"Hey, uh…..I just want you guys to know that out of everyone I've ever met….. I hate you all the least." These were the last few words that the Reds and Blues of Blood Gulch last heard before Church sacrificed himself to save them all from Hargrove's forces. Before hearing Church's farewell message left behind by Delta, the group did their last stand in Hargrove's office. As the door was blasted off its hinges, Tucker charged in impaling the first soldier through his stomach. The remaining Reds and Blues charged after Tucker's charge, giving him covering fire as they moved forward. Everything seemed as if there was no stop to it, they kept on fighting as if it was their last battle they would ever have. Adrenaline kept them fighting especially for an orange soldier that always complained of working.
However, only one of them didn't sense fear of death or thought of the worst outcome. That was Caboose, the Red's and Blue's most dumbest, strongest, and friendliest of them all. As he fought alongside them, all he could of think of was spending time with his #1 Best Friend in the Universe, Church. How very wrong he was, not knowing that the Church that they all knew isn't with them anymore.
After the fight with the soldiers of Charon Industries, they were met up with Agent Carolina and Washington of Project Freelancer, friends that they met along their adventures.
"Jesus, what happened here and where's Hargrove?" Wash asked as he looked at the bodies on the ground.
"Oh, this scene in front of you? Just a little ass kicking we had to do to get out of that room behind us." Tucker said.
Sarge, being the man he is, stepped forward and responded with, " Hey Wash you missed the fun. You should have seen me in action. Shotgunning them in the face as they charged at us. Hehehe. The craziest thing was that Grif didn't even fall over exhaustion like the lazy person he is."
" Up yours!" Grif retorted back.
"What was that Grif?" Sarge asked as he looked towards Grif.
"Up yours, sir" Grif answered.
"That's more like it. Other than that, things got heated for a bit back there. Thought I was gonna lose my life to these space pirates that Hargrove sent after us. But I wasn't gonna let that happen. Who was gonna torment Grif for not getting off his ass when told to? No one, not even Simmons who always praises me for my noble actions." Sarge said.
"What do you mean?! I always tell him to get off his ass each time you assign us a mission or assignment!" Simmons exclaims.
"Yeah, but you always give up halfway." Sarge answers towards Simmons.
"At least I try." Simmons replies as he puts his head down in disappointment.
"Well at least you are still the same even after fighting for your life." Carolina said as she joins the conversation.
" Did anyone else come with you two?" Donut asks.
"Yeah. Kimball, Palomo, Bitters, Jensen, Smith, a Fed, and Gray came with us in a pelican. Also Mathews but he's injured at the moment. Kimball took the Rebels to go look for Hargrove. Oh, which reminds me. You guys know where he's at for I could tell Kimball?" Wash asks.
"Oh yeah forgot about that, he's at the brig of the ship." Tucker answers as he starts to feel something off.
"Umm….guys. Where's Church?" Caboose asks as he is not able to spot his A.I. friend anywhere.
"That's right, where is Church? He should be here with us." Donuts replies towards Caboose as he starts to look around not knowing the truth.
"Hey Church, you can come out now. It's all over." Tucker tells his friend, but nothing responds back to him.
Before he calls out Church to come out again, a hologram of a white blue clad soldier with similar armor to theirs projects itself in front of them. The A.I. is looking forward as he slowly lets go of his sniper rifle. As he lets go off his weapon, he turns around with a sad sigh and looks at them.
"Not this time buddy," Church said as he looks at them
"Are you sure about this?" Delta asks from the hologram as it turns green for a moment.
" I'm sure…..start a recording for me, D." Church replies towards Delta as he continues to look at them.
"Recording." Delta acknowledges.
