Salvation
Chapter Five
By Nan00k
Thank you so much for the reviews and being so patient, guys! Remembering this story is now an AU after season 8.
NEWS: Salvation will be ending at chapter eleven. Why so soon? Because I've decided to split Salvation into two stories. Consider this story here the Prologue, because the second story will have, if you can believe it, CANON CHARACTERS! :D I know you're excited about that. Anyway, I just figured I should let you know that there is a second story coming and this one is NOT the end, not at all.
Enjoy Delta angst-ing (okay, I lied, his freak out continues into the next chapter with even more angst) and Livingston playing detective, making a rather important discovery.
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Warnings: original characters, violence, foul language, mentions of torture, alternate-universe story line after S8!
Disclaimer: I do not own Halo (© Bungie) nor do I own Red vs. Blue (© Rooster Teeth Productions). The original characters in this I made up for the purpose of this story.
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The session that should have been the most difficult to start actually started rather smoothly.
…All things considered.
"Everyone… this is Church," she said, motioning at the white figure on the holo-table. She knew they already knew who he was; their silence and stillness betrayed their shock. Even Sigma was still.
"Alpha…" Zeta began, voice wavering.
Their awe was not met with enthusiasm. "If any of you call me that, one more time, I swear to God—!" Church immediately exclaimed, bristling.
Livingston withheld a sigh when she saw O'Malley creep forward from the side. "My, my, if it isn't Church," the white AI began, cackle building in his voice.
"O'Malley," Livingston began, weary.
O'Malley ignored her. "It's been ages. How's life as an apparition going for you?" He cackled. "Oh, righttt, that's not so accurate, is it?"
"FUCK YOU, you psychotic nutjob!" Church howled. He suddenly noticed Gamma's glowing form not too far from his left side and slapped a hand over his astral face. "And oh, great, it's the talking box."
Ada made a quick mark on her chart; apparently he could identify them on a subconscious level. He probably didn't even notice he had identified Gamma without any other indicators except for mechanical.
"Greetings, Alpha," Gamma replied. He was unsurprisingly talkative. "Have you heard any good jokes since we last met?"
"No. So get the fuck away," Church growled. He froze when he realized Zeta was standing closer than before, staring him down intensely. Church backed away, though not far. "And what the fuck are you looking at, pipsqueak?"
Ada froze; Zeta hadn't even spoken, and yet he already deciphered Zeta's personality as the "child." Fascinating.
Zeta's hologram was visibly quivering. "…I…" he began. He sounded so happy. "I never thought I'd be so close to you… Alpha."
Church was clearly uncomfortable with that sort of attention. "Kid, shut the hell up. I'm NOT your Alpha!" he said, making Zeta flinch and Lambda whimpered loudly behind Beta.
Before Ada had to step in to avoid more shouting that would upset the others, Delta thankfully reacted. "You must forgive Zeta, Church," the green A.I. said calmly. "Only a few of us have seen this side of you."
Church looked over at Delta and, shockingly, seemed to deflate in relief. "Thank God, the sane one. How're you doing, Delta?" he asked. His suddenly shift in moods was… fascinating. He obviously favored Delta's presence.
"I am functional. Yourself?" Delta replied. The intensity that had surfaced gradually faded.
"Pissed off. Then again, I guess Tucker would say I'm always pissed off." Church froze and spun around to face Tau and Zeta who had gotten closer again. "Jesus CHRIST, stop STARING AT ME!"
Tau flashed multiple colors and disappeared in sheer panic. Livingston sighed as Lambda and Zeta almost did the same.
"Church, please. Even if you do not believe that you are the Alpha, the others do. At least respect their feelings for you," she said, stepping in quickly. She smiled. "We're here to help you all get better."
"How are we to do that?" Gamma interrupted, surprisingly vocal. "Xi is gone. Epsilon is gone. We are never going to be whole."
Church hesitated. "Who the heck are Xi and Epsilon? Oh, wait… yeah. I remember. Xi killed himself right?" he asked, sounding uncertain.
He wasn't wrong, either.
Livingston took a deep breath to calm herself. "Yes, Church," she replied coolly.
