Director: Dear Chairman. I understand your concern that increased activity would bring increased risk. However, our failsafes are simple but foolproof. A dead or dying agent's beacon automatically notifies our recovery team, and we will be on the scene immediately, to secure all the Military's property.

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

The group walks along the beach of Zanzibar and sees a broken Mongoose.

Washington: Look, there's our cycle. The Meta must be here.

Church: Yeah, because, no one else in the Military would have a standard issue motorcycle. Just like that.

South: Will you shut the fuck up, already? God, Cal, how do you put up with these idiots?

Slade: I put up with you guys for several years, so I'd say I've built up a good tolerance level.

South: (smirks) Dick...

Caboose: I'd like to point out, the piles of dead bodies might have been a clue, as well.

Washington: Just keep your heads down, and your eyes open. I'm going to advance along that wall with South. Cal, I'd like to take Kan as well. Cal, you take the Blues, Delta, and Theta and move up along the other side.

Church: Okay.

Washington: Don't use the radio unless it's absolutely necessary.

Church: Okay.

Washington: And don't make a move until I do.

Church: Okay.

Washington: And no screw ups this time.

Church: Okay, are we gonna sit here on the beach all day, or are we gonna go get this thing?!

Washington: We only have one chance at this before it gets back to full power. I can't take any chances that you guys are gonna botch this.

Slade: (clears throat)

Washington: That SOME of you guys will botch this. Happy?

Slade: That's better.

Delta: Agent Washington, perhaps it would be best if I assisted you in battle rather than helping Agent California. Seeing as how he has Theta-

Washington: No.

Delta: Statistically speaking, a Freelancer would be much better trained to use my-

Washington: I said no. Now get going.

Wash leads South and Kan up the right while Slade leads Caboose and Church towards the left.

Church: Pst, hey, Delta! Theta!

Theta: You called?

Delta: How may we be of assistance?

Slade motions the Blues behind him as they take cover behind the wall.

Church: Hey, can I ask you a couple questions about this Freelancer program?

Delta: Certainly. We will answer what we are capable of answering.

Church: This Alpha thing, wh- why doesn't Washington want you to tell us about it?

Delta: I believe Agent Washington is uncomfortable discussing our program in any fashion. He was one of the many failures during the implantation process.

Church: One of the failures- how many were there?

Slade: The Director had a lot of his 'experiments', Church.

Delta: I would classify Agent South as one of those 'experiments'.

Church: Ay yeah, but she didn't even get an A.I.

Delta: Correct. Agent South Dakota and her brother North were merely another kind of experiment. What would happen if one agent received an A.I. unit, and the other did not.

Theta: She was always jealous of me back in the Project, being with North and not her.

Church: I guess we found out how well that worked.

Delta: Precisely.

Slade: North, York, Wyoming, Florida, all good blokes that turned on each other because of the Director.

Delta: Other experiments like the Dakotas were common towards the end. For instance, Agent Carolina was implanted with two A.I.s at one time.

Church: Two of them? That would drive me nuts.

Delta: Indeed. She only functioned for a short time, and not very well while she did. Having three minds at one time proved far too... taxing.

Church: Well yeah, but if Agent Maine has more than one A.I., wouldn't he be having problems too? Like that Carolina chick?

Delta: Undoubtedly. Agent Maine's power symptoms are only a small indication of what must be happening inside his helmet.

Church: And, hold up, Slade you've got Delta and Theta in your head. How are you not going insane?

Slade: Guess my mental stability is bigger than most people's. But Sigma is the one in charge of all the AI in the Meta's head. Delta and Theta aren't competing for leadership in my head.

Church: Oh great, so he's powerful and crazy. What a winning combo.

They reach the mechanical room and the Meta is there on a lower level.

Delta: Warning. Enemy target detected.

Theta: (shivering) I'm scared, Cal.

Slade: Keep it together, lad.

Caboose: I see it, yep, there it is.

Church: Yes, thank you for stating the obvious. Look, there's Wash and the others.

Wash, South, and Kan are set up on the other side of the room on the same level as Slade, Church, and Caboose.

Church: I hope he gives us some kind of-

Washington: NOW!

Wash throws a plasma grenade down and it explodes.

Church: Signal.

Washington: (firing) Move up!

A battle between Wash and the Meta ensues, in which they hit the corpses more than each other. Wash gets the first blow, but the Meta gets the last before knocking him across the room.

South: You're gonna die for killing my brother!

