(A/N) Hey guys, sorry about the slight delay with this update, but here we are at last! Another update from SpoonyAzul and the fantastic New Jersey, as the new guys go out on their first sim mission! As you know, applications for Agent Texas will open on Monday the 17th of February, and just as an added treat we'll be unveiling some new stuff on Saturday the 15th, in celebration of Roosterteeth's very first Community Day!
Until the next time, enjoy!
Chapter Thirty-Three – All the Little Things
Agent New Jersey
By SpoonyAzul
"Somewhere in the world there is a defeat for everyone. Some are destroyed by defeat, and some made small and mean by victory. Greatness lives in one who triumphs equally over defeat and victory."― John Steinbeck, The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights.
"Alright, according to the objective, we're to retake the base with the help of the Red soldiers," Jersey stated as the Pelican lurched towards their destination. As she spoke, everyone double-checked their respective loadouts while strapped to their safety harnesses. Kentucky inspected his flashbang filled satchel as he wiggled in his seat and hummed a tune, expressing his excitement. Colorado sat opposite her, staring down the sights of the SMGs in her hands before trying out the laser pointer. Nebraska sat a seat away from 'Rado, replacing his magnum back on his thigh plate before looking up at Jersey. Even the team leader was checking the sights of her battle rifle.
Clearing her throat, the rust coloured Freelancer continued, "When we touch down, we'll meet up with the commanding officer on site and let him in on our battle plans."
"As if you've got any decent plans, Jersey," she heard 'Rado say, with venomous tension soaking into her voice.
The team leader shot a look at the small Freelancer, hiding a grimace underneath her helmet's visor. It was clear the cobalt soldier was sore about Jersey winning the battle royale in the Danger Room. Then her anger no doubt doubled when the Director put both Freelancers on the same team and named Jersey as the team leader. Since then, tension hung in the air like a black cloud over their heads. It felt so thick that Jersey could cut it with her balisong twice over.
I just hope she can put that anger aside long enough to see this mission complete, Jersey thought, still remembering Carolina's team returning from a simple recon mission gone awry. The sight of three seasoned Freelancers returning bloodied and broken still burned in her mind, a grim reminder of how dangerous her new occupation was. While this was just a practice mission and they were the bottom of the Freelancer barrel, the sim troopers would be using live ammo, so she had to get her act together and take this mission seriously.
Everyone nodded as the intercom crackled to life, "Opening the bay doors!" the pilot shouted from the cockpit. The giant metal door slowly opened and all four team members quickly exited the plane...or they would have if Agent Kentucky wasn't still in his seat, daydreaming with eyes glazed over and looking at her-
"KENT! GET YOUR ASS OFF THE PLANE!"
While her team headed to the shore, Jersey took a minute to take in her surroundings. The mission was taking place on a simulation terrain called Last Resort, a heavily fortified base in front of a pretty spectacular ocean view, with a giant windmill slowly turning its massive blades in time with the breeze. The beach itself had off-white sand littered with tall palm trees and even taller, crumbling stone walls. For Jersey, the ocean view brought back memories of the beaches outside New Canton. The hot sand between her toes, inhaling the salty sea breeze through her nostrils, the gentle waves lapping against her feet, the local birds hovering over the water.
However, she shook her head and cleared her mind of those thoughts. It wasn't the right time to think on that. She grew serious when the red soldier with a lieutenant's badge and a shoddy sniper rifle walked up to the group. When he spoke up, his voice sounded hoarse, as if he had a sore throat or chain smoked, "You guys the Freelancers that Command sent for us?"
"You must be Lieutenant...Embry," she read, off the list of Red Team names in her visor, and nodded. "Yep, that's us; I'm Agent New Jersey, that's Kentucky, Nebraska, and Colorado. We've come to help you retake the base from the Blue Team."
The old lieutenant inspected each them, but stopped at 'Rado and, without thinking, said, "Wow, I knew you guys came in all sizes, but I didn't think they let kids in the army."
"I'M NOT A FUCKING KID!" 'Rado screeched at the gruff lieutenant, reeling her fist back for a punch, but a hand caught her by the wrist before she could follow through.
