RED vs. BLUE

REVIVE

CHAPTER 4: THE ALONE STATE

It didn't take long before Virginia led them to a metallic door at the end of the tunnel. She approached the pin pad, and sang a little tune.
"8-6-7-5-3-0-9."

"I love that song!" said Sarge. The door suddenly shifted upwards into the ceiling and the team was welcomed with a cool breeze. Virginia led the group and walked inside, and the team was astonished by what they were seeing.
It appeared they were inside a house, with a massive living room that was decorated with silver accents. Long, flat screens decorated the walls, giving the impression of being windows, but only gave off a bluish light.
Virginia ushered the group to a long dinner table, where everyone took a seat. Every piece of furniture looked to be made of red oak.
"Well this place is quite quaint!" commented Donut.
"Aw, thank you! Most of these furniture pieces were cut down and carved by myself and—," Virginia suddenly stopped herself and her face lowered, sadly.
"Virginia, what happened?" Wash asked, softly. Virginia inhaled deeply, and the team watched as she reached up to her head, and removed her helmet.
The team watched in awe as she lowered her helmet and sat it upon the table.

Oh I, I just died in your arms tonight.
It must have been something you said

Simmons stared with his jaw, agape. He stared upon Virginia's beautiful face, watching a white light cascade around her. He then began to blink back into reality and look around.
"Anybody else hear The Counting Crows?"

Virginia was a young female, with bright blue eyes. Her cheeks were decorated with freckles that bridged her nose. Her hair was a dark brunette, with tints of auburn that shone in the light.

"Once the destruction of the Freelancer Project began, and all the Freelancers went into hiding… West and I came here."
"Oh, that's right! West Virginia!" Wash said, recalling the soldier in black and green armor. "I forgot, you two were close." Virginia nodded.
"…Close." Her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes casted down to her gloved hands. "We were. We built this house within this mountain. We were hoping to find more Freelancers and have this place as a refuge. We could all look out for each other and be together."
"How did they not find you?" asked Carolina.
"I removed my recovery beacon. I had a feeling it was a way to keep tabs on us," explained Virginia.
"Smart." Wash nodded as he crossed his arms. Virginia nodded slowly.
"West and I… we fortified this place so they couldn't use heat sensors, or send any signals through here… even though it's all rock, we were able to use granite and put in metal sheets to block everything."
"Basically, you put a tin hat on the top," pointed out Sarge. "Like trying to keep out the aliens!"
"Yeah, that's a way to put it." Virginia agreed.
"Then, what happened to West?" asked Carolina as she leaned forward on her elbows. Virginia's lips curled as it looked as if she were going to fight back tears.
"He…," she inhaled. "I awoke one day to him not being in here. So I went out and looked for him. I found him several yards away… the armor ripped off of him and his head…," Virginia closed her eyes. "His head was a few feet away from him. He had been decapitated."
"Oh God…," Wash mumbled. "That's terrible."
"I-I'm… so sorry." Carolina said as she put a hand on Virginia's shoulder.
"I'm guessing someone somehow tracked him down. Or maybe it was pirates. I have no clue who could have done it… but I feared for my safety and stayed inside here. I rigged the traps and tunnels in hopes that whoever killed him would die trying to find me, too." Virginia picked up her helmet and put it back on as a single tear slid down her cheek.
"Temple had trapped a bunch of Freelancers in his facility. He didn't have West there." Carolina said as she began to reminisce about the terrifying room of frozen soldiers.
"I don't know why anyone would steal his armor. He didn't have an A.I. He was in the top 20 rankings of fighters." Wash pondered out loud.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe it was personal. Maybe they had a vendetta. Or maybe someone wanted his armor for money. Who knows?" Virginia said softly. "I just know that I've lived in fear ever since; constantly looking over my shoulder. I only go outside when necessary – like for supplies and food. I cloak myself so nobody, whoever that may be, would recognize me." She pointed to a nearby display of different helmets. "I found these in a wreckage just off the coast. Some soldiers had a battle hear some time ago. I took whatever I could to help hide my identity."
"The ol' switch-a-roo!" said Donut as he picked up a helmet. It was black with a few scratches along the top and a purple visor. "Not a fan of the color scheme."
Virginia lightly laughed at Donut's comment. "I then saw all of you on the television. A transmission came through. Your battle, Temple's arrest; everything you did on Chorus. I recognized Carolina and Wash instantly, and I was filled with hope again." Virginia's voice rose with a bit of excitement. "That there are survivors, and that I wasn't alone anymore."
Wash patted Virginia on the arm.
"No, you're not."
"I reached out to you, to let you know that I was safe… and because I've been scared for too long. I've been trapped here… cooped up with nobody. I think I'm ready to go out and face my demons."
"Well, I'm not sure who killed West, but you certainly don't have to face it alone, if they're still out there." Carolina said reassuringly. "A lot of the 'bad guys' have been arrested or killed. No more Freelancer program. No more A.I's."
Virginia nodded, then stood up. "I think we've had enough of depressing talk. I think this is a call for celebration! Who wants to help me in the wine cellar?"
"Oh! Me!" Donut said excitedly.
"Aw hell yea! Count me in!" Kaikana jumped from her seat and the two soldiers followed Virginia as she disappeared behind a door into the supposed wine cellar.

