"Dear Director, We can all understand that a shift from autonomy to oversight can be a difficult adjustment for anyone, But especially someone of your standing. In that spirit, we have attempted to accommodate your brief explanations to our serious inquiries. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to inform you that even our trust has its limits."

"Sorry, sir, those are my orders." A soldier tells Wash. "No one can approach the crash site. You can't come in, sorry."

"I need to see that ship, check my clearance if you need to." Wash says to the soldier.

"I know, sir, but it won't matter, they said I can't let anybody in... anybody."

"I have orders from Command, Private." 

"So do I, these came from the Director himself." The soldier looks to the side then back to Wash. "Look sir, I'd like to help you, I really would, but this investigation thing, apparently they started talking to people within the recovery force, now everything's getting locked down. You get Command to call me and tell me different, I can let you in. Until then, there's nothing I can do. You can use Red Base if you want to make some calls, that facility has already been swept."

"Fine, I understand." Wash says.

Ash is next to Caboose.

"We have a problem." Wash tells the three.

"I hope it isn't a math problem..." Caboose says.

"They've got the crash site locked down."

"Oh, great, we couldn't have found that out on the radio?" Church asks. "We had to walk here?"

"Well part of it was a bus ride." Ash says.

"They said we could use this base, if we want." Wash motions to the base next to them.

"Wow, the empty concrete base?" Church sounds sarcastic. "Is it our birthday?"

"I want cake." Caboose says.

"Me, too." Ash says. "With dynamite for candles."

"Can we find somewhere nicer to hang out?" Church asks. "Hey, maybe there's like a cool nightclub nearby that you can't get us into either. That would be awesome."

"You three just stay here." Wash orders. "I'll go draw off the guards. When I give you the signal, use that grav lift."

"The what?" Church asks. "How do we use it?"

"Minnesota?" Wash asks.

"You just walk into it and it'll safely transport you away from it." Ash explains.

"Meet me at the ship." Wash says as he sneaks off.

"Ok, what's the... signal?" Church asks.

"God damn it, I hate when they do that." Church complains.

"When they do wha...? Hey!" Caboose notices Wash is gone. "Where is Agent Washington?"

"I find the guy weird." Ash says "He talks to me like he's known me for a long time. I only meet the guy a few hours ago."

--

Ash is standing next to Church.

"What do you think he'll do for a distraction?" Caboose asks.

"Who knows?" Church starts. "He'll probably like, you know, make a noise or... throw a rock. That's what I would do."

"My money's on an explosion." Ash says. "They make great distractions!"

Then explosions go off at the base across the canyon.

"I was right!" Ash exclaims.

Alarms start to wail.

"I think he is better at distractions than you are." Caboose says to Church.

"Yeah..." Church agrees.

Then their radios turn on and Wash talks over it. "Ok, come on out, but come quietly."

"Ok, let's go." Church walks over to the grav lift.

"Um, yes, I don't want to." Caboose says. "Uh, you see, I'm scared of the thing that I don't know what it is."

"Oh, don't be a baby. How bad could it...BE?!"

"Thatwasfuckingbullshit!" Church yells from behind the Warthog.

The soldier on the right turns to his friend. "Did you just say something?"

After a few seconds the other soldier responds. "What?"

"I said quietly!" Wash says over the radio. "What part of quiet don't you understand?"

Church gets up. "What part?!" He yells. "How about the part where I got thrown eighty feet in the fucking air...! by the God damn throwing thing?!"

"Grav lift." Ash says over the radio.

"SHUT UP!" Church yells.

After a few seconds Ash lands on his back next to Church and he jumps up.

"Stuck the landing!" Ash yells.

"You said it would safely transport you, you ass!" Church yells at Ash.

"You're still alive aren't you?" Ash asks

----

The group is sneaking over to the down pelican.

A tank passes by them.

"They didn't see us, ok, stay out of sight." Wash says.

The group sneaks over to the Pelican.

"Do you recognize this ship?" Wash asks.

"Yeah, this looks like it." Church confirms.

"Wow, it stayed mostly intact." Ash says.

"Sheila?" Caboose asks the ship. "Sheila! Are you okay."

Wash looks at Church. "Um, what is he doing?"

"Oh, yeah, we, uh, we transferred our tank's training program into the ship, so that it could help us repair it." Church explains.

"Did you inform Command that you moved the program to the ship?"

"Yeah, we're not really big on paperwork."

"That's why the Blues suck!" Ash says.

"Oh, shut up." Church says.

"That's actually a good thing, in this case." Wash says.

Wash continues. "If they don't know it's there, they may not have tried to activate it." Wash removes a panel and there is a diagnostic screen. "Aha! Here we go."

Wash turns Shelia on.

Shelia speaks lethargically. "...ello, and thank you for activating the... wait, where am I?"

"Sheila?" Caboose asks.

"Program. Instruction. Run a full diagnostic, and load the logs from your last flight." Wash orders.

