Sorry for the delay, folks! I got this chapter out as soon and well-developed as I could, so here's the next part of the mission!

Chapter 10

"Alright, once we drop down into the colony's atmosphere, you're going down to help South and Maine extract Wyoming and York," Carolina spoke to the grey-and-yellow agent, who was fiddling with an assault rifle. They were both hanging onto the plastic straps hanging from the low ceiling of the Longsword that they rode in, while Agent Virginia flew them effortlessly through the hot desert air of Tri-Virgo. A tiny closet leading to the cockpit remained closed, but something was continuously bouncing around in there as the turbulence rocked the speedy aircraft.

A red light began flickering by the gangway. "We're at the drop site, Wash! You need to go NOW!" Carolina screamed over the rush of air. He gave her a thumbs up and slowly made his way to the edge of the metal plate. They were skimming pretty low over the ground, and approaching fast. Too impatient to worry too much about his safety, Carolina gave Wash a shove, and he went tumbling out of the jet. She rushed over to a window to see him scramble upright and begin firing at the enemy while running to South, York, Maine, and Wyoming. Satisfied that the situation was under control, Carolina turned away…to see an agent in maroon armor with gold striping tumble out of the closet and jump upright in a second.

"You!" Carolina growled as the gangway shut again.

"Yeah, me," Delaware retorted, grabbing a plastic strap.

"You're supposed to be in Recovery, and you're NOT supposed to be on any missions. You're on probation."

"Tell me something I don't know, why don't you?" Delaware snarled at the bristling Carolina.

"You're flying back to the ship, how about that?" Carolina snapped.

"Actually, I'm not. I'm here for my own personal reasons, not for the Project."

Carolina did not pause to think on this. She knew that Delaware was breaking protocol, and it would look bad on HER record to let her stay on the mission. "If you're here just to back up your boyfriend-"

"North and I are not in a relationship at this time, Carolina, and those sorts of things won't do any favors for this mission. My reasons are my reasons, and I'll be doing a favor to you and rest of the group to take care of my own matters. So, bug off if you know what's good for you." Delaware grabbed a shotgun and a bayonet and clipped them to her armor while she talked, ignoring the blistering look that Carolina could not give her from inside her helmet.

Still, Carolina did pause to think on THAT. "What do you mean, you have other reasons that will help us?" she asked warily.

"Well, I'll tell you when I actually succeed," Delaware quipped, then called to Virginia, "DROP ME OFF HERE!"

The gangway opened to reveal the train speeding along under them. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Carolina shrieked over the wind. "YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS JUMP!"

Delaware ignored Carolina, took a running start, and fell out of the Longsword, holding onto her shotgun and she plummeted through the air. She became little more than a dark spot as they sped away, but Carolina could see that Delaware had defied the odds…and had landed safely on the train.

"Damn it, not another one," Carolina muttered to herself as Virginia sped them up to catch up with North and Texas further ahead on the train.

Delaware crept silently through the dark interiors of the train that she was on, ducking behind crates and boxes as she travelled from car to car. She constantly scanned the train car wherever she went, determined not to be seen by anything or anyone as she made her way to where she THOUGHT her objective would be. A pang of guilt coursed through her at the thought of her objective. She was supposed to be off duty for the Project, and she really shouldn't be here; but this was bigger than the Project, and she needed to eliminate a threat before it BECAME a problem for the Freelancers.

Suddenly, Chi's voice whispered in the back of Delaware's mind. "There are three rebels in the next car," the AI whispered as she checked the motion tracker. "Be mindful. Your-our target is near." Delaware could not help but give a wry smile at Chi's quick correction. Her agenda was very different from her AI's. Her agenda was keeping her people in check; Chi's was to make sure that Delaware was in check with the Project.

Delaware sighed as she checked her shotgun and the sword strapped to her back. She felt almost naked with only one blade, but the other was broken and would not be repaired by any of the IAOC crew on the Mother of Invention for some time. She would have to make do with what she had for now, and that was weapons and wit. Sure, she could get past the three guards by killing them all, but that could take too long. The software that she was after was like a ticking time bomb; volatile and ready to go off at any time. It was completely random, so she had to time it just right. Otherwise, she and all the other Freelancers, particularly the ones with AIs, would be at risk. So, she was relying on an old psychological study that had been performed many centuries ago: people who are looking for something specific would completely ignore the obvious, even somebody in half-ton armor walking right behind them.

