Outpost ???
Chairman (Voiceover): Dear Director. Your program was granted the use of a single artificial intelligence unit, for implantation experiments. Yet, the department records clearly show multiple agents in the field with implants, during the same timeframes. Surely this must be a logging error, and we anticipate a corrected document soon.

The the group standing around Agent Souths corpse.

Church: Okay. I have a great idea. Let's all put down our guns, and not shoot anyone else that we're trying to help.

Wash: Relax.

Church: Exactly. Let's all relax.

Wash: Agent South had already shot me in the back once before, and she tried to give up Delta to the enemy. I wasn't going to wait around to see if she decided to do it again.

Church: Right, okay, sure...

Wash: Stop talking to me like that.

Leo: Yeah... it's starting to get annoying.

Church: We're not talking to you like anything.

Caboose: No one is talking to you like this...

Wash: You don't need to treat me like that. I'm not crazy, okay? I'm totally completely sane. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go blow up this dead body.

Wade: I can do that for you!

Wash: You sure?

Wade: Definitely.. and I just reeallyy want to blow something up, right now.

Wade walks away from the group and heads to Agent South's body.

Leo: So, Delta right? How's the space in there?

Delta: It is a ok for now. But, I was unaware that you where Director's son.

Leo: Wait, how did you-

Wash: Your the Directors son?

Leo: Umm... kind of.

Wash: Delta stay here, watch these two while I speak with Leo for a sec.

Leo then gets dragged of to the side by Wash pulling his arm.

Leo: (Distance) What the? Where are you taking me!?

The two then disappear, behind a rock.

Church: What? I thought I was Leo's dad!  Did Tex cheat on me, again!

Delta: I find it highly unlikely, that Agent Texas would intercourse with you but, was Agent Texas, Leo's mother I assume?

Caboose: Yes, she's a very scary lady.

Delta: This is very... interesting.

Church: (Sighs) Hey, hey uh, uh, green guy.

Caboose: I'm blue.

Church: Delta.

Caboose: Oh, him.

Delta: How may I be of assistance?

Church: Hey yeah, uh, what's the deal with this, guy?

Behind Caboose and Church, Wade shoots South's body several times with an shotgun.

Delta: Destruction of unused armor or equipment is standard recovery procedure.

Church: Not Wade, I mean is Agent Washington like a whack-job or what?

Wade tosses a plasma grenade at the body, and it blows up.

Delta: Are you aware of his experience with Epsilon?

Church: Epsilon, oh, you mean his A.I.?

Wade, some how finds a flamethrower and completely engulfs South's body in flames.

Delta: Correct. Epsilon was an... unstable intelligence unit that had to be deleted. Its integration with Washington's mind concerned our superiors.

Wade then rolls some explosive barrels onto Souths body.

Church: What do you think?

Delta: I believe that Agent Washington's sanity is well within acceptable deviations, for now.

Church: Wow, what a ringing endorsement.

Wade shoots the explosive barrels from a safe distance, causing them all to blow up on Souths body.

Church: I'm filled with confidence.

Wade finally destroyed Souths body and makes his way back to the pair.

Wade: Annnd done! ...Hey where did Leo and Wash go?

To Leo and Wash, standing behind a rock.

Leo: Is there a reason you dragged me out here?

Wash: Let me ask you one more time, are you the directors son.

Leo: More like adopted son ...but, yeah.

Wash: (Whispers) So, your that boy.

Leo: What boy?

Wash looks at Leo, thinking if he should spill the beans.

Wash: Promise me, you'll tell no-one about what I'm about to tell you.

Leo: ...Ok, I promise.

Wash: I know... what the director has done to you.

Leo: ...

Wash: I know, that every night he kicked you-

Leo turns his head away from Wash.

Leo: ...Stop.

Wash: -and stomped on you, hit you-

Leo starts to clench his fist.

Leo: ..Stop talking.

Wash: -and say to you, that he... wished you died... instead of.. Allison.

Leo turns his head to Wash, staring deep into his soul.

Leo: SHUT UP!! (Tears) ...It wasn't my fault.

Wash: Of course it wasn't, it was no ones fault she died.

Leo: ...How? How... do you know this?

Wash: ...The A.I, I was given in the project was called Epsilon.. he was.. the directors memories.

