#epsilon!delta

[correctrvbquotes]

Back in the dessert...

Sarge: Heh heh. Seems like all the kicking and blowing up put some life back into the little guy. That's adorable.

Grif: Why are all his blue parts green?

Caboose: I don't know.

Delta: Caboose, is that you?

Caboose: Delta?

[correctrvbquotes]

Fade in to the simulation room of the Red Base. The Epsilon unit opens up and emits a hologram of the AI, Delta.

Caboose: It’s you!

Delta: Hello, Caboose. It seems fitting to say that it is good to see you again. Although, technically, that is untrue…

Caboose: Delta! I thought you were gone! I thought you were erased at the… eh… electronic thing whose name some people have trouble remembering.

Delta: Actually, this is not Delta. We simply thought that you would be most comfortable speaking to Delta.

Caboose: We?

Delta: Yes. Epsilon strongly remembers all the other AI fragments. When Alpha went insane, Epsilon carried the burden of those memories. We can appear as anyone, in this case, Delta, who, from your stories, was a trusted source of information for you. Therefore, we felt it best that we take his likeness for this conversation.

Caboose: Oh. That makes sense.

Delta: Yes. We thought you would say that.

Caboose: So you can… appear as anyone?

Delta: Theoretically, yes. Anyone in our memory banks.

Caboose: What about a chair?

Delta: If you felt that was fitting, the holographic technology in this room allows us to project ourselves in any matter. It is surprisingly advanced.

Caboose: How about a giraffe?

Delta: Look. Let’s just say we can look like many different things and just leave it at that. Okay?

Caboose: Okay.

Delta: We regret that we will not be able to appear to you or communicate with you outside this room, so you must listen carefully.

Caboose just looks at Delta for a second

Delta: Caboose, did you understand what—

Caboose: I’m listening carefully.

[correctrvbquotes]

Delta: Caboose, I need you to listen, my time is brief. Epsilon is not in control right now. But he will be again, shortly.

Caboose: Great!

Delta: Perhaps not. The encounter with Agent Washington has jarred loose many of his memories. Epsilon has not, historically coped with these memories well.

Grif: What's that mean?

Delta: We fear he may pursue certain memories in particular.

Grif: Who is we?

Delta: Myself and the other memories of the Alpha fragments.

Grif: What the fuck is that? Who the fuck are you, and what the fuck is happening?

Delta: Epsilon may not yet be aware of our presence, but eventually he will be. We cannot hide forever. It is likely at this point he will begin the cycle again. That must not happen.

Caboose: What cycle. Hhh! A motorcycle? A secret motorcycle? It's okay, you can tell me.

Delta: He's begun to search his memories now, he is clearly looking for something.

Caboose: Well you always did say memory is the key.

Delta: Memory is the key, Caboose, but not everything that is locked is meant to be unlocked. He is coming back now. I must leave before he discovers me.

Caboose: But if he meets you in there then you can be friends. But not best friends. But, you know 'cause that job's, taken? But, you know, maybe acquaintances?

Delta: If only, I, were the memory, that he's looking for.

[correctrvbquotes]

Delta: All right. It can be hard to tell. Caboose, we need you to find a way to help us. Washington said that when Epsilon was recovered, that our memories could be used to punish people who tortured Alpha.

Caboose: Okay.

Delta: Washington will not trust us, and our new recent attempts to build a new body are not working.

Caboose: We had a fire!

Delta: We remember. Your friend from Red Team described a location nearby with a strange energy source.

Caboose: Oh, that’s where Tucker is.

Delta: We don’t have many memories of him.

Caboose: Yeah, I never really liked him so… I leave him out of most of the stories.

Delta: The Freelancer Project found a source of intense energy, so a scenario team was sent to investigate the area, but they left without doing anything.

Caboose: They sound dumb.

Delta: Indeed. This place sounds like the location of the energy source. You should go there and investigate. We can explain more when the opportunity arises.

Caboose: Okay, I can help you do that. Even if it helps Tucker too…

Delta: Thank you, Caboose. We have to go now. Someone is coming. Remember: memory is the key. (vanishes back into the Epsilon unit)

Caboose: What? I thought we were done with that part.