"A new challenger has arrived. Today's match-up is Agent Texas vs Agent Carolina." FILSS says over the speaker.
Carolina and Zone enter the training room. Tex is at the center of the room as a rack with weapons releases from the floor. Carolina and Zone stop as another weapons rack appears in front of them.
[Okay just pick whatever your good at and use that.] Carolina just arms herself with everything. [Or just arm yourself with everything.]
"Agent Arizona please clear the floor."
[In a minute FILSS! Look just be careful, okay? That's all I'm saying.]
"Agent Arizona please clear the floor." FILSS repeats.
[All right I'm going!] Zone leans next Carolina's left and whispers, [Love you.] Carolina smiles before he walks off. Eta and Iota, appear next to her. They are identical, one gold and the other is teal. After sharing a glance, the two AI merge and disappear.
"Anyone wanna bet one of them gets killed?" North asks as Zone walks up to them in the observation deck.
"Are you kidding?! I'm hoping one of us doesn't get killed just by watching!" Wash says nervously.
"Round begins in three, two, one, begin. Good luck, ladies!"
"Thanks. I won't need it." Carolina and Tex say. Both females yell as they charge at each other. The Director and Counselor Price walk into the observation deck.
"What is going on here?! No matches have been authorized for-" The Director then sees Carolina and Tex closing on one another. "No! Allison!" The Director rushes to the window. Zone watches as Carolina slides to her clutching her helmet in agony. Suddenly he begins to hear Xi repeating the name "Allison" in his head. Zone takes off his helmet and sees, York, North, Wyoming, and Maine reacting the same way. Once Xi had stopped, He looked down and saw Carolina screaming and she rips off her helmet.
"Make them stop! Make them stop the voices! Make the voices stop!" Tex walks up to her and offers her hand but Carolina slaps it away.
"Director, we should sedate Carolina, immediately. We have no idea how much damage two AI could-"
"No. She made her decision. Let her be."
"Come on, somebody help her!" York begs. Zone grabs his helmet and runs out of the room. Carolina continues to scream in horrific pain.
"What is going on?! Somebody get down here!" Tex orders.
The Director turns to the Freelancers. "You are all dismissed." Tex bends down to Carolina and reaches for throat. She can hear Omega.
"Yes, end her! Do it! You know you want to! Do it! Do it!" He tells her. Suddenly she feels hands grab her wrists and she looks up to see Zone. He shakes his head at her as she nods. Zone bends down, looking at Carolina as she grips her head. Zone put his hand on her neck in a weird position and suddenly she passes out. Zone picks her up bridal style and carries her to Recovery. Tex stands and watches him leave.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Zone was sitting in a chair next to Carolina, reading his holo-screen. Cyclops is laying next his feet. It had been three days since the fight and she still hadn't woken up. He hears the door open and in walks North.
"How's she doing?"
[Still out of it.]
"And you?"
[I appreciate the concern North, but I'll be fine.] Zone says turning off his holo-screen. [You know I actually heard that your sister petitioned to get one of her AIs.]
"She didn't." North says baffled.
[Oh yeah, big time.]
"I'll talk to her. That's inappropriate."
[That's one word for it.]
"They have to stop implanting now. I mean after this..."
[Wash is up for surgery next.] Zone interjects.
"You're kidding me."
[Yeah well time marches on. So does Project Freelancer. (Sighs) North what's happened to us?]
"What do you mean?" North then leans against the wall.
[I mean look at everything that's happened. After we take out the Insurrection, we're fighting one another. We're supposed to be a team, not setting up fights against each other and trying compete for titles. It used to be we were all good friends and just joking around. And then when push came to shove, obviously we would get serious. But now I think it's gotten to the point where the Director sees us as nothing more than robots. Constantly giving us commands and general answers, thinking that we're supposed to know exactly what he means without any details or aspects of what's to come. I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that this is gonna get a whole lot worse than it already is.]
"Yeah man, been feeling that exact way since Carolina got Eta and Iota." North than heads for the exit. "I'm gonna go talk to my sister, let me know when she wakes up." Zone nods as North leaves. Theta pops up next to him.
