hexaflexagons | [Liberation AU]

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[Liberation AU]

The world had changed since one man's cry had sent her crashing across the training room floor, mind ablaze with a single name. And so too had Carolina's place in it.

That she'd awoken alone and scared and dazed, with nothing and no one to anchor her in the recovery ward except the chatter of two imbalanced AI hadn't helped matters. Not with the whispers at her back in the corridors and the feeling of all eyes on her when she'd all but stormed the bridge. She'd been down, yes, but not out. A miscalculation wasn't enough to discourage her, not when she knew that she could handle it. She would prove she could handle it. It hadn't been her fault that the match had been interrupted..

But that hadn't stopped people from staring, clearly wondering just how much more rope was needed for Carolina to hang herself with, for when she took that next fall from the high pedastal she'd worked so hard to climb on top of...

Because that number one slot would be hers again - but not through her own doing. Not in the way it was supposed to count. No, it was 'thanks' to Texas leaving, breaking the trust of the Director and the Project. Attempting to steal other AI. Defection during wartime carried harsh enough penalties as it was, but no, no, Texas had to go one better. She couldn't settle for one death (traitor or no traitor, and oh, it hurt to think of Connie), Texas dared to try and drag the rest of the team down with her. Her team. Her best friend.

Between that news, Iota's petulant whining and Eta's discordant drone in the back of her mind, it had been all Carolina could do to keep from screaming like the child the Director accused her of acting like.

Even now, Carolina could feel the press of two discordant minds on her own, whispering about the shapes in the corridor shadows, how they lingered in the elevator shaft behind York as he stepped out of the dark towards them. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was taunt, wavering in spite of her best efforts, unable to hide the hurt. Across the twin barrels of her plasma rifles, gold visor tipped, tilted to glare as she shook her head. (Distantly, she was aware of the thrum of her weapons', the energy pulse vibrating even through her gloves. The ship shuddered around them, but that, Carolina didn't seem to notice.)

"Why are you helping her?!"

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Both her AI flickered warily in acknowledgement of Beta's approach and call, but from the way her head snapped up in surprise, the other Freelancer had clearly not picked up on Tex approaching. When it came to Texas, Carolina was almost always spoiling for a fight nowadays, and for a minute it almost seemed like now would be no different.

Bloodshot eyes shifted into a glare for the black armored woman, before she turned away, letting her head sink back into her hands, heels of her palms pressed up against her eyes. Trying to counter the pressure in her head. She wasn't in any condition to fight right now, but if Tex was going to try and force her, well.. She wanted to be ready.

"What do you want."

"To make sure you're not doing anything stupid." Okay, there was a more tactful way she could have said that, but it was true. She collected her GPS coordinates and had them sent as a ping to Delta. If Carolina did decide to attack, she might need back-up to restrain the other woman.

Tex kept her distance, but her visor was clearly trained on Carolina. "Did you need to see the datapad again?"

"No." Said with a little too much force, followed by, a hissed "shut up." Directed not at Tex, but at her two AI, who seemed to sulk at her if the flicker of lights was anything to go by.

Eventually, however, she lifted her head from her hands. "They want to see it, though." To check it, to read through the files, so confirm what Carolina didn't want to believe. She'd have to hope that the chants of alpha wouldn't rival 'Allison' for headache inducing.

It was a good thing she had the foresight to bring it. She slowly approached Carolina and held the datapad out to her.

"Are they telling you why?" Maybe if she understood better what kind of headache the two AI were giving her, Tex could help. If Carolina would let her, anyway.

A good thing indeed. "Not Your Concern," the twin AI said in tandem, waiting until their host had accept the pad, again, before vanishing into it. Rubbing her forehead, Carolina relaxed a little with them temporarily distracted and out of her head.

"..Does he know?" she asked at last, briefly raising the pad. Incriminating evidence, false documentation, whatever. "Does he know you have this?"

"No. The break-in may have clued him into something, but he has no idea what's on there." Whether or not he knew the extent of it all... Well, she wasn't sure. If he did, he'd probably come after them full force since that datapad could potentially be the end of him, but she didn't broadcast all of her reasons for breaking in and it wasn't like she trusted the UNSC either.

"Did you read everything?"

The two AI lights reappeared, smaller and threading in and out of one another again, quietly whispering. For the moment, Carolina ignored them. "Of course I did." But reading the evidence and believing it were different things entirely; the fact Iota was fretting, mutting real-all-real over and over was countered by a shake of Carolina's head, and the closing of her eyes.

Did the Director know? He'd no doubt had several guesses as to what Texas had returned for - yet had gone deeper into the ship to secure other things, other objects, other parts of the project. Perhaps he'd known that there was no danger of losing the Alpha, so fractured as he was.

But The Director had given Carolina her orders, she had known what needed to be done. And she'd failed. Something else to hate Texas for, rationally or otherwise, with no small reserve of resentment saved for York, too.

(And no one had guessed yet that the true culprit for the attacks was ~~Maine~~ Sigma.)

"You have your evidence," she croaked at last, still resentful. "What do you even need me for.You should have killed me when you had the chance."

"If that was my goal, I would have done it a long time ago." And it would have made Omega thrilled. The AI was lucky he was even along for the ride at this point.

"You really wanted to stay in that place with him? You deserved to know the truth." She kept her visor trained on Carolina. The truth didn't always set someone free and she wished the other woman would be more open about what was going through her head. "He's been lying to all of us just without the bullshit knock-knock jokes." Maybe a poor attempt at levity given how Carolina felt about her, but hey, at least she tried.

