Agent Arizona: Recollection

Tenth Percentile

Church was ducked behind cover as he heard various gunshots and cries. He looks out and sees Zone and Tex standing over a few bodies. 

"Wow. You took all those guys out at once? Was that really necessary?" 

"Eh, they'll live." Tex shrugs. 

"No...they won't." 

"Oh." Tex sees the blood. "Yeah, I see your point. Come on, let's get inside." Tex and Zone start walking. 

"Ok. Man...those guys got messed up...what? Wait a minute...oh no..." Church has another flashback of Tex entering Blue Base at Valhalla. 

"Tex, Zone, hold on a second!" Church runs up to them. 

[What's wrong?] 

"Um...yeah...don't know if I mentioned this before, but I've kind of had psychic visions about this place. Yeah, I thought it was Valhalla at first, but I guess it turns out it was here...probably should have told you guys this earlier." 

"Yes, you should have told us this earlier." Tex sighs. 

"Well I'm telling you now, does that count?" Church asks. 

[Do you think it counts?] 

"Nah, probably not." Church looks down at his feet. 

"You're not psychic, genius. You're just remembering." Tex explains. The three of them enter the base. "You've been here before. We all were. This is where they moved Alpha. After a few of us Freelancers went rogue, we compared notes and pieced together what they were doing to him. I convinced them to come back. Break him out. The Project moved him here to try to protect him, so that they could keep experimenting on him." 

"Woah...you were in charge of the break in? Zone did you know about this?" Church turns to him.

[We couldn't just let them destroy him Epsilon. He was being tortured. The Director had even started to use some of the other AI against him. Think about that. Turning his own pieces against him? It's sick. Gamma and Omega would fabricate scenarios where he was designed to fail, and they made it seem like his failures were hurting all of the people he cared about. And there was nothing he could do about it. It drove him mad, broke him down even more.] 

"But you came back. You guys saved him." 

"No...we didn't. It was too late. By the time I got to him, he was already long gone. I don't even think he recognized me. I failed...only in my case, it really was my fault." 

[Don't take all the blame Tex. Remember, if it wasn't for CT...we wouldn't be having this conversation. She risked everything, her own life, to tell the truth.] 

"But I was the one that killed her Zone!" 

[And I would've done the same because I didn't know what was going on either. More like I didn't want to know, because I was to ignorant to see it. All of us were. So it doesn't matter if it was you or me or Carolina or anyone that killed her, because we were all tricked and blindsided by the Director, Allison.] Tex sighs before walking out, leaving Zone and Church. 

"Man you guys are really close." Church states. 

[She's like the sister I never had Church, we looked out for each other in the Project. And I'll still look out for her if it means my life.] Zone then faces Church. [If there's one thing I've learned from war and fighting, Leonard, is that you should always have people to rely and count on. But Freelancer tore us apart. York, the Twins, Florida, Wyoming,...Carolina. They were my family, and now I'm fighting two of my best friends that I've known for years. One so he can get a get-out-of-jail free card, and other so he can become an unstoppable monster. And now...the only people I have left are my father, you, the Reds, Tucker, Caboose, and now Tex. You guys are all I have left, and I swear I am gonna stop the Meta and Wash. And then I'm gonna stop the Director, for good.] 

"Hey come on, we need move out." Tex says peeking her head out from the exit.  

"Yeah we're coming..." Church then mutters to Zone. "Just don't push yourself Zone, no one is invincible." Church then walks out leaving Zone to process. 

"He has a point Rex." Xi says. 

[(Sighs) Let's just go.] Zone then walks out of the base after Church and Tex. 

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

The trio had been traveling for an hour until Church stops walking. 

"Tex, stop. Where are we going?" 

"There's only one person left who knows what happened to me. The Director." 

"The Director, nobody even knows who he is." Church retorts. 

[I can think of two people who might know: Wash and the Meta.] 

"Wash and Meta, are you kidding me? Tex, Zone, forget all this. What if they don't even know?" 

"Then we get to kill Wash and Meta. If I can't find the Director, I'll just dismantle everything he ever built." 

"Tex I think the Director built all this for you." 

"Ugh, even more reason to burn it all to the ground." Tex says disgusted. 

"Facing Wash and Meta, is suicide, even if we knew where they were, which we don't, how are you gonna find them?" 

"They'll find us." Tex says drawing her pistol. 

"Oh so what, we just hole up? And wait for them to come without ever even knowing when that's gonna be?" 

"No, they'll come now." 

"How? Are you just gonna call them on the phone?" Church scoffs. 

"Somethin' like that." Tex then shoots Church in the leg. 

"Tex?" Church then falls on his knee clutching his wounded thigh. Zone then ran to his side. 

"I needed you to come. Sheila said the recovery beacon wouldn't activate, until we left the storage facility." Tex explains.

"Tex?" 

"I didn't ask to be paired with you. I didn't wanna come back. But I'm here now, so I'm gonna put an end to this." She says with determination. 

"Tex, I would have helped you." Church says in pain. 

"You can't even help yourself. That's why you made me, Church. You made me to take on all the things you can't handle. Just like you always have. Well guess what, I'm gonna handle it. Wash and Meta will be coming now. I have some things to get ready. Zone I'm gonna need your help, I can't face them by myself." 

Zone looked down at Church and then back up Tex. He nodded before standing next to her. 

"Tex...why are you doing this?" 

"Funny you should ask. That's exactly what I plan to find out." Tex and Zone then walk off.