Mission 3

**C:** \*Sliding his helmet into place, Colorado steps inside his room. As he steps up to the weapons locker, the thoughts that have run rampant through his head today. The fact that the freelancers may discover his true purpose for leaving the program, and the knowledge that this mission may very well be his last. He grabs his old BR, a silence M5, and an SMG. He straps on several extra packs and belts, stuffing them with clips and grenades as he mentally prepares his mindset\*

**L:** \*Locus grabs his SAW and shotgun and walks to his desk where he grabs his ammo. He then loads up his weapons before grabbing a few extra mags and then puts his special knife in its holster. He then makes sure his armor is tightened up and ready for combat. He then walks outside and takes off his helmet, taking in a deep breath before calmly looking around outside enjoying the nice evening sky\*

**C:** \*Colorado steps out into the night sky. It's strangely warm for so late in the evening. He turns to Locus\* The ship will be passing by in ten minutes. We're taking wasps
\*He heads down to the vehicle bay\*

**L:** \*He follows him, glad for flying something he can control\*

**C:** \*Colorado walks up to the doors of the vehicle bay. Sliding his fingers underneath, he yanks the metal sheet upwards to reveal a twin set of UNSC wasps sitting in the room. He walks over to one and hops into the seat, kicking his feet up and over the rim. He pulls the cockpit down. A slight hiss rings out as the cabin becomes airtight and pressurized. He turns on the controls and the vehicle hovers a few feet off the ground\*

**L:** \*Locus proceeds to do the same, glad to be fully in control. He then waits for Colorado's next move and checks all controls making sure his craft will fly properly\*

**C:** \*Colorado quickly consults his wrist monitor before steering the craft out of the open door and into the sky, the sleek forms of the wasp nearly fading from view with the exception of the thrusters\*

**L:** \*Locus follows in suit in his own wasp, ready for the eventful night he's gonna have\*

**C:** \*The two wasps climb into the air rapidly. Eventually, the ship's break through the thermosphere. They hover in the exosphere of the planet for a few minutes before a large shadow passes above them. The ship is relatively large for a civilian vessel with the label "Autumn's Mist" printed along the bow\*
\*\*This ship will enter slipspace soon. Land on the exterior and stay close to it

**L:** \*Locus lands his wasp on the underside of the ship, waiting for the slipspace launch and preparing his mind for the amount of killing that's about to happen\*

**C:** \*Colorado latches his vehicle to the underside as well. His mind has completely cleared the thoughts that plagued him earlier and his face is grim and emotionless.
A dark blue hole tears it's way into space in front of the ship, it seems to have a slight gravitational effect. The ship enters slowly and as the wasps are pulled in, the familiar feeling of nausea hits the two pilots. The spartan doesn't even flinch\*

**L:** \*Locus closes his eyes and leans his head down and tries to ignore the effects of slipspace\*

**C:** \*After about half an hour, the ship exits the slipspace tunnel. They arrive mere miles away from the atmosphere of a small moon. The ground is grey and orange and littered with craters but on the face they are positioned near, a large citadel protrudes from the ground. Not so much as that it would be obvious but just enough to be visible.
Colorado detaches his wasp from the ship and uses a single burst of the thrusters to send his craft careening towards the fortress\*

**L:** \*Locus makes his wasp follow in suit, determined to put this all down and finish whatever this was\*

**C:** \*\*The AA defenses will pick us up the moment we enter the stratosphere so be prepared to eject on my mark
\*Colorado begins the ejection process, removing all the security overrides\*

**L:** \*He grabs his helmet, making sure it's airtight before pressing several buttons and waiting for the signal\*

**C:** \*\*Mark!
\*Colorado slams the ejection button and the cockpit to the wasp slides back. His seat is launched clear of the craft as it continues to plummet downwards.
Colorado kicks off from the seat and spreads his arms and legs\*
\*\*Ditch the chute, we're going in fast and hard. Use your thrusters to recover your fall
\*Mere seconds after Colorado ejects, his wasp is hit by two land-to-air missiles and it erupts in a violent explosion\*

