Director: Dear Chairman. The Meta is nothing more than an entity seeking to increase its power, in these confusing days after the war. From my perspective, that seems to be a very common occurrence at the moment.

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

At Church's old base, the Meta is shooting at South inside her energy shield.

South Dakota: Delta, report.

Delta: Your suit's energy reserves are nearly depleted. The shield will not-

South: How much longer?

Delta: The Meta will breach our barrier within sixty seconds. I suggest that you prepare your grenades while I divert power from your armor's non-essential systems.

South: No.

Delta: You have a better plan?

South: Keep the shield up as long as you can. When it starts to falter, transfer yourself to the storage unit.

Delta: I think I would be more useful in my current state.

South: I'll dump my shield generator at the same time. There's no way that thing can resist the both of you.

Delta: You are... abandoning me?

South: It's my best chance to get out of this. Sorry, D.

Delta: South, protocol violations aside, this seems to be a very short term solution. The Meta will only grow more powerful by integrating me into-

South: Program override, acknowledge last directive.

Delta: Acknowledged. Preparing storage unit.

South: Get ready.

Delta: Shield failure in five, four-

South: Get ready to eject.

Delta: Three-

South: Transfer to storage.

Delta: Two-

South: On my mark-

Delta: One.

South: Now!

A grenade goes off at the perimiter of the shield, and the Blues, Washington, Slade, and Kan come over the hill in three mongooses.

Washington: There they are!

Delta: New targets encountered.

Washington: Don't let it get near her!

The vehicles all crash and are abandoned and people start firing at each other, with Washington and Kan behind a rock and Church and Caboose behind a wall. Slade runs at the Meta, avoiding his shots.

Washington: And don't let her get away!

Church: Her? Isn't she a Freelancer like you?

Washington: Yeah, just don't let her leave!

Church: Okay! Caboose!

Caboose: Hello.

Church: Hey, see that purple one? She's on our team. You should help her.

Caboose: Okay!

Caboose stands up and shoots South in the leg.

South: Ah, son of a-!

Delta: Alarm, friendly fire!

Caboose: Um, she got in the way when I was trying to help her.

Church: Okay we're good!

Slade jumps up and manages to punch the Meta in the face. The large white soldier tries to stab Slade with the bayonet of his weapon but Slade barely dodges and backflip kicks the Meta in the face, disorienting him.

Slade revs the chainsaw on his Lancer and tries to bring it down but the Meta blocks it with the bayonet of his weapon and it makes a loud scraping noise as the weapons clash.

The Meta grabs Slade by his arm and yanks him forward, head-butting him back a few feet before the Meta grabs him by the throat and holds him up.

Slade: (coughs while being strangled) Shoot the bloody bastard!

Wash and Kan both fire at the Meta making him growl and block his face as the bullets hit and whiz past him. Slade takes this opportunity to kick him in his midriff before escaping his grip and sticks a plasma grenade to his chest and jumps off the ledge and to the ground.

Slade runs off as the explosion goes off, making the Meta smoke but still undamaged. The Meta then walks forward and goes invisible. Slade joins the Blues, Wash and Kan behind the wall.

Washington: Damn. It's gone invisible. Keep an eye on your motion trackers, and watch your perimeters, look for a shimmer.

Church: It turned invisible? What is this thing?

Washington: It takes the equipment of other Freelancers, it must have picked up cloaking from Tex.

Church: Wait a second, any equipment?

Washington: Yes! ...Why?

Church: Shit, Wyoming. Cover me!

Church jumps over the wall and runs forward.

Slade: Church! Wait, you're gonna get yourself killed! (runs after him)

Washington: What? Wyoming? Caboose, Kan, cover them. Grab those spike grenades.

Church: No! Don't let Caboose help us!

Slade: Not a good idea!

The Meta decloaks and fires very large shells at Church and Slade.

Washington: There it is!

Church: Hey! How 'bout a little help out here?

Slade sees a rocket launcher and slides across the ground, grabbing it.