Nebraska stared her down, with a firm grip on her hand, and simply said, "Don't."
"Don't let her size fool you, Lieutenant," Jersey warned, "Colorado can fuck you up in more way than one, old man."
"Hmph, I'll take your word for it." Lieutenant Embry said begrudgingly. "I take it you guys have a plan to get us back in there?"
Jersey nodded and the Red lieutenant led them to a ramshackle tent where four Red soldiers – one a corporal, while the rest were privates – immediately stood at attention at Jersey. All four had standard issue but poorly maintained DMRs.
Nine soldiers. The other team will most likely have the same numbers, give or take. After all, things have to be fair, right?
"I know our base is real shoddy," the lieutenant stated, pointing his head in the temporary base, "but we've had to work with what we have for a week now. They've sealed off most of the base and the only way is through the front, but they've got those damn turret guns. Makes it impossible to get through."
She remembered that West Virginia, along with her squadmates Nevada, Connie, and Utah, were leading the defence of the base. While they hadn't done so well in the Danger Room, the one thing that concerned Jersey was the defending team leader. Despite having an overbearing bubbly personality, she was the only sniper among the new recruits and the only one on her team who had scored a point in the Danger Room. With her sniping capabilities plus the machine gun turrets in a wide open area, Jersey's team would be slaughtered if they tried a full frontal assault.
That's why three teams would be needed.
"We've been eating sand for days! Plus I almost lost a man when he tried to drink sea water! Sea water! Who the hell dr-"
"Lieutenant," Jersey interrupted the Red team leader, "Sorry to interrupt your tirade, but do you have anyone who knows how to work the generators?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, we got someone like that," Lieutenant Embry quickly turned his head to his soldiers, "Private Barbee! Front and centre, on the double!"
The private in question stepped forward, eliciting a few chuckles from his fellow soldiers, no doubt for having a last name that sounded like a girl's doll toy. He seemed nervous and twitchy, his hands shaking and barely holding on to his own DMR. "Um, y-yes, boss?"
"He's a little nervous, but he knows his way around a generator or two. Why?"
"It's part of the plan, actually," Jersey said with a smirk under her visor, now confident they could pull this off. "Gather everyone to the tent and we'll go over the battle plan."
It didn't seem physically possible to fit nine full-armoured adults in a small, hastily pitched tent, but Jersey didn't mind the cramped space.
Using her knife, she drew a crude representation of the base in the sand, "Alright, here's the plan: Nebraska, take 'Rado and Private Barbee, sneak into the power room and disable the generators. As soon as the power out, regroup at the main room with us. If there's anyone left, help with the assault."
"On it, boss," Nebraska nodded while 'Rado snorted in protest,
Jersey then turned to the Red Team Leader, "Lieutenant Embry, you, me and Corporal Bateman will take the left side. Kent, you take Jenkins and Hellmann and take the right side. That way we'll have them on a pincer attack."
"Okay, Joisey!"
"Alright, any questions before we go?" Jersey said, already knowing that Colorado would interject with some objection or another.
"Yeah, why do I get stuck with a fuckin' idiot?" 'Rado asked, anger still present in her tone of voice.
The orange Freelancer sighed out of exasperation and turned to her teammate, "Colorado, out of all the Freelancers here, do we know how a generator works without having to blow it up?"
'Rado went to say something but then stopped and let out a low frustrated growl.
"I thought so." Jersey said, slinging her battle rifle into her arms. "Alright, everyone stay together, use your radios to talk, stick to cover and time your shots." She clicked off the safety of her battle rifle. "Let's go."
Kent hoisted his fist in the air and shouted in a battle cry, "OOOOOOOOOONE-LINEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"
Lieutenant Embry pulled her aside for a second. "Uh, is he okay?"
"Don't worry about him," Jersey reassured him. "He's just really excited."
The Red leader grunted as the team headed to the front, save for Nebraska's group who had gone ahead to their designation outside the garage. They ran past the rock formation as Jersey saw three red blobs on her radar.
"Alright, everyone in place?" Jersey said over her radio, with the Lieutenant and Corporal behind her, holding her position at the front.
