"Man, what's taking Tex so long?" A brown and white armoured rogue Freelancer let out a sigh, tapping their foot impatiently. "I mean, she organises this thing, and she's late herself. What's up with that?"
"Ah, quit complaining, C.T. She'll get here when she gets here." An obviously female, lilac coloured soldier with green secondary colour replied, slapping her comrade on the shoulder lightly. "Also, turn that filter of yours off. Everyone here knows you're a girl, so why'd ya keep using it?"
"I prefer the term 'tomboy', if you don't mind, South. And I'm not turning my voice filter off." A growl emerged through C.T's helmet.
"Fine, suit yourself, Connecticut." South taunted her, knowing C.T disliked being called by her full codename.
Before C.T could retort, however, their mini debate was interrupted by a blue and cream armoured soldier who was also with them. "Who are we waiting for, again?" The quiet voice seemed to emerge rather unsteadily from the helmet.
The brown and white armoured Freelancer let out another sigh, this time more exasperated, like the question had been asked before. "Tex. We are waiting for Tex."
"Hey, don't get annoyed with Massachusetts. She can't help it." South defended the blue and cream clad Freelancer. "No-one's really told Massa much at all."
"She'll be here." Massa replied softly, not really paying attention to what had been said before. "I know she'll make it here."
"Like hell she will! I think that A.I. of yours has put too much optimism in your head, woman." C.T folded her arms across her chest. "I wouldn't be surprised if Tex has already stormed the place we're headed and taken the Alpha for herself."
"Hey, C, relax. Tex wouldn't do something like that. Massa's right, she'll be here." A new, masculine voice belonging to a tan and silver armoured Freelancer called from inside the mouth of the cave the three female soldiers were stood outside. York. "Tex has made it for every single meeting we've had. She won't miss this one, not now we are this close."
"Hah. You're one to defend, York. After what she did to you!" C.T was quick to attack York's defence of Tex. "You going soft, or something?"
"For the last time, C, that was Omega who did that to me while controlling Tex." Underneath his helmet, York was frowning. He leaned heavily on a rock face, pondering why he was even debating this.
"She didn't say sorry, though, did she?"
"Tex didn't have to." York finally walked a little further into the cave where the only other male Freelancer present, the purple and green clad North (South's brother) was stood, signifying he wanted no further part in the debate.

"Hey, man." North greeted him, but otherwise didn't move from his arms folded, head bowed down position. "Those ladies burning you up out there? Trust me, never argue with them. You'll only come off worse in the end. I mean, I have enough trouble reining her in at times." He nodded, indicating his sister, who was still debating with C.T and had somehow got Massa involved too.
"Yeah, I'm starting to realise the hard way." York sighed, but a smile still managed to split his face. "I'm so glad I've got you here. I'd go crazy otherwise. Women are so damn hard to talk to, sometimes."
"Well, except one." The purple armoured Freelancer prodded at his comrade.
"Yeah..."
"You still miss her?"
"Miss who?"
"Cal. California."
"A little." York admitted. "But I've had too many other things to think about recently, like this for instance..."
"Hey look, someone's coming!" Massa's excited voice cut through the air, interrupting both York and the debate between C.T and South.
"Finally!" The former almost cheered. "It's about time Tex showed up. I'm gagging for some action!"
"I'm glad she's here too, but who's the rider of the other Ghost?" South asked, puzzled.
Her question prompted both York and North to come out the cave they were in and peer over the cliffside alongside the three female Freelancers. None of them, save for York, seemed to recognise the black and crimson clad soldier racing behind Tex. Under the mask of his visor, York's lips curved into a smile.
"Something tells me we've got a new friend." He whispered knowingly. "And something else tells me that's why Tex is later than usual."

The five ex Freelancers stood lined up, practically to attention, as the two purple Ghosts and their black armoured riders pulled up slowly to a halt outside the cave they were staying in. Tex was the first of the two to dismount, followed shortly by Hunt. Most of the ex Freelancers present seemed puzzled by Hunt's presence, like they seemed to recognise her, but didn't. Only York and C.T seemed to know who she was.

"Well, look what the cowgirl dragged out of the wagon." If C.T had her helmet off, she would've spat on the floor. She wasn't so fond of Hunt. "California."
Hunt could feel her blood boiling already. She'd never been a fan of C.T's, but she had never once shown so. With that greeting though, Hunt swore she could feel the blades in her arms twitching.
"This is California?" South spoke in a tone of disbelief. "The same California that stayed loyal to Freelancer long after we defected? Gosh, Tex, you sure know how to pick them."
Tex studied her comrades carefully. She hadn't been expecting this reaction. She thought that C.T would say something at her, not at Hunt, and she expected York to have talked more. But he didn't say a word. Nor did North or Massa. Tex's gaze returned back to Hunt, who appeared to be tense. Something told her it might kick off soon.
"I don't know what on earth possessed Tex here to ask you to tag along, but you're not welcome here, Cal." C.T continued to push Hunt.