South yells as she unloads an entire mag from her rifle and runs at the Meta. The bullets just ripple off the Meta as he grabs her weapon from her and hits South to the ground.

Slade and Kan fire their weapons, forcing the Meta behind cover.

Slade: Kan! Keep me covered! Church, Caboose, you too!

Just as the Meta jumps out, Slade runs in and takes out his sword, slashing at him. Slade manages to land a large cut across the Meta's chest, making the brute hold his chest as it sparks.

Slade: Are you not entertained, mate?

The Meta just growls and body rams Slade to the wall, making him elbow down on the Meta's head and kick him away. Kan fires several rounds from his plasma rifles that force the Meta to retreat.

Wash leans against the wall and looks up at the Blues.

Washington: Don't just stand there, after it!

Church throws a grenade and hits nothing.

Delta: If I may, I recommend that Slade, Theta and I flank to the right and attempt to surpri-

Church: Just do it!

Caboose runs off with Kan to the side and Church and Wash come up to a balcony, watching the Meta run from the building.

Washington: There, use your rifle.

Church: My rifle?

Washington: Shoot it!

Church fires and hits the windmill blade.

Church: Dammit!

The bullet ricochets 8 times with Church and Wash both following the ricochets with their heads before finally going through the Meta's calf.

Church: I got it! Yes! Did you see that? What a shot! I'm awesome!

Washington: It only counts if you call it!

Church: Oh bullshit, dude!

They arrive at a pool of blood.

Washington: Look, there. Come on. Quietly.

Tejano music gradually approaches from a distance, getting louder.

Church: Okay.

Washington: Hey, do you hear something?

Church: No? Wait, yeah.

Washington: What is that? Music?

Church: What? Oh, no.

Grif: Yahaha, woohoo!

The Reds come charging over the hill in a Warthog.

Church: Crap, what're they doing here?

Simmons: Yeah, suck it Blues!

Sarge: It's Red Army! Nothin's gonna stop us now!

The Reds immediately run in to a windmill blade and are stopped.

Grif: Ah, shit, wall! Aw, fuck this!

Sarge: Dammit! Grif, you broke the radio.

Grif: Good!

Washington: Who are they?

Church: They're the Reds from our canyon.

Grif: Double-fuck, windmill blade!

Church: Look Wash, I don't know how they found us, or why they're here, but we don't have anything to worry about.

The Warthog starts being raised up by the windmill blade.

Church: Seriously. Not a thing. These guys are idiots. They can't do anything right.

The gun on the back of the Warthog cocks.

Washington: Uhm, we might wanna take cover.

Simmons starts firing it at them.

Simmons: Yeah, take it, Blue! Suck it! Yeah, that's right!

Church: Aw crap, run!

Simmons: Let's go! Assholes!

Washington: Wait a minute, where's everyone else?

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

Slade and Kan take cover as they hear growling from behind the wall. The duo nods to each other and rush out to see nothing there.

Slade: The hell? Where did the bastard go?!

The Meta drops down on top of Kan and grabbing the Elite by his leg, throws him off the ledge to the pavement below.

Slade: KAN! YOU BLOODY SON OF A BITCH!

Slade rushes at the Meta as they grab and interlock fingers, pushing against each other. Slade and the Meta grunt as they dig their feet into the ground. The Meta then yanks Slade forward and headbutts him before punching his helmet off and disorienting Slade.

The Meta once he sees the face of Slade, shocked to see that Slade was someone the Meta knew from Freelancer. Slade spits out some blood and looks at the Meta with a cocky grin.

Slade: Miss me?

The Meta shakes his head painfully before growling and punching Slade across one of the facility rooftops.

Slade lands on the platform, unconscious. The Meta walks over and tries to reach for Slade's fallen helmet but feels himself get shocked with electricity.

Tex, Delta, and Theta appear.

Tex: Nice try, Maine. But you're not getting any of us. Cal had a feeling and implanted certain parts of his armor with electrical tacks.

Before the Meta could react, Kan stabs the Meta in the shoulder with his sword before kicking the brute across the hall. The Meta holds his shoulder before running off.

Kan deactivates his sword and grabs Slade's helmet as the three AI float up with it.

Kan: Are you all unharmed?

Tex: I'm good.

Theta: A-Okay!

Delta: We are undamaged. Though I advise you return us to Agent California's armor so we can working his healing unit.

Kan nods and runs off, as the AI disappear.