"Hey guys…if you're hearing this, it means you did it. You won. You kicked the shit out of Hargrove's forces, I knew you could. But this is my last stop. See when I came into this world, I was….really just a collection of someone else's memories. But with your help, these memories, they...they took form. they became my voice, my personality, and after a while I...began to make brand new memories of my own. All of these things are what make me who I am….but they're also holding me back. I can't run this suit, as Epsilon….but if I erase my memories, if I….deconstruct myself, the fragments I'll leave behind will have the strength to get you through this. I believe that. I wish there was another way….but I'm leaving this message, as well as others….in the hopes that you'll understand why I have to go this time…..It was actually Doyle who made me realize something I never thought of before. There are so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day….and because of their sacrifice….the good guys win….the survivors all cheer….and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero….never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made any difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith………...Ain't that a bitch."as Church finishes he starts to turn static and disappears into little fragments of little as the recording ends.
No one made a movement or breathed for air. They all stayed silent as they processed what was just told to them. No one wanted to believe it. 'Church was really gone this time, but each time he 'died' he would come back? Maybe he's joking with us because we could've died, right?' Is what went through the minds of the Reds and Blues.
They started to hear sniffles as if someone was crying. They all turn around to see Caboose trembling as he drops Freckles in the process.
"Chur-ch. Are you re-ally gone this time? Please...answer me please Church. Please," Caboose said with a trembling voice as he collapses on his knees from the thought of knowing that Church is gone and will never come back as he used to in the past. "I haven't given you...my orange juice as I promised I would...back in Blood Gulch."
Tucker slowly walks towards Caboose as he kneels down and comforts him as he begins to bawl.
"Hey its ok Caboose…. Let it all out…. Just let it all out." Tucker tells Caboose slowly as he starts to shed tears.
"He's really gone this time…. I can't believe this. This is all too sudden for me." Simmons said in disbelief as he looks down not being able to accept the fate that Church met.
"No puedo creo. Church se murió y nunca va a regresar con los nosotros como siempre lo hizo. No lo puedo creo." (I can't believe it. Church is dead and won't come back with us like he used to. I can't believe it.) Lopez said as he is the only remaining original artificial life form Blood Gulch left.
"Carolina…..are you alright?" Wash asks Carolina.
Carolina stays silent as she looks at where she saw Church's hologram appear. Then she looks at the corridor they came from a while ago to reach the Reds and Blues.
"Where is Hargrove?" Carolina asks with anger and sadness filling her voice.
"He's at the brig, but Kimball is already taking care of that. Please just calm down." Wash said as he softly grabs Carolina from the shoulder.
"I know, but I can't let that son of a bitch go without a little payback for what he just FUCKING did." Carolina retorts towards Washinton as she begins to grow aggressive.
Washington sighs as he starts to believe that he won't be able to stop Carolina this time, so he lets go of her shoulder.
"Don't over do it Carolina. You're not a killer anymore. You're a savior for those that are in need. Because right now," Wash nods towards at Caboose as he continues to cry on the floor " he's gonna need help on being able to get back on his feet. We both know that he is hurting a lot. And since you did spend time with Church when you guys were gone. He would like to ask what Church would say about him when he was with you."
Carolina turns her head towards the crying Caboose.
"Well….they aren't nice things. But I think he'll appreciate them." Carolina tells Washington as she begins to walk towards Caboose and Tucker.
"Hey there Cookie Monster. I'm a head out to find Hargrove. Want me to land a few hits for you?" she asks while patting Caboose's helmet.
Caboose nods his head slowly while continuing to cry.
"Hey it's ok Caboose. Right now Church is finally able to rest for all the screaming he does to you guys. And for sure he's missing us as well. Church will always be with you Caboose even if he doesn't want to hear your constant blabbering." She says as she looks down at Caboose.
Caboose nods slowly as he starts to calm down. As he gets into a sitting position, Carolina reaches to him as she brings him into a tight hug. As he hugs back, Carolina rests her head on his shoulder.
"We are all gonna miss him to Caboose. We all are. But we're gonna have to move forward without him. It's not like he'll want us to mope around because he isn't with us anymore, he'll want us to be able to carry on without him here. And to do that we are gonna need you to be able to move with us. Because we won't be strong enough without your golden heart that you always showed to Church. Ok Caboose. Would you let us hold your hand to move together towards a brighter future?"
