Stained (Red vs Blue)

Objective One**

Alaska and Ash were running through diagnostic after diagnostic on the pelican, checking the engines once, twice, making sure the controls were synced up and everything else was adjusted accordingly while Iowa and I sat in the back, quietly discussing what we were going to do and what we were wanted to avoid. We wanted a simple get-in-and-grab-objective kind of mission, flowing smoothly the entire way. We've done it before, and I know we can do it again. We wanted to avoid as much direct combat as necessary and alarms. I knew all of us felt the same nervousness, but we hid it. Our nervous ticks were the only think that showed our emotions. Iowa kept bouncing her knee like she was unable to stop moving, and I drummed my fingers over the armour on my thigh.

Iowa released a somewhat shaky sigh. "Please don't kick me off the pelican this time," she smiled at me.

I returned the smile as I tossed my helmet into the seat across from me. "No promises," I joked, slouching back in my seat. She narrowed her eyes at me, as if she were challenging me.

Iowa opened her mouth to reply but closed it as Alaska walked in. "Alright, we're set to leave. Both of you ready? No coming back. Director doesn't want to see our faces until we have all of the objectives."

Iowa and I nodded together. "Ready," she responded for both of us.

. . .

The blonde woman was staring intently at the door at the end of the hall, her hands balled into tight fists. "They left us," The venomous tone cut through her words. "They left without telling us." Oregon took a step back, away from Colorado.

"I will murder them when they get back," It was the way she said, the cool, nonchalant way of threatening to murder her close friends that disturbed him.

He thought about his words carefully, not knowing what would provoke the demon blondie and what wouldn't - if that was even possible. "CO... Maybe they couldn't tell you. You know how it is," he tried to calm her down, taking a single step towards her.

She snapped towards him, narrowing her eyes in his direction. "That is exactly why I'm worried, Ore! The dear old Director only sent four of them. Three Freelancer and a pilot only trained in basic combat! What if something happens? What if one of them doesn't come back?" The quesiton hit him hard. "How the are we going to know? He won't tell us. He won't answer us. No. One. Will answer us, Ore. Remember two years ago? Kentucky disappeared. Then Arkansas. He never told us a goddamn word. We never got an explanation, we never were told about them again. He never sent someone out to retrieve a body, did he? No," She was almost in tears now, turning away from him.

"Hey, hey, CO," he tried to calm her down. "They'll be alright,"

She hugged him like a little sister would do to a older, protective, brother. "What if they aren't?"

He didn't respond to her, just clenched his jaw tightly shut and returned the hug.

. . .

The Director was more anxious about this mission than all the others. There was to much at stake, the Agents, the objectives, their armour and enhancements. He didn't like it, but it had to be done. He rounded around his desk, placing two fingers against the small, raised, button on the underside of his desk, a direct communication link to their team.

"Status," he orded simply. It was a moment before any of them answered, and, when they did, it was all of them at once, their voices not rushed in the slightest.

"Still in the air, sir. Nothing new," Iowa sounded less than exstatic, yawning in the back ground. Without a following word, he release the silver button and turned to face the blue board behind him, putting his hands behind his back.