Fade in to the beach of Zanzibar. Washington sees Carolina kneeling down by the water and walks towards her.

U.N.S.C WIND POWER FACILITY, PRESENT DAY.

Washington: The facility is clear.

Carolina: Find anything?

Washington: Nothing we didn't already know.

Carolina: Figured as much. This place was a dead end.

Washington: Sorry, boss.

Carolina: The structure we're going to next, you're positive our target was there?

Washington: I know what I saw, that's why it's on our list.

Carolina: But I know what I saw, and it doesn't make any sense.

Washington: All the more reason to investigate.

Carolina: Alright then. Let's go. Let's go find C.T.

Camera pans towards the sky before fading into a new location

LONGSHORE SHIPYARDS (FOB), MANY YEARS AGO...

The camera follows a seagull as it lands on a submerged helmet before being sniped. As the assistant to the Oversight Sub-committee's following voice-over plays, Wyoming surfaces and, along with Florida, are seen spying on the Insurrectionists at the shipyard

Malcom Hargrove: (voice over) To the Director of Project Freelancer, Dr. Leonard Church. Dear Director, allow me to introduce myself. I am a representative of the newly formed U.N.S.C. Oversight Sub-Committee. Our organization is charged with the protection of high-level assets of the military, one of which, recently went missing. These assets are entrusted to our programs as a privilege, not as a right. As such, they will be safeguarded with the upmost care. In these dark times, mankind has the opportunity not only to prove his humanity, but to earn it.

A Falcon flies by

Wyoming: Well, third craft this afternoon. Let's see who else is arriving.

Malcom Hargrove: (voice over) I look forward to a long, and mutually beneficial, relationship for our two departments. And please, take good care of our Spartan. Yours truly, Malcom Hargrove, Assistant to the Oversight Sub-Committee Chairperson.

C.T. and the Insurrectionist Leader disembark from the Falcon

Demo Man: It's her.

Girlie: I can't believe he trusts that bitch after what she did to us.

Wyoming: There she is. (as Wyoming looks through the scope of his rifle, C.T. gazes out in his direction) Come in, Command. Tell the Director she's here.

Cut to the Leader and C.T.

Insurrectionist Leader: What is it?

C.T.: It's nothing...come on.

The two continue walking, but not before the Leader glances back out torward the ocean. Fade to the Mother of Invention flying through space before cutting to the Director and Counselor inside

Counselor: Congratulations, Director. Another successful test.

Director: Another fragment was harvested this morning, Counselor. Find it a match.

Counselor: This morning? That is ahead of schedule.

Director: Our time grows short, find it a match.

Carolina walks in.

Carolina: Director, Wyoming reported in.

Director: And?

Carolina: You won't like what he found, sir.

Director: Agent Carolina, information never displeases me. It's ignorance that I find unforgivable. Report.

Carolina: It's like you said...C.T. is with them.

Director: You know what to do. I do not need to remind you how valuable our technology is, Carolina.

Carolina: She doesn't have an A.I., sir. And she wasn't exactly the best agent.

Director: C.T. will be an acceptable loss. But her armor must not fall into the wrong hands.

Carolina: I understand. Will we be the only forces sent out on this mission, sir?

Director: (Leaning forward on the table) Leave personnel decisions to me, agent. Just do your job! It's time to cut the head off the enemy once and for all!

Carolina: Yes, sir.

Carolina glances up at Tex's name on the leaderboard before leaving. Cut to Tucker, Caboose, and Epsilon outside the Wind Power Facility

U.N.S.C. WIND POWER FACILITY, PRESENT DAY

Tucker: So, how do you even know this Carolina chick?

Epsilon: Oh, Tex used to tell me stories.

Tucker: You mean tell Alpha stories?

Epsilon: Oh yeah...I guess. You know, whatever! It's hard for me to know who's memory I'm in.

Caboose: Oh yeah, same thing happens to me with things that I'm in. Like my helmet. That's why I wrote my name on the inside of it. I used my tongue. That was hard to do. Now I can't pronounce my *GRAGGH*

Tucker: So... how many... people are you?

Epsilon: I don't know, a bunch I guess.

Tucker: Are they all assholes?

Epsilon: (sarcastically) Yeah, a dozen different fragments, we all have the same shitty circle of friends. Lucky us.

Cut to the Mother of Invention mess hall, where Theta is showing North holographic fireworks

North Dakota: That's really great, Theta!

Theta: Thank you! I worked super hard on it!

South Dakota walks by and sees the two of them.

South Dakota: Ugh!

South then leaves. York and Delta, Minne and Xi sit down at the table. Minnesota still has his helmet on.

MOTHER OF INVENTION MESS HALL, MANY YEARS AGO...

"Hey Theta, you minds if we talk to North for a second?" York asks.

"Uhh, okay." Theta agrees.

"Need you to shut down while we chat, okay? Delta too. You know, it's the rules."

Delta disappears. 

"Xi." Minne says.

Xi nods. "Don't talk too long, please."  And she disappears.

Theta turns to North. "It'll be okay. I won't talk too long."

"Alright." Theta says then he disappears. 

North looks to Minne and York.

"What's up?" North asks.

"I need to ask you about something." York says.

"Oh, okay. Shoot."

"I need to ask you about the Alpha." York whispers.

"Where did you hear that word?" North asks.

Minne points to his head. "Up here."

Washington: (slightly muffled, holding a beverage) What's an Alpha?

"Wash?" York turns to him. "Are you eating inside your helmet?"

Wash smacks his lips. "Maybe. Delta said they got the helmet waste disposal out of beta. That it would make my eating more efficient."

York laughs. "And you believe that?"

"Hey, Spartan's armor recycles urine and makes it into drinkable water." Minne says.

"Don't tell me." North starts.

Sipping sounds come from Minne's helmet.

"Ew! That's disgusting." York says.

"Hey, it's what I was trained to do." Minne defends. 

"Where were you trained?" Wash asks.

"Reach." Minne says. "With my older sister and a few other Spartan II's. And a group called: Noble team. Really great group of people. The planet Reach is really beautiful.  I should take you guys to visit it sometime."

"Now back on track." North says. "It's not 'an Alpha' Wash, it's 'the Alpha.' Theta thinks about him a lot. More than thinks, really. He's- he's obsessed."

"Delta, too." York says.

"So is, Xi." Minne says.

"You know all the units call each other 'Brother or sister'? They call this one... 'Father'. No, that's not right..." 

"Creator." North corrects. 

"Yeah..." 

Wash speaks with food in his mouth. "I thought the director would be their creator?"

"Do you not pay attention in class?" Minne asks.

"A.I.'s aren't created, they're copies of someone." York says.

"But our A.I's are just fragments." North explains. 

"Which begs the question: 'where's the original'?"

"What, so, this Alpha thing is what creates the fragments?" Wash asks with food in his mouth.

"Jesus, will you swallow for God's sake?" York asks.

Wash swallows. "It creates them?" He asks and he holds up an apple.

"Yeah, Theta isn't clear." North explains. "It creates them... or something."

"Yeah..." York starts. "It's the 'or something' part that has me worried."

"Me, too." Minne says.

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7-18-2022