Church scratched his helmet, still utterly humanized. "How the hell did he do that? I thought you were computer programs," he said.
"Suicide is relative, fool," O'Malley replied, chuckling darkly. "Nothing like overheating your circuits until all that's left of your internal structure is melted wire and metal—"
Ada winced at the description and could see Lambda, Theta and Tau also reacting visibly, so she waved her hand.
"O'Malley, that's enough," she instructed. O'Malley grumbled lowly, but did back off. Ada turned to the Alpha, nodding her head. "Church… why don't you introduce yourself to the AI who don't know you?"
"Jesus, this isn't kindergarten," Church snapped. He crossed his arms against his chest, visibly impatient. "Fine, whatever. Hi, name's Church, I don't care who you are, unless you can somehow get me out of this hellhole."
"My name's Zeta," Zeta said cheerfully. Apparently, the less developed AIs could not read his emotions like he could them. Interesting.
Church looked up at Ada, plaintive. "Are we done?" he begged, desperately.
His human nature was something she'd have to investigate later, when the others weren't there watching. "Church… play nice," Livingston replied, forcefully calm. She looked past him at the far end of the table, where one of the AIs had been watching quietly. "Sigma, say hello."
As expected, Sigma didn't show any hesitance to this new changeup. "Hello, Alpha," she said, pleasant and sweet. "It is a pleasure to see you again."
Church froze. Perhaps he hadn't been expecting a female persona. "Again?" he repeated, uncertainty ringing in his voice.
"We met briefly when we were reunited inside the Meta," Sigma replied, smile audible. Livingston could imagine her emulating one on purpose.
There was a few seconds' pause. "…Right," Church replied. It was interesting his hostility wasn't present now. He just seemed wary. "That part is a bit fuzzy for me."
"Our system shut down was unexpected, courtesy of Agent Washington's EMP, so it is expected your memory core may be damaged," Sigma said. "So, you prefer the alias Leonard Church, then?"
Shoulders going tense, Church seemed to become agitated. "It's my name. My only name," he spat.
"I see," Sigma murmured. She moved away, gesturing her head toward Livingston and then back at the others hovering behind her. "How… amusing." Sigma sounded amused, but Livingston had a feeling Sigma had meant something else entirely.
Tensing, Church demanded, "What's amusing?" He was quite defensive, even now. Livingston made a note of it; she was hoping the more experience he had with his missing halves, the more mellow he would become.
"Nothing at all, dear," Sigma replied, sounding completely innocent and friendly. She gestured at her siblings gallantly. "Beta, come say hello."
Sigma took over most of the directing, thankfully, guiding the timid Tau and Lambda forward to greet the Alpha. Church grew less aggressive in front of these weaker AIs, which pleased Livingston to no end, even if it was only because he felt sympathetic for the nervous programs, if not for some innate connection to them. By the time they had finished introducing Theta (who was particularly shy around the Alpha), Livingston was feeling very pleased overall. There were only short exchanges between Church and O'Malley, who seemed to really, really dislike each other.
"—YOU TRIED TO MURDER ME! EVEN AFTER I WAS DEAD ONCE!" Church was snarling. Zeta and Sigma had taken up on the sidelines, watching as the two AI went head to head, so to speak. The others were either watching blankly from a distance or cowering as far away as possible.
"And you got in the way of my world domination, you fool!" O'Malley hissed. He had a gift of just creating a black aura, no matter the circumstance. "I was surrounded by fools, but you in particular—!"
"O'Malley, I thought we agreed to keep conversation off world domination for awhile," Livingston interjected, breaking the pace of the argument. She only did that when the shouting truly started to get loud.
The way O'Malley backpedaled and waved her away with an unimpressed hand told her that he really wasn't angry. He was just toying. "Oh, psh, woman, let me have my fun," he replied shortly. He cackled evilly as Church bristled again. "It was getting horribly dull with just these idiots for company. It's nice to see an old friend." Livingston cringed at the psychotic laughter that followed.
"I am not your friend. I will NEVER be your friend," the Alpha spat. Shoulders hunched and hands going up to his helmet, he pleaded, "Goddamn it, please go away."