Tucker leaned in over the table.

"So… is this legit? Like, is she trustworthy?" he asked. Wash nodded.
"Absolutely. Virginia was in the top 20 rankings of fighters – right next to West." Wash said as he began to recall seeing her in a spar session.
"She was an expert in setting up and rigging traps. She's clever. Stealthy." Carolina added.
"Ah, I remember how she could always bounce grenades perfectly off walls and get them around corners." Wash chuckled. "Her projection was on point!"
"She is also two years your senior, making her the second youngest Freelancer." Carolina chimed in.
"So, she's good?" Tucker questioned. "I just don't want to let my guard down and have another crazy Freelancer kick our asses, you know?"
Wash nodded.
"Understood. But Virginia is far from crazy."
"She's still deadly." Carolina quipped.
"Well, yeah." Wash smirked. "But she's got a good head on her shoulders."
"I can't believe West is gone…," Carolina said. "I remember those two being inseparable." Carolina began to depress herself with the thought of how she almost lost Wash and she found herself looking across the table at him. "That must be hard to process for her."
Virginia, Donut and Kaikana suddenly walked into the room, holding up bottles of wine and carrying wine glasses.
"These are the finest!" beamed Donut as he put a bottle on the table. "This one is from 1892. A great year! I believe I went there when we were time traveling."
"I could definitely use a drink." Tucker laughed as he grabbed a wine glass, remembering that adventure of time traveling several months ago. Wash looked at Carolina, who nodded in his direction.
"Alright, I guess this is a time to celebrate."
"Wine with some good friends. Yes, sir." Sarge said as he took a glass.
"To friends, new and old!" Wash saluted as he held up his wine glass.

Sarge laid on his back on the floor, snoring. Simmons laid on his side, spooning Grif, who was mumbling in his sleep about pizza. Donut had his foot propped up on Tucker, who was resting his head on a sleeping Kaikana's tummy. Caboose was cuddled into the corner, somehow with a teddy bear, whispering in his sleep. Lopez stood next to the couch, not moving, with his head down. Carolina was asleep in the recliner.
"I didn't know your friends were such… um…," Virginia chuckled as she downed another glass of wine. She sat on the love seat next to Wash. "Drinkers?"
"Oh, this is nothing. You should have seen us when we took a trip to the Vegas quadrant to celebrate Temple's sentencing. I think I had a hangover for three days," chuckled Wash. "I'm not much of a drinker nowadays."
Virginia chuckled and then they sat in silence.
"Do you remember the time I walked in on you making out with West?" asked Wash. Virginia started laughing and playfully hit Wash in the chest.
"Oh my God, yes!" She put her hand on her face to hide her embarrassment. "And THEN, you went and told the other Freelancers what you saw!"
"You two were SO red in the face! Ah, it was priceless." Wash shook his head as he laughed.
"Then West decided to pay your room a little visit—," Virginia continued to say as she tried not to laugh too loud. "And filled it with—,"
Wash continued the sentence. "—and filled it with balloons. They were up to my chest! And then, if you popped some, it would splatter paint! My room looked like a Jackson Pollock painting." Wash and Virginia laughed together.
"It was his way of getting revenge on you for telling everyone." Virginia explained.
"But yeah, it wasn't a big deal because everyone already knew." Wash pointed out.
"How?!"
"Because we would catch his hand on your butt every second he could get." Wash explained. Virginia chuckled and then they grew silent.
"So… you and Carolina, huh?" Virginia said playfully. Wash was surprised.
"W-Wha—How? Huh?! We're-," Wash began to stammer, confused on what to say. Virginia began to cackle.
"I could feel the tension between you two. It was obvious." Virginia explained.
"Damn, I forgot how you always had like… a sixth sense. You could always pick up on things." Wash slumped back into the cushion, feeling defeated. "And, it's a little… complicated."
"How so?"
"Well, I'm…," Wash sighed. "I was shot in the neck. It resulted in cerebral hypoxia."
"Oh, shit. David, I'm so sorry." Virginia said as she turned her body to him.
"I sometimes have this memory lapses, or I forget I had conversations and repeat myself. Carolina was upset… she wanted to protect me. We tried to change things—,"
"Change things?"
"We ended up on a crazy mission where we time traveled-,"
"You're joking."
"No, I wish I was. But the team, they did it to try and save me. It's a long story. I'll tell you everything some other time, but in short, they couldn't change the past. So here I am."
"You're still the same, ol' David to me, regardless of whatever happened to your brain."
"Thanks, Sienna." Wash chuckled a bit.
"And I'm sure that piece doesn't bother Carolina in the slightest." Virginia teased. Wash laughed.
"You know, you're absolutely right."
"I tend to be." Virginia grinned and laughed.
"Smart ass." Wash said as he narrowed his eyes at her. Virginia shrugged.
"I guess we should turn in, huh?" Virginia suggested. Wash nodded and crossed his legs at the ankles, then put his hands behind his head.
"That sounds like a good idea. I feel a slight migraine coming on." Virginia mimicked his sleeping position, only crossing her arms at the chest instead.
"Good night, Washington." Virginia said as she put her head back against the cushion.
"Good night, Virginia."

