Carolina had reached the island and was standing on top of a ledge. She takes off her helmet and pinches her nose. 

"I'm sorry, Zone. Sorry I didn't listen. I just...I don't understand. Why her? Why Tex?" Epsilon appears on Carolina's Mongoose, not far behind her.

"Tex?" Church questions. Carolina turns and glares at him. 

"You." 

"Ah, crap." 

"Let me guess, just...wanted some information." 

"Carolina I don't-" 

"You don't have a clue, do you? You and your friends just think I'm some blood-thirsty merc with a bad attitude. But you know what? You're wrong. I'm much worse." 

"Look, you go and round up everyone I know just to bring me back, and then you keep us all in the dark? What did you think was going to happen, Carolina? Of course no one trusts you!" 

"Well I don't trust them, Epsilon. I don't trust anyone anymore." 

"Oh, why not? Because having friends would ruin the whole "psychotic loner" thing you got going on? 'Cause that would be a real shame." 

"It's because I had a team once." Carolina looks down. "A team with the best training, the best equipment, and despite everything that they had that made them the best, they still lied, and stole, and tore each other to pieces! So you tell me: How am I supposed to trust a rag-tag team of idiots when I couldn't even trust the people that were close to me?!" 

Church looks away for a moment and then vanishes.

"That's what I thought." Carolina mutters before turning away from. 

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"I never thought I'd say this, but I can't sleep." Grif sighs. 

"Yes, we know! You've been shoveling food into your mouth for an hour!" Simmons groans in disgust. 

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Tucker asks sitting up from the ground. 

"It's a nervous habit, okay?" 

"No: where in the world does someone find potato chips in the middle of the desert?!" 

"Ah, quit your complaining. Carolina is probably miles away by now. The only thing we've got to worry about are sand fleas...and that other highly trained operative on patrol outside." Sarge states aloud. 

"Wow. You have a way with words that just immediately makes me want to kill myself." Tucker says before falling on his back. 

"Look, it's like your little fairy friend said." 

"I thought Donut was your friend?" 

"He means Church." Simmons clarifies. 

"All we've got to do is stick together, and everything will be just fine." 

"Well somebody probably should've told Caboose that, 'cause he's gone." Grif says as everyone looks around realizing that Caboose was missing. 

Back at the island Carolina was looking up at the sun setting. 

"C-C-Carolina?" Church says flickering. 

"I'm done talking to you." Carolina replies not looking at him. 

"Carolina, I think I found something you might want to s-see." Church persists. 

"Really? What might that be?" 

A familiar green figure replaces Epsilon. "A memory." 

"Delta?!" 

"We must be brief. Epsilon is struggling to remember." 

"Remember what?" Delta vanishes. 

"Delta? Delta, please don't-" Suddenly a giant hologram appears of a man in ODST armor, with his helmet under his arm. He had black hair but very distinguishing aqua eyes. 

"This is Rex Wolford reporting. The date is June 17, 2442." 

"It can't be...Zone?" Carolina was shocked for two reason. One because his hair was different colored, and two because he spoke like an actual person. 

~This must've been before he lost his voice.~ 

"We've just stopped the Covenant from taking over Base 24 Charlie. Gates and Ortez really pulled their weight in the fight. Though Victor and I are having a hard time putting up with Isaac and his sarcasm. And Samuel is the most serious guy I've ever met. It's a wonder how these two were put with us. Figures they were just dropped off or something." Zone the disappears. 

"Wait." Carolina begs with her hand outstretched. Zone reappears, this time his armor covered in dust. 

"The date is August 9, 2442. The Covenant are pressing their resources to glass New Mombasa and we're losing ground. I'm starting to wonder if this battle is hopeless. But I'm glad I've got Victor with me to help. Isaac and Sam are still trying to process being with us, though I doubt it'll be any easier. They constantly argue and they never get along. But when push comes to shove, the four of us get the job done." Zone disappears again and then reappears in Spartan V armor. 

"The date is December 23, 2442. Its been a month since me, Victor, Isaac, and Samuel became Spartans. Dr. Halsey says that I've been showing promise, that I might be her next best Spartan. Not that I'm bragging mind you. But I'm just glad the four of us are together, Isaac and Sam are getting along better and the four of us just can't stop fighting the Covenant. I'm starting to wonder if life will be different after the War. I'll probably look for my father when all's said and done. Victor told me I should try and find a girl and maybe start a family. Heck, he's been pressuring me about this since we joined the army. It's not like I don't want to find love, I'm just having a stroke of bad luck." Zone disappears and then reappears, tears streaming down his face. 