**L:** \*Locus ejects as well, readying his shotgun as he kicks off his seat. He plans on shooting anyone in sight this time. For old times sake. His wasp explodes but he doesn't care what blew it up, he just accepts it\*

**C:** \*As the ground races up to meet the two, Colorado draws his BR, snapping off the safety\*
\*\*Weapons free Locus. There's no civilians on this encampment so shoot to kill.
\*At the last moment possible, Colorado releases his armor's thrusters and his descent is slowed down rapidly.
He begins firing before his feet touch the ground. They have landed in the main courtyard just past the primary wall. Several men drop dead before the guards have time to react. Several rush towards mounted turrets while one sprints for the alarm. A single shot to the knee stops this idea in its tracks and a second shot to the man's head stops any ideas at all\*

**L:** \*Locus falls towards the ground activating his thrusters to slow himself slightly as he lands completely on top of a guard crushing him. He turns and fires his shotgun, watching the man he fired upon spray his blood everywhere. He then rolls behind a turret man and slams his head into the gun, crushing the front of his skull. He then pushes the body off and starts fitting the torrent at the other torrent emplacements\*

**C:** \*Colorado begins to run and shoot, letting off rounds into the guards positioned in front of the arch leading into the main structure in front of him. Three of the seven drop dead and before they have time to release more than a few panicked rounds, the spartan is already on top of them. The four surviving men are less fortunate than the ones who were graced with a quick and painless death. The forefront soldier receives a knife hand to the throat, crushing his trachea. As the man attempts to steal air through his broken body, he feels a sharp jolt as an energy dagger cuts into his chest cavity. Colorado draws the blade up and out through the man's shoulder and into the forehead of the guard directly behind him. Using this man as a human shield, the spartan rapidly draws his SMG and paints the walls in front of him a crimson red. He drops the body to the ground and continues on deeper into the structure\*
\*\*Take the high ground, we'll meet up at the research lab

**L:** \*Locus starts running across the walkways, firing his shotgun directly in front of him, painting the surrounding area crimson with the blood of his enemies. He hears his shotgun start to click and switches to his saw, firing his custom rounds that explode on impact. He turns and  fires on the opposite walkway, killing anyone over there in a hail of over 200 exploding rounds\*

**C:** \*Colorado slides down behind a pillar for a few seconds as he reloads his BR, peeking out to send a few rounds from his M5 sailing down towards the opposition. Rapidly standing up, he continues his charge.
As he enters the building itself, he snaps the BR onto his back and draws his SMG and pistol, dual wielding them and firing into the small cluster of workers and guards in the first room.

They don't even have time to scream
He charges completely through the door, sending a guard who had been approaching to stop him flying against the wall with a sickening crunch. He presses on into the building\*

**L:** \*Locus grabs a man and uses him as a bullet shield as he charges down the path towards the guard post outside the base. He kicks open the door and throws the body at the closest man and pulls out his knife and stabs the man at the desk, he then pulls the knife and throws it towards the other man behind him and then grabs the final man. He is about to crush his face in when he stops\* Bob? Is that you?

Bob: Locus? Holy shit I haven't seen you in a while!

Locus: Indeed not since...

Bob:Jacksonville.
\*Locus then helps him to his feet\* TGI

Bob: Friday's

Well what the hell, come here you. \*Locus pulls him close and slits his throat\* How are the kids? Good? And Gale? She still fixing that tuna casserole? So good. Bad for the waistline, you know what I'm talking about.

**C:** \*Angelica is frozen in horror. Only moments ago, the alarms had broadcasted in intruder signal. Only moments ago had she grabbed the small sidearm she kept under her desk for emergencies. Only moments ago had the shots rang out from two rooms ahead. Only moments ago had her husband, Ernest who had come to check on her, had been alive. And only moments ago she wasn't pinned against her own office wall, covered in his blood. She desperately tries to cry, tries to scream. Anything that can convey the shock and pain she feels. But when she opens her mouth, all that escapes is a hiss of breath. As blood trickles down her forehead. Her shock is replaced by rage and hate. The thing that killed her husband is right before her, pinned down by weapons fire from the balcony above. Whatever it is is fully armored and massive. With a strength she didn't know she possessed, Angelica Veronica Hermes shoves the corpse off her body and opens fire at the exposed soldier. All her sadness, all her despair, and all her defiance are launched side by side with each bullets. Blood blurs her vision but it doesn't matter anymore. Vengeance shall be hers and this bastard will rue the day he took everything from her\*

