A pirate is aiming is shooting their gun.

"Take him down-" The pirate yells.

Suddenly a metal first punches them in the face and they fall to the ground.

"Never underestimate a metal fist." Ash says as he clenches his left prosthetic hand. 

"Mo-Move!" Xi yells.

Ash moves to the side as a sniper round flies past him.

Ash looks up and sees some Pirates running towards him.

"Time to go!" Ash yells and he runs away from the pirates.

Cut to Crash Site Alpha. A Rebel is firing from cover.

Fed: Incoming!! (slides into the cover)

Rebel: Hey, whoa whoa whoa! What do you think you're doing?

Fed: What?

Rebel: You go find your own cover! This is mine!

Fed: No way! We can share it!

Rebel: (stands up) Over my dead body! (a sniper bullet to the head kills him)

Fed: (melodically) Irony.

Cut to a cloaked Locus reloading his sniper rifle.

Tower 2 Pirate: (over radio) Tower 2 here. We're picking up enemy aircraft on our radar. Looks like they're staying out of range.

Locus: Hold position. By the time reinforcements arrive (cut to view from Locus' sniper scope viewing the battlefield) there'll be noone left for them to save. (starts aiming for Jensen and Palomo shooting from behind a boulder)

Washington: (over radio) You really should've killed when you had the chance, Locus.

Tower 2 Pirate: Who's that?

Washington: (over radio) I know you can hear me. I made sure this was broadcasting on all open channels.

Locus: (walks toward the cliff face of his sniper nest) Reckless behavior, even for you.

Washington: (over radio) I guess I'm just full of disappointments. You know, I've been thinking about the last time we met. The questions you asked me.

Locus: We're past the point of talk, Agent Washington. Goodbye.

Washington: (over radio) I'm at the southwest side of the crash site. (Locus looks through the scope and suddenly sees Wash's helmet pop up from behind cover) You still don't feel like talking?

Locus: (shoots) No.

Cut to Washington picking up his helmet, which was attached to the end of his Battle Rifle. He puts the helmet on.

Washington: Please tell me you caught the vapor trail on that shot.

Cut to Smith, Axel, and Bitters behind cover, watching over the situation.

Washington: (over radio) He's not gonna fall for the same trick twice.

Bitters: Oh, we got him.

"He's so stupid." Axel says.

Smith: (He, Axel, and Bitters stand up) Open fire!

The three start to shoot, until they hit Locus, disarming him and decloaking him as well. Locus runs down from his sniping spot to cover.

Bitters: Woohoo! Eat a dick, you Predator knock-off!

"Haha! I hit something!" Axel says with excitement. 

Smith: Jensen, status report.

Cut to Jensen and Palomo at the engines. Palomo is providing cover fire for Jensen.

Jensen: Engines all set and ready for smokescreen. Thanks for the cover, guys!

Palomo: Hey, what about me?

Jensen: You would've made an excellent human shield, Palomo.

Palomo: Thank you.

Cut to Kimball and the Reds inside the ship wreck.

Washington: (over radio) You guys get that?

Sarge: Loud and clear!

Kimball: (to Reds) You sure this will work?

Simmons: Oh god, no!

Grif: Well, it's better than getting shot I guess. ...Or is it? Wait, what happens if this doesn't work?

Simmons: (nonchalant) We explode.

Kimball: (sarcastically) Great. (walks towards a group of Feds and Rebels firing) Everybody listen up! (the soldiers cease fire and turn to Kimball) We're making our move!

Cut to the outside of the ship. The engine releases a large smokesceen, shrouding the entire battlefield in smoke. Locus regroups with two space pirates firing their weapons.

Locus: Form a perimeter, and hold the line.

Cut to two pirates looking aimlessly within the smoke.

Space Pirate 1: God damn it, I can't see shit.

A Warthog with Sarge, Simmons, and Grif appears out of the smoke... in slow motion. They hit three Space Pirates, with a Rocket Hog and another Warthog following them.

Sarge: Life finds a way!

Cut to Locus accompanied by two space pirates.

Space Pirate 2: They broke through the line, sir! Should we follow?

Short pause

Locus: No. Their reinforcements will be waiting. Stand down.

Washington: (over radio) All that time we were with the Feds, I knew you were watching me, making sure I wasn't a threat.

Cut to Wash sitting in the shotgun seat of a fleeing warthog, speaking to Locus via radio.

Washington: Which was why I took the time to watch you. You know, you might see our similarities, Locus.

Cut back to Locus.

Washington: (over radio) But you still can't see that between the two of us, that I'm the soldier, and you're just a killer.

Locus: (to Space Pirate 2) I need a vehicle.

Cut to Doc pummeling Tucker at the Eastern Mountain Range. Dr. Grey and Caboose are seen behind them. Tucker yells "Ow!" after every one of Doc's punches. Doc still speaks in Omega's voice.

Doc: And take this! And that! And then take two of this! And call my other personality in the morning! (laughs maniacally)

Dr. Grey: (to Caboose) And you say he's a... medic?

Caboose: Yep. And a pacifier.

Tucker: (while being punched by Doc) Pacifist. (continues saying "Ow" as Doc punches him)

Caboose: (to Dr. Grey) Yeah, but sometimes he gets really weird and calls himself "O'Malley" and tries to destroy the world. Yeah it's like an inside joke.

Dr. Grey: You are, without question, the most fascinating group of individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting! Ash is my favorite out of all of you!

Tucker: (yelling in pain) I'M DYING!! (yells in pain)

Dr. Grey: Oh, great!

Dr. Grey rushes towards Doc and knocks him off of Tucker.