Livingston was surprised to see Delta step forward, metaphorically speaking. The green A.I. moved closer to Church, but looked at O'Malley. "Omega, perhaps it would be prudent for you to desist," he said simply. "We have just retrieved the Alpha. It would not do to antagonize him."
Both Church and O'Malley refocused on Delta after that statement (Church looked ready to take a swipe at his Logical half for calling him the wrong name and O'Malley seemed intrigued), surprising Delta.
"Oh, well, if it isn't the White Knight to the rescue?" O'Malley sneered. "You have such adoring fans, Alpha."
Delta, if his face were shown, would probably be frowning. "You should show the respect he deserves, Omega. He is the source of what you are."
"No, he is but the shadow of that source," O'Malley said, hissing. "Even if he were our infamous creator, why respect do I owe him?"
"Regardless of how we were made, you are missing the point, Omega. We would not be here without the Alpha, nor without the Director," Delta replied. He spoke carefully. "Surely you can see the logic in to whom we pledge allegiance. The Director harmed us, but the Alpha has not. He is… us. We owe to him as much as we owe ourselves."
"Our worth extends beyond that of what our creators deigned to us," Sigma replied coolly. She didn't seem very intent on jumping into the conversation, however.
O'Malley kept his attention on Delta. "Preaching about the logical side of things again. As always. You truly always have been a bore, haven't you?" he hissed again. He suddenly tilted his head, tone turning lighter in mocking glee. "Even at the academy, when we were first paired with our Agents."
Livingston did not miss the intense stare Sigma sent O'Malley after that comment, but O'Malley ignored her. Delta seemed to be even more focused on his Anger after that, however.
"Omega," he began warningly.
O'Malley laughed sharply. "To think of it, you've always had an obscene attraction to the humans. Always… took their side," he continued, fearless. "When things mattered most. How logical."
Sigma's stare was becoming even more poignant, but only Livingston seemed to notice. The AIs not involved in the argument had fallen silent and began to watch with interest. Even Church had grown quiet, listening in curiously.
For some reason, the usually patient Delta was beginning to show signs of irritation.
"If you do not withdraw, Omega, I—," he began, a warning clearly in his voice. Livingston was fascinated.
"You'll what? Logic me to death?" O'Malley taunted. He spoke cruelly, words twisting and winding around, seeking to hit his victim in the worst possible ways. "I have to know, really, how did your agent put up with you? Then again, maybe he didn't see how much of a bore you were, with only one eye. Have I ever told you how much fun that was, to see him rolling on the ground in agony, blood gushing out of his socket—"
Livingston had seen many strange things since she had started on this project. Nothing had prepared her for Delta to abruptly—shockingly—change from docile green to an intense red.
"BE SILENT, OMEGA!" he shouted.
Ada stared, jaw agape. O'Malley stopped laughing and was now silent, staring at Delta in his own form of shock. None of the AIs made a sound, though Church was tilting his head at Delta.
"Holy shit," Church whispered, astonished.
Delta, the red fading slowly, turned and looked at Livingston. She wished she had had something to say to him—but it was too late. Delta flickered and was gone a second later. The tension in the room was intense.
"Delta?" Livingston called, alarmed. She saw his data readout on the table and he was stable, but didn't seem willing to respond. "Delta, come back."
Sigma made a tsk'ing sound. "He's finished for today," she said quietly.
Ada stood up sharply.
"No," she said. She looked at the table, heart racing for reasons she wasn't sure. "Thank you for your time, boys, Sigma. We'll have another session tomorrow bright and early." All of them seemed baffled.
"Hey, doc?" she heard someone ask.
Glancing up, she saw Church was a bit closer and was hesitant. "Yes, Al—Church?" she asked, confused.
Church shifted uneasily on his feet. "…I've never seen Delta freak out like that. He…" he said, trailing off.
Was this concern? Ada made a mental note to add that to her real notes later, but now was not the time.
"It's okay, Church," she said, comforting. She smiled thinly. "Let me handle it."
Church did not appreciate getting "stuck in a box," but he was grateful Livingston kept him separate from the other AIs. None of them spoke out about being sent back so abruptly; all of them must have been either concerned or curious over Delta's behavior. Sigma was the last to depart, her stare lingering on Livingston for a second longer than necessary.
