A/N: So I'm not really great when it comes to fighting and training and stuff, so I'm just gonna skip ahead a few months bc tbh I have no idea really how to write that stuff? So yeah lmao; there will be a few time skips in this chapter, it's mostly just filling in on what happened before we meet some other freelancers. Aight, enjoy!

Today, there was something a little off about the Director.

I don't really see him often unless he has some comments on my training, or he has another mission for me. So, when I saw him to talk about my weekly progress, he had hardly said a word. He just showed me the chart and left.

I hadn't questioned it, I just figured he was busy, or was having one of his days.

I decided to go talk to the Counselor.

I knocked on his office door, and waited for a moment, but nobody answered. I sighed and walked in, and was thoroughly surprised to see the Counselor….wiping his eyes?

"Oh, good morning, Agent California. Is there something you need to discuss with me?" he asked, looking at me and trying to hide the fact that he was just crying.

Immediately I closed the door and sat down in front of his desk. Sure, the Counselor annoyed me sometimes, but I still cared for him.

"Um, is everything alright, Counselor?" I asked, noticing his dark eyes were watery and rimmed with red.

He cleared his throat before answering, "You remember my wife?" his voice cracked at 'wife.'

Of course I remembered her.

Phyllis, the annoying, sarcastic woman who had escorted me around when I first joined. I hadn't really seen her much since then, but she was on the ship with us.

"Did…something happen?" I asked, quite concerned for Aiden and his wife.

"Yes, um, she was an attendant during the flight that was taken down in the midst of the battle near Mars. The ship was trying to land so they could get to safety until it was over, but it they couldn't land in time," The Counselor took a shaky breath, trying to stop himself from crying anymore.

I couldn't believe it, "Oh my God, Counselor…Aiden, I'm so sorry," I just had no idea what to say.

He shook his head and looked at his desk, "It's alright. The Director told me he had a way of bringing Phyllis back to me. Just, not in the way I preferred."

"'Bring her back?' How?" I asked, wondering what the Director was up to.

The Counselor cleared his throat and looked looked at me, eyes brimming with fresh tears, "Artificial Intelligence."

"Artificial Intelligence? Director, no offense, but, are you crazy?" I demanded. "That would never work! Especially a de-"

"It has already worked, Agent California," The Director turned and looked at me. His green eyes were filled with a determination and hope I had never seen before.

"'It already worked?' But-but how?" I asked, seriously wondering how he could bring a dead person back.

"I have created two A.I. already. One based on myself, as well as one of the late Mrs. Price. Lillian, I'd like you to meet F.I.L.S.S. Our ship's new Artificial Intelligence."

"Hello, Agent California," a voice spoke from the speakers, making me take a double take. Phyllis? That was Phyllis' voice! The same sarcastic, robotic voice!

"How-"

"And now, I'd like you to meet my first creation. The A.I. based on myself, Alpha," the Director introduced, guiding me towards a large box in the back.

When he lifted the top, the first thing I noticed was how bright it was. The glow gradually subsided and left the shape of a tiny, glowing…human.

Alpha looked up at me, and I noticed he slightly resembled the Director, though I couldn't tell, because Alpha was glowing white, and slightly see through. However, I assumed that is was he looked like when he was younger.

"Um, hi," I said, awkwardly waving to the tiny A.I.

He smiled and waved back, "It's nice to finally meet you, Agent California, my name is Leonard Chur-"

"Now now, remember what we discussed?" The Director interrupted.

Alpha sighed, "Right, right, my name is Alpha."

I smiled tensely, before looking back up to the Director.

"Well now," he said, "I do believe you and I have some things to discuss, Agent. See you soon, Alpha," the Director began to close up the case.

"Goodbye, guys," Alpha said, and I could've sworn the Director flinched, before he sealed the box completely.

"So, let me get this straight, you want to implant the Artificial Intelligence created from you, into me?" I asked incredulously.

The Director nodded, "I need to see if the A.I. would be stable in the human body before I further my experiments."

I rolled my eyes, "So you want me to be your little lab rat? What happens if the human body isn't capable of handling the A.I. andI die?"

"Well, that's a risk you'd have to be willing to take," the Director answered.

I groaned and slapped my forehead, I remember the Director vaguely going over the topic of A.I. when I first joined. I had just though I'd be working with them from apart, not that one would become a part of my body!

"And besides, you need the A.I. to help you run some enhancements in your suit. Not only that, but the Alpha would be extremely helpful in your next task," the Director commented. I knew he was trying to bribe me into saying yes, and I knew that it was working.

I groaned again, angry at myself for was I was about to do.

"When does the implantation start?"

