Philip and Francisco ran amidst the chaos and gunfire occurring between random groups on base. The pair ran towards an inconspicuous supply shed. Philip asked questioningly “you think that Dumbass guy can be trusted? I mean, he is affiliated with team Lambda, and is part of the agency’s administration”.

Francisco sighed “now’s not the time to get cold feet. Shoulda questioned him before taking up the offer to help 2 months ago. If you’re having second thoughts, back out now, but decide your side quickly, so I’ll know if I should shoot you or not”.

“You know, I could kill you too, but a deathmatch does make the choice fall heavily in favor of me tagging along. In either case, it’s either die now or die later in some fucked up way. Let’s get inside already before we get spotted”.

Philip and Francisco quickly entered the supply shed. After turning on the lights, they glanced around briefly. “I don’t see any levers or anything. What were we supposed to do again”? Philip asked.

“Idiot, he seriously just gave us directions on the way here, we’re supposed to go over to the third crat on the left, move it…”

“I remember most of that stupidly long and specific set of directions, but what will it accomplish”?

“If someone who is technically your boss tells you to do something, you generally do it” Francisco insisted.

“Not if his name is Dumbass”!

Unable to reply, Francisco continued moving and shifting items around, following whatever oddly specific instructions they were given over a secure communication channel. 15 minutes later after throwing a dart which was in a crate, and hitting the outer ring of the one point area of a dart board on the wall, a portion of the wall moved backwards.

Philip stared at the wall while sweaty after moving objects. “We couldn’t have just thrown the damn dart”?!

“Apparently not. Anyways, let’s see what happens from here”. Francisco pushed against the wall, which continued to move back, revealing a small passageway. The path continued on for about ten meters, finally coming to a stop at a large red lever. “Oh, this looks fun”.

“I’m pulling the lever”!

“Wait”! Francisco stopped Philip as he was reaching for the lever. “Dumbass said that once we pull this, things will change. What do you suppose that means”?

“Fuck if I know. Can I pull the lever already”?

“Well, aren’t we allied with lambda now? Wouldn’t that make us official lambda members or something”?

Philip froze in his tracks “Why the fuck would you WANT to be associated with that team? I’m still debating this whole thing just because of their field record”!

“You saw them in the games though. Like an entirely different team. And there’s that cute new girl. You heard about her flight training I’m sure”.

“You want this? To be part of them”?!

Francisco sighed “Look, I’m just saying that there seems to be more to them than what everyone expects. I guess I wanna give them the benefit of the doubt. Besides, things are about to get crazy according to Dumbass”.

“I get the feeling we signed up for something far larger than any of us…” Philip muttered. “Oh well! Fuck it, I’m pulling the lever”! With a hardy shout, Philip reached up and pulled the lever with all his might, only to dangle helplessly as the lever was far heavier than anticipated.

Francisco pointed to a panel on the wall, entered a code, and then pulled the lever. Seconds passed as Philip raged, having been robbed the joy of pulling the lever. The floor beneath them began to shake, then descend at a steady pace.

~

Team lambda watched as black, red, and green flares flew into the sky simultaneously from various areas around the base. Michelle grinned “Well, it’s time for a little fun. Permission granted to fire at will. Bring though who want to tag along, and take no prisoners”!

“Wait, are you saying it’s ok to fire on our comrades?! What the actual fuck”! Allison shouted.

“Well, I’ll explain once we get back to Mark’s lab. Until then, GUNS UP BITCHES”! Michelle drew her knives and stormed ahead, followed by most of team lambda, wielding guns. Emilia cleared the way, while the rest of the team provided support.

After finally gaining entry to the lab and meeting up with the remainder of the team, Allison asked “Ok, what the fuck is going on here?! We killed twelve people on the way here, who should have all been allies, right? There’s no way this is OK”!

“Well, they did fire on us first, fortunately most of them suck at shooting. In either case, ‘directive 6’ has been initiated” Michelle replied.

“What the fuck is ‘directive 6’”? Allison questioned again.

“Well, simply put, the agency has now been split into two opposing factions”. Michelle nodded.

“You’re fucking kidding”!

“Now why would I lie about something like that after killing three people which used to be allies. They fired on us. This base is under attack from itself, and people who you thought you knew are out to kill you. It’s that simple”.

