[Simmons! Donut! Lopez! Hey where are you guys?!] Zone was standing out in the open looking around. 

"Heads up. Contact behind you. Guess who?" Xi says. 

"Freeze!" Zone recognized that voice anywhere. "Now turn around, slowly." Zone put his hands up and turned around to face the familiar steel and yellow armored Freelancer. 

[It's nice to see you too Wash.] 

"And just who are you?" 

[Let's just say you and I have some history...] 

"Wait a sec...why does you voice sound familiar?" 

[Prepare to be amazed David.] Zone then takes off his helmet. 

Wash took a step back in alarm. "Z-ZONE?! HOW?!" 

[Maine needs to make sure that when he kills someone, they stay dead. But, here I am. Where's Simmons?] 

"Hey I don't have to tell you anything. I can only assume your part of Sarge's team now?" 

[Bingo.] 

"So where is he and the rest of his team?" 

[Someplace safe.] 

"You can either tell me, or you can tell Maine back at the base." 

[Maine is here?] 

"Yes, and he really wants a chance to repay the Reds for all the trouble they caused him." 

"You know if Sarge told us correctly...you caused Maine some of that trouble yourself." Xi says appearing with her arms crossed.

"Huh, shouldn't be surprised you're still here too Xi. Situation's changed. Now drop your weapons." Zone throws his carbine and SMGs on the ground. Wash takes his carbine. 

[You know I really like that weapon, so I'll need it back in a sec.] 

"Not happening. Now march." 

[Listen to me Wash, you can ambush, take my weapons, and threaten me, but if you think for one second I'm actually going to listen you, YOU, the most embarrassing Freelancer of all time, then you've got another thing coming.] 

"I. Said. March." Wash growls jabbing his rifle in Zone's chest. 

[Oh hey, by the way, did you see any "shotguns" in Blue Base?] 

"What?" Wash says confused. 

[Well Sarge is low on "shotgun" ammo, so he needs more rounds for his "shotgun"!] 

"No there aren't any, why do you keep saying shotgun?" 

[SHOTGUN! HELLO?!] Zone then looks at the wall on their right. 

"He said "shotgun" Grif!" 

"Oh, yeah! Shotgun. That's my cue." Suddenly a revving noise is heard and gets louder. 

"What? Wait, what're you up to? What is that noise? Do I hear a..." Suddenly Grif and Sarge burst through the wall in their Warthog as Xi disappears and Zone slips on his helmet before diving out of the way. 

"...CAR?!?!" The Warthog smashes right into Wash and drags him under the bumper.

"How's my bumper taste, moron?!" Wash sticks his hand over the front of the Warthog, clearly not being run over. 

"Uh-oh!" Sarge yells. Wash pulls himself onto the bonnet and raises his battle rifle. Grif and Sarge duck down sideways behind the dashboard as Wash opens fire, shattering the windscreen. Quickly Grif slams his foot onto all six pedals at once and the Warthog swerves round sideways, launching Wash off the bonnet and across the valley. As he flies, Wash tosses his rifle aside and brings out Zone's carbine, but as he passes a large boulder, Zone takes back his weapon. 

[Told you I'd get it back.] Zone chuckles. Wash then crashes into a pile of fusion coils. Grif drives to the rock Zone was standing on and Zone hops in the back, not taking the turret. [How about next time for a code word dad, we use something that doesn't relate to your favorite weapon?] 

"Yeah, big time." Grif agrees. 

"Just drive, numbnuts." Sarge grumbles. 

Wash staggers to his feet, as Grif drives and heads towards him. Sarge stands up from the passenger side and aims his shotgun at him. 

"Agent Wash..." 

"Oh for the love of..." 

"You just got-" Sarge fires his shotgun and sets off the fusion coils, blowing up everything. 

"Ah, dang it. I messed up my one-liner!" 

[I'm sure you'll get another shot dad. Quick Grif, floor it! We gotta get Simmons out of there!] Grif hits the gas and they speed towards the base. Zone can visibly see the Meta shooting at Simmons. 

"Simmons! Hurry it up!" Sarge yells. Simmons was yelling as he avoids the Meta firing his brute shot at him. He jumps of the platform screaming as grabs onto the barrel of the turret swinging around. 

"Simmons, stop showing off and get in already!" 

"This isn't on purpose!" He protests struggling to hold on. Grif swerves the Warthog avoiding fire from the Meta. Simmons slips and grabs onto the bumper. Zone holds onto the turret with one hand and extends his other to Simmons. 

[Simmons! Grab my hand!] Simmons manages to grab Zone's hand as he pulls him into the Warthog. The Meta runs into the grav-lift and is catapulted into the valley, firing his brute shot. 

"Grif, incoming." Sarge warns. 

"Don't worry, we'll just do what we did last time." As the Meta nears the ground, he performs a half-twist somersault and lands right on the Warthog's front, crushing the hood, and catapulting the Reds and Zone out of their seats and sending the jeep flipping up into the air. Then, just before the jeep hits the ground, the Meta raises his brute shot and fires, sending it barreling towards the other Reds.

[Look out!] Zone pulls Grif and Sarge out of the way as Warthog crashes into a rock. One of the Warthog's tires rolls over Grif. 

