PRESENT DAY...

Wash leads South and Carolina across the desert and stops.

Wash: Here. I have no idea how she got here.

Carolina walks up.

Carolina: That's because she didn't.

Wash: Is that who I think it is? If what you're saying is true, how could this have happened?

South: Cal was there with you, wasn't he? Why doesn't he ever talk about it?

Carolina: Because what happened that day wasn't of his own will.

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

DURING FREELANCER MANY YEARS AGO...

In the escape pod room, CT is standing next to Headcase as he types furiously at a computer.

CT: We need to get to the escape vehicle.

Headcase: I'm not leaving them!

Headcase activates two turrets from the ceiling by using a computer.

CT: You don't understand. They want me! They don't care about the rest of you. I know too much. If I leave, they'll follow me.

Outside of the room, Carolina is seen joining Tex ouside the door.

Tex: Quiet, that room is guarded by turrets.

Carolina: I can get past them.

Tex: If there was a way to do it, I would have already done it.

Cal slides behind Tex and nods to them both.

California: What'd I miss?

Tex: Nothin' yet.

Carolina turns on her radio.

Carolina: York, I need you to cut the power on the main complex.

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

The Twin Insurrectionist Chain Gunners continue firing at York, Wash, and Wyoming.

York: Little busy out here!

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

Carolina: Just do it.

York: (over radio) I'll see what I can do.

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

Wash ducks underneath several shots.

Wash: Sounds like a good excuse to get out of this firefight.

Florida then pulls himself up.

Wyoming: Good show, mate! That's the spirit. Still have a bit of fight in you.

Florida pulls off the tomahawk from his shoulder and tosses it at the Twin Insurrectionist Chain Gunners. It hits the ground and skids to a stop a few feet away from them, making the Twin Chain Gunners share a glance before continuing to fire.

York: Ha, so much for that plan.

Wash: What now?

Florida takes cover and spots a crane off to the side. He fires his grenade launcher at the crane arm which knocks a crate out of its grasp. The crate slides across the ground and knocks the Twin Chain Gunners off their platofrm and onto the ground where the crate messily crushes them.

York: Ha, I don't believe it!

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

York: (over radio) We're all clear Carolina. We'll be dark in less than sixty.

Carolina: Roger that.

Carolina stands up and turns off her radio.

Carolina: Don't forget our objective. We're just here to retrieve the armor.

Tex: Carolina, I know what the fucking objective is!

California: Both of you! Shut the hell up! We're bringing Connie in alive. Period. Either of you got a problem with that, than I'll personally make sure you're both hospitalized for a fuckin' month.

Inside the room, Headcase continues to work his computer until the lights go out.

Headcase: Damn it!

CT: We need to go!

Headcase: I already told you, I can't leave them!

Headcase then pulls out a tomahawk.

CT: Most of them are already dead! Besides if we leave they have no reason to be here!

CT pulls a data pad out of the computer.

CT: Please, let's just go while we still can!

CT grabs the Headcase by the hand and turns him towards her.

Headcase: Connie, come on!

CT: You promised me. You said we would be together. I have all the information we need, I have my armor. We can take this to the right people and they'll...

Headcase: They'll what Connie?

CT: I don't know! Make a deal with us! Keep us out of prison! They'll help us! Come on, we don't have much time.

The doors to the room open and Carolina, Tex, and Cal enter.

Carolina: Actually, you don't have any time.

CT: Carolina! Cal! And you.

York: (over radio) Hey Carolina, the power is off.

Carolina: We noticed.

York: (over radio) What, no "thank you"? This was a complicated-

Delta: (over radio) Actually, I did most of the work Agent York.

York: (over radio) Give it a rest, D!

Tex moves forward, keeping her pistols trained on CT.

Tex: CT, you have something that belongs to project Freelancer, and you know how the Director hates to share.

CT moves forward.

CT: All of you are fools. The Director is playing you. Don't you see it?!

Carolina: CT stop it! We know you've been feeding intel to the resistance for months!

Headcase: Ha, ha, is that who he told you we are?

CT: They aren't the enemy Carolina. We're the ones working outside the rules, not them. You don't know what the Director has done. He's broken major laws. When this war ends, we're all going to have to pay for his crimes! Maybe some of us are already paying for them.

Tex raises her gun.

Tex: You need to stop talking, CT!

CT: No, I know what you are Tex; and I won't take orders from a shadow.

Tex: What did you just call me?!

California: Okay, everybody shut the bloody hell up! Carolina, Tex, put the guns down.

Cal steps forward and keeps his arms spread, showing he was unarmed.

California: Connie, please. Give yourselves up now and I swear to you, you will my protection. The Director won't hurt either of you so long as I'm kicking.

Headcase: How stupid do you think I am?

California: I think you're a leader that knows when to do what's best for his people. She's all you got left and I don't want to kill either of you, I truly don't. So get down on the floor and put your hands behind your head, and everybody will walk out of here alive.

CT: Travis... I can't. WE can't.

Headcase: In other words: Sayanora, "Cal".

Headcase slams his hand on a button on the console behind him and a force-field comes down to divide the Freelancers from getting to them, but Cal dives forward just as it completely materialized and Carolina and Tex we're stuck on the other side.