"I think I'm beginning to like him."
"Yeah he does grow on you doesn't he?"
"Still mysterious though."
"Oh yeah, still mysterious."
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Tex enters Recovery and sees Zone asleep in his chair. She walks to him and shakes his shoulder as he immediately grabs her hand. Zone looks at her and sighs in relief.
[Sorry, force of habit.]
"It's okay." Zone stands and cracks his neck. He sees Carolina is still asleep and leans over her, planting a kiss on her head. He then grabs his helmet and follows Tex out of Recovery.
[What's going on?] Tex shows him the dog tag.
"Now's the time Zone. I know you've been getting just as suspicious as I have. Time to find out if we're right." Before they head to the conference room, they arm themselves with their weapons. As the door opens they look around.
"Clear, come on." Tex sits down and plugs in the data unit. Zone watches the door before putting his carbine on his back and leans over her shoulder. A video of CT pops up.
[CT?] Zone and Tex look at one another before she taps the video, making it play.
"Agent Texas...Allison. If you're reading this, then that means I escaped. Or, well at the very least, I'm probably not around anymore. I wanted to leave behind all the data I've been collecting about Project Freelancer. I never could shake the feeling that something was wrong the program; the secrets, the lies, the manipulation. Smoke. All of it. Obscuring a big fire. I did some digging, and now I know what the Director has been hiding. What he did. He broke the law, Allison. The one law they don't just slap you on the wrist for. I'm taking the originals with me as an insurance policy. I leave this copy for you not because you are the best solider in the squad, but because I know that I can trust you the most. After reading these files you will understand why. Good luck. Your friend, Connie."
The message ends and files appear on the screen containing all the data that Connie had collected: AI Experimentation, Mission Logs, Personnel Files, Financials, and Video Surveillance. Tex opens the AI Experimentation file. Tex scrolls through the AI files along with the emotions each AI stems from: Omega (Rage/Anger), Gamma (Deceit), Delta (Logic), Theta (Trust), Xi (Happiness/Enthusiasm), and Sigma (Ambition/Creativity). She then begins to scroll through a range of other available emotions. Xi then appears next to Zone's and clearly be heard sniffling.
"Y-You mean, I'm a part of my Creator? I-I'm j-just one of his emotions?" Xi begins to cry and sob.
[You're not an emotion to me Xi. You're not a machine, you're my friend.] Xi looks up at Zone.
"R-Really?" She asks trying to control herself. Zone nods. "Thanks boss."
Tex continues to skim through files until another one piques her interest. Beta AI it read. Tex looks at Zone. "I don't remember there ever being anything about a Beta AI."
[Well look at all other AIs we don't have. Echo, Omicron, Zeta...] Tex sees its password protected by an 8-letter code. She thinks of what it could be until an idea pops in her head. She types in her own name and the file opens and she is shocked to see what's in it. As is Zone...it's, well it's her! Various pictures of Tex and descriptions. She takes off her helmet to make sure her visor isn't playing with her vision.
Zone tapped one and it read, {The cloning was a success, I have brought back my wife Allison. Though she won't remember me, or my daughter Rachel, she will become my best soldier. When she awakens she will be told that she had been in a coma from a recent battle with our enemy.}
Zone noticed Tex's hands were trembling. More like shaking. He sits next to her and pulls her into an embrace. Tex holds onto Zone as if for dear life upon realizing what she is. [It's okay Allison...it's okay.] He says soothingly. She begins to cry in his shoulder. Zone takes out the unit and gives it to her as she calms down.
"We have to stop this monster, we need to finish what CT started." Tex says as she puts her helmet back on.
[We're gonna need more help than the two of us.]
"Any suggestions?"
"How about York and Delta?" Xi asks.
"Perfect. And we're gonna need someone else."
[Who?]
"We're gonna need the Alpha."
(AND NEXT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN COMES THE FIGHT OF THE FREELANCERS! LET'S SEE WHAT'LL HAPPEN WITH ZONE, TEX, AND CAROLINA!)