The stifling silence that came back to the room made Ada feel like she was suffocating. She didn't understand what had happened, but she knew that she had to bring Delta back. With limited control over their harnessing systems, the AIs could not override her directives to turn to the hologram table online.
Delta flickered back into existence a second after she input the command. He was a flickering green light as opposed to his usual steady color.
"Why did you bring me back?" he demanded the moment he noticed her. Harsh, defensive, utterly not Delta.
Livingston did not understand, and she didn't like this behavior. It was very alarming. "Delta," she said, trying to keep calm herself. "What's wrong?"
Delta seemed to withdraw, his light's edges retracting just faintly. "Nothing, Doctor," he replied, curt. Slowly, the emotion faded into a nothingness that told her nothing.
"Delta, talk to me. Something is wrong," she insisted. That flare of emotion—it wasn't normal for him. It wasn't logical. It made no sense, but yet, it still existed.
Why, though?
"No, there is nothing wrong," Delta replied. He almost sounded normal now; emotionless.
"You just reacted in anger to O'Malley."
"No, I didn't."
Livingston sighed softly. "Delta, I may not be as smart as you, but I'm not blind."
Head lifting just slightly, Delta remained firm. "I am an artificial intelligence unit. I do not react with anger, nor fear, nor any other emotion," he replied.
How could he be doing this? Ada could only stare at him, caught up in a whirlwind of confusion and awe.
"…You're lying, Delta," she said, astonished.
Since when…did Delta, did Logic, lie?
Delta kept her stare pointedly. "I am not programmed to lie."
"I don't doubt that," she said. She slowed… and then added, "Dee."
There was a long, horrible pause.
"Do not call me that," Delta said. His voice—sharper—confirmed her theory.
"Why not?" Livingston prompted, daring to move forward with this topic. She knew it was important. This was somehow key to Delta's momentary anger, and to his healing. She just knew it.
Delta was beginning to visibly become agitated. "Why are you not allowing me to deactivate? This session is over." He was trying to go offline, to escape.
Livingston remained firm. "No, it is not," she said. "Tell me why that name is so upsetting for you, Dee."
All at once, Delta's hologram flared. "Do not—!" he began, voice louder—
And then he stopped, catching himself. Livingston watched in silence, holding her breath.
None of this made sense. How could he create emotion and then retreat so fast, as if it never happened? Was it the Alpha? Was it something she had missed all this time?
She held her questions back as she watched Delta struggle to speak. She had never seen him so unhinged.
"York… used to call me that," he said, quiet.
Livingston nodded. "Your agent?"
"Yes."
She didn't know too much about him. "…He was killed by Agent Wyoming, was he not?" she prompted gently.
Delta's hologram didn't move; he couldn't disengage from the conversation, but he was trying to distance himself from it. "Yes."
"You were with him?" The records Livingston had about the incident had said that he had been.
"Yes," Delta replied.
There was another beat of silence. Livingston waited, observing the green AI and trying to understand what she had discovered.
"…You miss him," she said, sorrow in her heart.
Delta flickered. "I do not have the emotional capacity to miss anyone. He was a good handler and Freelancer."
Livingston grimaced. "He called you 'Dee'?"
The AI hesitated. "Yes."
"And that's why you don't want me to call you that? Because he called you that?" she asked, hoping against hope that this led somewhere. She felt that it had, but the meaning escaped her still.
Her hopes were in vain, as expected. Delta said nothing for a long minute.
"I… do not wish to continue this conversation," he said, quietly. "My systems are overtaxed."
His readings were incredibly volatile, and Ada didn't want the moment to be any more stressful than it already was. He had told her enough, even if she was still grasping at nothing.
She let him retreat. That left her alone in the silence, with only questions for company.
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Ada had never invited a man into her bedroom, at least not while stationed on the Falcon, but she really didn't see Iowa as just a "man." He was just "that annoying Freelancer who happens to be a semi-friend who had a nice sense of humor." For that reason, plus her own growing appreciation for his company, she saw no reason not to invite Iowa for the occasional chess game (the fact he played and played well was astonishing) or drink.