Allison shouted “that doesn’t sound simple at all. What kind do shit does one have to go through for this kind of thing to seem even remotely normal”?!

“Hun, that’s a rabbit hole you don’t wanna go down. And even if you were crazy enough to ask, and I was willing to answer, now isn’t the time or the place”. Michelle turned to Mark “How go the preparations”?

Mark looked at the screen “about 98% complete. I’ll bring up individual areas to finish loading”.

On screen, each member’s room was displayed, or what was left of it. Most rooms were completely barren, void of all furniture and decorations, not that there were many decorations to begin with.

“What the hell happened to our room”?! Allison shouted.

“Rinoa moved it” Emilia replied “and not just ours, everyone’s from this team. If I remember correctly, it’s one of those things Michelle had considered a possibility quite some time ago”.

“You’re not making any sense Ems”.

Jessica answered next “Think about it. With a record like ours, and a combination of talents this strong, did you think we could really coexist with most of the agency? Then again, that’s not actually the main point of all this, just the start of another act”.

“I don’t like the way this is sounding…” Allison whimpered.

“Even I can’t blame you for that. Things here are going to go from stupid to insane and it’s gonna happen in a hurry” Aaron commented.

Allison glanced at Aaron’s room on the screen. “Is that a whip hanging on your wall”?

“Yeah, it is. And before you ask… the answer is almost certainly ‘no’. Mark, can you have Rinoa carefully retrieve that. It’s a bit of a special item”.

Mark nodded towards the request and moments later, some strange type of robot was sent to retrieve the item, which it did, including the section of wall the whip was hanging from. It brought it back to the lab. Mark pointed towards Aaron and the robot presented him with the broken section of wall, and whip. Aaron merely scratched his head and took the whip. “I assume clothes and such are already taken care of, since my room is apparently empty of everything else”.

<<Correct. Everything has been loaded into your living quarters as size would best allow>>.

“Oh, so she is still here”? Aaron said with a laugh.

<<I’m ALWAYS here, ALWAYS watching, ALWAYS waiting>>.

“That was fucking creepy”! Aaron shouted.

<<I know. I scanned the contents of your personal library. It seems that based on the subject matter, that type of statement would’ve gotten a reaction out of you. I am quite pleased as to the result>>.

“Mark, your friend here… has quite the sense of humor” Aaron groaned.

“Oh, glad you noticed” Mark laughed, then turned serious “Rinoa, how goes the loading of other personnel’s equipment? We’ll have to move soon”!

<<Loading for 21 out of 23 people is complete. Ammunition and fuel loading is complete. Food and living supplies are fully stocked. The bar is also fully stocked>>.

“Way to go Rinoa”! Javon shouted.

“Wait… 21 out of 23”? David pondered for a moment, scratching his head.

<<Yes, they are personnel who helped with the level project, along with those loyal to directive 6. They do not include any members of the original team lambda. Philip and Francisco, formally of team omega, are not included in this number either. They have left their original team to join team lambda. Target designations for them have already been changed to that of team lambda>>.

“So, we have new members? Did they sign the contract”? David questioned.

Michelle groaned “About that, as of the initialization of directive 6, the need for those types of contracts, doesn’t exactly exist”.

“What the fuck is directive 6? It makes less and less sense”! Allison screamed.

Michelle put her hand on Allison’s shoulder “Calm the hell down Ali, I’ll get to that in just a second. First, before any of that, there’s something that affects you. Directive 6 makes your contract null and void. You are a member of team lambda and as such, our rules apply to you instead of the BS agency”.

“Oh, so, my contract is… void… wait, wouldn’t that mean that”…

“Yes, as of this very moment, aside from the fact that you are on a base filled with people trying to kill each other, you are a regular civilian in the eyes of the agency, or what’s left of it, and a provisional recruit in the eyes of team lambda. In short, you are free to go if you want”.

Allison’s eyes widened as she glanced at the rest of the team. “I’m, free to go? I wont get shot or anything? No threats of execution, bullets to the back? No bullshit”?

Every member of team lambda nodded. Allison stated back “but if I’m free, what about you guys? Are you still bound by something? Surely you can’t be sticking around willingly with how well some of you get along and how some things are with this team… right”?