Slade: Church! Get behind me! Wash, grenades!

Washington: On it. Caboose! Kan! Toss those grenades!

Washington tosses a frag grenade over the wall. Kan throws his grenade over the wall as well, but Caboose throws his spike grenade right into the wall, between them.

Washington: That was the worst throw ever. Of all time.

Caboose: Not my fault, someone put a wall in my way.

Kan: JUMP!

Washington, Kan, and Caboose jump over the wall as the grenade goes off, propelling them higher. At the same time Slade fires a rocket at the Meta's head before the Meta freezes time. The Meta backs away from the rocket, and walks over underneath Wash, pulling out his pistol and aims at him, then suffers some kind of electrical charge and time resumes as he flees.

Washington: What? Where did it go, what happened?

Caboose: You don't remember? You threw a grenade that landed in between us. But don't worry, I saved you.

Slade: It used Reggie's bloody time distorter from the ship!

Church: What's wrong with you, why didn't you tell us it could use equipment?

Washington: Why didn't you tell me that Wyoming was on the ship?

Caboose: And why didn't someone give me something to yell about?!

South: Mmm, ah...

The group runs to the injured, female Freelancer.

Washington: Delta, are you here?

Delta emerges.

Delta: Affirmative, I am undamaged. However Agent South is seriously wounded. May I suggest moving me to a new host?

Washington: Roger that. One of you two take him.

Church: Um... I don't think that I can-

Slade: I'll take him.

Washington: Uh, Cal? You sure that's a good idea? You already have-

Slade: Wash. I'll be fine. D, hop in me.

Delta: Affirmative.

Delta disappears and hops in Slade's helmet. Time freezes for the group as Delta appears along with Theta and Tex.

Delta: Theta? Agent Texas? You are... alive?

Theta: Hi, Delta!

Tex: It's good to see you, D.

Delta: Is Agent Washington aware of your presence in Agent California's mind, Agent Texas?

Tex: No, and I'd like it to stay that way. At least for now. A lot's happened, Delta. But you have to trust us and not, I REPEAT, not tell Wash or Church or anyone else that I'm still online. Cal, knows what he's doing.

Delta: I am... hesitant of this course of deceit. Protocol states-

Theta: Delta.... please, brother.

Delta looks down for a few seconds before looking back up at the pair and nodding. Time resumes as Slade grabs South's hand and helps her up, making her lean against his body for support.

Washington: Delta, Theta, what happened?

Delta: I agree with the simulation trooper. The Meta has most likely acquired both a temporal distortion unit, and an A.I. capable of running it. In this case, Gamma.

Washington: Well, why didn't it kill us, then?

Theta: Sorry, Wash. We can't compile enough to figure that out.

Delta: I think we should simply be happy it is gone.

Church: That makes sense to me.

Caboose: I also agree with the glowing people. Everyone else sees the glowing people, right?

Delta: It is possible the Meta has been injured in some way, and is retreating to repair itself.

Washington: So, if we can find it before it does, we may actually stand a chance of beating it.

Slade: Regardless, we better get out of here if we're gonna put this son of a bitch down.

Kan: Agreed.

Washington: Then let's get moving.

South: I can-, I can't walk on my own.

Washington: I don't have any bio-foam. Cal, what about you?

South: WAIT, WHAT?! CAL, IS THAT YOU?!

Slade: Yes, it's me, lass. And, no. I don't have any bio-foam. Church, have you got any spare armor in the base?

Church: Uh, yeah. Why?

Slade: Command's got South on their radar, now. We'll go in and get the bullet out of her leg. Then, Wash you destroy her armor so they can't read her life chip.

Washington: Cal, are you sure about this?

Slade: ..... I am.

Slade carries South bridal style in the base as Kan follows, leaving Wash, Church, and Caboose outside.

Church: You know, for him being the most badass Freelancer, he can be a pretty big softy at times.

Washington: You have no idea.

Caboose: I just want everyone to know that I have no problems walking. And I take full responsibility for the grenade incident.