"That was the worst driving of all time." Sarge exclaims. 

"Because that wasn't driving, that was flying and burning!" Grif shoots back dusting himself off. 

"Touché." 

Simmons staggers to his feet, holding the rail of the bumper. "Wha-what happened, where am I?" 

The Meta then approaches, growling and reloading his weapon. 

"Get ready men. Remember, he can't kill all of us." Sarge states defensively. 

"Why can't he kill all of us?" Grif asks. 

"Hmm. That is a good point." Sarge says thoughtfully. 

"He-hey, I'm okay." Simmons then aims the bumper of the Warthog at the Meta thinking it was his rifle. 

[Run for the hole! I got Maine!] Zone then activates his rocket boots, and shoots towards the Meta like a bullet pulling him with him as they land on top of Blue Base rolling away from each other. 

"REX! NO!" Sarge tries to run but Grif holds him back. 

"Sarge come on! We gotta go!" 

"No I'm not leaving him!" Simmons throws away the bumper and helps Grif pull Sarge. 

"Sarge, Zone will be fine! Remember he fought in the Great War! He can handle himself." 

Sarge continues to struggle against them, until he relaxes and grumbles. "Be safe kiddo." He whispers. "Come on!" The three then run for the hole. Zone and the Meta get to their feet shaking off their dizziness. Zone charges at him and manages to elbow his visor before upper-cutting him and kicking him in the stomach. The Meta takes out his brute shot and tries to stab Zone with the blade part but Zone teleports behind and knees him in the back. Zone then holds the Meta over his head and brings him down smashing his back to his knee. Zone then runs for the grav-lift. 

"Quick! Everyone, through the hole. Just sayin' that makes me miss Donut." Sarge says sniffling. 

"What're we gonna do? We can't outrun him and our jeep is destroyed." Grif says worried. 

"We have to seal the opening." 

"Do we have any grenades?" Simmons asks. 

"Negative, we need a plan of action." Zone then runs through the hole. 

[Hey guys, you all okay?] 

"REX!" Sarge pulls him in for a quick hug. Suddenly Epsilon floats in. 

"Hey guys what's- Am I interrupting something?" He says awkwardly. Simmons looks out the hole and sees the Meta standing on top of the hill. 

"Oh no the Meta! Quick we have to the seal the opening!" 

"I have an idea. Hey, you, moron!" Grit yells at Epsilon. 

"You talkin' to me?" 

"Yeah, you. This is all your fault you stupid piece of junk. You got us in this mess." 

"Me? It was your friend we had to rescue." Epsilon protests. 

"Ah bullcrap, now the Meta's coming up here and he's gonna kill all of us, starting with you." 

"What are you doing?" Sarge questions. 

"I wasn't even looking for you guys, I was trying to find-" 

"Oh, I get it. Can it you overgrown ornament!" 

[Out of all the junk Caboose put you in, did it have to be a floating bowling ball?] 

"Oh, now you two wanna start?" 

"Hey, I'm not done with you yet ball bearing." Grif continues. 

"That's rude." 

"Your mother takes it in the exhaust port!" Sarge adds. 

"Come on Simmons, help us." Grif mutters. 

"I don't even know what you're doing!" 

"Your mother gets paddled like a pinball!" Sarge continues. 

"Hey, let's leave mothers outta this!" Epsilon says getting irritated. 

"We're trying to increase the stress level." 

[We need some insults!] 

"Um, okay. Grif, you're so fat you broke your arm and gravy came out. Zone, I find you losing the only girl you've ever loved is like taking your story out of a crappy soap opera. Sarge, I find a lot of your tactical decisions to be questionable if not downright mediocre." 

"Not insults for us Simmons, for him!" Sarge says pointing at Epsilon. 

"I don't understand the rules of your stupid game I just got here!" 

"Ah, you guys are idiots." Epsilon says looking away. 

"This isn't working. We need something to make him mad. Really mad." Grif says thinking. 

"Has he seen the last episode of "The Sopranos" yet?" The Meta and Wash, who had recovered, were walking towards the hole with their weapons raised. 

"Uh oh, look out! And there's-" 

"Get them Meta! Get them!" Wash says angrily. 

"WASHINGTON!" Epsilon shouts before his laser eye activates and blasts around the hole, causing the wall to collapse over it and blocking the way for Wash and the Meta.

"What? No! Open it up! Open it up! I have to go back!" 

"Go back? Son are you crazy? After what we just went through to get outta there?" Sarge questions. 

"No, he'll find her! Don't you understand? I can't let them, get to her...first." Epsilon then falls to the ground, and his parts that were glowing blue fade to black. 

"Wow, I guess he ran out of juice." Grif states. 

"He's had a hard day. Let him sleep it off. Load him up, let's hit the road." Sarge says picking him. 

"So, what is this thing, like some kinda pet?" Simmons asks. 

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Come on, I'll fill you in." 

[Before we go though, Simmons, what did you say about me losing Carolina was like a crappy soap opera?] Zone says cracking his knuckles. 

"Uh...well...I...um?" Simmons walks back with his hands raised as Zone gets closer. Simmons then turns and runs with Zone chasing him. 

"Heh heh, that's my boy." Sarge chuckles.