**C:** \*Colorado reacts nearly instantly to the gunfire from behind. A single woman, hysterical and confused is directly to his right. The first gullet connected with his shields but the rounds afterwards fell short by a mile. He watches the woman briefly as she continues to pull the trigger despite the magazine being empty. The crazed shooting has distracted the gunmen and given miles the time he needs. Letting out several rounds, the defense like is reduced to nothingness. As he straightens up, Miles considers sparing the woman. He decides however that death would be a kinder move and gifts the poor and delirious woman the final round of his clip\*

**L:** \*Locus kicks open the second floor door firing his saw in a spraying motion to clear the room. He then walks over to the balcony and pushes a dying soldier over, chuckling slightly as he hits the ground. He then notices Colorado and waves\* Second floor is clear

**C:** \*Colorado glances upwards at Locus and waves back\*
Solid copy. This seems to be the first of many production rooms. Some sort of engineering projects I'd imagine...

**C:** Thea: Well well well... If it isn't the child killer and the rampant Spartan... I'm not surprised to see you here Agent. B-but Mr Locus? I thought you were done with this type of w-w-work? \*She walks out, her red hologram glitching out with every step\*

**C:** \*Colorado whips around rapidly, his gun up. He pauses as he see’s the dead AI\* thea?......

**C:** \*Another figure steps out of the shadows\*
Mysterious figure: T-tell us Locus. Are you r-really going back to being a cold bl-blooded killer?
\*As Tex steps out of the shadows, she draws a pistol. He head twitches ever so slightly and her left arm seems to have no function whatsoever\*

**C:** Tex: Killing these-ese civilians with no regards t-to innocence
\*sparks fly from her neck\*

**L:** \*Locus pulls his gun and aims it at her\* Do not disgrace the woman I know...

**C:** Tex: C-come on now Locus don't be an idiot.. Di-did you really think that you were doing some sort of good by h-helping the spartan? Th-that you were somehow redeeming yourself?
\*Her whole body convulses briefly\*

**C:** \*Colorado scans the room as Locus looks to Tex

**L:** \*He grips his pistol firmly\* One more word you knock off... One more word...

**C:** \*the robotic ninja lets out a disembodied chuckle that seems to come from somewhere else in the room\*
Tex: Go ahead Locus k-kill me. Ju-just like you killed her
\*The robotic imitation gestures towards the projection of Thea\*

**L:** \*Locus fires his pistol aiming for her head. He continues to fire until nothing remains and turns to glare at the Thea\* You're nothing like her.

**C:** \*Colorado walks over to a small console near the corner of he room where the laugh originated from.\*
whenever these crude copies are coming from, their primary neural
interface is here
\*Colorado jams his fist through the weak metal and the holograph of the Thea fazes out of view\*

**C:** \*The soldier glances down the hallway leading to the next room\*
Stick to the high ground, whatever these things were there's bound to be more of them as we approach our target since these are obviously connected to the tech we're after.
\*He pulls his BR off his back and advances down the hallway cautiously\*

**L:** \*Locus walks around upstairs, wandering the rooms with his pistol drawn. Slowly he comes to a room with several armored men in front of it\* Wonder who's inside...

**C:** \*Colorado kicks down the door. Stepping through the door sill, he finds himself in a large, open room. There are slanted glass windows along the top and through one of them, Colorado can see Locus about to enter a room. He is about to contact him when a voice calls out\*
Mysterious figure: and so the prodigal son returns. Come to take your place among the dead Miles?

**L:** \*Locus runs out and stabs one guard while firing several rounds into the other before kicking in the door\*

**C:** ???: So you came back Soldier. After hiding like a coward all these years your return.

**C:** \*The spartan freezes in his tracks, his whole body stiffens up\* That voice...... How...
Mysterious figure 2: Don't act so surprised commander, you're not the only one who can come back from the dead

**L:** \*Locus lowers his weapon at the sound of the voice and reaches behind him, pulling a knife out\* Well, I never thought I'd get the pleasure of seeing you again, sir. I thought you were the one hiding as I couldn't find you.