“Well, under nearly any other circumstance, I’d agree with you. Unfortunately, we’re burdened with knowledge that makes us dealing with each other preferable to… other events”. Michelle lowered her head. “It’s not that I don’t wanna go, I just wont really be able to run now. The opposition knows who I am, and what I can do. I will be eliminated quickly alone. Just like before, my best bet for survival is with these guys. You can still be removed from the system since you were provisional. You have a chance at a normal life. Most of the rest of us… well… don’t”. Michelle glanced around at her team. Her gaze was received with nods all around.

“Well, fuck… I’m not sure what to say, but at the very least, I would need your help to get out of here, right”? Allison replied.

“True, by the way, I think a certain old bastard has been on screen behind us for a while”. Michelle turned around and gave Mr. Dumbass 2 middle fingers. “Hey old man, how long have you been there. How much did you hear? Your answer will determine how many fingers you keep”

“I’ll say I heard only the part about help getting out. I see directive 6 is going along about as well as could be expected. Death and carnage everywhere, sounds about right. In any case, I have just received the update from Rinoa. Loading is complete, you’re ready to launch. I just have to create the proper distraction, unfortunately, my position is pinned down from any escape points, so I’m stuck”.

“You could ask for help ya know! Fucking idiot”. Michelle snarled.

“It’s Dumbass, you dumbass. You wouldn’t make it in time, and once you launch, turning around isn’t exactly an option. There are contingencies for such an event. Rinoa will brief you if you don’t already remember. I’ll see to it that you get a proper distraction and the proper support. Don’t fuck it up”.

“Ha! Who the fuck do you think we are?! Support, fuck, we just need people who can keep up, and the occasional meat shield”! Michelle said with an evil laugh.

“It’s scary to think that the hopes of freedom shall rest within your hands. Anyways, there’s this big red button here I’ve been dying to press. Everyone else is now accounted for except for those present in your room. I suspect you don’t have long. My door is going to be broken down shortly, and according to video feeds, yours will too. Hurry up already so I can press the damn button”!

“Whatever. Mark, where’s the hatch”? Michelle turned and asked.

“The extra room over there, same that you always change in”. As mark finished, a loud explosion could be heard at the door. “Well, good thing that door is armored”.

<<Bad news, that door can’t take another explosion like that. They are using high amounts of explosives. I’m surprised the walls are still intact>>.

“Well, lets get going. I don’t think we’re gonna make it if we wait too long” Aaron muttered.

Everyone moved towards the other room, David and Javon helped Jesse, who was still wounded and losing blood. Emilia waited for everyone to enter, then turned to enter herself, just as the door was blasted away. Emilia slammed the door and turned to watch everyone slide down a hatch. “Leave Jesse. He’ll slow you down, I’ll take him instead”!

David and Javon left Jesse and slid down the ladder heading to parts unknown. Gunshots from Rinoa’s turrets could be heard through the walls and explosions followed, along with the silence of the guns.

Emilia picked up Jesse and prepared to descend, just as the door was blown open. She let gravity take her and Jesse as she closed the hatch above her.

As she descended, she smiled wryly to herself and muttered “Last time, it was you who carried me like this, wasn’t it”?

Jesse smiled lightly and muttered in reply “funny how that works, huh. Are you enjoying holding me up like this, with your hands under my ass”?

“I enjoy it about as much as you trying to grab my tits. Quit or I drop you”.

“Alright, fine. I suppose I owe you one though”.

“Not really, I mean, not for this much. You only owe me your entire being, no biggie”

Jesse smiled again “such a slave driver you are. Well, I can say that if I must owe someone anything, I would at least prefer it to be you”.

Emilia nearly forgot to activate her thrusters as she reached the bottom of the shaft, causing quite a rough landing for two of them.

“Just cuz I owe you doesn’t mean you can be so rough you know…”

Jesse couldn’t see Emilia’s face, which was red to the ears. He could only hear her reply “shut up. When you get that arm patched up, I’ll have you make sure this set of pajamas is clean for getting blood all over them”!

Jesse sighed “now how the fuck am I supposed to clean armored pajamas”?