True to theory, the three guards in the next car were checking behind every box and crate as if somebody was sneaking behind there. Quietly yet obviously, Delaware began walking swiftly across the pathway as the three men were poking into boxes and bags with their rifles, checking for stowaways and boarders. They didn't seem to hear her as they chattered amongst themselves and continued their search. "I can't believe that this is working," she thought to herself as she was almost to the door.

"Hey!" someone shouted behind her. Not turning back, she slammed the other door opened and ducked behind it as a rain of bullets hit the metal with several teeth-rattling clangs. Grabbing a grenade from her belt, she pulled the pin and tossed it into the car, locked the door, and leapt into the next car as a flash of light and fire burst from the car behind her and smoke poured out of the windows.

"Was it really necessary to kill them?" Chi snarked as Delaware continued to race along, her objective closer now.

"I had to get to them before THEY got to me, Chi. Sorry if it wasn't the right thing to do, but I can't die right now," Delaware responded as she sliced an enemy soldier in the side with her one blade. She could only imagine the AI in her mind as a person whose arms would be folded in disapproval. Well, that's what you got when you had a portable conscience inside your head.

"Delaware, wait!" Chi shouted internally, and she skidded to a halt right outside the last door.

"What?" Delaware grumbled. She was so close, she could see the blinking machine standing ominously against one of the walls.

"It's Theta and Omega…They've been led into a trap! You MUST deactivate that machine now, otherwise the Leader will activate it remotely."

"They managed to rig the software to do that? Clever," Delaware mused as she slid the door open. The approached the wall-sized computer monitor with all of its complicated controls, buttons, and knick-knacks that were completely foreign to her. She pulled up the basic programming, and a series of numbers and symbols flashed across the screen, as large and intimidating as a tidal wave. "Chi, you need to power down now, just in case this thing goes off too quickly." There came no noise from the AI, only a message that the Intelligence had entered a standby mode from her visor. She cracked her knuckles and began typing as fast as she could, trying to neutralize the data on the screen. Time was of the essence.

At the same time, Texas and North were racing through the train to the front car, where CT and the Leader were supposed to be. No one stood in their path as they kept going.

"Doesn't it seem odd that nobody's around to stop us?" Texas called to North as they kept racing along the train, leaping from car to car.

"Yeah, it's most likely a trap, but we can't stop," North replied as he dodged around a crate that was bouncing around a car. "We need to complete our objective this time, and we can't let them get away."

"North, think this through all the way. We're obviously going into a trap, with nothing but the armor and weapons on our backs, and you expect us to WIN?"

"…Sure."

Texas smiled under her helmet. "Well, good that you have that confidence. Let's do this thing," she said determinedly. She pushed open the last door, and paused. North looked from her shoulder. A troop of rebel soldiers all stood with their weapons in the car, but they were quite relaxed, like they weren't ready to fight. In the center of the car stood CT and the Leader. CT had her arms folded, and if North could've seen her face, he would've thought she was smirking.

"Like moths to a flame," the Leader sneered, taking a step forward. North drew out his sniper rifle to take a shot, while the red-clad soldier drew out a small remote with a button. "Looks like you need to learn that when you play with fire, you're going to get burned."

He pressed the button, and North and Tex both screamed as their worlds exploded in a flash of white pain.

The pain was unbearable; like the dying screams of a million souls of a million species on a million worlds as the white fire came forth from the Constructions. The pain was unbearable, but it was needed; to cleanse the worlds of a Great Evil, they needed to eliminate the Greatest Good: Life.

But it was not supposed to be like this. The pain, it was supposed to be livable to the One Who Sees All Souls of Pure-

"You must awaken. Wake up, please!"

Someone was singing. Many voices were singing, their souls shimmering as their harmony carried through the ages to ease the pain and reach the One Who Sees All Souls of-

"You need to sleep. You'll wake up when you're needed."

One Who Sees All Souls of Pure Life.

She was the One Who Sees All Souls of Pure Life.

And she was in unbearable pain.

Far away, on an alien vessel that travelled through the empty space, red eyes snapped open from their meditation under a hooded robe. A voice, deep and masculine and hypnotic, spoke.

"You shall be mine, Great One. I will not let your power escape me this time."

I hope that this was up to par with what you hope for and that it may have generated a few questions along the way. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have and respond to any requests as well. Chapter 11 will be up soon!

Sincerely,

anna1795