**C:** \*Colorado lowers his weapon as he hears the second voice speak\*
This can't be real..
\*Four figures step into the glaring light in the center of the room. Each is fully armored and roughly the same height as Miles himself\*
Joshua... Jason..... Jessica....... Duke... Th-this can't be real... You can't be real

Joshua: oh it's real alright, old friend \*he seems to spit out the last words\* the monuments to all your sins, gathered together in a single space

Jessica: You really thought that finishing your mission would put us to rest?

Duke: You still can't come to terms with the same shit.. No matter how hard you try and no matter what you do, you'll never be able to get rid of us. You'll never forget that you weren't strong enough

Jason: that you weren't fast enough

Joshua: that you weren't smart enough

Jessica: to save us.

**C:** \*Colorado tensed up even more\* No... Yo-you can't be real... You're another android, a trick. You're trying to get inside my head

Joshua: and the worst part is, Miles. That you haven't changed. Now you're going to lose another teammate all because you aren't good enough

**C:** \*Colorado looks up at the glass door to see locus walking right into an ambush. In the split second he is distracted, the other Spartans rush him. Joshua manages to disarm him with a crescent kick and the others charge in, fists raised\*

**L:** \*His CO chuckles in the chair\* You have been a pain in my ass Private. You're a Bløody soldier and when you get orders you should follow them. Not disobey and keep snooping! Now look what you've done! I'm going to have to have you blow that pretty girlfriend of yours head off just like I did with that girl, eh what was her name.... Ah Emily.

**C:** \*Colorado recovers quickly given the circumstances and brings his guard up just in time to fend off a punch. His defense is strong at first but at the others begin to move faster and faster, he realizes each individual is more than a match for him. He realizes he is fighting a losing battle but there's nothing he can do about it. Eventually, he goes down. A left hook knocks him hard across the head and a sweeping kick follow up puts him face down on the hard metal floor. The four Spartans surround him and begin to kick and beat his body\*

Joshua: you can't save anyone!

Jessica: useless!

Duke: Coward!

Jason: traitor!

\*The voices start to slowly blur together alongside Miles's vision but the meaning behind the words continues to ring within his head. He feels a portion of his armor dent inwards and puncture his flesh. His helmet's visor cracks as the continuous hits crumple the thick metal. One of the four leans down\*

**C:** ?-?: Do you ever wonder what it feels like to be hurt, Spartan? After all, you and you're friends are nothing but empty shells with guns

**C:** \*The voice is different, more high pitched and warped than the ones before but so dangerously familiar. Colorado feels his heart rate rapidly increase. His already labored breath becomes harder and harder until he finally lets out as single laugh.. Not a chuckle or a giggle but a hysterical laugh. A laugh filled with pain, agony, depression, hate, and pure insanity all jumbled together. He continuous to let out this hysterical laughter as the four Spartans stop attacking him. They seem taken aback and each of them backpedals a few paces. Miles is still convulsing in raw laughter as his hands tense and relax repeatedly. Suddenly, the downed spartan strikes. He moves quickly and without remorse, lunging for the first of the four like a wild animal. He pounces on top of Jason with animal ferocity, no longer punching or striking but instead ripping and tearing the armor from his body\*

**C:** \*As the chest piece is thrown off of Jason's torso, Colorado digs his hands into the downed Spartan's chest cavity. A series of Sparks and screws fly out of the figure's body as Colorado rips the robotic duplicates body in two, laughing the whole time. He turns to the other three who have gotten into defensive positions. Colorado's helmet still beaten to pieces gives him barely enough vision to see them but in this state, that's all he needs. He charges with a juggernaut and primal aggression towards them. No matter how many blows the rain upon him. He seems unfazed. The retired spartan begins to tear the fakes limb from limb. Using his arms, legs, head, and even the severed limbs of the others\*

