(A/N) Hey guys, another Wednesday, another update! Season 2 of Immersion just kicked off today, so I'd advise you to go and check that out! This chapter is brought to you by one of our incredible new writers, Lili-Hunter, and she'll be bringing you the adventures of South Dakota over the remainder of this fic, and, in my opinion, I don't think there's a better South writer out there! Read on to see if you agree.
Enjoy!
Chapter Forty-One – Proven
Agent South Dakota
Written by Lili-Hunter
"Teamwork; because a single bullet can only go through so many bodies." - Author Unknown
Agent South Dakota, one of eight new recruits in Project Freelancer, was, largely, striving to remain unimpressed by the organisation.
Sure, they did have a large airship - the Mother of Invention they called it - plus some pretty technologically advanced armour and weaponry - but it was nothing that she hadn't already seen in the UNSC.
South Dakota already knew her brother to be amazed by the Project's technological advances - the ship even had its own AI, F.I.L.S.S. - but she knew North Dakota had been totally won over as they had watched the lead Freelancer, Agent Carolina, completely and utterly kick the asses of two of her peers. Even South was forced to admit that it had been kind of incredible.
Whatever. South Dakota was filled with a sort of buzzing excitement, eager to prove herself. She knew that she was just as good - hell, if not better - than some of the other Freelancers they had seen perform thus far.
"Agents." The voice of the calm, dark-skinned man they had been told to call the Counselour spoke softly through several of the loudspeakers. South glanced up, as did several of the other recruits by her side, and watched his shadowed figure through the glass as he addressed them. "As the Director informed you, each of you was accepted into this program for one very special reason - you are special. You are skilled. You are good at what you do." He paused. "Thus far, you have seen us; our ship, our personnel, our weapons, our armour and most important of all; our Agents. However" - and here he paused again, perhaps for dramatic effect - "we have not seen you."
Her head snapped quickly to the side, and South Dakota locked gazes with her twin. She knew he was thinking the same as she - this was what they had been waiting for. Finally, they could show them just how good they were.
Finally, South could prove that she deserved to be here.
"The objective is simple. Eliminate the other teams, until only one team remains. Your weapons are already loaded with paint rounds." The Counselor then rattled off a list of names, grouping the eight recruits into teams of two. South drew closer to her brother as they were announced a team, unsurprised at having been paired together.
As the Counselor's voice faded, a new speaker introduced themselves. "The match will begin in thirty seconds," F.I.L.S.S said pleasantly. "Teams, please retreat to separate corners of the training room."
Thirty seconds! Her body reacted much quicker than her mind, backing into the closest corner. The other teams soon also spread out, though South could still see four other Agents - Minnesota and Michigan, Maine and California - as they waited impatiently to begin.
Abruptly, the metal floor shifted, and pillars rose steadily from the ground, further obscuring their view of the other teams.
She heard North sigh in disappointment, and realized his long-barreled sniper rifle would be at a disadvantage in the close-quarter combat the pillars encouraged.
South looked down, flexing her hands over the battle rifle. It was better suited to the coming fight, and the weapon was familiar - her usual preference - so she was confident in her own ability.
F.I.L.S.S was counting down their remaining time in the background, a mindless drone. South exhaled, glancing up at the observation room hanging above them. How many people were watching? The shapes through the tinted glass were barely distinguishable.
"So what's our plan?" North spoke from behind her, his voice steady.
"Win," was her short answer.
Her twin shot her a look of mild exasperation. "Don't be so cocky," he warned. "We don't know how good these guys are."
"Hmph."
"Look, let's just hang back a little first. Watch and learn. Just for a moment."
South resisted the urge to smirk or roll her eyes. Her brother was always cautious. Sometimes, like today, it bordered on being annoying. But, though her every instinct rebelled against his plan - she was really spoiling for a fight, and had been ever since setting foot on the ship - she trusted his judgement. They were twins, after all. "Fine. Just for a moment."
She sensed his relief at her agreement. "Be careful, sis. Let's stick together."
"You too."
She lowered her gaze to the training room floor, and waited.
"Three. Two. One. Begin." F.I.L.S.S instructed.
A heartbeat of pounding silence, and then chaos erupted. Gunfire cracked through the air. South leaned forward, impatient. But she could see none of the other teams from her current position.
Screw it. There was no point waiting. There was nothing to see!
South took off like a rocket, eagerness and adrenaline pounding through her blood. After an initial hesitation, she felt her brother follow.
She passed two pillars before spotting their first opponent. Michigan was firing as she backed up, with Minnesota nowhere to be seen.
South leapt, her barrel cracking loudly. But Michigan must have felt the movement, for she turned, and the pink spray missed her by a hair's breadth. It splattered clumsily into pillars.