Caboose nods his head as he loosens himself from the hug and Carolina lets go of him. As she gets up, she lends Caboose a hand to stand up. He looks at it and takes her hand as well. As Carolina picks him up, everyone else looks towards them.
As Carolina lets go of Caboose, she looks towards the remaining Reds and Blues.
"We are all going to have to move forward without him. And we'll do it together as a family. If we do it by ourselves, we are gonna collapse and we won't be able to recover from our fall. Everyone got that?" Carolina tells the remaining Reds and Blues around her.
"Yes mam." Everyone replies.
"Y-Yes m-mam" Sarge replies as he sniffles.
"Oh my god, Sarge are you crying?" Doc asks the Red leader.
"No! I just got smoke in my eyes from the battle." Sarge said as he turns around.
"He is! Never thought I would see this while I was alive." Donut exclaims with surprise.
"Also, the smoke cleared out a long time ago Sarge." Grif said as he looks towards his Red leader.
"Are you still gonna go after the chairman?" Wash asks Carolina.
"Yeah, but don't worry I won't go too far. Just enough til I feel satisfied." Carolina said as she walks down the corridor.
"Alright then.I'll take the guys to the pelican then, we'll meet you, Kimball, and the rebels at the pelican." Wash says as he starts to walk the opposite direction towards where the pelican was parked.
As they both walk the opposite directions, a certain shield hero has just bought a young demi human girl off a slave owner and is taking her towards a blacksmith workshop to get her equipment. While this was happening, an Alien A.I. construct, by the name of Santa, is looking upon their world questioning the behavior of the high nobles and civilians towards the shield hero.
'Hmmmm, it is strange. They all treat him as if he were a monster, yet all I see is a boy of good intentions even if he has to dirty his own hands to do the thing. If only they all could see him as the hero he is. Not the monster they believe him to be.' Santa thinks to himself as he keeps his gaze at the boy while moving along the alley ways.
'I believe that I could do something about it, but since I am an A.I. construct I could only move between the towers I was inputted; however, I could send someone into this world and help this boy and companion along their journey as they fight off these waves.' Santa starts to think of the possible person to send to the world.
'Yes, he'll make a perfect individual for this world. A heart of gold, strength of no ordinary organism, and the friendliest character that could help these two on their journey. His intelligence may cause a few blockades throughout the journey, but he'll be able to lead these two into a brighter future.' Before Santa takes his leave, he takes one look back towards the individuals that had just entered the blacksmithing workshop.
"Young Naofumi and Raphtalia, just wait a little longer. I'll bring you a true warrior from where I'm from. And he'll help you throughout your rough journey that awaits you. Just wait a little longer." As he takes his leave, Naofumi looks at the ceiling of the workshop.
'Why did I feel like I was being watched?' He asks himself.
"Master I'm finished with putting on the equipment." Raphtalia calls towards her master.
'Must have been my imagination then' He looks at Raphtalia to see how the equipment came along. "Took you long enough, now take out the knife I gave you, I'm going to give you a quick test."
-7 days later-
On Chorus, the Feds and Rebels celebrated that the long civil war has finally ended and the battle against the space pirates has won in their favor. However, amongst the victory cries and cheerful chanting, the loss of friends, family members, and loved ones fill the survivors with sadness. Among them are the remaining members of the Reds and Blues of Blood Gulch as well as Carolina and Wash. They had just finished making a grave for their lost member, Church. They had left things for him at his grave. Tucker left a picture of Junior when Church was babysitting him, Caboose the orange juice he promised him, Carolina sniper rifle bullet, Wash a knife with the named Church carved in, Donut a set of flowers, Grif a bag of chips, Simmons a plushie with the name Church, Sarge a shotgun that he stole from a space pirate, Doc a first aid kit and O'malley a necklace that says 'Asshole', and Lopez left Church a wrench. They all took one last look at his grave and headed back to Armonia.
