Civil Industries R&D
New Zanzibar, Earth
3 years after the death of the
Director of Project Freelancer
The poor perimeter guard didn't know what happened to him until he was laying on the ground unconscious. A light blue armored woman slipped along the wall until she came to the corner. She peeked around and eyed several more guards around the entrance. Carolina took a few steps back and spoke softly. "Church, eyes up." A small cobalt hologram appeared, and spoke through the speakers in her helmet. "Geez, whats with you and using code? Can't you just say, 'hey Church, what's up?' or maybe, 'Church, please tell me what you see?' or better yet..."
Before he could continue, Carolina growled under her breath. "Epsilon. Give me Delta. What are the odds?" Church sighed and his hologram now took on a greenish tint with older looking armor, using a voice that matched his own, but with a slight computer tone. "It appears to be heavily fortified, equipped with high powered assault rifles, shotguns, and grenades. Our odds of penetrating have lowered from forty seven percent to twenty four percent."
During their hunt for loose equipment and armor from Project Freelancer, Epsilon has learned to shift into the different memories of the other AI from the program and access they abilities. It was difficult at first to have him jump from one personality to another, taking several hours, sometimes even days to transfer between and back to himself. But with all the missions they've been running, and the practice in between, Epsilon was able to shift between personalities so seamlessly that the change was never noticed until the AI spoke.
She focused on the mission at hand. These guys were trying to mass produce stolen Freelancer armor. She was going to destroy the whole facility. "Is there any other way into the facility? A vent or something?"
"No. It is a secure facility that supports a sterile environment for creating and building the armor you seek to destroy. There are no intake or exit vents."
"Looks like the only way in is to knock on the front door. Church, I need Theta." Epsilon returned to his normal self and glared at her. "No. Fucking. Way. I am NOT going to be that little kid. He's such a goddamn wuss."
"Church, we don't have time. We worked with Theta. He's grown a lot since he was last with North. And I need him to enhance my armor ability."
"Come on. Can't you use someone else? Eta and Iota? Omega? Hell, I'll even take Gamma!"
Carolina finally became annoyed. "A. I am not letting Eta and Iota in my head from the last time they were there and I couldn't fight Tex. B. Omega has anger issues and doesn't help. C. Gamma is too complicated to work with. D. Before you even ask, Sigma has his own agenda. And finally E, shut the hell up and give me Theta!"
Something caught her attention and she looked to see a nervous soldier looking at her from the hall where she was. They stared at each other for a moment. Before the guard could bring up his weapon and call for help, Carolina charged and grabbed him, slamming him into the wall. She turned and started sprinting toward the opening where the entrance was. "Epsilon. Theta. NOW!" He responded with his voice mixed with that of a small child. "I'm here. What do you need?"
She jumped out and kicked the first man in the head hard, nearly caving in his helmet. "I need you too move any unneeded power to my armor ability. Keep it up for as long as you can. I need to keep it to take all these guys down." As she dodged a pair of guards trying to grab her, Theta spoke. "Okay, it's done. But it won't last for long." Carolina smiled beneath her helmet. "It won't take too long."
She crouched down and charged forward, activating her armor speed ability. Quickly and nimbly, she ran after each of the guards, taking them out with precise, surgical punches and kicks. Theta cheered as she slammed two soldiers into each other and gave a rough meeting with the ground. "Alright. They went down easy." Carolina looked around. "A little too easy. Something isn't right."
She walked to the front door and managed to get inside. The building was fairly large in the city. She knew the R&D department was on the fifty second floor. "Epsilon, are the elevators working?" Church appeared next to her. "Um, I think so. It doesn't look like their damaged. It would be a hell of a lot easier than taking the stairs." She ran over and pushed a button. The doors opened and she stepped into the car, letting it carry her up to the fifty second floor. Church spoke as she drew out her pistol and checked it. "So what exactly are we going to do?"
"We're going to go in and destroy all the armor there. Their not going to make armor from the program and get away with it. Funny. Now I know how Wash feels when he went on those recovery missions." The elevator dinged and Carolina got read to charge out. When they opened, she did the one thing she never did before. She froze. Stunned.
The long hall where she walked into was littered with bodies of not just guards, but scientists and civilians as well. The walls were covered with the spattered blood of those she saw on the floor. She had seen death before, but never something so cruel, heartless, and almost savage like. Church was just as shocked as she was. "What the hell happened here? These people...they look like...they never had a chance." Carolina looked at them as she walked around the bodies. "I don't know. Something got here before us."
They moved into the assembly room where she saw rows and rows of Freelancer armor. "This looks like the place." She only took a few steps in and Church looked around. "You hear that?" Carolina stopped and listened. She glanced at him for a second. "The high pitched whistling noise followed by a series of random clicks?"
"It wasn't helpful when Tucker did it, why do you think it would now? There's a beep. Somewhere in here. By the third armor assembly line." Carolina walked over to the third assembly machine and looked around. It looked like a normal machine to assemble the armor. There was something different. She looked at the object and saw a series of numbers. A bomb. A damn bomb. "The place is going to blow!" She only had a few seconds left. She spun and ran to the window, jumping out of it as the bomb detonated, taking the building with it. Carolina landed in another building ad looked back at the damage. "Someone was here before us. Epsilon, are you alright? Church?" No voice came. She turned and saw him staring at a wall. She walked up and looked at the AI. "What is it?" Church never took his eyes off the wall. "Look." She looked at the wall. A large number was scratched into the wall. It simply said '49 – 42'. Church looked at the numbers. "It looks too easy. Forty nine minus forty two. Seven. Oh god, I know math. I'm becoming Simmons!"
Carolina looked at it harder, seeing something familiar. "This...we have to go." She ran through the building and down outside. She had to hurry and get to one of the only other people she trusted. One of the last Freelancers alive with her, who was now working with the Blues.