**L:** \*Locus tenses up at her name\*
Oh it still bothers you Locus? That name still send shivers down your spine as you remember killing her? Slaughtering her like meat? Chopping her up and burning her with her family!!! \*The CO is yelling at this point\* I HOPE IT BOTHERS YOU! YOU WERE THE MOST WORTHLESS SOLDIER I'VE EVER HAD! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN BURIED IN THE GROUND LIKE ETHAN! \*Locus collapses to his knees, holding his head as he doubles over\* WORTHLESS GUN!! HER BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS

**C:** \*Colorado has defeated the spartan copies. What remains of their robotic corpses is strewn across the entire room. His helmet, almost completely split in half at this point, falls to the ground.
Gone is the calm and unreadable expression on the Spartan's face. Gone is the glint of humor in his eyes and gone is anything that resembled Miles 116. What once was agent Colorado appears feral, crazed, and bloodthirsty.\*

**L:** \*Locus rips his helmet off and throws it across the room. He slams his fists on the ground\* GOOD! At least the dog of war knows his place. \*the CO gets up and approaches Locus on the ground\* At least you know that you were the one who's got guilt written all over them. That you were the monster all along..

**L:** \*Locus stops suddenly and looks up at the CO, a smile on his face with tears running down\* Locus: After all this time, you're still the same bastard I knew from basic. \*He suddenly stabs the CO with a knife in his clenched fist, burying the blade deep in his chest\* But blood is not on my hands. I'm not the monster here... I'm just the shell of a good man... You, you're the monster, and the one who killed Emily.

**C:** \*Colorado begins to best and throw the remains around even more. Colorado begins to best and throw the remains around even more\*

**L:** \*Locus gets up and slowly puts his helmet on, looking at the dying man who has shock all over his face. Locus tosses a drag behind him as he closes the door and listens to a muffled explosion, knowing fully well that his former leader was dead.  He defends the stairs quickly and rushes down the hall he saw Colorado walk down. He then enters the room and looks at the broken parts at the door and draws his pistol\* Colorado..?

**C:** \*Colorado seems to ignore Locus as he continues to dismember the already devastated corpses, laughing all the while\*

**L:** \*Locus walks over to Colorado, nervous as the Spartan is acting way out of norm\* Sir..? Are you ok?

**C:** They.. They need to be stopped \*he crushes a hunk of armor in his fist\* they need to be stopped now, heh heh

**L:** Who..? What happened..? \*he slowly puts his pistol in a ready position, unsure of what was going to happen\*

**C:** They did heh heh.. They did \*he grabs a large shard of visor and slams it against the ground, the sharp edges cut into Colorado's palm and yet he seems to ignore the profuse bleeding\* They happened hehe. Didn't think I was good enough but.. But they were wrong I showed them \*he lets out a cackle\*

**L:** \*Locus reaches out slowly and puts his hand on his shoulder, crouching down\* It's over... You won...

**C:** \*Colorado stops dead in his tracks, the laughing stops completely. He straightens up at the contact on his shoulder and turns his head ever so slightly\*
Have you come to play as well Mr. Locus?
\*with immense speed, Colorado grabs Locus by his arm and launches him across the room into a small line of crates with incredible force\*

**L:** \*Locus crashes into the crates crying out in pain, he struggles to his feet but collapses back down and leans against a crate\* Why did I have to touch him...?

**C:** \*He starts to advance towards the downed soldier, his right eye twitching ever so slightly and random mumblings spilling from his mouth. Before he can get more than three steps, the entrances on the sides and top of the floor are thrown open. A SWAT team bursts in and lands around the spartan. The closest one is killed by the man's crazed ferocity before the others can stop him but Colorado is rewarded for this with several sedative darts to the neck and shoulders. The team peppers him with these darts until he goes down.

**L:** Locus can see a man in front of him with a clearly printed ONI logo on his right breast pocket. The man is trying to say something to him\*

**L:** \*Locus just looks at the man before falling completely over, passing out on the floor\*

Epilogue

**L:** \*A month after the killing of his CO and the encounter of ONI personnel, Locus walks down a hallway with nothing but his pistol on his side. As he approaches the door he wishes to go through, he is interrupted by a man who steps in front of him\*

**C:** ONI Agent: Goodmorning. It's... Locus isn't it?
\*The man is well mannered with brown slicked back hair. He is clean shaven and has a decently firm facial structure that appears scandinavian. He doesn't however have the height to match and is a good few inches shorter than the mercenary\*
ONI: My name is Josef Lewinsky and I'd like to ask you a few questions.