When they got back Kimball called them into her office that Santa wanted to speak to them. They all assembled into the office as Kimbal took her leave and Santa appeared on the table in front of them.
"We meet again, noble heroes of Chorus, I am thankful that we could have met. As well as, to tell you that I am sorry for your loss. I do hope for you all to make a full recovery from this event. But I have a favor to ask for you all." Santa says as he looks down at them all.
"Thanks Santa, it means a lot. But what is this favor you wanna ask about?" Carolina asks.
"You see, while you were fighting these space pirates towards the end. I was looking upon a world that seems to be of an old age long forgotten through time. In it there is a boy by the name of Naofumi that has been chosen as the 'Shield Hero' as the inhabitants call him by; however, instead of being the hero as he is so far been. Most of the civilians treat him as if he were a monster. Yet I have not seen him do nothing out of line that may consider him a villain." Santa explains the situation as the Reds and Blues looks at him and process the information.
"I see. So are you basically asking us to help this boy Naofumi out to be seen in a better picture or protect him from the incoming danger that awaits him?" Carolina asks.
"Just to make a better picture of him, but all of you won't be necessary. I just need one individual. That individual will be Caboose. Which is why I assembled all of you here, I know he is very precious to you all, especially after what happened, but I assure you with his good heart and strength he'll be able to take on the world that I mentioned." Santa tells the Reds and Blues of his plans as they all start to think of the choice Santa has made.
"Can you give us a moment to think this through, we believe you that Caboose can take on this world you mention, but he right now is recovering from Church's passing.We'll want to make sure that he can take care of himself." Wash asks.
"Of course you may." Santa replies.
"Alright guys so. What should we do? Do we let him take Caboose to this world or refuse his favor. As much as Caboose is strong? I do wanna keep Caboose close to use in case he begins to start feeling sad." Wash asks the Red and Blues as he looks at them for their answer.
"Caboose is strong physically, but he isn't emotionally. And I don't want him to get hurt like that. He's too soft if the people would want him out of their world." Tucker says
"I agree with Tucker. Anything could happen to Caboose and I rather not want to go a day without knowing about his well being. Carolina replies towards Tucker's answer.
"Same here" The Reds say altogether.
"Yo tambien" Lopez agrees as well.
"You guys are right about being cautious about his well being. But guys this is Caboose we are talking about. In reality we should ask him if he wants to go to this other world. If he says no, we refuse. If he says yes, we accept. In the end, Caboose is Caboose. Who knows, maybe he'll make some friends there that could give him company when he needs it most. He's been through a lot after all, he'll know if he should take on Santa's favor or not." Doc said.
"Guess your right. Thanks for telling us, Doc." Carolina said as she looks at Caboose who is looking at Santa.
"Ummm, Santa I have a question. Does Naofumi need a friend to help him in this world?" Caboose asks Santa
"Hmmm, well Caboose, you see he has a companion with him, but it may make things better for him if someone like you is by his side as well. His companion's name is Raphtalia. She seems to care for him more than any other person there. She'll be supporting him every time he gets into an obstacle. However, if you were to join them, things could go smoother for them to move along their journey. You won't just be just helping Naofumi, but Raphtalia as well." Santa explains to Caboose.
"I see." Caboose replies as he looks at his remaining family members that he cares about dearily.
"Guys, I think I would like to go to this world, Church may have wanted me to go as well. I would like to help Naofumi out by being his friend. Maybe I could get new friends while I am there. I don't like knowing people are hurt because they don't have many friends. Maybe if I go, he'll be able to smile, knowing that he has more friends by his side."Caboose says towards them all.
Everyone smiles knowing that Caboose, even though he is still hurt over Church's death, he'll help someone that is in need of friends to be by their side.