"Affirmative." Sheila says. "Except... exception. This system has taken... taken damage.  I am function... I am functioning at minimum capacity...city...city."

"Program. Instruction. Override exception..."

Caboose gets a little angry. "Do not talk to her like that! She is not a program!"

"Woah...what?" Wash is confused. "Calm down."

"Hey, I'm just going to... stand behind Caboose." Church says as he moves away from Caboose. "..for a couple minutes... you know, for safety... reasons."

Ash looks between Wash and Caboose. He then moves behind Caboose.

"Port engine destroyed." Sheila says.

"Ok, I only want to replay the logs from the crash." Wash informs Caboose. "So, can you please get it..." Church and Ash move farther back. "...I mean her... to do that?"

Caboose stares at Wash for a few seconds then turns to Sheila. "Sheila? Um would you go ahead and do that thing that he just said to me?"

Sheila: Begin-beginning playb-playback.

The screen starts playing the log, with a warning siren and sounds of things hitting each other in the background

Sheila: Warning. Warning. System failure.

Tex: Sheila! Damage report, now!

Sheila: Port abort, destroyed. Rear stabilizer offline. Navigation, offline. And my system clock does not match interior records.

Andy: (sponsor version) That's it? Give me a minute to warm back up. I can do better!

Tex: Did Gamma get loose?

Sheila: Negative, but I do not know how much longer I can contain him.

Tex: Computer, what about there? In the canyon, can we land?

Sheila: Analyzing data.

Tex: Just tell me, can you get us there?

Sheila: I am unable to calculate-

Tex: Sheila, give me manual control, now!

Sheila: Acknowledged. Manual control, activated. Warning: decompression. Rear doors, open.

Tex: Where're they going?

Andy: (sponsor version) Somebody roll me into a corner!

Tex: Close the hatch!

Sheila: Rear doors open.

Tex: Wait!

Sheila: Acknowledged. Warning.

Tex: What happened to-

Sheila: Altitude critical. Brace for impact. Brace for impact.

Andy: (sponsor version) Brace for impact? I'm a ball! I roll around, what am I gonna brace myself with?

Tex: Hold on everyone!

Andy: (sponsor version) I'm a round object!

Sheila: Brace for impact.

Tex: Hold on! Everybody just hold on-

The recording ends with a sustained beep

"Ok, so after that, the ship crashed here." Wash says and he turns to the other three. "And from what a survivor told us, the Blues got here first and offloaded the bodies and equipment. Then they started to get infected."

"Infected?" Caboose asks. "What were they doing with the bodies?"

"Ewwww!" Ash is grossed out.

"Gross, shut up." Church tells Caboose.

Caboose looks at Church. "No, really what were they doing with the bodies?"

"He said their men started acting erratically." Wash informs them. "And for some reason they destroyed all their radios and their own Com tower."

"Oh, ok, ok..." Church starts. "that was definitely Omega." 

"You had a similar experience?"

"Yeah, similar? Exactly the same."

"It sucked." Ash says.

"It all adds up, then." Wash says. "Omega was the one who inherited that trait. During training, they discovered he could move from suit to suit. For some reason he preferred, Agent Texas. They tried to reassign him, but he always made his way back to her somehow."

"So where's your AI?" Church asks.

"I don't have one... anymore." Wash says. "It's a long story, but it's why I was chosen for this job."

"Ok, ok, I knew I heard your name before. You're that guy that went nuts, right?"

"I didn't do anything... my AI...lost...control of itself." Wash explains.

"Right... it just happened to do it while it was inside your head." Church says.

"Right."

"We have a lot in common, Agent Washington." Caboose says.

"No we don't. ..... And don't ever say that again."

Wash looks to Ash. "And they're still trying to find your A.I Minnesota."

"I'm not Minnesota." Ash says.

"Hm?"

"I have no idea why you guys keep calling me that. I'm not nor have I been a Freelancer."

"Where's Texas' body?" Church asks, interrupting the conversation. 

"According to the prisoner, it should be in Blue base." Wash starts to walk away.

"Take me to it, I want to see it." Church demands. 

Wash stops and turns to him. "What? I don't think so that's their main..."

A beeping sound interrupts Wash and Wash's radio turns on.

"Recovery Command calling Recovery one, level zero." Command says.

"I have you, Command, level zero, go ahead." Wash says.

"We have a beacon, Wash... pulling the data now." Command informs Wash. "Stand by for ID and coordinates."

"I received it here, too... standing by."

"What was that?" Church asks.

"That was my recovery beacon." Wash informs Church. "It means an AI somewhere is in jeopardy, and I have to find it before...something...else...does."

"I don't like the sound of that." Ash says in slight worry.

Command speaks again. Coordinates locked, transmitting now."

"Receiving coordinates for recovery target, do we have an ID?" Wash asks.

"Affirmative, it is from the AI Delta and..."

"...Agent South."

"Roger that, Agent South Dakota. Vital reports look bad, yeah, she's in trouble, Wash." Command reports.

"Yes...yes she is." Wash says.

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07-06-2022