"The date is April 14, 2446. Today we were evacuating civilians from a nearby city that was falling in chaos. We managed to save the civies, but at the cost of my brother's life. Lieutenant Victor Maretti died today at 1700 hours by a Covenant energy sword through the heart. I just lost my best friend, Gates and Ortez have tried to cheer me up but, this is one battle scar I know will never heal." Carolina takes off her helmet and wipes away the tears in her eyes. Zone disappears and this time a man in a uniform takes his place. 

"This Admiral Peter Jameson, the date is July 3, 2448. I regret to inform Dr. Halsey and the Office of Naval Intelligence that Lieutenant Rex Wolford has been severely injured. During battle two days ago, he was shot in his throat by a Covenant sniper. The doctors have managed to stabilize him, but they have informed me that he has sustained irreparable damage to his vocal chords...he will never be able to speak again." The man disappears and Epsilon reappears on Carolina's Mongoose. 

"Why did you show me that?" Carolina says doing her best to not let more tears stream down her cheeks. 

"Because...Zone knew what it was like, to have everything he fought for stripped away from him. Despite how hard he tried." 

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

On top of the temple, Wash and Zone were staring out into the sunset. 

"Worried about Carolina?" 

[Worried? No. Scared that she isn't the woman we once knew her to be? Yes.] 

"You know she does love you?" 

[I know that. It's just...things will never be the same Wash. That's what I'm afraid of.] 

"Sneaking, sneaking, sneaking, sneaking." 

"Hello, Caboose." Wash says as he and Zone turn to see Caboose kneeling. 

"Hello, Agent Washington. Hello, Zone." 

"Caboose, you know you're supposed to be in the temple with the rest of your squad?" 

"Ummm, yes. Ummm well, ummm, but see ummm, I am spying on you." 

[And why are you spying on us, Caboose?] 

"Well since everyone is kind of scared of you guys and Carolina, we figured we should try to get as much information on you guys as possible. So um, where do you see yourself in the next 5-10 years?" 

"Caboose, you do realize that when you spy on someone, no one's actually supposed to know you are spying on them." Xi says appearing. 

"I know, I just figured that you wouldn't tell anyone." 

"Wait, what makes you think that?" Wash asks. 

"Oh, you know Agent Washington. I'm pretty sure that we could trust you guys. I mean, we are friends." Caboose then walks back into the temple. Zone, Wash, and Xi look at the sunset. 

"Friends." Wash says smiling. Zone places his arm around Wash's neck as they both chuckle. Xi laughs, glad to see his boss becoming happy again. 

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"I don't understand...these are more than memories." Carolina says shaking her head. 

"His journal entries were part of the data that Alpha retrieved back in Freelancer. They were restricted seeing as how the Project started after the War. Zone was always one for not letting people know too much of his past. Not bad for a rag tag idiot, if I do say so myself. Feel free to start begging for my forgiveness whenever you feel like it, Carolina." Church says cockily. 

"Not happening." 

"What, seriously?" 

"But, I will thank you." Carolina then smiles. 

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty great." Church shrugs. 

"Church, the Director is still out there somewhere. And I need to find him. Not just for what he did to me. But for what he did to Zone, to York, to Wash, to Maine, the twins, to all of them." 

Carolina turns around to face Epsilon. "And for what he did to you, Church. I guess I forgot, that, in a way, you were there along side us too." 

"You know, the more memories I sift through, the more that sounds like a pretty good plan." 

"Find anything that can help us out?" 

"Yeah, it's a lot of stuff to remember at once, but I might be able to pull up some of the Director's logs if you gave me some time." 

"Well, you'll have plenty of time on our ride back." 

"Yeah, well about that- hey is there anyway we could get back to the others that doesn't involve me carrying you?" Church asks awkwardly. 

"Haha, wow Church. I didn't know an AI unit could get so, easily embarassed. Tell you what, just tell your friends that you "picked" me up. How does that sound?" Carolina chuckles. 

"Remind me to never let you talk to Tucker again." 

Carolina returns riding on her Mongoose between the Reds and Blues.

"Alright people, pack it up. We're moving." 

"Where to now?" Grif asks. 

"There is an old ship that crashed into a Freelancer outpost a few years back." 

"Outpost 17-B?" Wash says surprised. 

As Carolina walks away from the Mongoose, Caboose hurries over to it to grab Church. 

"You mean we're going back to Valhalla?" Simmons asks. 

"Back to our own base?" Sarge asks also. 

Caboose tries to find Epsilon but fails. 

"That's right morons!" Caboose turns to hear Epsilon as he appears next to Carolina's head.  "You're finally going home! And you're taking us with you!" Church declares.