York could still remember the crash. When he woke up in the back of the Pelican with the others he tried to jump but was held down by the restraints. He heard the explosion from afar and watched from out the window as the Mother of Invention crashed into the snow. He asked if Carolina made it out. No one answered. weeks would pass and he would try over and over to contact her. Still no reply. His hopes raised as time passed when he heard of news of a rouge agent causing trouble for the program. He was so hopeful that it was her, only to have his dreams crushed from the news that the Rouge Agent wasn't Carolina, but Agent Texas.
So much had time had past since that crash. Nearly three months and still York sat in his crappy apartment in the middle of Dumb-F**k nowhere at the corner of Bonner st. He was sitting at his desk waiting for anymore news and watching T.V. when there was a knock on his door. He didn't get many visitors. He preferred to be secluded, thats why he chose the back alley apartment. Not many people would be willing to walk into a pretty shady alleyway just to visit someone. Except for probably that gay neighbor of his that he knew was constantly trying to hit on him.
He finally found the strength to walk up and answer the door when the second knock came. He walked right up and answered, "Who the f**k is it?" as he opened the door. He came to the shocking sight of a woman, with bright red hair and green eyes.
"Is that how you treat all your visitors?" She asked with a smile.
"Carolina?" He asked with shock and horror. She was gone, and yet here she was.
"Who else would be handsome?" She stepped into his apartment wrapping her arms around him and planting a kiss on his lips.
The sweet taste of her lips on his snapped him out of his daze and he embraced her by kissing her back. He squeezed her in his arms and she welcomed his embrace by kissing him more. He finally had to pull to get another look at her. The hair, the eyes the smile it really was her. "Your really here?"
"You didn't make it easy to find you."
"What happened to you? What are you doing here? What about Wa-"
She placed her finger over his lips to shush him. "Lets not worry about him." She then pushed onto his bed and hopped on top of him. She took off her shirt and he was amazed at the sight of her beautiful body. "Just worry about what we're gonna do."
She got in close and kissed him again. York savored her sweet lips and the feel of her breasts as he reached around to undo her bra. Then the came the loud knock on the door. The loud obnoxious banging stirred him awake from his dream. He had hoped that it was her. For only a second. And when that second passed, he came to the conclusion that it was a Freelancer Hit Squad, finally here to terminate him. The second knock on the door came again. Miserable, sad and angry, he stood up with a gun in his hand and approached the door. He didn't care if today was the day he died.
"D." He said to his A.I. companion. "When they gun me down divert all power from the suit to the Fusion Pack for the Fail Safe Detonation. Take this whole block out."
Delta didn't respond, he just followed the order and waited for the time. York stood in front of the door and waited, taking a deep breath before. He opened the door and raised the gun immediately at the person waiting on the other side. She didn't move, or react to the gun in her face.
"Is that how you treat all you visitors?" It was Texas.
He lowered his gun and turned around, retreating back into his home. Texas followed behind and shut the door. She followed him into his little living space and helped herself to the couch. York returned with four bottles offering one to his unwelcome visitor and took the seat in his chair. Texas took the bottle and drank, the burning sensation telling her it was the hard liquor, not just beer.
"Been drinking lately?" She asked. He only responded with downing half the bottle in one go. This with his scruffy and messy face and his foul smelling breath proved that he had become a hard drinker.
"How'd the f**k did you find me?"
"You didn't make it easy to find you." She said and took another drink.
"Yeah. That was the idea." He said and finished the first bottle and opened his second one. "What do you want?"
"I need your help."
He gave a chuckle at her request which turned into a loud laugh. He almost dropped his bottle. "You need, MY, help! My help. Thats a good one." He kept on laughing and finally calmed himself down enough to drink from his second bottle of liquor.
Delta appeared beside Texas, having to explain how he had been since the Freelancer incursion. Including his repeated sleeping and dreaming patterns. Texas couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy. But now wasn't the time for feeling sorry. "I'm serious York. I need your help."
"And why the hell would you need my help. Why not get the others, or what about your old friends, Washington and, and Carol-"
"-cause Wash is in Psych Ward and Carolina..." She stopped to take a moment. Remembering was the worst to happen. "Carolinas dead." She said and took a long drink of her scotch.
York froze at the news. It was like being hit by a truck right in the heart. This time he did drop the bottle, shattering all over his dirty carpet. He fell back into his chair. He knew deep down inside that she was gone. It was the denial that made this confirmation worse and more painful.
"Maine turned against us." She said taking another swig. "After the crash, he found her, tore her A.I. out of her head and just, let her fall."
For a few minutes they both sat there in silence. Both taking in the terrible fact that their friend, someone they both cared about was gone. Neither one said a word, just staring at separate walls, feeling more alone then ever, despite each others company. If she was her old self she'd get them both as drunk as possible and have mad sex in his bedroom as loud and hard as possible for as long as possible. But she was different person. She went to her boyfriend for that, but at least Church was more sympathetic and gave the shoulder for when she cried. And she did cried. A lot.
She had to slap herself out of her state. She stood up and did the same to York. "Thats enough mopping. Now I need your help and I'll drag your unconscious ass if I have too."
She said and then turned to wait by the door while she checked her guns. "I'm not their friend."
"I don't give a sh*t. I need your help at squeezing Wyoming for info on-"
"But I should've been." She stopped and turned to face him. He was now kneeling over his desk, looking at an old photo. Back in the early days of the Project, long before everything started to change. Back when Carolina was the boss lady that he tried and failed to flirt with, and Washington was his friend and was to afraid of girls to sometimes talk to her, claiming that he respected her too much. Those were good times.
"I was an asshole. I was so angry with Wash, thinking he took Carolina from me. I alienated them both out of hate. I even tried to kill him" He stared at the bottle of scotch in his hand and then slammed it against the wall. "He made her more happier then I ever could. She loved him more then me. She was happy, they were happy together." He wiped the tears from his face. "I was wrong. They had a great kid, they were in love, they had it all made. And the least I could've done is be happy for them. Happy that my friend and the woman I care most about were happy together."
Texas walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Its not too late to make things right." She walked back towards the door ready to go. "You can make it up. Help me bring down her killer. Help me break Wash out and help me bring Freelancer too Justice. Or bring them down, I'm not very picky."
She could hear the pump of a primed Shotgun and then saw York nearing the door. "Yeah yeah yeah I got it, I coming."
Together they left the apartment behind and on the hunt for Wyoming. But first they had to make a quick stop at York's neighbors house so that he could kill him and his slutty sister. She kept breaking into his place and stealing all his liquor.