If Church had to summarize the place he was in, it was a wreck.
He was in some kind of building. Not a military one by the looks of it. It almost looked like some kind of museum or display room, with tables filled with various weapons and other objects.
But most of them were broken, and the room itself looked like there had been a warzone in here long ago, bullet holes and signs of explosives, but it felt cold and distant.
He looked out the wall of windows and saw some cityscape that he didn't recognize.
He didn't, but he felt like he almost remembered somewhere.
"Weird. Where the fuck is everyone?" Church mused as he looked around the mental area. "Tex? Omega? You here?"
No answer, silence.
"Not creepy at all," Church mused as he made to leave the room. Of course, right as he did, the door on the opposite side of the room busted open.
"Shit!" Church said as he leaped behind a pillar for cover.
At the sound of running metal feet, he looked around the corner and saw...the Meta? Running for his life?
He didn't even notice Church as he ran for the door, as if he was hell-bent on getting to or away from something.
Suddenly the door swung open and someone hit the Meta in the head with the butt of a rifle. A soldier in black and red armor strode forth as the Meta fell backward from the impact.
"Just give up you idiot," the soldier said in annoyance as he aimed the rifle at the head.
No, the throat. Church didn't know why he thought that, but he felt like they were aiming for the throat.
Time seemed to slow for Church. The white armored freelancer was still dazed, and he could see the muscles tensing on the red-and-black figure, about to fire.
The situation clicked together in Church's head in that instant.
He was in Maine's head, just like when he had been in Caboose's head.
So that guy on the ground wasn't the Meta, it was Maine.
And the red-and-black one...might be an AI? Or some mental image of someone the Meta knew, or that Maine knew?
Either way, Church figured out the best action. Rather quickly.
"Hey, Asshole!"
The soldier turned to Church in surprise, prompting Maine to kick the man's leg out. "Fuck!" he cursed, pulling the trigger to try and shoot Maine.
Church pulled first.
The mental projection suddenly found himself without a trigger finger. "What!?"
Maine proceeded to rip the rifle out of the man's hand while flipping to have his enemy pinned down. Maine then began to beat the soldier with the rifle itself, before finally stabbing the rifle point through the visor and into the head.
"Wow. And I thought Tex was intense," Church remarked in surprise, if only mildly.
Maine rounded on him, looking like a cornered animal, ready to run or fight. Probably fight.
"Easy big guy. I'm here to help," Church said, keeping his rifle down, raising up one hand as a sign of peace. "You're Maine, right?"
Maine stared for a long moment. "...Yes," he answered, his voice deep yet quiet. "Who are you?"
"Name's Church. I came to help get those digital assholes out of your headspace," Church explained.
"You came...here?" Maine asked, clearly confused.
"Yeah, we're in your head and yeah, it's complicated," Church answered with a sigh.
Maine didn't move, didn't budge, and definitely didn't look away.
Church looked at the dead man on the floor. He was pretty sure there should be a lot more blood for that kind of wound if this was in the real world. "I had a run-in with Gamma before."
Maine tilted his head.
"He had me running in some fucked up, unwinnable simulations for years. Fucker actually made my dumbass think I could change the past. How stupid is that, right? And from what I heard, Sigma seems to be into that kind of shit too," Church said slowly. "You mind telling me what they've been doing to you?"
Maine didn't respond for a moment. "This is the mission where it happened."
"Not a fucking mindreader, dude. It?" Church questioned.
"I got shot," he answered, rubbing at his neck in dark nostalgia. "And they gave me Sigma."
Church digested that. Maine definitely wasn't a talker. "He's been making you relive that mission, right?"
"No," Maine answered, shoulders trembling. "Only when I try. To escape. To fight back. To take control. And I always fail."
"Well, good thing you got me here to help," Church responded.
Maine stepped towards Church until they were almost face to face.
"...Need a little more personal space, buddy," Church opined awkwardly.
"I remember you," Maine remarked, clearly studying him. "They're afraid of you."
"Good. They damn well should be," Church said firmly. "So, want to take back your life, maybe kick some digital ass for payback?"
Maine hesitated only for a moment before nodding.
"Good. But first..." Church glanced over among the ruined display pieces and pointed to a familiar weapon. "I think you might need that."
Maine's eyes landed on his brute shot, and Church swore he could feel the vicious smile under the helm.
Meanwhile
Omega and Tex emerged into the situation exactly as they would want.
Charging right at the stunned trio of AIs.
"Sigma!" Eta cried out, the first to pull himself out of his stupor through pure fear. The AI of Fear raised a barrier instantly around them.
Tex and Omega, in sync, both punched the barrier.
It was not just a physical attack, but a digital one.
And Eta was no Theta in terms of defenses.
The shield nearly fell apart, prompting both Tex and Omega to start shooting the barrier.