At that moment, her radio crackled to life. "This is Nebraska, waiting for your signal."
Then another crackle came into her mic."Kent here, Jooooisey, ready to make some NOOOOOOOOOOOOISEY"
"Okay, everyone on my mark, sync?"
"Sync."
"Sync."
"Refrigerator!"
She blinked twice before realizing who it was and then immediately shouted, "UTAH, GET OFF THIS FREQUENCY!"
Wait, if he could-Oh, frick on a stick!
"It's the anti-Flag! Come to rule over us in darkness for a thousand years!" One of the blue soldiers shouted up on the mounted turrets, "Die, you foul spawn of red demons! For the flag, for the hill and for all things Blue, ATTAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"
Chaos erupted around them as a mix of live gunfire and laser weapons shot into the air and the polycrete walls. Jersey merely grimaced when a laser narrowly missed her head by inches, slowly moving back out of the range of fire.
"I see you, Jersey girl," the sniper called our as she let off another shot. "Can't hide from me!"
...and there's West Virginia, she thought as she fired blindly with her laser-operated weapon at the perch, only to be answered with a rain of bullets.
Corporal Bateman got out of cover from the north doorway and aimed him DMR at West, "I got her-HNNNG!" The corporal shouted before he fell to the ground surrounded by cackling yellow energy.
"SCORE!" The cheery West Virginia sang out in joy at her "kill" while Jersey just shook her head.
"Joisey, we're taking fire,"Kentucky whined through his radio."One of those turret guys has us pinned down! Doesn't give me an opportunity to throw a flashbang." he paused a but before adding,"Geez, does that thing ever run out of bullets?"
"Just keep them busy!"
"Jersey, this is Nebraska, we've made it into the generator room," her radio said over the gunfire. "We ran into a couple of Blues, but nothing we couldn't handle."
"WHO DROPS THEIR ASSAULT RIFLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIREFIGHT?!" Jersey heard in the background, most likely Colorado screaming at the red trooper for his clear cowardice.
Poor guy...
A few more rounds bounced off and ricocheted in random directions while Jersey shot blindly once again, "The turrets are keeping us pinned down and west is wreaking havoc down here. How are you guys on disabling the power?"
"The techie got started on it. Shouldn't take too-" Nebraska suddenly cut off mid-sentence,"Wait, Colorado, what are you do-SHIT! SHIT! SH-"
Before Jersey could ask what was going on, everything shook violently as the power room exploded along with a flash. The immediate shockwave hit Jersey in the chest and even knocked the Red Lieutenant on his ass.
"What in the name of all things red was that?!" she heard him scream out.
The sudden turn of events would've made Jersey angry, had she not saw West with head turned towards the explosion and the turret men on their asses, wailing and praying to their flag. An opportunity presented itself. She activated her radio and quickly shouted, "Kent! Grenade! Throw at turret!"
"LEEEEEEROOOOOOY JEEEEEEENKIIIIIINS!" she heard someone yell as a flashbang flew at the confused West Virginia.
The flashbang flew true to its mark and landed between West and the zealots. The defending team leader scrambled backwards, ordered her soldiers to move before it detonated and the woman in green armour froze in a yellow aura, along with the blue grunts.
After watching West go down with a smile, Jersey called over her radio, "Nebraska, what the fuck just happened?!"
No response.
"Neb, do you copy?!"
A small burst of static came through until it responded with: "Shit! 'Rado caused a chain reaction and blew the generators to hell! I can't find her anywhere! She must've gone in alone."
God DAMN IT.
"Oh god, what do we do?!" she heard one of the privates yelp in fear, and Jersey shot him a scathing look, or one that would have been scathing had her visor not hidden her features.
"Plan hasn't changed. Head into the base!" she ordered, barely keeping her anger in check."Alright, people, inside. Let's go, go, go!"
Jersey and Kent took their remaining Red troopers and entered the base on each side. She checked her motion tracker, on alert for any red blots on her radar. The group sprinted down the halls and up the stairways as she heard more the sharp cracks of gunfire in the distance.