**L:** \*Locus looks down on the man, annoyed by the delay\* Alright that's fine. As long as I don't have to make friends with another Spartan that throws me across a room and causes my ribcage to collapse. I don't want that again. \*he gently rubs his side where the surgeries had happened to repair the damage dealt to him\*

**C:** \*The man nods and clasps his hands together\*
Joseph: Completely understandable. However, most of my questions are concerning the aforementioned SPARTAN.
\*He pauses to survey Locus's reaction before continuing on\*
Joseph: The SPARTAN, Miles 116 suffers from a very severe strain of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of a very terrible... Accident as I'm sure you've discovered. As part of his treatment, he was given heavy prescription medication which he was to take on a regular basis. You seemed to be the only one somewhat close to the soldier.
All I want to know is if he was still taking this medication. It would have appeared in a small pill with a distinct smell that resembles Marijuana

**L:** \*Locus cocks his head at the man, looking him up and down, and shifting on his feet before calmly speaking\* The man I knew was my friend. Who cares about me or the others. I'm pretty sure based upon the fact that you had your "rapid response team" immediately on standby for whatever happened that night, that you know the exact answer to that question. The man I knew appeared to not need medication, as he was happy and joyous. That thing you took down? That was not my friend. So I'm pretty sure, Agent, that you should keep your monsters on s tighter leash. Cause even if I was close to them, they kept private.

**C:** \*The Agents face sours ever so slightly as his lips tighten\*
Joseph: I see....... That shall be all for now mercenary but I imagine we shall be meeting again soon
\*The man turns around on his heel and slinks off down the hallway\*

**L:** \*Locus smiles a bit at the sight of the man getting pissed, and continues on his way down the hall, glaring at two guards intensely till they moved out of his way and let him through the door. As he enters the room, he approaches a lone table and takes a seat in a chair that is open. He then looks all round before calmly placing his hands on the table and waits patiently\*

**C:** \*The room is dark except for the single light that illuminates the table. As Locus takes a seat, a small ding sounds out down the hallway followed by a computerized voice\*
-Guest is ready-
\*immediately, a harsh buzzer follows as the locks to a door on the opposite side of the room slide open. A man is led in by three armed guards. The prisoner is completely shackled from the waist down and has a pair of handcuffs about two inches thick bolted to his wrists. Without any encouragement from the guards, the prisoner shuffles down towards the table. One of the security members steps ahead of him to pull out a chair to which the prisoner nods his thanks and sits down. The other guards proceed to link his shackles and handcuffs to the table itself before calmly but hurriedly stepping back outside and slamming the door. The prisoner waits a few seconds afterwards until the lock can be heard being thrown into place before he opens his mouth\*
Long time no see.

**L:** You look like you're being treated well here. I'm pretty sure I've never seen so much metal in someone's life before. \*Locus looks directly at the man, concern in his eyes\* How's the treatment going pal? Are things getting better?

**C:** \*Colorado chuckles a little and lifts his handcuffs off the table as he raises his hands, the light illuminates loose bandage wraps around both forearms. In between the folds, there are long pencil thin scars that run nearly the entire length of his forearm. The scars resemble those made by razor blades\* They're not quite the same as Tex's and could use some more fluff but I can't exactly blame the staff \*he pauses and for a brief moment his expression becomes melancholy. He swiftly recovers however and looks back at Locus directly\* as for the treatment, it's going well. First two weeks had some rough patches but I've got some lovely nurses who assure me that I'm making good progress to a full recover \*he lets out a brief laugh with just the slight hint of bitterness in it\*

**L:** \*Locus chuckles slightly\* Well I'm glad you have someone to keep you company at night. Someone has to keep you warm in  his metal, cold damnation.

**C:** \*Colorado shrugs and looks down\* The damned keep each other company I suppose......
\*He returns his gaze to Locus\*
And how about you? The Agents who came in informed me that you were injured pretty badly......

