Zone weakly opened his eyes and could see three Feds surrounding Sarge and Wash, both being unconscious. 

"I repeat, we have four survivors in need of immediate assistance. Make sure the docs are ready. He really did a number on them." One of the Feds tells the other. 

"Dad...Wash..." 

Suddenly a foot drops in front of Zone's face blocking his view. "They're not dead...not yet." 

"No..." Zone turns his head towards the sky and sees Locus looking down at him.

"I warned you, Raptor. I gave you a choice. And you chose to fight. I've always admired that about you, never willing to back down from a battle. Even when you knew the inevitable risks." 

"Screw...you...Ortez. You're...nothing but a...monster now. A freak that...hides in the shadows...and strikes...like a coward." 

"No, I'm not a monster. I'm a soldier, just like you Rex." Locus then leaves as Zone falls unconscious. 

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

Rex opened his eyes and sees he's on some kind of empty area of broken buildings and cracked streets. He looks down and sees he's in his old Spartan V armor without his helmet, it being scuffed and covered in smoke. Suddenly he hears an echo. 

"Rex....Rex....Rex...." Rex turns and sees another Spartan lying on the ground with his helmet on dead. He approaches the body and slowly takes off the helmet. He gasps and drops the helmet. 

"Victor..." Rex hesitantly places his hand on Victor's cheek. Suddenly a hand shot up and grabbed Rex by his throat, somewhat choking him. Rex looks and sees it was Victor's whose eyes open and he gasps. 

"Y-You could've s-saved me..." Victor then drops his hand and falls dead again. Rex stands and backs away from the body and rubs his throat. He turns around and bumps into something that makes him fall to the ground. He looks up and sees...himself! In his Project Freelancer armor. His Freelancer self approaches him as Rex crawls backwards. His Freelancer self then grabs him by the throat and holds him in the air, Rex struggling to break free. 

"Stop...I'm you..." His Freelancer self then throws Rex into a large piece of building. He hits it and rolls to the ground in pain. He looks up and suddenly his Freelancer self gets enveloped in black aura and walks to him. Rex continues to crawl away until he gets grabbed by his ankle and is held upside down looking at his Freelancer self. He takes off his helmet and Rex shudders in fear upon seeing the face of himself. His skin was black as space, and his deadly red eyes looked at him with intent to kill. His lips curved into an evil smile showing his sharp white teeth. 

"W-What a-are you?" 

His Freelancer self pulls him close to his face and says, "I am your rebirth. I am your redemption. I. Am. Unlimited." 

Rex gets smashed into the ground by his monstrous self and kicked away. Rex regains his balance and charges at the creature. It laughs as it backhands Rex away. He tries to stand but the monster pins him down with his foot. 

"You're so pathetic. And weak. It's no wonder you let Victor die!" 

That drove Rex over the edge as let out another roar as he was enveloped in red aura and began to glow brighter and brighter, blinding his monstrous self. He kept glowing until he heard a woman's voice. 

"Agent Arizona? Agent Arizona!" Zone opens his eyes and sees he's restrained to a medical table in a lab. "Oh. Well...that was close." 

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

Zone, Wash, Sarge, and Donut were in a prison room handcuffed. 

"Dirtbags!" Sarge shouts. "Each and every one of 'em! The soldiers: dirtbags! The medics: dirtbags! That good-for-nothin' mercenary, who shoots a man when he ain't even lookin': you best believe he's a numero uno dirtbag! And you..." 

Sarge narrows his eyes at a Fed guard standing nearby. "You know what you are..." 

"Ooh, ooh, me! Pick me, Sarge!" Donut begs. 

"Shut up, Donut." 

"But I was gonna say "dirtbag"." 

"What? Doh! Doh- For the love of-! Now you've gone and given away the answer to my rhetorical question!" 

"I have an idea. Let's play the quiet game." Zone says getting frustrated. 

"Agreed." Wash says also getting annoyed. 

"Ohohoho. It. Is. On!" Donut says in a serious tone. 

"Great Monopoly's top hat, Rex. Now is not the time for games! Now is the time for action! Come on, help me get out of these cuffs. There's a certain someone in this room that I feel like bludgening to death!" Sarge says looking at the Fed guard again. 

"Just use your feet, Sarge. If he fights back, I'll beat him off ya!" Donut encourages. 

"You're not thinking, Donut! That'll just alert more guards." 

"Well if I can't beat off a room full of dudes, then what have I been training for this whole time?" 

