It was nearly a year since the crash. Since then Washington had lead the attack on Freelancer Command with the EMP. And then came prison. Sitting in a cell, recovering from shot to the gut by the Meta. He wasn't Maine anymore. He was probably sitting a few cells from his. He didn't care about any of it. He did his job, he brought them all down, for her. Carolina was gone, but now so were most of her killers. All but one.

"Washington!" A guard called while he sat in his cell. "The big man wants to see you."

He opened his cell and followed the guard down the hall. Along the way, he spotted several other prisoners. A few were the resistance soldiers, the knife girl, the Demo Man, and the Flamer Joe, all looking very upset at seeing me walk by. knife girl made a cut motion across her neck. Washington didn't care. When they arrived to the boss's office, the first thing he did was welcome him, asking him to take a seat and telling the guard to un-cuff him and leave. Despite his welcoming act, Washington knew that he was really not wanting to have his time wasted. However, Washington thought he had something that he really wanted. It was the only way of getting out of here so he could finish his mission. There was still one more person who had to pay for Carolina's death.

"All the information I want was lost in the destruction of Project Freelancer. If there was anything that could've kept you out of prison, I'm sure it would've come to light at your trial. Now if you are quite through with wasting my time..."

"I know your missing the Epsilon unit. And I can help you find it."

Thats how he found himself here. The snow on Sidewinder was stained red as he bleed from his wounds. Washington sat in the snow while he watched the Meta try to fight off Texas. He couldn't believe he almost forgot how powerful Texas was in a fight, then again she had prepared for this better then they did, booby trapping the entire area with high explosives for when they arrived. The Meta was keeping her a bay with the giant blade of his Brute Shot but he was still losing the fight.

Washington finally got to his feet, with knife at the ready he charged at Texas. She managed to see him coming and caught him before his knife could land. He was pushing trying to drive the knife into her helmet. She tried her best to fight him off, but she was losing. He wanted to kill her, she wanted to stop him from hurting himself.

"Wash!" She shouted trying to get to him. "Stop it! What are you doing?!"

"What do you think?!" He says and manages to break free from her hold to deliver a solid punch. "You killed Her!" He swung his knife trying to strike her, but she dodges every swing. "You f**king killed her!" He swung again and struck her in the arm. She had to die, for killing her.

She drew back grabbing at her wound only to be thrown against an ice wall. Washington came charging at her and tackled her down, throwing her against the wall. He brought up his knife again but Texas moved out of the way, throwing Washington up against the wall. "Are you stupid! You really think I'd do that?"

"STOP LYING TO ME!" He shouted and kicked her off him. He swung his knife wildly at Texas. "YOU WERE MY FRIEND, OUT FRIEND AND YOU MURDERED HER!" He was losing control, she had to calm him down, by any means. She countered his swing and grabbed his hand snapping back to lose the knife. Washington came with another punch, but Texas spun him around and threw him to the ground. He tried to get back up put she pinned him, holding him to the ground so he couldn't move and tried to slap the since back into him.

"Listen to me! I DID NOT KILL HER!" She shouted and slapped him again. "She was my friend, I would never do that!"

"They told me you did, the Meta told me! He saw you do it!" He finally managed to break free from her hold by kicking her off him. When he got to his feet he threw another punch toward her, but she dodged it again then once again pinned him against his face against the wall, gripping his arm behind his back.

"She was my friend, I cared about you guys. I was there but I DIDN"T kill her!"

"Meta! He told me you did, he was-"

"-Lying to you!." He tried to escape but she bent his arm more seizing him.

"If it wasn't you, then who did?"

"Who do you think?"

She could feel him loosen his struggle, like he was slowly realizing his mistake. She loosened his grip. "I'm sorry! I was too slow, I couldn't save her."

Just then came from loud growl and the Meta came rushing in throwing Texas off. He ran at her with his Brute Shot and slashed twice across the arm and stomach. In her wounded state she couldn't fight him off anymore when he grabbed her by the throat. Like he did Carolina.

Washington kneeled there in the snow, thinking about everything she said. It had to make sense. She was meant to be her aunt, she loved her, she was happy, why would she throw that all away? She even risked her life to try to get them out. But the Meta and the Director told him Texas killed her. Something wasn't right.

"META!" He shouted just as He picked her up. "You don't have to hurt her, we can..." Before he could order, the Meta had already thrusted Epsilon into her helmet, downloading and trapping her into the storage unit.

"NO!" Church cried from the sidelines after Doc, patched him from his shot. "Get her out of there!" Church ran over to her empty body holding it in his hands as he cried . "No no no. Tex, come on Tex. Allison please. No."

Washington stood there silent watching Church brokenhearted by what he just did. He took Texas away from her, just as they took Carolina away from him. He didn't want this happening anymore. Not again, he was done losing friends. He grabbed his pistol, loading it with a new magazine and pulling the slid, loading a fresh round. He looked over to the Meta as he starred into the Epsilon unit. He could see the intent through his visor before he even turned back to him.

"You lied to me."

There was no need for a response. He already knew what was gonna happen. The Meta activated the Epsilon unit on himself granting him all the power he wanted and turned invisible. Washington fired shots at him only to see them hit the snow, he was gone.

"Damn it! Doc, get Church out of here!"

"Wha, what should I do?" The panicked medic asked.

"RUN!" She commanded just as a ghostly shimmer punched him right in the face and then slicing him across the stomach with the Brute Shot blade. He rolled back onto his back and fired rounds, hitting Meta in the arm, but it was useless. He fired grenades at Washington, launching him across the air and slamming into ice wall. He was out cold

When he woke up he was hurt, bleeding, practically gutted. He was feeling like Renaldo Pazzi right about now, at least he was being hung. Where was Michigan when you needed him. Through the slits of his eyelids he could see the carnage, the impact of a Pelican he heard crash, the trees that were knocked over, and the Simulation troopers he hunted hunkered over the dying Epsilon unit. He scooted himself up against a wall so he could sit more comfortably.

"but what if you don't come back?" He heard in the crowd. It was Caboose.

"well remember what delta always said-"

"memory is the key."

"right, you in charge of remembering me. don't let Tucker do it, he'll just f**k it up." He watched Church suddenly collapse only for his ghost form to appear. "So long buddy." And then he disappeared into the Epsilon unit.

He wished him luck in finding the woman he loved. He looked up to the sky seeing the bright snow fall to the ground. Maybe Carolina would've loved seeing this. Just playing in the snow, throwing snow balls, making snow angels, building a snowman. With Emma. He decided to follow the same advice, and smiled at the thought, of the idea of his happy little family enjoying the snow. Remembering what Emma once said, that they loved her and were all happy. A family. As he sat there in the bloody snow, he closed his eyes, dreaming about his family as he died. At least now, he would see Carolina again.