Michigan let loose a round of paint. South ducked behind a pillar, only to reappear on the other side and fire. The other Agent stumbled as she dodged, her assault rifle's aim dropping for just a moment.
It was enough. South launched herself out of safety, and leapt feet first towards the lavender Freelancer. Michigan, already off-balance, was sent flying. Behind her was a knot of Freelancers and Michigan crashed into them all, knocking many aside. South raised her battle rifle, triumph searing her veins as she jammed down on the trigger-
BOOM!
Wide-eyed, she stared in disbelief. Slowly, Michigan toppled to the ground, her torso encased in solid pink paint. But it had not been her shot to take out the Freelancer, and South felt the first flickers of true anger as she saw who had stolen her 'kill': Agent Arkansas.
BOOM!
His shotgun roared, and South dodged the bullet - but barely. How dare he take Michigan from her? Arkansas disappeared around a pillar, and she realized he had to reload. Perfect. She could take her revenge now.
"South!" Suddenly, she was yanked backward by a firm hand on her armour. She watched, surprised, as paint blew past her - it would have hit her square in the visor, had not her brother saved her. She shook him off, irrational.
"Damn it, North!" She had to get to Arkansas, before he could reload. She knew that in this environment, his was the better weapon."What?!"
"That's three Agents down," he said quickly. South didn't ask how he knew, but accepted it as truth. "Sota, Georgia, and Mich." He automatically shortened their names, rattling them off as quickly as he could.
"And we haven't taken anyone out yet? Damn it, North!" she repeated. Why was he wasting her time?!
"Wait, that's not-" But she ignored him.
South ducked through the pillars, avoiding stray sprays of gunfire. Despite the advantage of a shotgun in this close combat, she knew they were a pain in the ass to reload. Normally, the other teammate would cover you as you reloaded. But, as North had just told her, Georgia had been taken out. That left only one team besides themselves - Maine and California. And if Arkansas was hiding, that meant that they were searching for-
Two small dots suddenly appeared on her radar. Instantly, South threw herself to the side. Her leg clipped against a pillar painfully, but her mouth was suddenly, fearfully dry as several shots scattered themselves just over her head. She gathered herself gracelessly, and rose to her feet behind a pillar. Suddenly, there was an answering boom. She spotted her twin's sniper rifle as it waved threateningly, firing at the Freelancers she couldn't see.
"North!" she yelled. South saw his visor as her brother peeked around the pillar, and gestured, hoping he would understand her plan.
It was a gamble, sure. But Maine and California had them trapped and separated. Everything was a gamble from now on.
"Sync?" he answered.
"Sync!"
North let off two shots in hurried succession, and she heard a scuffle as, presumably, the other team dodged the shots. South blasted from her cover, sprinting towards her twin. A thin hallway separated them, but he was waiting, rifle on the ground, fingers laced and his palms open.
Her battle rifle fell from her fingers as she leapt, landing square in his hands. She felt her twin gather his strength and throw her up, vaulting South through the air. It had been years since they'd done this - she could remember constantly begging him to help her practice her gym routine, and her grateful smile as he accepted every time though she'd quit the practice months later - but, always in sync, they managed it flawlessly.
South landed steadily on top of the first block, hands and legs spread for balance. She didn't hesitate, gathering herself to leap forward from block to block.
Maine and California never saw her coming, though they doubtless heard the slaps of her boots as she pounded towards them. That was all to the better - her desperate plan depended on it.
A glint of reflected white guided her towards Agent California, and South jumped off the block, feet spread. Her boots slammed heavily into his shoulders, and the unexpected weight drove the male Freelancer to his knees. South shoved herself forward, slamming the back of California's helmet against the pillar he had hidden behind.
California's grip had loosened in shock, and as momentum threw her body forward, South clawed one of his SMG's. She rolled to her feet, and shot blindly towards the hulking mass of white and gold that rumbled towards her, battle rifle prepared to fire.
It was unlucky, really. Despite her dizziness, South's shot had been spot on. Paint exploded towards Agent Maine, but the other Freelancer shot also. The two rounds met head on, bursting into bright pink foam that splattered the pillars surrounding them. South ducked and covered her head, knowing some would fall onto her forearms. But it was not enough to lock either of their armour.
Somehow, North reappeared by her shoulder. Her twin reached down and pulled her to her feet, before shooting at Maine. The other Freelancer dodged the shot.
"North!" The warning cry burst from her throat, and they both ducked behind a pillar. California's round cracked into the blocks surrounding them. North unexpectedly pressed something into her hand, and she closed her fingers around the battle rifle she had dropped previously. South nodded her thanks, eyebrows drawn together as she focused. California's SMG was quickly flung to the side, away into the mess of pillars.
