difficult. Then an idea came to mind. Roughly, he grabbed her hand, which caused her face to light up like a Christmas tree with cherry red dusting her cheeks. However, she paused in confusion as his finger danced around in his palm. It only a taken a second to realize what he was doing when she watched the finger move about.
'You're...Pyrrha, right? My partner?'
"Y-Yes. That's right. My name is Pyrrha Nikos...and we're partners." The red head nodded strongly.
'I see...thank you. My memories are a mess right now...'
"It's fine!" she said, perhaps a bit too forcibly as Jaune gave her a look. She looked away, abashed as she scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "S-sorry, I'm just...really happy you're here again." Tears spilled from her face as she smiled widely, surprising him. "A-and...for what it's worth...welcome home."
For a while, he wasn't sure what to say. Eventually, he gave a small grin and wrote,
'...I'm home, Pyrrha.'
Preview:
When a soldier returns home, it is a time of celebration for his loved ones. Though, often at times, it is hard for a soldier to become re-acquainted with the life he left behind so long ago.
...
...
...
"Hey, pal." Church materialized atop Jaune's shoulder, surprising Cardin as he looked up to find the AI practically smirking at him, in spite of the fact that he was wearing a helmet. "Since you're gonna be too fucking shell-shocked to process what's about happen, I'm just gonna say this one line for you."
"W-what line?!" he squealed before Jaune reared the mace back, his target in sight. Only now Cardin realized where he was aiming, and all color drained from his face.
Just as Jaune swung, Church shouted with sadistic glee, "Son of a bitch!"
...
...
...
However...in some cases, the return of a soldier can also signify the coming of a great change. What kind of change, nobody knows. In the end, it all comes down to the perspectives of the ones who watch the soldier take to a new, unexpected battlefield.
...
...
...
"Agent Arc, are you prepared for this?" the voice on the comm asked him. "I understand that this is your first time back on the field since you returned. Are you sure you're up for this?"
Church scoffed. "Lady, if we had it our way," he said mockingly. "We'd be back in that shitty dorm room, stuck with a genderbent Caboose with a hammer and on a sugar rush."
'I'd rather be hanging out with the guys than do this.' Jaune replied to his partner. 'Though I have to admit...' A grin formed on his face, slamming his fist into an open palm. 'I'm kind of looking forward to this.'
"Yeah, well, just don't go Meta on me, alright? I am not going back in your head anytime soon."
...
...
...
Whatever the case may be, for better or for worse...welcome home, Agent Maine.
Just better hope you don't regret it.
...
...
...
ARC II: Memories of a Wayward-bound Soldier - END
A/N: HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK! 19,294 words long is this motherfucker! Hahahaha! Well, ladies and gents...we are now officially done with the recollection and memories of Seasons 9 and 10! I...have to admit, the quality of this chapter isn't exactly the best as I would have liked. Specifically, the scene with Tex and Church. I feel like that could be handled better.
Sadly, there's a reason for that...I'm afraid the Summer Cold has once again claimed me, and I'm battling for betterness. Thankfully, I've got my own replica of Sarge's shotgun and waging war against the germy bastards!
At any rate...answering a few questions that will probably be raised. If you are one of the readers who reads closely, you'll notice that I made up a bit of backstory to how Penny was made. Obviously, I took liberties with it since it wasn't explored all that much, though it is obvious that Penny was based after Pinocchio, so I based her backstory off of that. I'll dive more into that as the story progresses.
Secondly, Texas' new body. Obviously, the armor is different from the typical Altesian armor, but I can assure you, they haven't fully replicated the armor. In fact, even if they did, it would be more of a serious downgrade from the standard armors in RvB. It is more of a style of preference of Tex and also a failed attempt at recreating UNSC armor technology, though it is obviously a bit tougher than an Altesian Knight. And yes, they built her new body in the same way they built Penny, so in a way, the two are like sisters. Oh, the FUN I shall have with that!
Third, Church's acceptance of being an AI. This was, arguably, one of the toughest scenes I've tried to write. I was confused how to go about it, and eventually I decided to say 'fuck it' and wing it. Personally speaking, I think Church must have realized the truth of who he might have been when Wash told him and he would have remembered the one fact about his girlfriend that he had to have been denying: her full name. Since Texas and Allison Church are one of the same and its one of the few intact memories Church inherited from his time as Alpha, if a bit twisted, there is no way he would have missed that fact. Hopefully, I did good somewhat on this part while trying to incorporate the typical relationship he and Tex have while working out the problems that will come out from this.
Fourth, the number of AIs present. Including Church and Tex, there are now four of the seven remaining AIs functional. Gamma and Sigma were destroyed, meaning only Theta, Iota and Eta remain. As Delta said, Theta is still being repaired, but is somewhat in working condition. Omega is still with Penny, and Delta is now officially working with the Altesian Military. Tex is now apart of Beacon Academy's working staff...and boy, let me tell you. CRDL's life is gonna be fucking hell, if the preview I gave you was any indication.
Lastly...the preview says it all. Yes, Jaune will, at some point in the next arc, be returning to the field as an Altesian Agent. I can't give away spoilers, but I am making a few events to spruce up Volume 2 since Jaune will be more involved than Team JNPR was previously.
Well, I think that's it. Until my cold is gone, I will out of commission, but make no mistake...I'm still armed and ready.
Later losers, and I'll see you next time!
