Ch 11
Six watched as the doctors operated on Agent York, implanting the AI, Delta.
"Is this safe, let alone legal?" Six asked.
"Well, project freelancer marches on." Carolina said, standing next to the much taller Spartan.
"I know. So where do you think the AI comes from?" Six asked.
Carolina was about to answer, but didn't when the door opened, and the director came in.
"Come with me. You're needed for a briefing." The director said.
The two headed to the briefing room, where they found the rest of the freelancers. The director pulled up a large holograph of an inni fortress.
"We've tracked down the leader of the insurrectionist to this large base. It is heavily defended and filled to the brim with soldiers. While the mother of invention engages enemy forces, all freelancers are to head toward the main hanger bay." Once you secure it, scour the facility until you find the leader, and kill him." The director said.
"What if he escapes?" Wash asked.
The director smirked in response.
"He won't." the director said.
"Yeah. And Reach wasn't supposed to fall." Six muttered in response.
The Spartan left the briefing and headed to the gym, where Carolina found him lifting two tons of weights.
"Two thousand pounds?" Carolina asked, watching Six easily bench-press them.
"Yep. And you honestly think this next mission was be successful?" Six asked, as he put the bar on the post.
"I think so. Why do you think not?" Carolina asked.
"We only have one ship. We don't know how many ship this innie base has. Even if it's just fighters and troop transports, the leader can hop on one and leave in the chaos of battle. Not everything is clean cut. War is a messy and chaotic business." Six said.
"We understand that." Carolina said, referring to the freelancers.
"I highly doubt it." Six responded.
"What's your problem, Six? You've been like this since we found you. Always cynical and a loner. You refuse to get to know any of the freelancers." Carolina said.
"Right now, being a lone wolf is much better than working with the freelancers. You're taking a bunch of lone wolfs, telling them to act as a team, while nurturing their lone wolf tendencies. It doesn't work." Six said.
"Listen, you need to put that aside and lead us into the next fight." Carolina said.
"Funny. I was going to tell you freelancers a similar thing." Six said.
The two stared each other down, when Carolina blinked first. She left the room, leaving Six alone.
"Computer, Sum 41: War. Max volume setting."
"So, how's the Spartan?" York asked, running into Carolina.
"The usual. Cynical, brooding, doesn't trust us." Carolina said.
"I should talk to him. Maybe change his mind." York said.
"York, wake the fuck up. The only freelancers he has a remote interest in working with, is Maine, Wash, and North. And maybe Tex." Carolina said.
"I'll see if one of them can talk to him." York said.
"York, maybe we should just let him be. If any of us tries to go and talk to him, he'll wonder if we're planning something against him." Carolina said.
"This is a first." York said.
"York, I'm serious. We've all seen him in that simulation. He fought against pure nightmares, and came out on top. Honestly, if he wanted to kill every one of us, there's nothing we can do." Carolina said.
The director went over his latest calculations for the AI program.
"Well, Delta was a success." Alpha said.
"Yes, he is. And more AI will be coming forth. Get ready, Alpha." The director said.
CT sat in her quarters, going over all the current intel about the director's AI program. She couldn't believe it. The director was torturing the main AI, and he was dragging his agents down with him.
"Conni, what are you doing?" the insurrectionist leader asked.
"Keep it down. I don't have much time. We're going to attack your base. Stay hidden, and give me your location." She harshly whispered.
"I'll send you the data. When will you attack?" he asked.
"In two days." CT said.
"I'll be sure to roll out the red carpet. Keep your head down, and good luck." He said.
Two Days Later
Freelancer assault on enemy base
"Listen up. We're here for the inni leader. This is the only base for them to go to. Use your jet packs sparingly. You don't want to end up like agent Georgia." Six said, the leader of the freelancers.
"What happened to agent Georgia?" Wash asked.
"No-one knows! They never found him!" South replied.
"Lovely." Six muttered.
The team leaped from the pelican and entered the forward hanger bay, encountering heavy resistance. Six aimed his assault rifle at the inni's and pulled the trigger.
"Guys, things are going to get floaty." Wash said.
Six quickly activated his gravity boots, and continued to hose the enemy troops with gunfire.
"This is better than grifball." Wyoming said.
"What the fuck is that?" Six asked.
"It's some game that was created just after the war." York said over the com, still in space.
"Lovely." Six muttered, as the freelancers regrouped.
"Carolina, North, secure that hallway. South, see if you can access the leader's location. CT, get me- Where the hell is CT?" Six shouted.
Distant gunfire was heard, then all was silent. South came back to Six.
"His last check in is upstairs in the main deck, but his callsign just appeared in their internal frequencies. He's broadcasting from out in Bone Valley." South said.
"So we came here for nothing. Alright. We're heading there." Six said.
The freelancers stood in a line, and looked as York as he flew in the hanger.
"It's nuts out there." He said.
"Get up, York. We're heading to boneyard valley." Six said.
"Over there?" York asked.
"That's where the leader is." Six said, as he ran towards the end of the hanger and activated his jet-pack, directing himself at the boneyard.
The freelancers flew behind the Spartan, and noticed something odd.
"It's too quiet." Six muttered.
"Hello, is anyone out there?!" York shouted.
"York, save your strength. They're not going to hear us in the emptiness of space." Six retorted.
Six held his arm up, showing a clenched fist.
"You see something?" Carolina asked.
"North, give me your rifle." Six said, swapping his assault rifle with the sniper rifle.
Six looked thru the scope and slowly scanned the area to his 11 o clock. That bit of debris was suspicious.
"Everyone, head back to the Mother of Invention. I'm going to look around." Six said.
The Spartan headed towards the debris, constantly running his eyes over it. His eyes widened in shock, as the debris came to life. Instead of useless junk, Six came face to face with a UNSC destroyer, bearing down on the Mother of Invention. Not wanting to face down a warship, he fled back to meet with the rest of the freelancers.
"How the hell did we miss it?" Carolina asked.
"Don't know, but we're in the shit now." Six said, as the comms were busy with frantic chatter, as the two warships slugged it out.
"Why are they retreating?" South asked, seeing the destroyer pass over the Freelancer warship.
"Because they're going to let something else complete the job." Six said, 47niner completing his sentence.
"Guys, get out of there! They outfitted that piece of junk with nukes!"
"Well fuck me." Six calmly retorted, and increased the acceleration on his jet pack, heading towards the pelican.
Most of the freelancers got inside the pelican, except Wash.
"Wash, get the fuck over here!" Six shouted.
"I don't want to end up like Georgia!" Wash frantically said.
"Oh for god's sake." Carolina growled, and fired her grappling gun at the freelancer. The hook attached itself to Wash's cod piece, and Carolina pulled him inside the pelican.
"Punch it." North said to the pilot.
The nuke detonates, and the Pelican escapes the explosion.
"That was a close one." The pilot said.
"What the hell just happened? Tell me you accomplished your mission." The director said.
"No, sir. The leader escaped." Six said.
"Looks like the enemy lives to fight another day." North said.
"Again." South said.
"That is most unfortunate. Are all agents accounted for?" the director asked.
"All except CT. She's gone." Six reported.
"Define gone, agent." The director said.
"She defected to the innies. That's gone." Six said.