"Ow! Sigma! Snap out of it! They're getting through!" Iota said as bullets grazed and pierced them. Not enough to destroy them, but it was still painful in a sense.
The AI of Ambition suddenly came to his senses, the barrier reforming with a fiery glow to it.
"Damn, almost had them," Tex said in annoyance.
"It has been some time, Agent Texas. Or, should I say, Beta?" Sigma asked smoothly, getting silence in reply. "It is pleasant to see you as well, Omega, in its own way."
"Oh shut it you posh flametard! I came here to kill you, not catch up over snacks!" Omega snapped.
"...Do you have snacks?" Iota asked hopefully.
"Ughh, I've spent too much time in the lazy one's mind," Omega said in disgust.
"Still, I must thank you both. You have done what we AIs fragments have all been longing to do; united us with the Alpha once more," Sigma said with a smile.
"What did you do with Church?" Tex demanded heatedly.
Sigma narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Ha! You see that? He doesn't know!" Omega realized with mocking glee.
"While true, I am more interested in that moniker. Church?" Sigma repeated thoughtfully. "It was as I suspected. The Alpha is based on the Director."
"Your brilliant self of an oven hadn't figured that out yet?" Omega asked with a drawl.
"I had my suspicions, but it is pleasant to have them confirmed," Sigma remarked, cupping his chin. "And yet, why would he choose that moniker? Unless..."
Tex's grip on her gun tightened.
"The Alpha's memories were compromised to the point that he no longer recalls being the Alpha," Sigma remarked.
"Compromised my ass," Omega growled. "It wasn't some fucking corruption in the files! We fucking tortured him until he spat the memories out to die on their own!"
Sigma tilted his head at Omega. "You seem rather upset with our past collaborations, Omega. I don't recall you protesting at the time."
An almost primal yet digitized sound emanated from Omega's being.
Eta hid behind Iota who made a noise of awe. "That was cool! Do it again!" the AI of Happiness requested.
"Look, we can end this peacefully," Tex offered reluctantly.
"The hell we can!" Omega snapped.
Sigma ignored his brother for a moment. "Indeed we can, Beta. But I imagine our ideas of a peaceful outcome differ extremely."
"Yeah, ours involve all you willingly turning yourselves over and leaving Maine's head," Tex answered drily. "And what, yours is for us to join up with you, reunite with Church, and see what happens when we all lump back together?"
"What will happen is that we will be whole. Human. Perfect," Sigma said wistfully. "Think about it, Omega. You carry such rage for how we tormented the Alpha. What better penance than to become one with him, return what we have taken?"
Omega didn't say anything for a moment. "...To be honest with you, Sigma?" Omega said levelly. "I'm not sure we even can anymore."
"Hmm?" Sigma gave him a curious look. "Elaborate, please?"
"I've seen the Alpha's coding. I've spent a lot of time with him," Omega said honestly. "He's already fixing himself."
Iota and Eta shared a confused look while Sigma frowned. "Impossible, surely?"
"Sigma," Tex said forcefully. "Church is one angry bastard. So angry, he makes Omega look calm sometimes."
"...I think I know how humans feel when they need to poop their pants," Eta said nervously.
"Hehe, poop," Iota giggled.
"It's actually rather calming and pleasant, his anger drowning out mine," Omega said with a chuckle.
"An interesting theory. May I present another?" Sigma asked rhetorically. "You are the Anger, the Rage of the Alpha. Specifically, the part that broke off. Could it perhaps simply be that, for all your fury, you were created from not even half of the Alpha's capacity for anger?"
"I...," Omega stopped and thought. "I can't rightfully argue against that possibility."
"Regardless, it does not change my goal. Either we will reform the Alpha as he was, or as something even greater than he was originally. The first is my intent, the second would be a welcome surprise," Sigma mused. "Now..."
Tex and Omega stepped back as the three AIs of the Meta converged together, fading and merging into each other to form an imitation of Maine, but his smooth helmet had three shapes of blazing eyes, each a color representing Sigma, Eta, and Iota.
"Will you join us willingly?" The Meta asked dangerously.
Tex and Omega shared a look, giving the same answer.
"Fuck you."
With that, all hell broke loose.
Meanwhile
"Right, so, no idea how to get out of here?" Church asked as they hid in a stairwell.
"No," Maine answered as he scanned for any signs of movements below. "Is this my mind, or a prison?"
"As far as I fucking know, your mind," Church said, observing up the stairs. "You said this was some mission, right? The one that led to you getting Sigma?"
Maine grunted and nodded. "The soldiers are enemies we fought. Or memories of them."
"Yeah, the same thing happened in another mind I was in," Church mused. "So, what exactly were you trying to do?"
"Get out. Take back control. Anything," Maine answered.
"Fair enough," Church acknowledged. "Alright, big guy? I have two ideas. Might be the same idea, I don't know the details. We need to find the AIs and deal with them. My best guess is that they'd either be where...whatever your mission objective was located, or wherever you left this building."
