(A/N) Hey guys, NicKenny here with another (slightly late, due to a buggy laptop and an intense hangover) dose of Phase Two: Betrayal for you all, this time written by myself, and featuring a little bit of conversation between the Director and the Alpha. It's a bit short, but sets up a couple of arcs that'll play pivotal roles in the rest of the fic, so it's certainly worth paying close attention to! For those interested, were still currently looking for writers for our X-Ray and Vav fic, so send a PM over my way if you'd like to see about taking part! Also, we'll be announcing the winners of our first Red vs Blue Fanfiction Awards night on the 1st of April, to coincide with the 11th anniversary of Roosterteeth, so if you haven't checked out the list of nominations and voted yet, get to it! Seriously, get those votes in!
Enjoy!
Chapter Forty-Three – Searching
The Director
Written by NicKenny
"The nice thing about artificial intelligence is that at least it's better than artificial stupidity."
― Terry Pratchett, The Long War
"Have you found anything, Alpha?" I asked, as I entered the room, returning from the Recovery ward having been in discussion with the medical staff as to when Agent Utah would be able to return to active duty. Agent Maine had really done a number on him, not that the younger Freelancer cared, according to Dr Jay, who insisted that Utah was the perfect patient. Only Florida had given the doctors less trouble, when in Recovery. South, Maine and, of course, Penn, had been the ones most prominently at the other end of that scale.
The screen blinked, and a slight pinging noise echoed throughout the room before the small white-armoured figure appeared in from of him, managing to portray its weariness and frustration despite the restrictions of being a holographic representation of an armoured soldier. "Nothing, I'm afraid. All reports to and from Aurora show nothing out of the ordinary, all satellite images of the planet have not seen any new movement around any abandoned fortifications or defensible structures, and not a single camera on that fucking planet has picked up a CS face in the past eighteen months. If they're hiding out there, they're doing a fucking good job!"
Rant over, the figure sighed and shrugged. "I'll keep looking, but if Ark and the rest of them are on this planet, they've done a great job of covering their tracks. Unless they slip up, we aren't going to find them."
Frowning, I shook my head in frustration. "Is it likely that they'll slip up?"
The A.I. shrugged again, and its attempts to radiate confidence seemed somewhat forced. "Dude, with me looking for them, they just might. But honestly, do you really think they're here? I mean, it's a big planet, something might have gotten past me, but it's far more likely that this is just another red herring, or worse, a trap."
Rubbing my temples gently, I turned away, pausing in the action for a moment to wave off the Alpha's concerns. "Your purpose is to aid, Alpha, not to question. The reason why I have you searching is to ensure that it isn't a trap. What information do you have regarding the planet itself?"
"Only that its a heavily colonised, supporting a population of about twelve billion people, and focuses heavily on mechanised industry, vehicle manufacturing mostly. There's a strong UNSC presence, despite the fact that the planet is, strategically, relatively unimportant. To be honest, the only way that Arkansas dude could really gather much attention on that planet is by blowing it to hell! There's really nothing there to interest him, or anyone else for that matter!"
I nodded, accepting the A.I.'s opinion. "Have you had any success in deciphering the rest of the ODSTs recording, other than the word 'Aurora'?"
There was a brief pause, followed by a sigh. "Not much. There's too much interference, and their mikes were heavily damaged in the fight. I've picked out a word here and there – "Penn", "recruits", "losses", "target" and so forth, but nothing that gives any real leads into what they were talking about."
"Then keep searching," I ordered, turning back to him, eyes cold. "Keep searching until there's nothing left to go through. If they're not hiding there, perhaps they're planning an assassination, or a raid, or something of that kind. Are you still tracking the whereabouts of the remainder of Ark's targets?"
The A.I. sniffed in disgust. "Of course I am, dude! What do you take me for? Grant and Eisenberg are fucking dead, and you're standing right in front of me. Of the other six, Captain Rafael Vasquez is still in charge of the UNSC Soul of Tranquility, so he's pretty much untouchable at the moment. Sergeant-Major Jira Olumbu is the Warden of the penal colony of Sarposa, and again, is surrounded by soldiers. General William Petrarch has increased security measures after the failed attempt on his life last year, when Florida took a bullet for him, and Lieutenant James Hurst is currently involved in suppressing the Insurrectionist movement on Mobarra. He's probably the one most at risk."
It paused for a moment, evidently weighing up its previous statement, before nodding to itself. "If I was Arkansas, he'd be my next target. Lieutenant Will Harada is, according to his personnel file, currently located on Reach, taking a brief shore-leave, but since these records are classified, I'd be surprised if more than a half-dozen people knew his location. And as for Doctor Isla Grace…"
The A.I. trailed off, and flickered for a moment, the slightest tinge of red flecking the edges of its white aura. "Yes, Alpha?" I asked, after it had remained silent for several seconds, motionless and expressionless. "What about Dr Grace?"