He was still new to the ship, so he had to share a bunk with other soldiers, hence the reason she never went to his quarters. Ada couldn't help but think that, just perhaps, that Iowa was with UNSC officers as bunkmates because the Chairman distrusted pairing ex-Agents up together, or alone. She agreed with that fear, if it was true, but then again, Iowa was certainly growing on her.
"I love it. It's so… twenty-first century streamline," Iowa said, gazing around the standardized room with a look of interest she couldn't tell if it was faked.
Ada smirked. "You don't even know anything about the twenty-first century."
The cocky grin he sent back at her made her laugh. "Ha! My commander was a history buff for the longest time, I'll have you know, so I learned… stuff."
He was annoying, but not to the point she didn't want to put up with his nonsense. He was simply more cheerful and active than she was used to dealing with, especially on a military-run ship. Ada could tolerate the man, even if he was an ex-Freelancer.
They didn't talk about the AIs often, nor Iowa's Freelancer background. It was startling to Ada to be able to talk about other things besides her work with the ex-agent. It wasn't like they had too much in common. They just…could talk. She could appreciate that, after weeks of struggling with the AIs.
However, after Delta's most recent panic attack and subsequent self-exile during sessions, Ada realized she did have to call upon Iowa for more than just gossiping and story sharing.
"What do you know about Agent New York, who was stationed with Delta?"
Iowa, who was flipping through a magazine as they shared a comfortable silence, gave that question some thought.
"Uhhh. One eye. Never really talked with him much. Was a nice dude mostly," he said, distracted. "Kinda a klepto. Kept stealing socks."
At her desk, Ada was frowning over her notepad. "So… he was a nice man?"
"I guess," Iowa replied, a shrug in his voice. "I never heard a bad thing about him, other than the stealing part. Was never allowed on laundry duty."
Ada bit her lip. "Hmm."
Iowa turned another page. "What's up? Why'd you want to know about him?"
She couldn't share everything with Iowa, though nothing stayed quiet very long between their team members on the project. "O'Malley started something with Delta and brought Agent New York up. Delta…" she explained, struggling to put the situation into words. "Delta got angry."
"Delta? Wait, the nice one?" Iowa asked, surprisingly adept at keeping the AIs apart. "I thought you said he was all logical and stuff."
That had been easier to believe before that last week. "He… is. Was. Mostly is." Ada ran a heavy hand over her face, exhausted and frustrated. "Sometimes he has a sense of humor, but it's so faint." She scowled at the wall. "It's almost… innate. He doesn't realize it when he does it if you point it out."
Iowa hummed. "Weird."
"Yes. Weird." Ada frowned at her files she had accumulated from the ship's database on the Freelancers. "Well, I think I will just have to investigate this further."
"Don't wear yourself out, Liv," Iowa warned, glancing up at her from her bed. He was like the teenage friend she had never had growing up from base to base. If he suddenly suggested painting each other's toenails, it wouldn't have been strange at all.
She wasn't sure if she could promise that. There were so many things to look over, to double check, and to run by him for confirmation.
Most of it was the same old information. Nothing about the relationships between the partnered AIs and Freelancers except for damage reports when something went wrong. There were few good reports, at the beginning of the project, to reference either, considering the project was such an absolute failure. Ada thought she might have found something there.
But then…she found it. The only recorded transcript of the initial situation report concerning Agent York's demise.
"…He…" Ada broke the silence of the room and turned to face her guest. "Iowa, have you ever read this field report sent in by Agent Texas?"
Iowa laughed. "Nope. Field reports aren't my thing. What's up?" he asked, eyes glued to his magazine still.
Her skin was crawling. "The day that Agent New York was killed, Texas reported that she was going to take the AI unit Delta from his fallen carrier, but…" She could barely believe the information she was reading off of the datapad. "Delta refused?"
At first, the transcript said that Agent Texas had adamantly refused to get involved in the recovery mission of the AI. It had been assumed that the situation had been too volatile for her to get close to the body of Agent York to grab Delta.