Leo: ..That would mean, you have his memories.

Wash: I wish.. I never did.

There's a long pause of awkward silence between the two.

Leo: ..I'm sorry, for everything he's done to you.

Wash: It's fine, he'll pay for his crimes eventually.

Leo: Wait, is he still alive?

Wash: Sadly yes.

Leo: ...Shit.

Radio sounds.

Wash: Hold up, I need to call Command for a sec, you head back to the others.

Wash walks away from Leo, while Leo makes his way back to the group, with his mind all over the place with Wash knowing his past. Leo finally arrives to the group, to see them all looking at him.

Church: So, what did Mr. Insane tell you?

Leo: It was... nothing, just a couple questions that's all.

Delta: Weren't you two discussing about-

Leo: Delta, log off.

Delta turns off.

Wade: Ok.... but, anyway I heard from Church that this Director guy is your dad. But, Isn't Church your actual dad, tho?

Caboose: Maybe, Church is his step-dad!

Church: Shut up, Caboose!

Leo: Look Church, I tell you about it soon but, not right now.

Church: (Groans) Fine but, I still expect to get some answers.

Wash then comes walking back to the group.

Wash: Okay, all done. Delta, I called Command. They wanted me to pass along condolences at South's passing.

Delta pops back up.

Delta: Thank you. I will be sure to archive that sentiment.

Church: What did you tell them?

Wash: I told them Caboose did it. Apparently they already have a shortcut on their keyboard for reporting his team kills.

Caboose: Control+F+U.

Wash: I would have told them you shot her, but, I wanted it to be believable.

The group begin to walk down the dirt path.

Church: Hey. My aim is fine.

Wade: It's really not.

Church: Shut it.

Wade: I could teach you, how to aim like me.

Wash: Like, how the Meta managed to dodge your rocket somehow.

Wade: No, it didn't dodge. It was just there one second, and it was gone the next. It was using Wyomings, stupid time equipment.

Wash: And he was on the ship with Tex?

Caboose: His head was.

Wash: His head?

Leo: He means his helmet. Tex took it for some reason.

Church: Yeah, not everybody is as twisted as you are, Wash.

Wash: So if the Meta has Wyoming's powers, it's even more powerful than we thought.

Wade: Can't we just nuke the Meta?

Everyone looks at Wade.

Wade: ....kidding?

Caboose: And as scary as someone thought it was to begin with. Back to square one. Scary square.

Wash sees one of the mongoose are destroyed.

Wash: Oh great, looks like it took one of our cycles. So, what do we do?

Church: What're ya, askin' us? I thought you were like the big know-it-all super agent guy?

Caboose: I would go home.

Church: Yeah dude, retire. You got any savings, like a, four-oh-one-K or something?

Leo: Maybe, we can find some tools in that base to fix the mongoose.

Church: Hate to break it, to Yeah but, there's nothing in there worth looking for.

Wade: Typically Church.

Wash: Delta, can you shed any light on this?

Delta: Not without further data.

Church: So why does it want these A.I. things anyway?

Wash: A.I. help us in battle, depending on their functions. We couldn't run half our equipment without them. And if you get your hands on a smart A.I., you can be damn near unstoppable.

Wade: A smart A.I as in Delta here?

Wash: Not exactly. He's just the logical one of the family. Smart means something entirely different for A.I.s than it does for people.

Caboose: Now let's not go throwing around words like smart for no reason.

Delta: Wash is correct. We are more analogous to what you would call a fragment.

Leo: Fragments?

Church: I don't care, so I wouldn't call you guys anything.

Delta: There is one smart A.I. in the Freelancer program.

Wash: Delta-

Delta: The Alpha is a fully formed-

Wash: Delta! That's enough.

Church: What's Alpha?

Wash: The Alpha A.I. It's nothing, it's a myth. A fairy tale.

Wade: Doesn't sound like a myth to me.

Delta: Wade is correct. Agent Washington, you must have memory of the Alpha-

Wash: Delta! Command. Offline.

Delta: Complying.

Delta turns off.

Church: Oh. Sounds like somebody has a secret.

Leo: (Stern) It's none of your business, Church.

Church: Ok, ...sheesh.

