He should have expected this. Carolina had literally been the one to warn him that there was potential that Maine would end up coming after him thinking that he may have his AI, but he was fairly certain that the news got out that he didn't have his AI anymore. He didn't think that there was a chance that Maine could end up making it back, and yet here he was with everything that was going on. The Freelancer had wanted to hope that Maine wasn't going down the path he thought he was going. There had to be some other factor that he was missing in all of this, and he wasn't exactly sure what it was. He needed more information on Maine in general as the other had kept to himself near the end of the Project. He didn't know why, but there were only a couple factors that he could think of that would lead someone down that path. Either Maine had turned out like CT and was working against them from the very beginning, or he was being manipulated by someone to do something. A feeling that Washington knew all too well as he was used for the majority of his life for his skill and basically for fodder in case someone needed to die in the project. Tying up loose ends. Washington had been one of the closest to Maine, at least that's what he considered the friend to be.

Yes, he had friends in Project Freelancer even if they were willing to kick the shit out of each other during training sessions. Washington had known the mannerisms of the guy and what he preferred to do even if it was not the greatest work that was around either. The Freelancer had trust in Maine to be able to hold up his end of the mission and get the job done with fail. The same expectations that he held for everyone else that he had encountered too. Part of him wanted to believe that Maine was still Maine. That maybe he perceived Carolina as a threat that one day and thought that it would be best to get rid of her and at the same time taking her AI's because they were expensive and needed to be salvaged. Washington didn't want to believe it. What he would have given to realize that everything about Project Freelancer had just been a joke. A prank. That none of it was actually real. Coming to reality was difficult for Washington to go through when half the time he wasn't able to perceive what was even real and what was not. The Freelancer's mental health had been great up to this point, not worrying about the hallucinations, although he had noticed that Carolina's mental health had basically been the complete opposite.

It worried him. He needed Carolina in top condition if they were going to get out of here alive, and if they were humans and had all of their gear it probably would have been possible to take out the Meta. He would have his gun, and Carolina would have all the alien technology weapons that she liked to use in the field. Two Freelancers against one. They knew how that turned out when Carolina and Texas had taken on CT. Washington didn't feel pain yet. The Freelancers adrenaline keeping him battle ready just in case he needed to be. Washington was used to getting injured in the middle of a fight and would continue to work despite the injuries. Working past the pain just like any other soldier would have been able to. Washington watched as someone changed into a dragon. What the fuck?! Was something like that even possible?! Washington's eyes were wide as he saw a domestic cat turning into one and target Maine herself. That wasn't good. That wasn't good at all. "Playerone don't!" The reptile wasn't large enough compared to Maine. The large creature basically the same size as her, and it wouldn't be much of a fight when even a dragon wouldn't be able to get through said armor.

This was bad. His attention turned back to his left arm that had been snapped, trying to put pressure on it. He didn't feel it, but he knew that if he tried to use it, it would end up in worse condition than it already was. Fuck. Then finally, Carolina arrived. A wave of relief flooded Washington's mind, it was just like the several other times that she had to come and save his ass. She was thrown off but it was obvious that she had managed to do some damage to their former teammate and he was going after her. He wasn't going to stand around and do anything even with just a broken arm. Yes, his neck hurt from the angle that it had been held in, but he could still fight, and it wasn't like he was in any sort of pain. The smilodon sprinted to the side targetting Maine, and as he neared he aimed to slam his armored shoulder against the other. Maybe his momentum would be enough to knock the other over or at least to get his attention a little bit. Running on three legs was almost impossible for Washington but his willpower held him threw. However, there was a chance that Maine could be faster than him and he wouldn't be able to make it in time for Carolina to ultimately be tackled. "speech"

There it was. The unnatural grin on Thea's face as she watched, not bothering to run, but also not bothering to try and take on the hellhound. Even though it'd be an amazing fight, probably, even if she was killed. "It does look prettier with blood..." She mewed, entranced.

They seemed to prefer fighting alone. Thea admired that. Maybe they were a bit like her, in that sense. Depending on their own power to win their battles, not anybody else's power. She stayed out of range of the fight, but still watched. Watched as blood was spilled and each side fought for the upper hand, and the skill used in each executed attack.

She could learn from this experience.

They were losing. He knew that they didn't want to admit what was happening right now while everyone was looking on, but they were losing. He hated the idea of losing like any Freelancer that was out there. How were they losing against someone like Maine? Maybe it had been the fact that he had hoped that Maine was still himself and not something that was foreign. Washington had given the Hellhound the opportunity to wound him enough where he wouldn't e all that much help in battle. He knew that he was going to need the majority of his legs while everything was happening to even be remotely helpful. The smilodon would have size on his side, but that would only end up going so far anyway. Maine was still slightly bigger than he was, but given the armor that was on his body, he probably weighed a lot more than the canine.

Which could be useful if he managed to put it to good use at all. Washington knew that he would be out of his fight sooner or later and that a broken arm would put him out of commission once he started to feel the pain that was currently being blocked thanks to the adrenaline that ran through his veins. A common occurrence for the likes of humans that had suffered a fall and had to keep moving despite the pain that they were in and animals were more than capable of doing as such as there had been instances of animals moving with injuries that could be considered to be severe. He was trying to divert attention away from Carolina. Knowing that if she was caught by something that large it would mean bad news for all of them. He knew that keeping her alive was one of their better options for their survival and that just meant that he would be willing to put his life in danger. Maine was a threat now. A threat that needed to be eliminated and that's all that needed to be thought about. If he could give Carolina an opening, maybe they would be fine.

That was of course until Washington heard the sounds of bones cracking as he didn't make it in time before Maine collided with the unarmored leopard. Her ribs were broken. He didn't know how many, and he only heard it as he collided against the side of Agent Maine anyway. As soon as he did collide with Maine though, thanks to the way his broken leg was, he ended up collapsing and rolling on the ground from the impact himself. It nearly winded him, but he kept his breathing calm as a concerned look was on his face that was hidden by his helmet as he looked over toward Carolina. She was still fighting. She was going to need to be careful if she didn't want one of her ribs going into her lungs. "Carolina!" Washington called out with concern one of his arms reaching toward the leopard as he watched as Maine move back toward her, but she was ready with a counterattack. Doing exactly what she had done to him by knocking him down onto the ground and cutting into his body. Their helmets didn't protect every part of their body, leaving gaps here and there and the throat was not one of them.

The armored smilodon forced himself up onto his paws, and he knew that he was going to have to end the fight soon if they wanted to get out of this alive without their neck being snapped. He was panting when he forced himself up onto his legs, putting pressure on his broken leg without really realizing it. Worsening the injury further but no sound was made from it. The Freelancer began to make his way over, trotting at a speed that would allow him there within a couple seconds but not enough to make him fall over himself like last time. As he neared where Maine was on the ground, Washington aimed to rear slightly on his back legs and slam his paw onto the side of Maines helmet. Hoping to knock him out, as that may be the best option. Washington would aim to put all of his body weight into the strike, and even if he missed he would be down on the ground again. Grunting through the pain. He was a Freelancer. He could handle it. He needed to protect Carolina because she was a better fighter than him. "speech"