Dylan and Jax are watching the whales swim by underneath the ocean from a nearby viewport. 

"You know the story of Jonah?" Dylan asks. 

"Mm, that does ring a bell." Jax replies thoughtfully. "Was that on the Blacklist?" 

"The Bible, actually. Jonah was swallowed whole by a whale." Dylan points out. 

"Belly of the beast, huh? Sounds like this "Bible" ripped off Aliens." Jax says disappointedly. 

"I feel a bit like Jonah right now. But this whale has secrets. I dunno about you but I am sick of being sidelined." Dylan replies determined. 

"Ooh! Are we gonna do some snooping around?" Jax says excitedly. 

"Nooo, I'm gonna do some snooping around." 

"Oh, come on, you know I could help! I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm pretty good at randomly bumping into things that move the plot forwards?" 

"You've got something more important to do. I need you to distract someone while I look around." She leans close to Jax and whispers, "I think the Blues and Reds have Sarge spying on us." 

"NUH-UH!" Dylan and Jax look and see Sarge standing right behind them. 

"I, uh, I was just walkin' by! I didn't hear you say exactly what you said just now!" Sarge starts to walk away, slowly. "See ya later ! Bye! Gotta go! Woo!" 

"I think you might be onto something." Jax agrees. 

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

Jax walks up to Sarge who was facing the other direction. "Hi, there...Mr. Sarge." 

Sarge grunts in response. 

"Sarge, have you ever considered a life in show business?" Jax asks. 

"Ha!" Sarge laughs sourly. "That's ridiculous. Show biz is a young man's game. And I was an old man when your old man was a young man. Young man." 

"Not necessarily. Some people do get into it late- eh later." 

"Well, despite my chiseled frame and iconic eyebrows...I am a soldier! Not a movie star!" Sarge states. 

"Ya' know, you remind me of R. Lee Ermey." Max says rubbing his chin. "He was a marine. A real one like you. He was consulting on Fullmetal Jacket and he was so good that Kubrick cast him in the actual film right then and there!" 

"Really?" Sarge says surprised. "Well, ain't that a wing dinger!" 

"I'm actually writing a military drama myself at the moment. But if your not interested, I guess I could check with Surge. Apparently he studied at Julliard." Jax starts to leave but Sarge steps in front of him. 

"Halt! Now don't you go puttin' words in my mouth! I never said I wasn't interested. Now what exactly is this movie about?" Sarge inquires. 

"It's a military courtroom drama about a drill sergeant who has to defend himself in court after an accident during a drill gets his whole squad killed." Jax says simply. 

"Sounds fantastic!" Sarge cries. "I've long fantasized about Grif dying horribly during routine training exercises. When can I see the script?" 

"Script?" Jax glances behind him and sees Dylan run by. "Ugh- Yes, of course. I-I mean once you have the part of course, of course. There's an audition first. It's like a...screen test. Screen test. Audition test. Screen test. Skits-you-see -in-front-of-the-camera test." 

"Alright, alright ! I'll give it a shot!" Sarge replies. "Personally, I've always seen myself playing the thirty-something CEO of some exciting internet startup." 

"Yeeaaah, I think that's gonna be a bit of a stretch." Jax admits. "Why don't we stick to what you know?" 

"Lights...Camera...Sarge!" Sarge shouts excitedly. 

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

Dylan crouches behind a crate as Gene, Buckey, and Cronut exit the room. Temple grunts in frustration while talking to Loco and Shadow. 

"Excuses! I'm sick of them! So sick of them I could puke!" 

Loco looks down sadly. "I know. I'm sorry. I just-I-I'm trying!" 

"Try harder, idiot!" Temple snaps. "When will it be done?" 

"You know, soon. Soon! Ugh, yeah soon. Soon. Probably. Probably! Hello!" Loco stammers nervously. 

"Probably! Probably!" Temple says mockfully. "What the heck, Loco?! I've given you everything you've asked for. You said it would be ready months ago!" 

"Well...the quantum capacitors are working. The flux matrix is reversing the matter's states but I still can't get the neutron dispensers to polarize the anti-matter and I'm out of AA batteries." 

"Stop! I can't stand the freaking techno-babble!" Temple says exasperated. 

"But-" 

"Why couldn't you just build a huge freaking bomb like I asked?!" 

"But, this is gonna be so much better!" Loco insists. "It's gonna be perfect. It's gonna be big and beautiful. You're gonna love it! And we're gonna be best friends!" 

Dylan moves slightly, causing a can to roll along the top of the crate.

"And It's going to be finished soon." Temple then grabs Loco's collar pulling him close. "Or you are. Got it?" 

The can falls and makes a small noise.

"It'll be finished by the-" Shadow covers Loco's mouth. 

"Shh!" Temple hisses. 

The two ready their weapons and Shadow pulls out his sword and they move towards the crate.

"Gasp! It's you!" Loco cries. 

Dylan is gone, with a small Spartan plushy in her place. Temple and Shadow suspiciously look to the doorway.

"Oh you are in trouble now! Should I arrest him, boss?" Loco asks. Temple smacks the back of Loco's head and leaves with Shadow close behind. 

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

Dylan is now talking to Tucker somewhere hidden. "I'm telling you, Tucker, I know what I heard. That's definitely not a cloaking device." 

"Well then what is it?" Tucker asks. 

"I don't know! But it most definitely shows that they're not being honest with us." 

"Maybe they just don't trust the press. Can't blame 'em there." Tucker says folding his arms. 

"I'm not some...reality TV host." Dylan protests. "And I promise that I didn't lead that bounty hunter to you. Can we please just bury the hatchet and focus on what's important?" 

"They haven't given me one single reason not to trust them, Dylan." Tucker retorts. 