Wash: Look, I just get tired of hearing these things talk about their Alpha. And you will too. They get obsessed with the idea of it. It seems like it's all they care about sometimes.

Church: But what is it?

Caboose: Yes, if it's something really scary, you don't have to tell us.

Wade: I don't think it'll be that scary, Caboose.

Wash: The whole purpose of the program was to study soldiers with experimental A.I., but rumor has it, they could only ever get one. So they had to copy it. The original was Alpha, then Beta, and so on.

Leo: (Whispers) Seems like my old man, been busy.

Church: They copied them? Yeah, I k- I like that. I guess if one is annoying, then twenty of them are gonna be awesome.

Wash: The copies became obsessed with this idea of the Alpha, the original. In debriefings they would always steer conversations toward the topic of the Alpha. Where it was, if they could see it. Some even took- drastic steps.

Church: Like, shooting their partner in the head drastic? Or-

Wash: I told you, she shot me in the back first!

Caboose: And we believe you. Even though we don't think shooting a friend in the back occasionally is that big of a deal.

Leo: Unless those friends are assholes.

Church: I heard that!

Wash: Some Freelancers tried to get to Alpha on their own. They broke in to the secret storage facility where it was kept. They almost got to it. After that they shut down the-

Beacon sounds.

Wash: My recovery beacon!

Church: Oh, great! We thought the Meta was hurt, but apparently he's just busy killing more of your buddies.

Leo: Who is he attacking now!?

Wash: Pipe down, you guys.

Command: Recovery One, come in, level zero come in.

Wash: Go ahead Command.

Command: Wash, we have a beacon.

Washington: I'm getting it too. Do you have coordinates and an ID?

Command: Are you sure about this, I mean this is how we can be-

Wash: Command, you're breaking up on me, please repeat, how what can be-

Command: Hold on, I'm not talking to you Wash. And, and you're sure. Okay. It's Agent Maine, Wash.

Wash: What?

Command: Please confirm last transmission Agent Washington.

Wash: Maine, how can that be? If-

Command: Please confirm, Recovery One.

Wash: Yeah, it's him. It's the Meta.

Church: What!?

Wash: Command, give me those coordinates now.

Church: The Meta is a Freelancer?

Wade: That explains why he's so, tough to kill.

Wash: Command. Command, come in! Delta, what's happening?

Delta: Our transmission is being jammed.

Wash: Tell me you got the coordinates before we lost it.

Church: A freelancer-

Delta: I am sorry, I did not.

Church: You have got to be kidding me.

Leo: Church, calm down.

Delta: I did receive biocom data with the identification though. It appears as though the Meta is experiencing mass power fluctuations.

Wash: Power?

Church: Maybe all that A.I. and equipment can't run on one suit of armor?

Delta: That is an excellent analysis. The Meta is most likely dangerously low on power, and will attempt to augment its energy in some way.

Wash: Then we need to get to it fast. But where?

Church: ...

Caboose: ...

Leo: ...

Wade: Do you guys, know where it could be going?

Church: Uh Yeah, we might know where it's heading.

Fortress
Meanwhile, with two Red soldiers walking along the wall structure.

Dellario: I just wanna know why we have wall duty for the third day straight and Tubbs pulls motor pool everytime.

Burke: Not everytime...

Dellario: Everytime! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, today!

Burke: Today is Wednesday, Dellario.

Dellario: Exactly! And where's Tubbs? Motor pool!

Dellario and Burke watch Tubbs from an opening. To Tubbs from afar, who is seen sitting inside a Warthog. Back to Dellario and Burke.

Dellario: Look at him down there. What's he doing? Nothing.

Burke: So what, what're we doing?

Dellario: We're on guard duty.

Burke: He's on guard duty too.

Dellario: Yeah, but he gets to sit still while doing it. We have to walk.

Burke: (scoffs) You complain too much.

Dellario: I don't complain too much, Burke. You don't complain enough. I have to complain more just to keep up the average. You know what I mean?

Burke doesn't respond.

Dellario: Burke? Burke?!

Dellario looks over to his right, where he finds the Meta standing in Burke's spot, colored in red armor.

Dellario: Hey, Burke... where'd you get that helmet?

The Meta quickly kills Dellario.

The End
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