Wash found himself awoken by the rest of the team as they groaned, moaned and yawned. Everyone was sitting up, stretching and shaking the tiredness off.
"Aw man, my head." Tucker whined as he held the side of his head. "I forgot how much wine gives me headaches."
Everyone climbed to their feet slowly.
"I slept like a rock." Sarge said as he cracked his back.
"Moderation is key." Carolina teased.
"Pfft." Sarge responded.
"Where's Caboose? And Virginia?" Wash asked as he stood up from the love seat. The team looked around the living room, noticing that two familiar faces were nowhere to be seen.
Donut peeked into the next room, and then looked at everyone else.
"Found them."

Everyone entered the dining room, finding Caboose sitting at the table, coloring on a piece of paper while humming happily.
"Uh, good morning, Caboose." Tucker said as he sat next to him.
"Good morning, everyone!" Caboose said cheerfully.
"How are you not hungover?" asked Kaikana.
"Um, I don't drink that much. I mean, one bottle is my limit."
"One bottle?" Simmons asked as he sat the table. "That's…," Simmons struggled to find the right words.
"Unhuman." Grif said as he dropped into a seat, then put both his hands on his head. "Uuuugh, my head."
"Caboose, where's Virginia?" asked Carolina as she sat at the table.
"In the kitchen. She's making everyone breakfast!" Caboose responded, not looking up from his drawing.

Virginia suddenly the room carrying a tray with several plates.
"Good morning, everyone! I thought I'd whip up something. I figured you'd all be hungry, aaand possibly hungover."
She sat down plates of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.
"YES! FOOD!" Grif said hungrily.
"Well, this is a nice surprise," smiled Carolina. Virginia sat next to Carolina.
"I woke up a little early, and Caboose found my art supplies, so I've been letting him doodle while I cook."
"Nice. A distraction." Wash laughed. Everyone began to help themselves to the food laid out before them. Virginia smiled to herself, watching everyone chew happily.
It wasn't long before everyone sat back, patting their full tummies.

"That. Was. Great." Grif let out a burp.
"Ugh. You pig." Simmons said, leering at his orange comrade. Grif shrugged.
"Miss Virginia! Miss Virginia!" Caboose ran up to Virginia's side, excitedly.
"Um, yes?"
"I drew you a picture." Caboose handed the picture to Virginia and she looked it over. It showed a picture of Virginia holding hands with Wash and Carolina, and then their hands linked to the rest of the Red and Blue team. "I could tell yesterday that you were sad and lonely, and when my best friend died, I felt the same way. But, having everybody else be there for me, makes me not so sad anymore. And… well… you can be with us, so you won't be alone anymore."
Virginia smiled and looked at Caboose, feeling her heart touched.
"Caboose… that is so sweet. Thank you."
"That's really nice, Caboose." Tucker agreed. Caboose turned around to face Tucker.
"Does that mean we get to keep her?!"