**L:** Pssh, Felix and I both have been through worse. I'm fine, a few days off my feet but nothing more.  \*Locus slightly shifts in his chair, remembering how much it sucked to breath the first few days\* Your agents are a barrel of fun. I just went off on one on the way here.

**C:** \*Colorado grins\* Trust me I know just how much fun ONI can be. I practically grew up with em. Let me guess, they're trying to figure out what went wrong right? Checking if I was taking my meds?

**L:** Ohhh yeah. I politely told him to fuck off.

**C:** \*The man nods\* Good on you ONI already knows enough these days
\*He pauses for a quick second, scanning the darkness around them\* so how are things back at base?

**L:** Everything is calm and quiet. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be dragged on a mission with her soon enough though. But I'm enjoying quiet while it lasts

**C:** Texy's that eager to break your body again eh? It's good that everything's settled down though

**L:** Yeah it's nice. Kinda empty without you there.

**C:** \*Colorado shrugs calmly\* I doubt it will have much of a lasting effect. Most of us there have been known for adapting quickly
\*He breathes in slowly\*
I know you all will adapt to my absence as well

**L:** Plan on staying away permanently? \*Looks at the scars along the Agent's arms\*

**C:** \*The spartan shifts in his shackles\* Something along that line....

**L:** \*Locus looks at him, and then down at the table\* So I'm assuming you want me to keep them thinking about you positively?

**C:** \*Colorado laughs ruefully\* The best place for me now is in their memories and if that's in a positive light it's up to them. Let's face it, no matter what the doctors tell me, no matter how much medication I'm on, and no matter how much I pretend to be a drunken idiot, I can't run away from what I am... A broken and used soldier.
There's nothing left for me... not at the base
\*Colorado shuffles his hands around for a few moments before, opening his left palm to reveal an AI chip\*
I don't care if any of them remember me as a lying bastard and a fraud, quite frankly I deserve it. But what they do deserve to know, is the truth
\*He offers the chip to Locus\*

**L:** \*Locus reaches out and grabs the chip, and then firmly grasps the Spartans hand\* I'll make sure they know. But if it's happening then I'm giving you something. \*Locus hands Colorado something wrapped in cloth\* It's better if you have it. I won't be needing it anymore.

**C:** \*The spartan gingerly takes the object covered it cloth. He recognizes it the moment his hands wrap around it and he nods his head in gratitude\* Thank you Locus..... I wish I could somehow repay you for all you've done. But that's just not the way this story ends
\*He places the object in between his palms\*

**L:** It's not a problem. You've helped me so I should help you back.... Is there anything else, Agent? \*Locus looks at the man, hoping to see something in his eyes. Something he had been searching for all these years and had just finally found. He looks for it in Colorado's eyes, hoping for it to be there\*

**C:** \*Colorado looks back into Locus’ eyes, leaning completely into the light. His expression is dull and broken like that of a tame animal. All the training, discipline, and fighting has worn him down into the broken shell he is. There's no emotion left in his eyes. No sadness, rage, or joy. Just a dull and tired void contained within the ring of onyx\*
 Just take care of Paradox..... Don't let ONI find him

**L:** \*Locus puts the chip in his helmet and nods. He clasps a hand on Colorado's shoulder before turning and walking out of the room, taking one last moment to look at colorado, mumbling\* Just make sure to get us good seats...

**C:** \*Colorado grins with a painful smile\* Doubt there'll be much room. Jumping feet first into hell isn't my job. Making sure it's crowded when I arrive is.
\*As Locus walks out of the room, Colorado places the covered object on the table. It lets out a metallic thunk as it hits the surface. The cloth falls away to reveal a 44. Hand gun. It's a custom piece.
Colorado smiles a little bit to himself at the honor the mercenary has bestowed upon him. Not many have fallen to such a beautiful piece as this. He mutters a goodbye and burial vow in Japanese\*

**L:** \*As he walks down the hallway Locus hears the lone shot ring out. He stops in his tracks for a moment, realizing fully that what he hopped was in Colorado's eye was not there. At least he honored his friends wishes, and made sure that the monster inside him couldn't fully win. He starts again, tapping his side where his pistol used to be. It was a good gun, but it was given to a better man\*