As one, the twins moved away. South ducked around the pillar in search of California, battle rifle raised and ready to fire. North moved to distract Maine.
There! She saw a flash of his white and red armour, and leapt after the other Freelancer.
Surprisingly he was already firing. South heard a shotgun boom out, and snarled as she realized Arkansas had rejoined the fight. Fine - let him take the brunt of California's fire. South could take them both out even more easily.
South burst from her cover, and fired in sharp bursts. She could almost taste California's panic as he realized he was caught between two Agents. Nonetheless, he put up a good fight, proving a challenge as he used the cover of the pillars to his advantage, weaving in and out to return fire and dodge simultaneously. Despite his skill, nothing could stop South's satisfaction as she let loose a storm of bullets. They ripped through the air, and carved themselves in neat lines across his armour. California dropped stiffly to the floor, motionless.
Once again, she and Arkansas were divided by a fallen Freelancer. South let a smirk pull across her features. But she was not distracted by her victory, and raised the battle rifle.
Abruptly, something green and purple flew through the air and crashed into Arkansas. Both Freelancers stumbled to the floor.
Agent Maine strode into her vision, raising a weapon identical to her own. South was struck by horror. No, damn it, no! Her twin would not be felled by this giant asshole. Only South herself was allowed to throw her brother across rooms.
She adjusted her aim, swinging it slightly to the side. Her breath caught in her chest, and South pulled the trigger.
Her aim was off. Even as she watched the pink bullet fly, South knew she had missed. Indeed, it ripped through the air slightly ahead of Maine's body, exploding-
-right around Agent Maine's hand.
South was caught by the bizarre urge to laugh as she watched his hand drop, falling from the unexpected weight. The pink spray that would have taken out her brother jerked, and splattered across Arkansas. It burst around his left leg, plastering him to the floor.
But North was not out of the woods yet. His elbow smashed into the underside of Ark's jaw, snapping his head back. They both flailed on the floor, Ark trying to reach his shotgun and restrain North simultaneously while her twin struggled to free himself. He succeeded a moment later, and - now that her brother was out of danger - South fired. Pink paint burst around his chest, wrapping Arkansas in their stifling embrace.
A rippling growl drew South Dakota's attention away from the dissatisfaction that burned in her chest. Arkansas had deserved a much more painful - and humiliating - end. Her head jerked to the side, and South, instinctively, drew closer to her brother. A crack in the pillar beside Agent Maine suggested he had punched it - extremely, extremely hard - and flakes of pink paint showered the floor. His hand, more or less freed, closed into a fist.
The Dakotas reacted instantly. North aimed high, shooting for Maine's chest as South tried to sweep his legs out from under him. But the other Freelancer was more skilled than they had estimated, and dodged the sniper round, simply swatting South's leg aside. She stumbled slightly, and Maine's rifle cracked across the back of her head. South spun, almost seeing stars.
She opened her eyes in time to see her brother kicked into a pillar. It shook, and her eyes widened at the display of Maine's frightening strength.
South rose unsteadily to her feet. Wary, she settled into a defensive stance, and watched Maine with a sharp eye. From the corner of her eye, she watched North climb groggily to his feet, and join her.
Maine was not one to be underestimated - not again. South had already felt his brute strength and had no desire to do so again. But as the last sentence crossed her mind, South realized she had the answer. It was deceptively easy - she just couldn't allow herself to be hit. The twins sprang forward, once again entirely in sync. South had no idea if her brother had shared her abrupt epiphany, but he seemed to catch on quickly.
South ducked beneath an outstretched arm and kicked at Maine's chest. The blow connected, driving the Freelancer back. It allowed the Dakotas a little more breathing room.
Maine growled, and North stepped in front of South to deflect the blow. His sniper rifle swung, but the other Freelancer batted its barrel aside. South could only watch as her twin began a series of rapid blows, weakening Maine's defence.
North fell back, just for a moment but enough for South to know it was an invitation. She leapt towards the white Freelancer. Maine stepped back and her leg swung harmlessly by his face, forcing her into a crouch to remain balanced. The mistake could have been fatal, but North distracted him with a fist that caught the lip of his helmet, forcing it backwards.
South returned with another snap kick. She knew they were her strongest offensive hits. Sure enough, Maine stumbled, and North took advantage of his distraction.
He tossed his sniper rifle. Agent Maine instinctively went to catch it, his hands tangling around the thin weapon. North stepped forward, landing two lightning fast blows on his collarbone. The defenseless Freelancer fell back, letting North snatch his weapon back. Maine swung widely, but South avoided his fist and hit at his chest.
