Ch 20
The two teams forgot about Church and Carolina, and settled into their old routine, which at this moment, was playing the flag. Six was still unsure about his role now, and decided to observe both teams fight it out.
And Blue team had all of Red teams stuff, thanks to Agent Washington. As much as Six wanted to laugh at the situation, he couldn't.
"Do I have to do this?" Simmons asked.
"That depends. How much do you want your flag back?" Wash asked, standing next to the pile of junk captured from the reds.
"You know, it was funny the first few times. But this is getting depressing." Tucker said, as Simmons was forced to humiliate himself in front of red team.
"What else do you got?" Wash asked.
"Nothing. You took everything from us." Grif said.
"Not everything." Simmons said, and entered the base. He came out with a covenant Brute shot in his hands.
"Is that what I think it is? Is that who's I think it is?" Wash asked in shock.
"Advanced alien weapon belonging to the scariest fucking mute in the galaxy, yes." Simmons said.
"What did you do with it, Grif?" Six asked.
"We'll take it." Tucker said.
"No. No-one is taking the Grif-shot." Grif said.
"Oh please. What were you going to do with it? Eat off it?" Tucker asks.
"Actually, I asked Donut to mount it in the base." Grif said.
"And you know I can't resist a good mounting." Donut said.
"You're hiding one of the most advanced alien pieces of technology, and mounting it in your room as a trophy?" Wash asked.
"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds stupid." Grif said.
"That's because it is." Wash replied.
"I think it's great." Doc said, appearing out of the blue.
"When I first met you, you guys wanted to do nothing. Now, you can't go five feet without running into an adventure of some sorts." Doc said.
"What's your point?" Sarge asked.
"Just thought it was kind of cool. You guys have been thru a lot. Don't you want something to remember all the good times?" Doc asked.
"The good times? I was stranded in the desert." Tucker said.
"We were almost killed." Simmons said.
"I found out my entire military career was a lie." Sarge said.
"And I got shot." Donut added; Wash whistled away.
"Yeah, but you guys discovered other things. Sarge, you actually got to lead a real military operation. Tucker, you became a pro with your sword. Wash and Six found a new team, and Simmons got back his old team, I managed to keep someone from dying." Doc replied.
"And in return, I didn't die." Donut said.
"You see, in the end we all work together and everyone got what they wanted." Doc sid.
"Not everyone." Caboose sadly said.
Tucker then walked towards the beach, his energy sword activated.
"If you go, there's no guarantee you'll come back. This isn't a game for the director. He plays for keeps." Wash warned.
"It was getting kind of stale around here, anyway." Sarge said.
"After everything church and Carolina said, the way they treated you." Wash said.
"We gave you a second chance." Simmons pointed out.
"Besides, if we quit every time church started shouting, this shit would have been over a long time ago." Grif added.
"We'll be outgunned…" Wash said.
"They have a Spartan going with them." Six said, holding an assault rifle.
"And Spartans fought outgunned, and always came on top." He continued.
"This is stupid. Just think about it." Wash said.
"Son, stupid and reckless is how we've always got things done. There's one thing you freelancers seem to forget, is that we manage to kick your ass time and time again. Sure you got all your smart plans and your fancy technology and your advanced training, but in the end, what has that got you? Without a team you can count on, your fellow soldier by your side, all that really doesn't amount to squat." Sarge said.
"Same thing I said to Carolina years ago." Six said.
"So, are you going to keep playing it safe, or are you going to be a little reckless?" Sarge asks, loading a round in his shotgun.
"This has to be the worst idea ever. Count me in." Wash said.
"Guys, they have a huge head start on us. How are we going to catch up?" Simmons asked.
To answer Simmons question, four hornet gunships appeared.
"What? We really are wanted criminals?" Simmons asked.
"Holy shit. Wash was right?" Grif added.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Wash deadpanned.
The gunships came down to ground level to capture them, only for Sarge, Six, and Wash to raise their weapons at the UNSC soldiers, and hijacked their gunships.
"That was too easy." Six said, as he steered the Hornet to their destination.
Freelancer Base
Hours later
Sarge blasted the computer terminal that was hanging on a tree, and the door opened.
"You know, I could have given my codes. I was the top agent in the program." Six said.
"Maybe. But shotgun in the face works every time." Sarge said, as the group headed down the hallway.
They went thru a large room and heard gunshots and fighting.
"Sounds like Carolina." Wash said.
Six noticed several teleportation units, and walked thru one, the rest of the team following him. They came upon multiple agent Texas units, bearing down on a weakened Carolina.
"I can never beat her!" Carolina bitterly said.
Donut primed three of his plasma grenades and threw them, landing the grenades on the Tex clones.
"9 points, you dirty whore!" Donut declared, as the grenades went off.
"Get up." Six said, lifting Carolina up with a single arm.
"What are you doing here?" Carolina asked.
"Told you there not so bad once you get to know them." Wash said, as Six handed Carolina his rifle.
"I thought this wasn't your fight." Church sardonically said.
"Come on. Overwhelming odds with little to no chance of success? How could we resist?" Sarge asks.
"Guys, I'm an asshole. I admit it. And I will gladly accept any and all smartass remarks after this is over." Church said.
Everyone racked the bolts on their weapons, and Six ran out first in to the fray. He plowed thru a line of clones, and beat several away with his storm rifle.
"For our ancestors ancestors, attack!" Sarge shouted, as everyone charged forward, firing their weapons forward.
Six hosed a clone with his rifle when it started to leak plasma. He attached a plasma grenade to the rifle, primed it, and threw it at a large group of clones, burning the clones to death.
"Not again!" Grif said, as he was kicked in the balls, again.
"You had to see that coming." Tucker said.
The red and blues were pushed into a circle, and the Tex clones still came after them.
"Epsilon, do you remember how the alpha stopped the meta?" Wash asked.
"Yeah, but that was one guy. Not a hundred." Epsilon said.
"There's only one Tex. And Church, no-one knows her like you." Wash advised.
"Alright. Stand back everybody. This is going to be personal." Church said, as he jumped into one of the AI clones.
The clones faltered and stood where they were. Then, they fell down as one collective group.
"You know, you could have done that before I got punched in the nuts by 20 of them at once." Grif said.
"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Tucker joked.
"So, I guess our work here is done?" Simmons asked.
"There's still the director." Wash said.
"No. What comes next, Carolina and I need to do alone." Church said.
Six escorted the pair to the director's door, and looked at both.
"Good luck." He said.
"We'll need it." Church said.
The troopers waited outside, and then noticed Carolina head towards them. No-one said anything, but all jumped when they heard a pistol shot.
"Come on, lets go." Six said, taking point.