"You didn't answer my question," Carolina said waspishly, aware she wasn't helping (--you're acting like a child. This is not about you. This is about the project--) and very much not wanting help at all.

"lies lies all lies who lies she lies he lies" mumbled Iota, Eta murmuring something in response; unclear, save for the word 'sigma' recurring several times.

"..He's not lying." The redhead said finally. "He wouldn't. I don't believe it." But her voice cracked on 'believe', and she wouldn't look at Tex. Instead, Carolina tried to stand; she wobbled a bit, but found her balance with the help of the downed tree truck beside her. Once she was sure her feet were steady did her hands form fists, one of which hit the poor tree with less force than she should have been capable of.

Edited 2014-05-03 00:52 (UTC)

"I don't have a reason to kill you." Carolina wasn't a threat, especially in her current state. That was one thing Tex and Omega could agree on. It was clear that having three minds working at once was overwhelming.

"You really think Leonard wouldn't lie? Because he has. Not just to me, but to you too."

No threat. Another thing Carolina had failed to be. Not that that particular thought had occurred to her, yet, which was for the best really. "Not about this," she insisted, pressing one hand to her forehead. "The project works. He's given everything to achieve this. It doesn't make any sense for him to.."

She felt sick.

Denial could be painful sometimes. "Take me back." She half-staggered, turning, but utterly serious. "Take me back. If this is real. I want to hear it from him."

"I'm not taking you back. He wasn't going to tell you, not until it comes crashing down on him." And even then, it was questionable. Would Carolina have ever found out? Not if the AI in her head drove her mad first. The Director didn't have the balls to tell his daughter about Beta, he certainly wouldn't have told her everything else.

"Then I'll take myself back," she snapped, which would have been a lot more effective if she wasn't swaying on her feet uncomfortably. Both her AI buzzed angrily, though it wasn't clear if they were in agreement with Carolina or with Texas, but the redhead seemed determine to outstubborn everyone, moving forwards to stomp unsteadily back the way Tex had come.

Carolina found that old thread, a strangling sense of frustration that always seemed to surface around the other Freelancer, was once coiling around her. Even though there was nothing to win, Tex had somehow claimed victory anyway, blocking Carolina at any turn - and she didn't even know why Texas felt the need to have her here.

(And the fact, the thought, that, maybe, it wasn't Tex who wanted her here, made both head and hurt in equal measure.)

There was only so much patience Tex had. This was why the Director and Allison should have thought twice before having children. Their stubbornness combined could give even a saint a migraine and desire for violence.

"Look," she voiced firmly, making sure she was standing in the way of the other woman. If Carolina wanted to leave so badly, she would have to go through her. The project was no home for her to return to, no matter what she thought. "You know who I am. You can stop with the petty bitchiness and let me help you for once. That's all I've been trying to do, Carolina."

If she couldn't save Alpha, then at least she could try to save their daughter.

The problem with saving someone is that they need to want the help offered - and right now, Carolina wasn't willing to accept that from Texas.

Going through her was exactly what Carolina planned to do, even if she didn't really have the strength to do so. "Petty--" she cut herself off as a burst of anger boosted her out of her flagging state, bringing the redhead to a halt nonetheless. "After everything you've done? You think I'm just going to take that, from you? None of any of this would be happening if it weren't for you. Beta."

She could feel her hands shaking, something she distantly recognise as not caused by anger or concussion, her AI flickering between one another again as they feed into her emotions. Keeping her offbalance. (Can't trust can't believe not even Beta especially not have to go back must go back)

Carolina's head shook slightly, trying to shake it off, before her left hand lifted to press at her temple, fingers splayed against her head. "shut up!" ...Though who that was meant for, she couldn't have said at that moment.

When Delta received that ping York had begun to make his way across country to reach them. It was a bit of slow going considering the trees and the underbrush but he was approaching the coordinates he'd been given.

"I hope we don't end up walking into a fight, D."

"Odds of that are high, considering the parties involved," Delta replied. "Perhaps you should prepare to separate them if necessary."

"That's a good way to get myself beaten into the dirt," York said with a chuckle. The two women were both better fighters than him. "I don't think that's a good plan."

At that point he was approaching the small clearing and flashes of teal armor were visible between the trees. "No fist-fight going on," he muttered to Delta with relief. "D, send Tex a ping so she knows we're nearby."

Carolina was going to have to try real hard if she wanted to get through Tex. She wasn't about to help the redhead despite the obvious unsteadiness, but she wasn't going to let the woman wander off on her own in this condition.

"I'm not the one who corrupted the project. You have Leonard to thank for that," she replied dryly. "He lied to me, too." If only Carolina would understand that.

It was then that York's ping came in and out of the corner of her eye she spotted his movement. She wasn't sure if this would make things better or worse. "York and D are here."

"I. don't. care." How much more blunt did she have to be on this matter? There was no room for empathy or bonding over mutual betrayals. Not with the harm too fresh, the wounds too raw.

It would have been an impressive bit of backsass had Carolina's eyes not been unfocused or her breathing growing steadily more ragged.

Petty? Now, yes, she really was being petty, but safety and common sense were the very last things on her mind right now. Instead, she staggered into an about-turn, attempting to walk back the way she'd come. If only to sit for a minute on the log. The twins weren't being helpful at all.

She did jerk slightly at the mention of Texas' partner in crime, however. "Of course he is," she muttered bitterly. He's with you. And he could stay that way, far away from her, for all that Carolina had no say in the matter.

York made his way the rest of the way through the trees and put his weapon in its holster. "Hey, Carolina," he said, as if to test her reaction. Tex was there, of course, but she could handle herself—York didn't even nod in her direction.

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[Liberation AU]

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