Chapter 223: Cloak and Dagger

Fade in to F.A.C Outpost 37, cuts to the Blood Gulch Crew standing in a hallway.

"Ok, hold up." Tucker starts. "You're telling me the Feds are just as hopeless as the New Republic? I thought they were evil!"

"Well, we thought you were being brainwashed by terrorists." Donut explains.

"Terrorists?" Grif asks. "Our soldiers are a bunch of harmless morons. The only terrorist here is Ash."

"...He's right." Ash says.

"Your soldiers?" Sarge asks.

"We were all promoted to captains." Simmons explains. "They gave us squads and everything."

"Blue team for life." Caboose says quietly.

Sarge turns to Wash. "Clearly our enemy isn't as cunning as we once thought."

Wash looks at Sarge. "We don't have an enemy." He turns back to the others. "As far as I can tell, both of these forces have reasons to fight and neither are particularly guilt free. We've just been caught in the middle."

"But... the rebels aren't bad." Tucker says. "Some of them are our friends."

"And we managed to make a few allies within the Federal Army." Wash explains. "None of this makes either side any better. The New Republic started this war with extremist attack on the capital."

"Only because the government was screwing them." Tucker defends.

"You gotta admit." Grif starts. "Sounds kind of like a dick move."

"We need to get the two sides to talk to one another." Wash states. "Doyle's in the capital at the moment, but maybe he can get this Kimball woman to agree to a meeting. If they can come to some sort of understanding, we might be able to end this thing and go home."

"This isn't right." Simmons says.

"Believe me, there's plenty wrong with this situation." Wash says. "But I think this is our best move. I'm just glad you guys made it."

"No seriously, I mean, something doesn't feel right. I just can't figure out what it is."

Xi appears on Ash's shoulder and puts a finger on her chin.

"Is it a false sense of superiority?" Sarge asks. "That's probably a side effect of the false promotion."

"Minutes after reuniting and you're already starting shit." Grif says.

"What did you expect? Breakfast in bed?"

"I hate you."

"I hate you more."

Xi then figures it out. "Guys!" everyone looks at her. "What happened to the alarms?"

Everyone goes outside and notices it's dead quite. No signs of life.

"Errr, is it lunch time again?" Caboose asks.

Wash walks forward. "Hello?" He yells. "Dr. Grey? Anybody?"

Tucker: Dude. What's going on?

Washington: (troubled) I don't know.

Fed Trooper 1: (on radio) Enemy contact, fall back!

Fed Trooper 2: (on radio) Where'd he go? Screams.

Washington: (yelling) Sarge!

Sarge, Donut, and Lopez drive by in a Rocket-hog.

Sarge: Way ahead of you!

Simmons: (panicked) What is happening?

Washington: We're under attack!

The Rocket-hog drives over a hill. Donut and Sarge get out.

Sarge: Donut, establish a perimeter!

Donut: Got it. (yelling) Hey! Just so you guys know, you better not come over here!

Lopez: Usted se avergüenza a si mismo. [You embarrass yourself.]

A Fed runs up to Sarge.

Fed: Thank god, sir, you've got to help us. They came out of nowhere.

Sarge: Who, the rebels?

Fed: No!

Sarge: Oh good, because we kinda just found out that they're really not that bad. Boy, have we got a story to tell you, and you are gonna laugh!

Fed: It's not the rebels, sir. It's-

Fed is sniped by Binary Rifle and disintegrates. Cuts to Sarge and the rest of the Blood Gulch Crew.

"Wh-What the hell was that?" Ash asks and he looks to Xi.

"I-I don't h-have anything like that in my database!" Xi says.

"Really wish I hadn't seen that." Simmons says.

Fed screams. Cut to Feds shooting randomly and all being disintegrated along with a tank. Dr. Grey is shown hiding behind a wall.

Dr. Grey: (fearfully) Oh dear...

Cuts back to Blood Gulch Crew.

"We gotta do something!" Simmons says.

"We could run." Grif suggests. "Running is something."

"Get away from the car!" Wash yells.

All run away from the warthog. Donut screams and Lopez yells in Spanish. The jeep explodes.

Washington: What are we dealing with?

Donut: (squealing) We don't know!

Sarge: Well it ain't the rebels, that's for sure.

Tucker: Then who the hell is it?

"I got something on the trackers!" Xi says.

Binary rifle beams appear on all of the Blood Gulch Crew and they lower their weapons.

 Cut to Locus becoming visible as he walks down a flight of stairs.

"Like sheep to the pen." Locus says.

"Oh no." Wash says.

"You're ready for slaughter."

"Locus!" Tucker says angrily and he aims his rifle at him.