The Dakotas advanced, forcing Maine into more desperate and clumsy methods to remain standing. He balled his fist, and began a devastating right hook. North sidestepped the blow. South grunted as she ducked, one hand flying up to catch Maine's wrist.
It was his own momentum that entrapped him so neatly. South leapt back up, twisting his arm savagely. It bent behind his back. Her foot lashed out at the backs of his knees, forcing Maine to the ground. His left arm flailed wildly, but South pulled his right at an even more severe angle. The entire exercise took only a moment.
North was ready. He fired sharply, and she felt it as Maine crumpled from the point blank pain. A moment later and he was frozen, trapped inside the pink paint.
For a moment there was no sound but her heavy, fast breathing. Her heart pounded in her chest, but South could feel the large smile breaking across her face. North let his rifle's barrel fall to his side, looking equally as worn yet satisfied.
"Round over," F.I.L.S.S. declared. South turned to watch as Maine's armour was unlocked. The pink paint, no longer entirely solid, simply dropped off his bulky frame in large flakes. The Freelancer shoved past them with a low growl.
"You were really good out there." South turned as her brother spoke, and offered him a relieved, tight smile.
"Thanks," she said, the adrenaline that was fading from her system leaving her breathless.
South drew her hands to her face and inspected her forearms grimly. A few pink flakes, nothing that would possibly result in point deduction. Her lips twisted bitterly, and she let her hands fall, doing her best to hide the spots.
With a small shudder, the pillars surrounding them sank back into the metal ground. South exhaled, face flushed from the mild exertion, as the other weary recruits joined them.
Suddenly, the doors of the training room yawned wide open. South's gaze went immediately to the pack of Freelancers descending upon them with the Director at their head. Her posture straightened, and as one the recruits snapped off salutes. The Director slowed, and clasped his hands behind his back.
"North and South Dakota," he drawled, "you are the victors in today's match. Well done... That was an impressive display of teamwork."
"Thank you, sir," they said together.
The Director smiled thinly, raking them with his bright gaze. Just as his lips parted to speak again, South felt herself being shoved roughly to the side. She grunted angrily, and turned to shove back at whoever had been so rude. But Maine kept moving, walking until he stood before the Director.
"Sir." His voice was low and husky. "I demand a rematch."
"Are you unsatisfied with your performance?"
Maine rolled his shoulders, and spoke again. Anger shook from every syllable as he spoke. "California," he snarled. "California held me back! I could have done better on my own."
Before either Cali or the Director could respond, there was a derisive sneer. A Freelancer clad in dark blue armour stepped forward, brushing his peers aside carelessly. White trim on his armour reflected the light dully.
"You think California held you back?" the Freelancer asked incredulously. South remembered his name was Pennsylvania.
Maine's jaw jutted out angrily. "I know it."
"You were 'held back' because they were better than you." South may have been flattered, if not for the fact he was obviously saying it to anger Maine further. The other Freelancers were still and quiet, watching the tense exchange. "California's the only reason you weren't flat on your ass within ten seconds."
"Are you saying I can't fight?" Maine snarled, his voice a low roar.
Penn laughed darkly. He shouldered his way through the small crowd, carelessly shoving other Freelancers aside. "No. Anyone with a fist can fight." Penn tilted his head to the side, and crossed his arms. He regarded Maine slowly, scraping the white Freelancer with his hard gaze. "I'm saying you can't fight well."
Maine's body was tense, as though fighting against the urge to start throwing punches. For a long moment he was still. South could almost feel the fury rearing its ugly head in his chest, straining and snarling against its leash. Despite herself, she felt goosebumps begin to ride her skin. But Pennsylvania met Maine's gaze steadily, until the white Freelancer spoke again."Is that a challenge?" he sneered.
Penn's hands dropped into a guarded position, his body ready to attack. His fingers twitched, beckoning. "Yeah. You and me. Hand to hand combat, right now."
Maine didn't hesitate. He took a step forward, his fingers curling into fists. "I accept."
"Don't be so stupid." The words came from Carolina, the Freelancer currently ranked number one. She turned to the pair. "You need express permission from the Director to authorize a match."
South's gaze flickered to the man amid the Freelancers. His smile grew even thinner, and his chin dipped briefly. "Permission granted."
F.I.L.S.S. spoke immediately. "Hand-to-hand combat match beginning shortly. Freelancers and personnel, please exit the training room floor immediately."
The group faded from the training room obediently. The Dakotas walked side by side, and South felt a large smile begin to come over her features as she thought over the training match they had just won, and the impressive match about to go down.
Reluctantly, South Dakota had to admit that she was impressed.
