"Agent Washington," the Director repeated. "You did not honestly believe you could get away with the Alpha, did you?"

Tex hooked her pistols in their holsters. "Let me handle this," she said, pushing to the front. "Leonard, let the boy go! Alpha, David, Carolina, the whole damn project, what's it all for? Certainly not to end a non-existent war!"

"This does not concern you, Agent Texas."

Tex cracked her knuckles. "Call me Allison."

There was a pregnant pause on the other side of the speakers, even as North, South, Wyoming, and Maine continued to shoot down the opposing soldiers.

Finally, the Director scoffed. "Would someone please throw a grenade into that damn bird already?"

And then Tex was moving, tucking, rolling, shooting. She snagged the grenade with a grappling hook a moment before it reached the Pelican and threw it back to its original owner. "Not my kids, you fuck!" she roared.

"I'm sorry, Agent Texas," the Director drawled. "You were never meant to remember."

"Fuck that!"

Wyoming shot down the last soldier and the party hurried to the Pelican, to be greeted by several A.I. and a shocked David, Carolina, and Niner. North propped York in the closest seat and started digging the bullet out as Florida fetched the medkit.

"Go," Tex ordered as a new platoon of soldiers flooded the landing bay. "I'm going to kill him."

"Wait!" Carolina rushed forward.

Tex shook her head. "I'm just a memory, Carolina. Let me go."

"Alpha needs you," Wash said.

Tex laughed. "No, he doesn't. But still, I'll try to find my way back to my family." She backflipped off the ramp, shooting before she landed. "Today is a good day for you fucktards to die!"

David gaped in awe.

"Agent Washington!" the Director tried once more.

Wash flinched, then smiled and stood straight as the very last piece of his fragmented mind clicked into place. "My name is David Church!" He turned away as the ramp sealed shut and made his way to the copilot's seat, punching in a set of coordinates by memory. "Do you think you can get us here?"

Niner glanced at her display. "Keep your helmets on and set to oxygen conservation mode. I'm rerouting gravity to life support in ten."

"Magnetize and set filters to minimum safe oxygen!" Wash shouted to the back. "Secure?"

"Secure!" North shouted back, echoed soon by the others.

"Rerouting gravity now," Niner reported. "Gravity rerouted. You're free to move. ETA twelve hours."

"Thank you," Wash said, as sincerely as he possible could. He pushed out of his seat and into the cargo bay, magnetizing near York. "Status?"

"He'll live," North reported, fidgeting.

Wash nodded and turned to Florida. "Theta, back to North. Sigma, go for reintegration."

The two A.I. switched places and in a moment, Alpha projected from Florida's armor and looked Wash in the eye. "Thanks."

Wash nodded and then nudged Epsilon.

The A.I. appeared at his shoulder and nodded. "Any other fragments who want to be reintegrated, do so now. Agents, use your A.I. for speaking or sign. We've got a long trip ahead of us, and we're not exactly designed for such a journey. Acknowledge."

The agents all saluted, but none of the A.I. moved toward Alpha.

"Where are we going?" Theta asked.

Epsilon grinned. "Somewhere awesome." He looked back at Wash. "Suggest hibernation, set clocks at four hours, three-man watches. Agent York will need to remain as he is."

"Agent North will take first watch," Theta said.

Carolina and South raised one finger. Florida, Maine, and David raised two. Wyoming nodded to Wash as North also raised three fingers, looking pointedly at York.

Wash nodded and pulled himself into a seat.

"Inducing hibernation," Epsilon reported, and Wash felt himself slip away.

He woke up to the jostling of an atmospheric reentry and checked the chronometer for the time. 'I thought I was slotted for third watch,' he thought at Epsilon.

The A.I. shrugged. 'South was determined to stay with her brother, and I'm not crossing her.' He paused. 'The hibernation did the trick. We have barely any fuel or oxygen, but we're here.'

Wash stretched and stood at that, walking over to the copilot's seat and aiding how he could with the landing, receiving a grateful look from Niner.

As soon as the Pelican was landed and the ramp open, the agents ripped off their helmets, gulping in the fresh oxygen. Wash smiled at them, removing his own helmet, and walked up to the ridge to look over the ocean, smiling at the memories of sitting here with Caboose.

"Where are we?" South demanded.

Wash spread his arms wide. "This is home. At least for me." He gestured down the hill. "There's two bases down that way, fully equipped. They've been abandoned for only a couple years at this point." He laughed, feeling his eye corners wrinkle. "In about fifteen years, Donut will burn them down while lighting his incense and candles." He shook his head, returning to the matter at hand. "There's a medical bay down there, too. Carolina, South, go grab a stretcher for York. Maine, Florida, Wyoming, David, make a chain and offload supplies. North, stay with York. Niner, with me, let's go check the caves and see if there's fuel and oxygen canisters down there. I remember Caboose finding some but we didn't get a chance to inventory before Sarge blew it up."

They worked tirelessly for the next several hours, until York was stabilized, the Pelican was refueled, the supplies were stocked in the bases, and a secure line of communication was set up by which to send the UNSC the evidence Epsilon and Tex had compiled.

Finally, North collapsed, asleep, by York's bedside, and the rest sojourned to the common room. Wyoming stood and offered Wash a small device, the size of his palm.

Epsilon hovered over the device for a moment, before nodding. "That's it. Just needs to be hooked up to a time distortion enhancement."

Wyoming chuckled and handed over his. "There you go. It's not like I'll have much use for it from now on."

Wash smiled gratefully and hooked the devices to his armor. He took a deep breath and stared at the faces of all his old friends. "I guess this is it."

"Now?" David asked, confused.

Wash nodded. "Yeah. The future's looking good. You guys don't need me anymore." He held out his hand and clasped David's arm. "I'll probably miss you the most."

David chuckled and nodded.

"Well…," Wash said.

"Don't say goodbye," Carolina interrupted. "If you don't say goodbye, then you aren't really gone, you're just not-."

"Here right now," Wash finished. "I know." He bit his lip and looked around once more. "Goodbye," he said, and then activated the device.

Something in the universe stretched and then snapped back into place, and Wash found himself standing in the rubble of the old bases, staring at the Reds and Blues, who were arguing over some sort of plan. "Hey, guys," he called.

Tucker looked up, and Wash recognized the note clutched in his fist. "'Hey, guys'?!" he spluttered. "'Hey, guys'?!"

"What's this about keys?" Sarge demanded.

"Memory is the key," Caboose murmured as he wrapped his arms around Wash and kissed his temple.

"That's right." Epsilon appeared over Wash's shoulder. "Memory is the key."

"Church?" Tucker fairly shrieked.

Wash found himself laughing as the room turned to chaos and he let himself melt into Caboose's arms.

"Wash?" Carolina asked.

Wash shook his head. "David."

Carolina smiled, cupping her baby brother's face. "Welcome home."