"Alright then, Caboose you may go to this world. But can you promise us that you'll be alright on your own, and not to team kill? Even by accident." Tucker asks Caboose.
"Sure thing Tucker. I am Caboose The Vehicle Destroyer!" Caboose exclaims.
Everyone goes towards Caboose and gives him a hug, knowing that they won't be able to see him for quite some time.
"I love you guys. You are the best." Caboose says as he gives them a hug back.
"We love you to, Caboose. So come back to us once you're finished you big blue idiot." Sarge replies towards Caboose as they break apart from their group hug.
"Sure thing, sergeant pirate." Caboose replies.
"Alright then, you may go Caboose. Be careful." Carolina tells Caboose.
"Sure thing Carolina. You ready Freckles." Caboose said with excitement building inside of him.
"Ready when you are, Captain Caboose" Freckles can be heard from Caboose's Assault Rifle.
"Alright then. I am ready Santa." Caboose looks up at Santa.
"Thank you noble warrior for accepting my favor. I'll open the gate way into their world now. Please come closer to the table." Santa said as he begins to reveal the gateway he that will take Caboose into the other world.
Caboose turns around and looks at his family one more time.
"Remember what Delta said. Memory is the key." Caboose tells them as he takes a step into the portal.
As he goes through, the gateway closes and leaves the rest of them in an empty room.
"So…..how long it'll take before he kills someone by accident." Grif asks.
"Maybe a few seconds or a minute depends on what situation he finds himself in when he gets there." Carolina replies.
As she finishes saying that, Caboose lands in the middle of a duel between the Spear Hero and Naofumi. Where a certain red haired female has unleashed a spell on Naofumi as he had his back turned towards her.
Melromarc
As Myne unleashes her spell towards Naofumi, Raphatlia sees it all unfold where she is being held hostage as the prize to whoever wins the match. Naofumi, unaware of the spell, stares towards the Spear Hero as he is about to finish him with his hidden orange balloon monsters.
However, before the spell makes contact, a portal opens in the way of the spell and hits something blue. As it makes impact, everyone goes silent and Naofumi turns around to see what the sound was. And his eyes widened in shock to see a cloud of smoke behind him. However, what surprises him even more is what he hears next.
"Hey, what's this smoke, I can't see. Where am I? Santa is this place supposed to be very dusty." the unknown individual says with a very joyful voice.
'What the hell? What's going on? And what does he mean by Santa? Santa isn't real right? Oh my god, don't tell me this world actually has a Santa Claus.' Naofumi asks himself.
"What's the meaning of this?! You in the dust, who are you and what do you think you are doing?! We are in the middle of a very important duel!" The king announces his presence to the unknown individual.
"Well if you can't see me, I can't see you. And my name is Caboose. I'm hungry. Do you have any cookies?" The unknown person reveals himself as Caboose.
"Well Caboose if you happen to not know I am Alutcray, King of Melromarc. And what you're doing is trespassing on grounds you don't want to mess with boy. So give a good reason to not kill you where you stand?" King Alutcray replies as he gestures his guards to move into the arena.
"Wait king?" Caboose said in confusion as he moves through the dust.
Once he comes out, everyone gets shocked. Even the spy that is secretly watching from the crowd. Caboose in his blue Mjolnir Mark V armor, shocks everyone in the area. But they aren't as shocked as Caboose is.
"OH MY GOD!!!! I WENT BACK IN TIME!!" Caboose exclaims as he looks around.
"Sorry for not making my presence known but seeing as how things turned out in my favor now I can reveal myself. I am Santa, an A.I. Construct of the Planet Chorus." Santa reveals himself from the gateway that Caboose came from.
The audience didn't know what to do but stare at the Red A.I. that they never heard or seen of at all. Naofumi however, started to get a feeling that this is gonna end up in his favor.
"King of Melromarc, I am here to discuss your situation with the Shield Hero Naofumi. And the purpose for Caboose's unheard invitation into your world.
To be continued.