Doc: Ugh!! The back of my head!

Tucker: (gets up) Ugh! You couldn't have done that any sooner?!

Grey: Oh calm down. You've got a medic to patch you up later.

Tucker: Calm down? Calm down?! Carolina, Ash, Xi, and Church are gone, Doyle is still missing, and now we've got Dr. Evil ready to beat us to death as soon as he wakes up! So if we don't find this stupid sword and get out of here in the next five minutes, I'M GOING TO HAVE A GOD DAMN HEART ATTACK!!!

Caboose: (turning to his right) Oh well, maybe those guys have seen it.

Cut to the two Pirates that were shooting at them earlier. One of them reloads his rifle.

Tucker: OH-HO-HO, GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!

The Pirates prepare to fire, but are suddenly shot from behind by Donut and Lopez.

Donut: Boo-yah! Consider yourselves penetrated!

Lopez: Creo que quisiste decir perforados.[I think you meant perforated.]

Donut: Thanks, Lopez! I do live la vida loca.

Grey: Well, there you go.

Tucker: I honestly don't know if this is better or worse.

Grey: You all go find General Doyle. I'll stay here and make sure your medic friend is okay.

Tucker: Sounds good. (walks away) Come on, let's go!

Caboose and Lopez go with Tucker, Donut meanwhile spots Doc lying on the ground.

Donut: Hey, is that Doc?

Tucker: (off screen) Yep!

Donut: Huh, feels like I haven't seen him in ages! Weird. (follows the others)

Over with Ash. 

Ash is running a pirate appears in front of him and Ash jumps onto the wall and runs on it. Then he jumps off it and punches the pirate in the face. 

Ash laughs at the pirate. "I'm such a badass!" Ash ducks as a few bullets fly over head. "Time to keep running."

Ash runs into a open area with high walls and he stops.

"It's quiet." Ash mumbles. "Xi?"

"I-I g-g-got nothing." Xi says.

"Xi? Are you okay."

"J-J-Just t-the cold me-messing with m-m-my programming." 

Suddenly a bullet bounces off Ash's helmet and he stumbles back. Ash looks up and sees a couple of snipers on the high ice walls.

"I thought you said there was no one!" Ash says as he rolls to the side to avoid another sniper round.

Xi doesn't respond right away. "Sorry."

Ash jumps to the side and avoids another round, suddenly a group of Pirates surround Ash and aim their weapons at him.

"Xi? A little help." Ash says.

Xi appears on Ash's shoulder. "Right."

Xi snaps her fingers and time stops. 

"Right, lets get to-" Xi starts.

Suddenly time resumes for a second then stops again.

Xi puts a hand on her head and groans and she glitches a few times.

Xi takes a few breaths and a timer appears, she hardly has any time.

"What?! Why so-"

Xi grabs her head in pain. She shakes her head and looks around at the pirates surrounding Ash, then up to the two snipers on the cliff.

Xi glitches a few times and she walks around and studies the pirates.

Xi flashes red and she falls to her knees and holds her head in pain.

She groans a few times and stands up and a few screens appear in front of her.

"W-W-why so little?" Xi asks and the screens glitch a few times and a couple disappear. 

She quickly scans through the screens and she swipes a few away and pulls up one, but it suddenly glitches and disappears.

"No!"

Xi glitches and she falls to her knees and grabs her head in pain. She glitches again and she yells in pain and falls to the side as she does she swipes a random screen to Ash's helmet.

Xi sobs a little and glitches a few times and groans in pain. She reaches her hand out to Ash and suddenly disappears. 

Time resumes and Ash moves to the side as bullets fly through the air where he was standing.

Ash takes his pistol out and slides next to a pirate and slams the barrel under the guy's chin and fires. Ash kicks the dead body away and it lands on top of a pirate. 

Ash aims his pistol at another pirate, only for a snipe round to shoot it out of his hand.

"Damn!" Ash yells and he jumps to the side and avoids more sniper rounds.

Ash takes his knife out and ducks under the punch of a pirate and Ash grabs the soldier's arm and throws him over his shoulder and onto the ground. 

Ash stabs his knife through the soldier's visor and into their face. A bullet strikes Ash in his right shoulder and he grunts in pain and throws his knife at another pirate and it embeds itself in their head.

Ash takes out his DMR and fires up at the snipers and he manages to kill one.

Ash rolls to the side to avoid a round from the other sniper. Ash aims his DMR to the side and fires onto another pirate and kills them.

Ash reloads his DMR and swings his gun to the side and strikes a soldier that tries to stab him. Ash stomps his foot onto the neck of the soldier and a loud crack is heard.

Ash looks over to his knife, that's still inside a dead soldier. Ash gets up and runs over to it.

BANG

Ash falls to the ground as a sniper round goes through his right thigh. 

"FUCK!" Ash yells in pain.

Ash puts a hand on his thigh and blood seeps through his hand. He then rolls to the side and avoids a sniper round to the head.

Ash aims his DMR up at the sniper and fires off a round, the bullet goes through the snipers head.

Ash then gets up and grabs the fist of a pirate that tries to punch him. Ash pulls back his left robot arm and punches the pirate in the face.

Ash looks around and all the pirates are either dead or knocked out.

Ash moans in pain as he looks down at his bleeding leg. 

"Xi? That wasn't exactly a good plan." Ash says.

Xi doesn't respond.

"Xi? Xi? Shit."

Ash limps over to the dead pirate with Ash's knife in his face and Ash rips the knife out and sheaths it.

Ash looks around and starts limping back the way he came. 

"Well, time to find the others."

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07-27-2022