"I would really like to play the quiet game, please." Zone mutters. 

"Officer on deck!" 

The Reds and Wash turn to see a man in similar Fed armor but with bigger shoulder plates and yellow accents. 

"Agent Arizona, Agent Washington, Franklin Donut, Sarge. I...am so-oooh sorry!" The Fed apologizes in a British accent. 

"Say what now?" Sarge says confused. 

"Guard, uncuff these men at once! And return their weaponry, for God's sake!" The Brit orders. 

"Yes sir." The guard uncuffs Sarge. "Really sorry about this, sir. I'd appreciate it if you decided not to bludgeon me to death." 

"Ah, I suppose I could settle for near death." Sarge says rubbing his wrists. 

"Bye, handcuffs. Aw, wait. I didn't even get to use my safe word. It's "Chrysanthemum."" Donut whispers to the guard that uncuffs him. 

Zone is given his carbine before he says, "Okay, wait, stop. Stop!" 

"Um, what is it, Agent Arizona?" The Brit officer asks. 

"What is it? What is it! First, you send men to kill us. Then you send men to capture us. And now that we're here, you're giving us guns and saying you're SORRY?" 

"Uh...is that a problem?" 

Zone grabs the officer by his chest plate and pulls him so their helmet nearly touch. "Only for you, if you don't-" 

"O-oh dear." Zone lets go of the officer as he falls to the ground fainting. 

"What a weenie." Donut states. 

Later on, the Reds and Wash are standing outside the prison looking out at the frozen ocean near the base. 

"I don't understand. None of this makes any sense." Zone murmurs. They all turn to see the Brit officer talking to a woman Fed in white and purple armor. 

"Now just take it easy for the rest of the day. Remember, "You're no good to me dead." Although, I suppose I could run some experiments on your body." The woman says giddy at the thought. 

"Uh, thank you, Emily. Ahah, your help is always appreciated." 

"Anytime General Doyle! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have limbs to amputate!" The woman then leaves. 

"Of course." 

The officer now known as Doyle approaches Zone, Wash, Sarge, and Donut. "Gentlemen. I'm afraid I have nothing but apologies for you today. It must be the thin air up here, I-I've been doing a lot of travelling lately and my body's still adjusting to-" 

""Doyle," right?" Zone interrupts. 

"Oh, uh...well yes. Very observant." Doyle then salutes them. "General Donald Doyle of the Federal Army of Chorus at your service." 

"At our service?" Sarge questions. 

"Full service?" Donut adds. 

"Okay General. Let me catch you up to speed on what the past few days have been like for me." Zone gestures to his team and Wash. "I've got a canyon of shipwrecked survivors all trying to hail a rescue, when a squad of soldiers, all wearing your uniform, come down and attack us with their leader, a big black suited soldier who goes by the name Locus, or as I know him as Ortez. Then once he leaves, I've got another guy named Felix whom I know as Gates, telling me you and yours have been terrorizing this planet and to top it all off, that we're wanted men for crashing on it in the first place! So please, if you could do your best to convince me not to eviscerate you this very second, that would REALLY BENEFIT THE BOTH OF US!" Zone finishes yelling. 

"...Uh, yeah!" Sarge agrees nervous at his son's outburst. 

"(Sigh) Yes, I see. None of this happened the way that it should have. Tell me, how much do you know about the New Republic?" Doyle asks. 

"They don't try and kill us, for starters." Sarge states crossing his arms. 

"A note-worthy quality, yes. But uh, what else do you know about them?" 

"They're rebels, fighting to overthrow a corrupt leadership. They heard our distress call and hoped we could help." Wash explains. 

"And you heard all of this from a mercenary, hired to assist them at all costs?" 

"Hey that 'mercenary' is someone I fought alongside for six years." Zone says jabbing the General's chest plate. 

 "Yes but...a bit of a biased source, don't you think?" Zone and Wash look at each other. "These "rebels" aren't looking to free this planet, their aim is to dominate it! They were given ample opportunities to move to uh, form their own society, somewhere else on Chorus; it is a large planet, I can assure you. But nooooo. They are determined to uh, "take back what is theirs!" I'll admit, times were hard, but as a planet cut off from the rest of the galaxy we did our best to govern the people. But it wasn't enough. Suddenly buildings were exploding! There... There were riots in the streets! Complete and utter panic, everywhere! These were not acts of freedom, they were acts of terrorism! And we could not risk warriors of your caliber allying with them." 

