Assault (Red vs Blue)

30: Counseling Session

30: Counseling Session

Present Day: Main Business Complex (Downtown Armonia; the planet Chorus)

To say things had been going smoothly over the last day and a half would have been a complete lie. And, as much as Washington would've loved to have blamed it all on Kimball and Doyle not being able to see eye-to-eye, that would have been a lie, too. The two of them certainly weren't helping the situation any, but it wasn't entirely their fault. Nothing seemed to be going right in any capacity.

The mission briefing with the Director had been a whole other trainwreck to deal with, too. He'd requested to speak with the entire team after learning Carolina was awake; agreeing to said briefing had been a mistake. The Director was less than pleased with how things were being handled on Chorus, and he was making sure they all knew it.

"What the hell is happening down there, agents?!" the Director demanded angrily. "I sent you all to Chorus with the expectation — and promise — that you'd be able to get things under control. Yet from the details I've been given of your last encounter with Charon's forces, you have been doing anything but! The planet is still in complete chaos, and Charon was able to force the armies of Chorus to retreat!"

"We've been trying our best, sir," Carolina replied, the calmness in her voice sounding strained. "There are just a lot of . . . variables we weren't counting on."

"And just what are these variables you speak of, Agent Carolina?" he asked coolly.

Carolina shifted slightly, placing her hands behind her back. Wash could see her hands were balled tightly into fists as she spoke. "Charon's forces ambushed us; both on the mountain and at Crash Site Alpha. They're very much utilizing having the members of Project Independence on their side. Our sister organization knows how we operate — it's giving them an edge. Not to mention it allows them to send their troops into battle in waves."

"You all have dealt with waves of enemies before. I understand that was years ago, but you all were successful in handling said situations. And judging by the results of your training sessions, you all are working together better as a team now than you did back then. So what the hell is the issue?" he questioned, anger still very prominent in his voice.

"The issues is we have two generals that can't get along, even though their lives are depending on it. And their troops are following their lead," Wash interjected. "Trying to get Kimball and Doyle to work together has been proving to be an impossible task."

"You all better figure out how to take it from being impossible to being entirely possible rather quickly," the Director warned. "Charon's forces won't wait around for you to get things figured out slowly. Chairman Hargrove will not hesitate to have his troops strike you while you're weak."

"We're trying." Tex informed him shortly. "We've been fucking trying this whole damn time."

"Try harder — and watch your mouth, Agent Texas. The next time I check in, I expect things to be going smoothly," the Director said. "However, I don't fully believe that the generals being difficult is the only issue."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" the black clad freelancer asked.

The Director's gaze seemed to zero in on Tex and Carolina specifically. "I'm talking about my two team leaders getting caught up in past rivalries. Do not attempt to play dumb with me; it will not work. The two of you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Carolina glared at the screen, her green eyes looking as if they would've burned a hole through it if they could. "You're pissed at us for going after the former Insurrectionist? That's the angle you're attacking from now? He's the one that's out for revenge! If we hadn't gone after him, he would've gotten to Doyle!"