She stopped outside the main room and peeked around the doorway. She saw Utah and Nevada in the middle with two troopers huddled around heavy metal boxes, their weapons at the ready at both sides and praying to their Flag saviour to help him through their ordeal.
Who worships a crappy piece of fabric, anyways?
She lined up her shot, ready to take out Nevada when she heard a high-pitched battle cry from the other side of the room.
"SHALALALALALALA!"
Kent had sprinted out of his cover and charged toward the confused Utah, several flashbangs strapped to himself and throwing others from each of his hands. The ultimate distraction.
"Utah, what are you doing?! Shoot!" Nevada screamed at her teammate before taking a shot from Jersey's battle rifle in the shoulder, locking her left arm.
The white armoured giant just stared as he rambled, "He's doesn't have a gun, Nevada! That just doesn't seem fair! And he's sooo…shiny."
The flashbangs detonated, enveloping the room in an instant flash of white light before both Freelancers and the remaining blue soldiers collapsed onto the ground as their armour lock activated.
"SPACE MARINES!" Kent jovially cheered, hoisting his fists in the air in celebration, "BOOMS FOR THE BOOM GOD! BOMBS FOR THE BOMB THRO-"
CRACK!
He was so focused on his jubilation that he didn't notice the laser dot flitting around on his chestplate before Connecticut came out from behind a crate and shot him with her DMR. Jersey could hear him mutter a curse as he fell in armour lock.
Well, shit.
"I got her!" the lieutenant yelled behind her, firing his sniper rifle haphazardly at the woman in brown armour before she took to cover once again, "Damn, I thought I did."
"I can take her!" Jersey shouted, "Stay in cover and check your fire!"
She sprinted towards the crate and leapt over it, ready to shoot Connecticut, when a hand shot out and punched her in her visor, dazing her for a second. On instinct, Jersey reached with her prosthetic and smacked the DMR out of the other woman's hands, following up with a swift left jab to Connie's cheek, knocking her to the floor.
Jersey pulled out her magnum, ready to shoot Connie and end the mission, when a leg whipped underneath her and knocked her on her side, her prosthetic hitting the floor with a metal CLANG and causing her to drop her handgun on the metal floor.
Jersey looked up only to see the barrel of a .45 pistol in her face
Oh shi-
BANG!
Suddenly, Connecticut froze, the yellow energy field surrounded her and, a second later, she fell to the floor like the others before her. Jersey looked to the side and saw Nebraska with his magnum pointed at Connie, nodding to her as he put it away. Right behind him was Private Barbee, shaking and cowering behind the dull grey Freelancer.
"Thanks for the save, Nebraska," she said, picking herself up, when she realised that they were the only ones left.
"I think that's everyone on the Blue team," Nebraska scanned the room with the soldiers and Freelancers frozen, "Looks like we won. Er…Jersey, are you okay?"
Officially, she completed her objective and her team won the battle. But, instead of feeling accomplishment, anger brewed in her stomach since Colorado's stunt. Now that the fighting was over and done, it quickly boiled over into rage and she couldn't contain it.
"God fucking DAMN IT!"
Without warning, Jersey slammed her metal fist into the wall and left a very impressionable hole, with tiny spider web cracks, in the polycrete.
This wasn't a victory at all. Shame and failure clung to her like an oil slick. Then fear and anger took hold, going back to the wounded Freelancers in the hangar bay. If this was a real mission, if they had been fighting Covenant or Insurgents, they would be dead. If they weren't dead, they would be captured and tortured for information. Not to mention that Colorado had almost killed Nebraska and the red trooper in the generator room out of spite. All because she was sore about losing!
Then doubt started to worm its way in. Did this mean that she wasn't meant to be a team leader? Was it because she couldn't get 'Rado to get her act together?
At the thought of the cobalt soldier, she turned to Nebraska, 'By the way, where's Colorado?"
"Oh, she's in the next room with her armour locked. She tried to ambush the Blues, but got shot by Utah instead. Guy's got a quick trigger finger when he'd surprised. Pretty damn embarrassing for her."
After that, she couldn't help but laugh on the inside. Sometimes, it was the little things that kept her going.