"So you sent your men to kill us?!" Zone cries. 

"Absolutely not!" 

"I've got a few cracked ribs that beg to differ!" Sarge says patting his side. "And a hipbone that strongly disagrees!" 

"Again, I must apologize. The way this was handled was not at all what I had wanted. Upon hearing of your arrival on Chorus, I ordered Locus to confirm his findings and bring you to us as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it appears as though I should've been more specific in the exact method of your acquisition." Doyle says embarrassed. 

"So what, this was all Ortez's fault? Y-You really expect me to believe that the General of an army can't control even one of his own men?" Zone says in disbelief. 

"Y-Y-You're mistaken in assuming I have any control over Locus whatsoever! He is a dog, that has long since broken from his leash...but we need him." 

Doyle then walks to the edge of the bunker they were all standing on. "As I'm sure you already observed, I'm not a battle-worn soldier ripe with military expertise. On the contrary, I was simply next in line to run the army should something happen to its leader." 

"Wh-what do you mean? Lieutenant General? Major General?" Wash inquires. 

"Uh, personal secretary to the Brigadier." Doyle says rubbing his helmet. 

"What?!" 

"Where'd all the other guys go?" Donut asks. 

"Some of them left before things took a turn for the worst, but uh hmmmm...most of them were killed. Yes, definitely they were killed. Not many of us left these days, I'm afraid." 

"But you're supposed to be the evil Empire! With giant warships and floating space lasers! Not camping out in the snow, that's stuff for rebels! And the sadly endangered polar bear..." Sarge mutters shaking his head. 

"Dad, this isn't Star Wars for god's sake." Zone points out. 

"Well, we are doing significantly better than before! We still have multiple bases of operation and Locus has managed to acquire top-notch military equipment! He even helped us strategize some of our more recent victories. Mmm, though I would not consider your rescue to be one of them." Doyle ascertains. 

"I also wouldn't consider it to be a rescue." Zone adds. 

"Well, I can assure you that he was punished severly for taking such drastic measures against you! I made sure he wasn't paid a single penny for the job!" 

"How comforting." 

"Gentlemen, I am fully aware that I may never gain your trust. But let me be perfectly clear: we are not your enemy. The New Republic has your men and I can promise you, they are likely recruiting them into their rebellion as we speak. Now I can inform my troops not to attack them, but I cannot stop them from defending themselves. I'm...also unable to promise you a safe escape from Chorus in the middle of this conflict. Most of our ships are shot down before they can escape the atmosphere." 

"So what can you promise us?" Zone says cocking his head. 

"(Sigh) If you can help us defeat these terrorists, it would not only save our planet, it would also save your comrades. Then, once the skies are clear, you can leave this forsaken planet once and for all!" Doyle says gesturing to the sky. 

Sarge steps up Zone. "Hmmm, I don't like it, but I'm not really seeing another way out." Sarge glares at Doyle. "Unless beating you unconscious would somehow work." 

"Highly doubtful." Doyle laughs nervously. 

"Drat. I guess I'm in." 

Zone looks at Wash and Donut. 

"No man left behind, right?" Donut shrugs as Wash nods in agreement. 

"I still have one question for you General." Zone inquires. 

"Uh which issss?" 

"Where are...our...robots?" 

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

Inside another bunker, Lopez immediately sits up from the floor reactivating. <Higahergerk!>

"All right! Fixed up and ready to go." A Fed Technician states before working on reactivating Cyclops. 

"Bienvenidos robo-buddy! You're back in the world of the living! Viva...la viva." Sarge says helping Lopez to his feet. 

<I wasn't dead. My limbs just stopped working and they put me in the trash can. It was the most enjoyable experience I have had in years. Then you showed up.> Lopez sighs. 

"No need to thank us son." Sarge chuckles. 

<I made friends with a space rat.> 

"We have got a lot of catching up to do!" Donut exclaims. 

<Fill me in later. I'm sure it's stupid and confusing.> 

"How 'bout my dog?" Zone asks. The Fed steps away as Cyclops gets to his feet and shakes his head. He sees his master and runs up to him, rubbing himself against Zone's legs. 

"Heh, good to see you too boy." Zone chuckles rubbing his dog's head. 

"Now, what about Freckles?" Wash demands. 

"Uh, what's a "Freckles?"" The technician asks. 

"Agent Washington is referring to a MANTIS-class military assault droid." The group turns and sees Locus in the room with his SAW in hand. "And you won't find it among this wreckage." 