Finally, she snapped. There was a rush of air as Hunt threw herself at her tormentor, attempting to stab her in the chest with her right arm blade.
"You think, if I was still loyal to them, that I'd be standing here, Connecticut?" Hunt spat angrily. "And I'm not California anymore! My name is Huntingdon...use it!"
A dust coloured, armour clad pair of arms engulfed Hunt around the chest to restrain her before her blow could do any harm. She struggled violently for a moment before a familiar, soothing voice entered her ears.
"Hey, cool it!"
York. Even after all these years, she knew that calming voice anywhere. Hunt's struggles soon grew less violent and soon ceased.
"Huh. Even after all this time, you still have to run to York." C.T continued, before getting nudged by South on some silent command. "What was that for?"
"It was for not helping." North chipped in, clearly implying he had given his sister the command to nudge the brown and white clad soldier on some sort of hidden signal. "It doesn't matter why Cal-...Huntingdon is here. At the end of the day, we are all on the same side, fighting for what is right and all that. Isn't that right, Tex?"
"Uh...yeah." Tex nodded, a little astounded at how the conversation had changed so quickly. "Anyway, now we are all acquainted, let's go plan, shall we?"
The ex Freelancers all nodded, and after York released Hunt, all apart from Tex and Massa headed into the cave.
"Hey you, you coming?" The black armoured soldier waved a hand at Massa.
"Oh...yeah. Right." The other soldier seemed to snap to it at last, and followed Tex inside just as the weather began to close in.

As the outside world began to turn to a white hell in the grips of a severe blizzard, the seven former Freelancers huddled together so that Tex could lay out the final pieces of the plan to rescue the Alpha A.I. from the clutches of their former masters. Rho and Theta, Hunt's and North's A.I.s respectively, acted as holographic maps for the group so Tex could demonstrate her plan, while Delta, York's A.I. aided, through use of his logic, in refining the plan so it was foolproof. And, despite much protesting, Massa's A.I., Lambda, was left out of the conversation entirely.

"Right." Tex began, knowing that once she did, there would be no going back now. "After piecing together everyone's notes and with a little help from Hunt, I'm fairly certain now that the Alpha unit is definitely being housed here," she pointed at a building on the other side of the mountain range they were in, "in a Freelancer owned base called Avalanche. I've not gotten much intel about it bar a few old map layouts of the area and a few pieces of other information, but the source I acquired it from suggests that Avalanche didn't get its name for nothing; we'll have to be careful on the approach." There was a pause as Tex waited for the map to change to a detailed layout of the area. "As you can see here, these surrounding glacial walls and cliffs make it perfect sniper territory. Also, the main area is pretty much flat with little to no cover, so that thwarts any sneak attempts. This is basically going to be a rapid all or nothing approach for this." The map zoomed in further. "As for guards...well, obviously this place is going to be full of them. The main defence of this base is the fact it is embedded into the mountains, so it is hard to spot. However, they'll still have patrols outside; my best guess would place them here, here and here, with snipers covering the ridge." Tex pointed out several locations on the map.
"It'll pretty much be impossible to get in without a sniper seeing any of you. I've calculated if you all charge in, your odds of survival are fairly low." Delta chimed in.
"That was my initial thought too. Then I came up with another idea." The map zoomed out again, and Tex began to gesture at various parts of it. "If we could run a distraction, divert the snipers' attention and then neutralise them one by one...we might stand a chance. The rest of the guards would be cakewalk after that."
"I do not understand what exactly you mean by the term 'cakewalk', Agent Texas, but if that means easy, then I guess this plan could work. My calculations suggest this plan to be much more favourable." Delta added again.
"That's all well and good, but there's just one problem." South pointed out, nodding.
"South's right. Who's going to be our distraction?" C.T finished for her.
"Oh, don't you worry about that one. I've got that covered." Underneath her helmet, Tex was smiling.
"Oh yeah then, Lone Star, who'd you have in mind?"
"Hey, Massa. You wouldn't mind being decoy for us, would you?" Tex asked the blue and cream armoured soldier gently.
"Decoy? Do I have to shoot anyone?" She asked, a little worried.
"Not unless you want to."
"Sure! Why not? Count Lam and I in!"
"Then it's settled." Tex nodded, before launching back into the plan again, ignoring the obvious jaw drops of the others. "Ok then, with Massa as decoy, the rest of us should be able take care of the snipers stealthily. We'll split into three pairs. North, South, you will be the first pair. Your job will be to take out the snipers on the glacial ridge. Your collective call sign will be The Dakotas. I can trust you two not to get into any sibling squabbles?"
"You can count on it." North replied.
"Can't promise but to try." South answered, before her brother elbowed her. "All right, I promise. After all, this is serious."
"All right. Hunt, York, you are pair number two. Your mission is to take out the snipers on the other ridge and any guards inside this outpost here before they sound the alarm." Tex pointed to a small, lone building on the map. "Your collective call sign will be The Raven of York. Are your objective's clear?"
"Crystal." York nodded.
"As clear as ice." Hunt gave Tex a thumbs up.
"That leaves you and me, C.T. Our objective will be to neutralise any remaining snipers and guards. Our call sign will be The Lone Star of Steady Habits. Got that?" Tex looked toward C.T.
"You bet I do." The brown and white clad soldier nodded in response.
"So, everyone's clear on their objectives?" There was a universal nod in the affirmative around the group. "Right, once we clear the outer area, we'll convene here," Tex circled a small area on the map with a finger, "and after that, we swiftly take that place by storm. Delta, what do you make of that?"
"I'd say that this plan is as good as it can be." Delta confirmed as the map faded away.
"Right then. This is your last chance to back out; after this, your fate is out to the wind. I won't judge you if you leave now. This mission...I won't lie, none of our training has prepared us for this. But if you are undeterred, then let's give these guys hell!" Tex threw her fist into the centre of the group circle.
"Let's do this. I'm in." North threw his fist in.
"Wherever my brother goes, I go too." South added her fist.
Massa added hers shortly after without saying a word.
"Count D and I in." York joined in as well.
"Hunt, C.T? You in?" Tex asked the last two remaining ex Freelancers.
Both of them looked at each other momentarily. After what seemed like an age, they both committed themselves too.
"Right. We leave when this blizzard dies down a little. We'll use the weather as cover. While we wait, use the time to get ready." Tex rose and broke away from the group, signalling that the final stage of planning was over.