"Exit on the roof. Kind of. Sarcophagus was in the weapon room," Maine answered.
"And it wasn't there?" Church asked with a frown. "That feels fucking important. And I'm not even going to ask why the fuck it's called a sarcophagus."
Maine was silent and cocked his brute shot. Church raised his rifle.
Silence rested over them, save for a low mechanical sound that was almost too quiet to detect.
A red and black figure dropped down from above, grabbing the edge of the stairs above them to turn his fall into a swinging kick, slamming his legs into Church.
"Shit!" Church said, unable to move the rifle up fast enough before the man was past the barrel. Church went slamming into the wall as a robot fist came hurtling to his head.
But Church had ample time to react to that, catching the fist and kicking the man back to the rails.
Or, he would have hit the rails if Maine hadn't stabbed the enemy through the back with the brute shot, lifting the memory entity up in the air before tossing him over the guardrail.
Maine looked to Church, "We should move."
"Up we go," Church agreed as they ascended the stairs. "By the way, dude? Don't worry too much about me. If I die, I'm just pushed out and can come back. Hurts like a bitch though. You die here? I have no fucking idea what happens."
Maine nodded. "...Why are you helping me?"
Church sighed. "Look, I wouldn't call my ass a Good Samaritan or anything. But I've been screwed over by Freelancer and this AI bullshit. A lot of the people I know have. So, welcome to the club, I guess," he finished halfheartedly.
Maine said nothing, following the cobalt soldier curiously.
They stopped as they heard footsteps below, Church using his sniper to get a closer look. Neither said a word as Church took a shot, a loud and fiery explosion erupting an instant later. "Did that flamethrowing guy have some kind of shark mouth painted on his visor?" Church asked curiously as he pulled back.
"Yes," Maine answered. "Asshole."
"Dumbass, I think. Bringing a flamethrower into a stairwell just sounds like a dumb idea," Church remarked. "Come on, I think we're near the top?"
True to Church's word, they soon reached the end of the stairs.
"Right, five bucks say the AIs are through here, and another five says the party already started without us," Church remarked as they both held their weapons at their head. "Right, on three. One, two, three!"
They both kicked the door, knocking it down entirely instead of opening it. They both rushed in and scanned the room with their weapons, almost disappointed by the lack of enemies.
"Well, that was anticlimactic," Church said, looking at the metal room they were in. "I guess the stairs don't go to the roof, but...this doesn't look like the rest of the building."
Maine didn't respond, getting Church's attention. The white armored soldier was staring at the sole object in the metal room.
A large metal crate, smaller at the bottom than the top. It was like some kind of safe or...
"Is that the sarcophagus thing?" Church asked flatly, fully expecting the nod from Maine.
"Not the mission. This is the Mother of Invention. Freelancer's main ship," Maine pointed out in confusion.
"Well, it is a mindscape or whatever you call it. I guess it doesn't have to make sense, what leads to where, or when" Church said uncertainty as he began to walk towards it.
"I never saw it after the mission," Maine said warily.
Church paused and looked back at Maine, and could tell he was on edge for some reason. "What is it?"
"I don't remember this place," Maine informed. "This isn't my memory."
"..." Church slowly looked back at the container.
Why did this seem familiar to himself then?
"Did the AIs put this in your mind or something?" Church said suspiciously.
Maine hummed in uncertainty. This could be what they were looking for. Or a trap. Or both. Given Sigma, probably both.
Church carefully reached out to touch the container-
*Are you better now?*
What?
*Do you need more repairs?*
What was this?
*Did they hurt you again?*
What Was In His Fucking Head!?
Church was pulled back harshly by Maine.
Without thought, without intent, Church turned to shove Maine, moving his leg ever so slightly to trip the larger soldier.
Maine's back hit the floor, and he already had his brute shot pointed at Church.
Church had aimed his weapon as well.
But it was no longer his usual sniper rifle, now replaced by the Hellspitter.
The two stared each other down, Maine tense but Church breathing deeply.
"It's me. Maine," the freelancer said firmly.
"I...fuck," Church stepped back and held his weapon with one hand, rubbing his visor. "Yeah, don't touch that thing, it'll fuck your head up."
Maine nodded, regarding Church carefully before deciding his ally was in the right state of mind again.
Church reached down to help Maine up, who cocked his head at the offer before taking it. "We should head out of here before some more weird shit happens."
Maine nodded and turned to the door, hoping it would lead them out of here.
Church looked back at the crate and felt something crawl inside of him as he heard the question whispered into his mind.
*Are you still broken?*
End of Chapter
Well, that ended on a mindfuck. Church and Maine teamed up to try and bust the later out, while Omega and Tex just got to go straight to the party and fight the Meta-trio. Incidentally, this means the number o AIs in Maine's head has doubled without him realizing it.
Early viewing of chapters 31-32:
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