Locus: I advise you stand down, boy.

Members of the mercenary team become visible surrounding the Blood Gulch Crew. 

Tucker grunts angrily and lowers his DMR.

"Emily?" Ash asks. "Anyway out of this?"

"None that don't involve you dying." The A.I. says.

"The soldiers from the fueling station?" Simmons asks.

"I thought they were Feds." Grif says.

"Those ain't our guys." Sarge states.

Locus speaks. "I told you, Agent Washington. 'I' am a professional. I complete my missions at all costs. But you and your... comrades have put a blemish on my record."

Ash looks at Tucker and sees him nod. Ash sneakily outs a hand behind his back and readies a grenade. 

"What are you talking about?" Wash asks angrily. "You just killed the men you're working for."

Locus grunts. "It appears you don't understand, after all. Unfortunate. You were such a fascinating soldier, Agent Washington. 

Locus raises his sniper rifle while Ash gets ready to throw his grenade. Felix darts in front of Washington and raises his Hardlight Shield just as Locus fires.

Felix looks back to Ash and holds his hand out. "Ash, grenade!"

"Right!" Ash yells and he tosses the grande and Felix catches it.

"Ahhhh..." Felix chuckles as he deactivates his hardlight shield. "That. Was. Close...!" He looks at Ash. "Nice throw, Ash." He laughs again.

"What's going on?" Ash asks.

Felix: How many times have I jumped in front of a bullet for you, Wash? Three? Those are some... pretty great reflexes, huh? Most people would have to... plan that sort of thing.

Washington: (suspicious) Felix, what are you doing?

Felix: Just helping out an old acquaintance.

Felix throws the grenade up to Locus. Cut to a memory of Felix and Locus fighting alongside each other.

Kimball: (memory) They fought together in the great war.

Cut back to Outpost 37.

Felix: You missed a spot.

Locus: Are you done?

Locus hands the grenade to the soldier on his left.

Felix: Not even close.

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"Dude!" Grif yells.

"This doesn't make sense!" Tucker says. "That's Locus, your enemy."

"Riiiiight," Felix starts. "and I'm the charismatic mercenary with a gruff exterior... but a heart of gold. A little too romantic, don't you think?"

"But they guy fucking shot you!"

Cuts to memory of Felix being shot.

Felix: (memory) Oh! Son of a bitch!

Felix: Yeah, funny how an act of sacrifice like that buys you so much trust. And so much information.

Cut between memories.

Felix: (memory) Weren't you with another freelancer? And another A.I.?

Felix: (memory) I need a detailed list of the supplies you've got on hand.

Felix: (memory) You wouldn't happen to have any high-tech armor on board that wreck, would you?

Cut back to the present.

"But you're supposed to hate each other." Simmons says with confusion. 

"Oh, we do." Felix says. "After all, you should never mix friends with business."

"Wrap it up." Locus says impatiently. 

"But we just work so well together."

Cut to a memory.

Felix: (memory) Run!

Palomo: (memory) What about Rogers?

Cut to Locus, who hears Felix over the radio.

Felix: (memory, voice only) Get down!

Locus dives to the ground as buildings explode. Cut back to present.

Sarge: (furious) You dirty liar!

Felix: (indignant) Hey, whoa whoa whoa. I never actually lied to you idiots, okay? Well, except for once. (mocking) You're some of the galaxy's greatest soldiers! (huffs) Now that couldn't be farther from the truth. But, you know, it did make you the perfect candidates to lead the people of Chorus.

Locus: (impatient) Stop boasting and let me kill them. We have a job to do.

Felix: (to Blood Gulch Crew) Ooh, that's right, he doesn't like you guys. He actually thinks there might be a few fighters among you. Ha. Told you he's crazy.

Washington: (furious) But why?! Why the capture, why make us part of this war!?

Felix: Well, you see-

Locus: (frustrated) Felix...!

Felix: (angry) No! I've had to put up with these morons every day, so you let me have this. (continuing to Washington) You see, someone, somewhere, out in our galaxy, has their eye set on this planet. The only problem... is the inhabitants. Now, if it were up to me, I'd just nuke this place from orbit. But our employer, has other ideas.

Cut to memory of Crash Site Bravo, with Felix on a cliff.

Felix: Holy shit. It's actually them.

Locus: Back off, Control wants them alive.

Felix: (worried) Oh no.

Cut back to Outpost 37.

Felix: We have to play this thing carefully, you understand? If an entire planet dies overnight, well, people ask questions. But if you stumble onto this rock and find that the settlers killed each other, well... that's just a tragedy.

Cut to a memory showing Felix and Locus killing leaders of the New Republic.