It flickered again, before looking at me. "She's currently in a high-security research facility on Earth, but...she's to be relocated to a similar facility on Aurora within the month. There are several top-secret research facilities on Aurora, which explains the heavy UNSC presence. I...I don't know how I missed that, Director. I should have picked up on it sooner. Do you want me to alert her superiors of our findings, and ask them to remove her to a more secure site?"
I stared at him for a moment, weighing up the various options at hand. "No. Alert her superiors to the threat, but state that an increased security force on Aurora should suffice. We can use this to draw them out. For the first time, we have the advantage over them. We know what they're going to do next. We just don't know when."
"On it!" it replied, and disappeared. I stared at the ship's computer system for a moment, thinking quietly to myself. This could be a vital point in our battle with the Crimson Sun, and it was imperative that we should make the most of it. I had met Dr Grace before, not all that long ago, during one of my petitions towards the UNSC High Command to allow me to resume command of Project Freelancer. A rather proud woman, I had marked her down as, and not used to being opposed or challenged. However, if you didn't know the details of her past, there would be little to suggest why she would be on Ark's list. From his nine targets, and the fact that all of their work, mine included, was heavily classified, it was worrying to see how much information the URF, and now the Crimson Sun, had in their possession. HIGHCOM must have a leak somewhere, I mused, before turning my thoughts back to Project Freelancer.
"Alpha?" I called out, and the holographic figure rematerialised before me, saluting wryly. "I want you to re-evaluate the current leaderboard, in light of recent events. It seems likely that we will be facing Arkansas and his forces again in the near future, and it would be preferable to give some of our agents a reason to hone their abilities further, before the looming battle."
"Your wish is my command, oh glorious Director," it muttered, and was about to disappear once more when I held up my hand, stopping it in its tracks.
"Alpha, has something been wrong with you lately? Your behaviour has deviated remarkably in recent weeks, and you've not been functioning at optimum capacity."
There was a brief moment of silence, of hesitation, before the Alpha finally spoke up in reply. "Well, now that you mention it, Director, I have a question that's been bothering me."
I glanced down at the data-pad in my hands as a slight ping rang throughout the room. The Counselor, messaging me to inform me of a fight breaking out in the cafeteria between agents Maine, Colorado and South Dakota, and requesting my intervention before it escalated any further.
Oh, for crying out loud!
"It's about my creation process, I've been feeling lately like...like something doesn't quite add up."
I glanced up at the hologram, and sighed. "I'm sorry Alpha, but can it wait? It appears that I'm needed elsewhere at this time."
The A.I. mirrored my own sigh and shook its head. "Sure dude, it's not a big deal. Whenever you have the time."
It blinked and disappeared once more, and I stood up, tucking my data-pad under the crook of my arm, and began to make my way towards the cafeteria with all the haste I could muster. Why, when there were so many genuine enemies out there, could my agents only ever bicker and fight with one another, instead of concentrating their efforts on more worthy foes.
If only I had soldiers who could appreciate the seriousness and significance of the work at hand, who would dedicate every waking moment to the destruction of the enemies of humanity, and, most importantly, never complain, never fight one another, and never frustrate their superiors.
After this thought passed through my head, an image of Georgia's personnel file flashed through my head, and I recalled a particular invention of his, which had caught my eye at the time and had evidently stuck with me. I frowned, then raised my left eyebrow slightly, before turning and glancing back in the direction I had come from, a thought formulating in my mind.
I then smiled, and began walking forwards once more, but despite my earlier intentions, I passed by the cafeteria, just in time to see Kentucky getting hurled through a table by Maine, after evidently attempting to step in and break up the fight.
He won't be doing that again, anytime soon.
Instead, I passed through the maze of corridors, leaving the noise of various Freelancers shouting and squawking over one another in an attempt to be heard, accompanied with the thuds, cracks and thumps of bodies hitting metal, glass and other bodies far behind. Eventually, I reached my destination, and entered my own room, where I swiftly reopened the personnel files on the current Freelancers, selecting Georgia's from the centre of the screen, and began to scan through it, opening up attachments at will.
After an hour of frenzied reading, I sat back in my chair, and smiled. Yes, I thought to myself, brief images of various blueprints flashing before my eyes, along with the Alpha's holographic from. This just might be worth looking into.
But first, I'd need Agent Georgia's assistance. With his mind and ideas, we might just find a way to solve the problems I've been having.
Hell, we might even be able to win the war.