"Ahah, I'll uh, just look somewhere else then." The Fed then leaves. 

<Oh crap.> Lopez mutters. Zone and Wash position themselves in front of Sarge, Donut, and Lopez and aims their weapons at Locus.

"Ortez." Zone growls. 

Locus approaches them. "The droid was malfunctioning. It refused to surrender, and was therefore destroyed." 

"He's dead?!" Donut says shocked. 

"It was a machine. It had no life to begin with." Locus retorts. 

<Jerk.> Cyclops growls at the statement too. 

"You know, it takes a lot of nerve to come strolling in here after what you did!" Sarge snarls. 

"Does my presence upset you, Sergeant?" 

"It gives me an itchy trigger finger. I can tell you that." 

"What do you want?" Zone says stepping close to the green and black clad soldier. 

"Aside from my initial examination, the men under my command were ordered to take you alive. All attacks were intended to wound, all shots were designed to intimidate. Let me assure you my raid on your base was calculated, choreographed, and designed to apprehend you. Like herding sheep to the pen. Were it not for the intervention of the mercenary and his forces, I would've succeeded entirely." Locus explains. He turns to Zone. "I would think you'd be grateful being alive Wolford." 

"And what, is that supposed to make us feel better? 'Cause quite honestly it's having the opposite effect." Sarge replies. 

"It's supposed to make you understand." 

<I understand you're a jerk.> Lopez sneers. 

"Wolford, we're professionals. We follow orders, and we complete our missions at all costs." Locus points out. 

"I'm a different person now Sam. Whether or not you come to accept that, that's entirely up to you. But let's get one thing clear: Stay. Away. From. My. Men." 

"You still don't understand. Or perhaps...you do." Locus grins. 

"What?" Zone says puzzled. 

The women Doyle spoke to earlier appears behind Locus. "Excuse me! If someone tells you to leave them alone, you leave them alone." She explains. 

"Of course, doctor." Locus turns to Zone and hands him a storage unit. "Here." 

"What is this?" 

"Before your droid was dismantled I had a technician remove its primary storage unit. Its "heart and mind", so to speak." 

Zone snatches the unit from Locus without a second thought. "Is this supposed to be some sort of apology?" 

"Is it?" 

"This guy doesn't make any sense." Donut whispers to Lopez. 

<That's because he's insane.> Lopez answers. 

"I am not!" Locus says staring at the robot intently. 

<HOLY SMOKES. HE'S BILINGUAL. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME.> Lopez pleads. 

Locus turns back to Zone. "You give meaning to meaningless objects and meaningless people, and risk your lives to protect them. Where's the sense in that?...I look forward to your answer, soldier." Locus then leaves. 

The women approaches them. "Sorry about that. I promise the rest of us aren't like him. I'm Dr. Grey." She introduces shaking Zone's hand rapidly. 

"Ooooh, a doctor! That's like a medic who saves people!" Donut states. 

"You a civilian, little lady?" Sarge asks. 

"Civilian?" Dr. Grey gives out a hysterical laugh making all of the men and robots extremely uncomfortable. "I don't think you realize how bad this planet's gotten! The only people not wearing armor these days are dead!" She laughs again. 

"Wait, I know you. Your voice..." Zone says trying to remember. 

"Is that so? Oh, well I performed surgery on you after they brought you here. Sorry if you find a few new scars. A shot from a Concussion Rifle isn't bad, but a severe injury to the back of the skull can be a little tricky. Especially when your head is filled with pretty little wires and chips. I hope I didn't damage those neural implants." 

"I-I'm sure they're fine. Thank you." 

"You can thank me by ending this war as soon as possible! Bullet wounds and prosthetic limbs have become so booooring. So, come by my office tomorrow morning for a check up. Once you're cleared, you four will be shipping off." 

"Shipping off?" Sarge questions. 

"Where are we going?" Donut asks. 

"I don't give people orders boys, I just fix them when they break! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be back. Tomorrow morning. My office. 0800." Dr. Grey then leaves. 

"Mmm. Well, what do you fellas think?" Sarge asks his men. 

"I think she's...nice?" Donut replies hesitantly. 

"Not the doc, Donut, the army! The general! The whole dealio! Grif and Simmons are out there with the Blues! Alone, confused! Probably eating, and complaining, and back talking! God dang it Grif, just shut up already!" 

"We do what we have to, and go along with it for now." Zone says sighing. He looks out the window and sees the frozen ocean again. "I just hope the others aren't in too deep without us."