Kimball: (memory) Our first leader was killed in action, the second was assassinated at what we had been told would be a peace treaty. And the third was blown out of the sky while trying to leave Chorus for help.

Tucker: (accusing) It was you... You started this war!

Felix: (Buzzer noise) Wroonng! These people hated each other way before our operation ever showed up, we just had to keep the hate train a-goin'. And let me tell ya, you guys have helped so much...

Cut to carnage from the Battle at Crash Site Bravo and back to the present.

Felix: (coldly) Does it hurt...? Knowing just how much death you've brought to this planet?

"You little shit!" Ash yells and he raises his Plasma Rifle and aims it at Felix.

BANG

A gunshot rings out and Ash falls to the ground and clutches his right shoulder.

"Ash!" The group yells.

Locus reloads his Sniper.

Locus: (angrily) ENOUGH!! How many times must I tell you?! If you want to make the victim suffer, you do it quickly, and efficiently! There will be no rescue for you. You will die here, today, along with the rest. No one will find your bodies, no one will know the truth, and no one is going to stop us from killing every last person on this planet!

Unknown Mercenary: Alright. That's all I need to hear.

The mercenary drops Tucker's grenade on the ground and leaps off the building in slow motion.

The grenade explodes. The unknown mercenary lands in front of Felix.

Felix: Who the fuck are you?!

Unknown Mercenary fires at Felix with a suppressor. Felix activates his Hardlight Shield, deflecting the shots. The reflected bolts knock the suppressor out of the Mercenary's hands and the weapon lands at Grif's feet.

Grif: (panicked) WHAT-IS-GOING-ON?!

Washington: (yelling) Just grab it and shoot! Someone help Ash!"

Simmons helps Ash up. "Are you alright?!"

Ash grunts and picks up his gun and sets it on his back. "I'm a little pissed."

"Sic 'em boy." Xi says.

The Blood Gulch Crew begin firing wildly, Grif also picking up the supressor and opening fire, gunning down several mercenaries. Dr. Grey runs up and sees the battle.

Dr. Grey: (confused) Wash?

Ash runs at a group of mercenaries.

"Open fire!" A mercenary yells, but as he raises his rifle he's tackles to the ground and gets his visor smashes in by the butt of Ash's gun.

Another mercenary turns to Ash, only to receive a knife to the face. The soldiers binary rifle flies up into the air and Ash catches it and slams the barrel into the face of another and fires.

The mercenary's head disintegrates. 

Ash hears a metal tink and he looks down to see a grenade at his feet.

"Well, shit."

The grande goes off and Ash gets throws into the air and lands next to everyone.

Felix and the Unknown Mercenary engage in hand-to-hand combat. Felix is kicked to the ground.

Felix: (grunting) You think you're fast?

Felix is knocked down again.

Felix: (exasperated) Oh, what the fuck?

Unknown Mercenary: (amused) Faster than you.

Felix: Let's change that.

Felix stabs the Unknown Mercenary in the leg, causing her to yell in pain. Felix kicks her over at the Blood Gulch Crew.

Felix: Locus!

Locus steps forward with an Incineration Cannon. The Unknown Mercenary pulls out a Teleportation Cube.

Unknown Mercenary: Stay close!

Dr. Grey: (desperately running towards the Reds and Blues) Wait, stop!

The Unknown mercenary throws the cube at the ground, teleporting her, the Blood Gulch Crew, and Dr. Grey away from the area, just as Locus' shot hits. Felix looks up at Locus.

Locus: (fuming) Call Control.

Cut to the Blood Gulch Crew and Dr. Grey appearing in a remote location.

"Uh... what just happened and why did it hurt?" Grif asks.

"Uh. Where am I?" Dr. Grey asks.

"I think my insides were just outside." Caboose says.

"Ugh, is everyone okay?" wash asks.

Ash stands up. "I feel weird. And it's not a good kind of weird." 

Unknown Mercenary: (entertained) You know, I never thought I'd be so glad to see you idiots again.

The Unknown Mercenary's steel color fades, revealing her to be Carolina.

Tucker: Carolina?

Epsilon: That's not all!

Epsilon appears next to Carolina .

Epsilon: (spreads his arms.) Miss me, assholes?

Tucker throws his DMR to the ground.

Tucker: You fuck!

He charges towards Epsilon, but falls through him and hits the ground.

Epsilon: Huh. (Carolina and Epsilon look at each other.) Wasn't expecting that.

Xi appears next to Epsilon and punches him in the face. Epsilon falls and yells in pain.

"I bet you weren't expecting that either!" Xi says angrily.

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07-22-2022

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