Assault (Red vs Blue)

29: Planning The Heist

29: Planning The Heist

Many Years Ago: The Mother of Invention (Primary freelancer facility/aircraft)

Carolina stood outside the Bridge, waiting for the rest of the team to show up. Wyoming, Maine, and CT were with her; they'd been the first ones to show up. The Director had given her strict orders to not enter the Bridge — or let anyone else enter — until the entire team was there. She'd also been told not to let South join the meeting. After blowing their cover on their last high profile mission, the Director had decided that it would be best if she sat out for this one. Carolina couldn't say that she completely disagreed with his decision; South was too hot-headed to be trusted when it came to anything with stealth. But at the same time, with York being inactive for the foreseeable future, being down yet another team member wasn't exactly ideal — even if she wasn't the best possible option.

The more she thought about it, the roster for their mission was missing several people. York wasn't listed for obvious reasons, and South was being excluded as a punishment. Florida — while he was listed as a member of Squad One — barely went on missions with the team. Carolina wasn't sure of the reason behind that; the Director just never seemed to assign him to anything and gave no explanation as to why. Not that Florida seemed too bothered by it, but that wasn't the point. He deserved just as much of a chance to prove himself in battle as the rest of the team. And then there was Texas — her name seemed to be missing off every mission roster, yet she always appeared at some point or another. Carolina was hoping this mission would be an exception to that pattern. She wasn't too fond of their newest teammate, and she didn't think she ever would be.

Movement out of the corner of her eye snapped Carolina back to reality. Looking down the hall, she saw a trio of soldiers approaching the Bridge. North, South, and Washington were all talking amongst themselves, but stopped almost immediately when they noticed the rest of the team.

"I didn't know we started having mission briefings in the hallway," Wash joked. "What's everyone doing out here?"

"Waiting for you guys, apparently," CT answered, sounding a bit annoyed. "Took you long enough, by the way."

"Enough of the small talk," Carolina said. "The Director wanted us all here before entering the Bridge. I don't have a reason why, those were just my orders. But since we're all here, let's get going." As the group went to enter the Bridge, Carolina stepped into South's path. "Not you, South. Not this time."

The other woman's hands immediately curled into tight fists. "And why the hell not? I'm part of the team; this is a team mission. So why can't I join you?"

The cyan clad soldier stood her ground. "Director's orders. You're not coming in, South. If there's anything you need to know, we'll tell you. But you're staying out here."

Carolina turned and walked away, leaving South swearing in the hallway as she entered the Bridge. The rest of the team had just finished orienting themselves around the holo-table when Carolina approached them. She strode past the group, barely glancing at them as she walked by. They were all already talking amongst themselves again — except for North. He was keeping to himself, which was unusual for him. Not that Carolina could blame him, though. With him not knowing why South was being excluded, it made sense for him to be quiet.

As she'd passed, Carolina also noticed Four Seven Niner standing off to the side. The pilot stood with her hands clasped behind her back, waiting for the briefing to begin. There was another pilot standing next to her; he was the other common flyer for the group, but Carolina couldn't remember his call sign. She thought it was Three Eight Sixer, but she'd never heard him called that — in fact, everyone usually just called him Skip. It had to have been a personal preferance.