Headcase throws his tomahawk at Cal, making him catch the weapon before it penetrated his helmet. Cal threw threw the weapon into the wall and charge tackled Headcase to the ground before punching him twice and throwing him across the room.

CT pulls out her knives and gets in a fighting stance.

CT: I don't want to do this, Cal.

California: Neither do I. So put the knives down and quit trying to make things harder on yourself.

CT ignores his statement and rushes at him, creating a hologram and they both attack, confusing him.

Carolina taps her radio.

Carolina: York, I thought you said you killed the power!

York: (over radio) I did! What happened?

Tex: CT and the Leader pulled up some kind of force field, keeping Cal trapped with them inside.

York: (over radio) Damn it. They must have a backup generator somewhere. Hang tight! We'll find it!

CT manages to slash Cal's shoulder and kicks him several feet back. Cal spins and goes to strike CT in the face, but falls through her, having it been a hologram. The real CT kicks Cal in the back to Headcase, who'd grabbed his tomahawk out of the wall and slammed it into Cal's injured shoulder.

California: AGH!

Cal held his shoulder in pain, ripping the tomahawk off. Headcase dropkicked Cal and elbowed his chin before punching his stomach and throwing him to the ground.

Tex: (in her mind) Okay, fuck this! Omega, go!

Omega: (laughs darkly) With pleasure.

Headcase and CT begin to combo up on the kneeling green Freelancer. They both throw their fists together at his face, but suddenly Cal grabbed their fists with both his hands and they watched in shock as his red visor turned black.

California (Omega): My turn.

Cal headbutted Headcase so hard, he flew back towards the force field and was shocked by it's electric current.

CT: JASON!

CT tried to stab Cal, but he grabbed her wrist and chuckled.

California (Omega): Too slow.

Cal then began to body-slam CT back and forth. Once she landed on her stomach, Cal grabbed the back of her helmet and dragged her across the wall while running and laughing maniacally.

Cal threw her into the console, which sparked upon her impact. Headcase groaned and dizzily looked up to see Cal looming over him.

Headcase: (groaning) Please... we'll come with you.

California (Omega): You had your shot. Time to die.

Carolina: Cal stop! What's gotten into you?!

Headcase backed away with his arm covering his face. Cal bashed his face to the ground and planted his boot on his shoulder, keeping him in place as he grabbed his right arm.

Cal then with little to no effort, ripped Headcase's right arm off, making him yell in agony.

Cal then began to punch Headcase in the stomach with every ounce of strength he had, making him grunt and leak blood.

Carolina: CAL STOP!

CT shakes her head and saw Headcase continue to be beaten to death and widen her eyes in horror.

CT: NOOO!

CT kicked Cal off him and began to furiously attack him, which he avoided and dodged all her strikes. Cal then attempted to punch her throat, but his fist went through her. The hologram glitched and disappeared as Cal looked and saw the real CT helping Headcase to the escape pod.

Cal then pulled his assault rifle off his back and aimed at CT.

Carolina: YORK!

York: (over radio) Got it!

The field disappears and Carolina rushed to stop Cal but was a second too late as several bullets had already fired and struck CT through her stomach and chest.

Cal's visor then returned to red as Rho appeared in front of his visor.

Rho: Cal, what the hell was that?!

Cal doesn't respond as he just falls to his knees, panting.

Carolina: Cal, what the hell did you do?!

Tex pushes her away from him.

Tex: He was completing our objective!

Carolina: By killing a teammate?!

Tex: She's not a teammate. She's a traitor.

They then hear a door open and turn to see the Headcase supporting CT with his remaining arm into the escape pod. He then closes the door behind them.

Tex: Damn it! That's on you! I guess you can explain how we lost a whole suit of armor and failed to capture the leader of the resistance!

Tex turns on her radio.

Tex: Command, we need extraction, now!

479er: (over radio) I've got them command. Read you loud and clear Texas. Clear me an LZ and get ready for pickup.

Tex pulls Cal to his feet and yanks his arm over her shoulders, walking off.

Carolina: I don't know what's gotten into you both, but you better figure out the difference between your enemies and your friends.

Carolina then follows.

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

Headcase hisses in pain as and CT move inside the escape vehicle.

CT: Ooh!

CT falls to the floor, laying down at the back of the ship, wincing in pain. Headcase removes his helmet, still in pain.

Headcase: Connie.

CT removes her helmet.

CT: Agh.

Headcase: Connie.

CT: Here, take the info. It's not complete but it'll get them started.

CT hands the data pad over to Headcase.

CT: Go, find the new artifact.

Headcase: You just rest, Connie. Just... rest.

CT then dies in his arms.

Headcase: Connie? Connie! Connie... No! No...

Maine, North, and South watch the escape pod blast out of the water and into the sky.

Headcase lies CT down and picks up her helmet. He looks at it for a moment before putting it on with his remaining arm and growls in fury.

Headcase: You will die for this, California.

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

Back to the present, Carolina had finished telling Wash and South of CT's demise.

Wash: So that's what happened to her armor.

Carolina: Apparently. We never did complete our objective.

South: Fuck... no wonder Cal never talked about it. Omega was one of the worst AI made by the Project. How Tex even put up with him, is still a mystery to me.

Wash: But why come out here? What's the motivation?

Carolina digs through the sand a little and pulls out the data pad CT had given Headcase all those years ago.

Carolina: I have a feeling this'll tell us.