I don't remember anything from the actual implantation. The last thing I remember was the Director asking me to count down from 10, and I blacked out somewhere between 6 and 5.

The Director had been leading the operation, seeing as he knew most about how the implantation would go. I was a little sceptical at first, but he reminded me that he was "a doctor for a reason." There were three other people in the operation room, a medic and two nurses. They had strapped me into the chair face down and were going to implant the A.I. into the base of my neck.

When I woke up, there was only one nurse in the room with me.

I stretched, immediately feeling a soreness all over my neck and upper back. I looked around, spotting the nurse as she went to go alert the Director that I had awoken.

I sat up slightly, looking around the familiar med bay. I had been here many times, due to all the previous injuries I've obtained.

What exactly happened?

'Well, I was implanted in your brain.'

"Whoa," I said aloud.

That was...Alpha, I recognized his voice, in my head.

"I-I'm not going crazy, am I?" I asked out loud, making myself seem pretty crazy.

Suddenly, the little white A.I. appeared and sat down on my lap, grinning up at me.

"Nah, you're not crazy, I'm really here. However, I've been looking through some of your memories, and I can't say the same about that time you were in Santa Cruz-"

"Okay, first of all, that wasn't even my fault, and second of all, what on earth made you think you can just...go through my mind?" I demanded, cheeks feeling warm as I realized he probably knows literally everything now.

Alpha tilted his tiny head, "Well, you did? When you, ya know, let me in there?"

I sighed, rolling my eyes. Alpha seemed like a nice person - well, A.I. - but he seems to be extremely irritating when he wants to be.

I drew my attention back to little guy when he floated up onto my shoulder, swinging his legs, "So, you thought about trying to sleep with the Counselor?" he snorted.

My hand flew up, going to smack him onto the floor, when it just glided right through his body, distorting the image. Alpha started chuckling, saying something about my 'anger issues.' I just groaned for what seemed to be the millionth time, plopping back down on my back.

This was going to take some getting used to.

"Agent California, the Director would like to speak to you in his office as soon as possible," the robotic voice called from a little radio in my room.

"Thanks F.I.L.S.S, I'll be right there," I replied, making no move to get up.

"I will alert the Director that you are on your way," The ship's A.I. answered.

I rolled my neck, feeling sore from just finishing my training. I had just finished taking off all my armor, leaving me tired, and feeling disgusting.

Since I had received the A.I. Alpha about a month ago, the Director decided to toughen my training regime, forcing me to allow Alpha to help. I had also been allowed to use one of my armor enhancements, super speed, which is why I felt so drained. It was so, so tiring, but worth it.

"Come on, Cali, let's go see what the boss man wants," Alpha said, appearing beside me as I stood up and began walking to the Director's office.

When I had arrived, the Director stood next to one of his computers, patiently waiting for me. Alpha had disappeared half way here; for whatever reason, the A.I. seemed to always be nervous around the Director. He hated talking to him, and avoided it whenever he could.

"You needed me, Director?" I asked, drawing his attention from the computer to me.

He looked at me for a moment, as if contemplating what he would say, before taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes. I hadn't noticed at first, but the Director did seem extremely busy, recently, and quite exhausted. The last time I had seen him like this was when he first created Alpha.

Wait, does that mean-

'I think he created another A.I.,' Alpha spoke in my mind.

"Yes, yes, I'd like to discuss something a bit more serious," he said, motioning for me to take a seat. Once I had, he took one opposite of me.

"You surely remember when I created the A.I. F.I.L.S.S.," He simply stated.

I nodded, "You based her off of a human, the Counselor's late wife, Phyllis. You took bits and pieces of her, memories obtained from both the Counselor and everyone else that had encountered her and based her on that. I don't know how you were able yo make the voice so similar though," I trailed off, it has always been a mystery to me.

The Director looked into my eyes, his own shining with hope and said, "I did it."

I knew exactly what he was talking about, "You created another A.I. based off of Allison, didn't you?"

He nodded, smiling, which was something I had never seen him do before.

'You're not gonna replace me with the new A.I., are you?' Alpha asked, genuinely concerned for his spot in my mind.

'No, no, of course not,' I thought back, not really paying attention to what the Director was saying. 'He most likely has a different plan for this new A.I.'

I focused back on the Director, "...meet the A.I. we are calling Beta. Her name is Allison, but will be referred to as Agent Texas, and she..."

His voice trailed off once more as I vaguely remember the Director telling me how him and Allison met while going to high school in Texas.

'Cali, focus,' Alpha reminded me.

"...a long day tomorrow. For now, go get some rest."

I went straight back to my bedroom, and did just that.