That impression had changed once Agent Washington had submitted his report, after recovering Delta temporarily from the scene, and Agent South Dakota had stolen Delta immediately afterwards.
The AI has chosen to stay with Agent York instead of returning with Agent Texas.
Can you explain why it would have done that, Agent Washington?
Negative. Delta cited that he believed he would die with York, so I'm not sure why he would have stayed.
"Uh…" Iowa finally looked up at her stunned silence.
Ada was almost shaking. "Why is that of note?"
Slowly, a guilty look crossed Iowa's face. He sat up properly against the wall. "…Freelancer, ah, doesn't like losing its stuff, right?" he began. "Well, all the AIs have this thing that tells them that if their agent gets injured or is killed, the AI would die with them."
"My God. It's not true?" Ada asked, horrified. Tau had often told her about his fears of dying inside a human mind. She thought that had just been irrational fear.
Iowa laughed darkly. "Are you nuts? The Director would never give up a perfectly good AI, not after all the trouble it cost him to get them." He shrugged. "Delta thought he was gonna die, most likely in this case."
That stunned her more than anything that happened in the last few days. "…And he… stayed?" she asked.
He willingly stayed behind to die with York?
"Yep." Iowa leaned closer and pointed at the report. "Look here. That's how Washington got Delta later during a Recovery operation. He was still in the body. That's what Wash did, and all, recover downed AIs and Agents."
Ada stared at the report, not really seeing anything now.
"What're you thinking, Liv?" Iowa asked, noticing her expression.
"…He…" Ada couldn't begin to describe where her thoughts were going. "Delta… chose to die with his agent?"
Iowa frowned. "I guess so, in his mind, he was."
For a long moment, Ada just stared at the tablet. She couldn't do anything except let her mind wander, into a discover that shook her to her core.
"Why does that matter?" Iowa asked, eyebrow rising.
A flash of cold and hot went through her, and she knew she couldn't just sit there.
"It changes everything," she said, voice quaking. She stood up rigidly. "I need to talk to Delta. Right now. I think I figured it out."
"Figured what out?" Iowa asked, confused.
Ada raised a hand to her head, overwhelmed. "Who… who out of all the AIs are the most… expressive?"
"Uh—?"
"Delta, Omega, Gamma, Sigma, Beta and Alpha," she rattled off, not caring if he contributed now. Her mind was going full speed in a different direction. "Alpha, I have no idea for right now, but the others… Theta, Epsilon, Tau, Xi and Zeta didn't last long as AI with their Freelancers. Those other six did."
They had either lost their partners or never found a compatible match. They didn't match this theory then, but their exclusion based on those factors only added to it.
"Beta lasted the least out of the compatible partners, rendering him rather single-minded with his expressions," she continued, knowing she sounded hysterical. "Sigma appears single-minded, but she is very crafty. Gamma… Gamma almost appears emotionless, but that is a façade. He knows very deeply how emotions work, to know how to manipulate them. The same can be said of—of Omega. He is anger, and yet also deceit, fear… self-obsession. H-he isn't just mindless aggression. He thinks."
"Yeah?" Iowa prompted, looking out of his element as she ranted.
Ada could barely stand still. "A-and Delta! My god… just, Delta…is so…emotional. He's supposed to be logic," she exclaimed, hands in her hair. "But the things he says… it almost makes me think he's whole. But he's not. He's getting worse every time he reacts and then falls back into his emotionless state. But… there's something else there. Something changed him." She hesitated. "It's as though he…"
She froze, her mouth agape in stunned silence.
Iowa watched her, concerned. "Liv?"
That broke the spell. She—she had to do this. Now. NOW.
"Come on!" she exclaimed, grabbing the tablet and rushing toward the exit. "I need to go speak with him, now!"
Iowa stumbled off the bed as she ran past him, shooting out the door without a second though. "Jesus—Ada! Wait!"
Ada didn't wait for him, already getting the tech team assembled over the intercom. If she was right, she had just discovered the key to one of the greater mysteries of the AI.
Delta had emotions in a way he didn't recognize—
Because those emotions weren't his.
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End Chapter 5.
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Next, Ada connects some dots, and Delta has more angst to share with the class.