"Then explain why they're keeping us in the dark about everything." 

"They're not! Look, they left me in charge of planning the campaign against the UNSC!" 

"That's a video game." Dylan states bluntly. 

"What? No! It's a tactics simulator. Advanced military stuff." Tucker argues. 

"That's a video game, Tucker." Dylan then taps something on her wrist and Halo Wars 2 scenes starts playing on his visor. 

"...Huh. Well, I guess that explains the micro-transactions." 

"They're distracting you, Tucker! And where are Carolina and Wash? I heard they'd joined up with us?" Dylan says looking around. 

"They're out gettin' some grub." Tucker shrugs. 

"She told you that?" 

"Temple did." 

"So you're seriously telling me that nothing about this place smells fishy to you?" Dylan questions. 

"Well, of course it smells fishy." 

"Figuratively, Tucker!" Dylan exclaims. "Figuratively fishy! Almost all the doors around here are locked, I can't find a single computer that's networked...if they were being so open why all the secrecy?

"I wouldn't want a bunch of random people wandering around my house either! They might steal stuff!" Tucker gasps. "Or walk into my masturbatorium!" 

"Ugh. What if it's more than that? What if there's stuff they don't want us to see? Ya'know, I don't need your help. I just thought you'd wanna know." 

Dylan starts walking away.

"Temple's office." Tucker says. 

"What about it?" 

"He has a networked computer. I've seen it." Tucker states. 

"Bingo." 

"Just let me know what you find, okay?" 

"Of course." Dylan nods before leaving. 

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

Back with Jax and Sarge, Jax is having Sarge do a monologue. "Okay, are we ready? Sarge, did you choose a monologue?" 

"Of course I'm nervous! Ugh-I mean ready! Of course I'm ready." Sarge stammers. 

"Alright-y then, I will get in position." 

"I wonder what he meant by "choose"..." Sarge mutters. Suddenly music and a flag appears behind Sarge. "Remember, Reds. No one has ever won a war by dying for his country! He won the war, by making the Blues die for his country! Now...should we win today the 4th of July will no longer be known as an american holiday, but as the day the world stood up, in one voice, and said: You may take our lives, but you will never take our-TRUTH! You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! Second place: set of stake knives. Third place: martini...shaken, not stirred." 

The music stops and Jax stares at the Red Colonel. "Good...that was...great take, um-" 

The music starts back up and Sarge continues, "He's dead, Jim! You're a wizard, Harry! Feel lucky, punk? Say what again! Over the line! Hasta la vista! A great big bushy beard! This. Is. My boomstick! How am I doin'?" 

"I think we're losing the thread-" 

"Cancel the post! City Slickers! Predator! Lazer Team 2!" 

The music stops for good this time and Jax turns off his helmet cam. "Those are just titles, Sarge. And I'm pretty sure you made that last one up." 

"Right. So, did I get the part?" Sarge asks chuckling. 

"How 'bout we try some improv?" Jax suggests. 

"I've got a better idea." Jax and Sarge turn to see Temple with Shadow, Buckey, and Surge with him. 

"Where's the reporter?" Temple asks Sarge. 

"In her quarters, sir!" 

"Wrong. They're empty. You. Shutterbug. Tell me where she is." Temple orders to Jax. 

"Have you gentlemen ever considered a life in show business?" Jax inquires nervously. Shadow walks up to Jax and holds him up by his throat. Jax struggles as his legs dangle above the floor. 

"I-I-I don't know, I swear!" Jax cries. 

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

Dylan cautiously walks into Temple's office. She accesses the computer only to find a password screen.

"(Sigh) VIC?...VIC? Goddangit, VIC, come on." 

VIC then appears on Temple's computer screen. "Yo yo yo yo? V-I-C-K, what is up, chica mosfina?" 

"Quiet. I need some help." Dylan whispers. 

"Ho ho. Well. Your wish is my command, duderino!" VIC laughs. "This genie is poppin' off the bottle and ready to roll! Watchya need?" 

"I need access to this computer. Can you hack into it?" 

"Donezo!" The computer transitions to Temple's homepage. "Wait! Little reminder, dudette. You've got three little wishes before you have to control alt delete me! Off the face of reality! That was the deal." 

"Yeah yeah, I haven't forgotten." Dylan says quickly. 

"Yeah. And this is wish number...uh wish number...seems I've got a little gap in the memory circuits. A little uh, erase-a in the cabeza. Ugh wish number..." 

"Wish number two." Dylan replies. 

"Right! Haha! This is wish number dos! You promised duderino! I don't wanna stand up my date with death. We're takin' the river styx to Disneyland! I'm doin' shots with Anubis, dude! I'm playin' twister with the reaper!" 

"Keep your voice down!" Dylan snaps. "Do you a silent mode of something?" 

VIC's words appear in a skype style text box: "How's this dude?"

"That works." 

"a/s/l?" 

"Knock it off. Are you in?" Dylan asks. 

"I'm in like there swimware, duderino!" VIC declares. 

"Have you found anything?" 

"Whoa dude, dude! You are not gonna believe this, dude OMG." 

"What is it?" 

"It's me! :O" 

"What does that mean?" Dylan inquires. 

"Look!" 

Suddenly a video pops up and Dylan's eyes go wide. 

"This is Church- (static) alpha-(static" 

"Oh my god..." Dylan murmurs. She then feels a hand grab the back of her collar and throw her to the ground. Dylan grunts as she hits the floor and then see Zone with his sword extended and leveled at her throat. She could feel the intense heat emanating from the energy blade.  

"Dylan. Why am I not surprised?" Dylan turns her head and sees Temple and Surge walk in. "I think it's about time...we had a little chat." 

Surge aims his railgun at her as she swallows in fear. 

(DUN! DUN! DUN!)