The point of no return. Event horizon. No going back now.

While making final preparations for the rescue of the Alpha, Hunt and York soon inadvertently found themselves preparing themselves in the same area of cave with no-one else in sight. It was strange, Hunt mused to herself, how her life turned out. How everything had just turned on a sixpence like it had. She had wagered on spending the rest of her life alone, with only Rho for company; she hadn't bargained on seeing people she thought were long dead. York especially...She glanced back at him, watching him prepare for a moment before returning to what she was doing.
"You know, despite Delta telling me otherwise, I never once thought you were dead after all these years." York broke the silence between them, his voice unusually hesitant. "I never once gave up on you, Hunt. I always thought...that somewhere out there, you were alive. And that one day, Delta and I would find you again. And now here we are, standing here together, about to go on a mission where we could both wind up dead. Strange how things work out."
"Heh. Just like the good old days." Hunt laughed a little.
"There's just one thing I don't get," York abandoned what he was doing and wandered over to his comrade, "and that's how you remained loyal to Freelancer for so long after the majority of us had left."
"I ask myself the same question, everyday. And I don't have an answer anymore." She bowed her head low.
"Why'd you leave?"
"I used to think it was because of what Wash told me about the Alpha unit. But now I realise it was because of something completely different."
"And what was that?"
"I left because I...because I missed you, York..." Hunt admitted, turning and shying away.

York was a bit stunned at her reasoning at first, but eventually he gathered himself together and gently grabbed Hunt by the shoulders, turning her back around to face him. He then clasped her small hands in his.
"I missed you too, Hunt. More than you could imagine." He confessed to her. "I never really stopped thinking about you. D can vouch for me on that. I was always holding onto the hope that you were alive and I'd find you." York bent his head, so that their helmets were touching at roughly where their foreheads would have been. "I tell you what, we both survive this, I'm taking you back to the mostly abandoned city where I live now, and you and I - and maybe Rho and Delta depending on how things go - we'll all go lock picking and looting the streets together. How's that sound?"
Hunt's only reaction was to lean in and hug York, the first time she'd properly opened up to anyone in years. For the second time in a short span of time, York was a little taken aback by Hunt's actions but nonetheless reciprocated, holding her close to him for a few moments until he heard footsteps echoing through the cave.
"Hey...someone's coming." He whispered quietly to Hunt.

Reluctantly, she pulled away from him, and both soldiers turned to face the source of the footsteps. Out of the gloom came none other than C.T, who was quick to address the pair upon arrival.
"Hey, not interrupting anything?" She asked them, her masculine, filtered voice devoid of her usual sarcasm. A genuine question, for once.
"No." Hunt reacted first. "What is it?"
"Well...I just come on by to say..." There was a brief crackle, and when C.T next spoke, it was with a soft, feminine voice, presumably what she sounded like without the filter. "I'd just like to say sorry, is all. What I said earlier about you two...it was totally out of line. I was quick to judge when I should've heard Tex out. I hope you can forgive me."
"Apology accepted." Hunt and York replied back in unison.
"Thanks guys. Oh, one more thing..." There was another crackle as C.T's filter came back on, "Tex said the weather's calming down, so you'd better be ready to hustle on out of here!"
"Tell her we will be in a minute." York told C.T as she turned to leave. Finally, the pair were left alone again. He clasped Hunt's hands again. "Everything will be just fine. Tex has everything covered."
"Yeah. You ready?"
"I'm ready when you are."
"In that case, let's do this!"
The two former Freelancers grabbed their weapons, and, together, they walked out to the others waiting in the snow, neither of them knowing what was going to happen to them.

This was it. Now or never. No going back. It was time to bring Freelancer to its knees.