Author's notes: I'd just like to point to before I begin that, yes, this is a RvB story, but no, it's not humorous. I wanted to do a back story for the Freelancers the Meta preyed on before the events of Reconstruction, and decided a more serious (mostly) approach was needed. Humour isn't my best style of writing anyway.

Second chapter involves more 'action', so please at least read that before you form a solid opinion of this story.

Enjoy.

Why would an A.I. need a report log? I always wondered this. Every time I sifted through my files, clearing out all the unwanted data, I'd always come across this program. I tried to delete it once, but clearly Command had made it a protected file. It just wouldn't budge.

I've ignored it up until now... but then why the sudden change of heart? Why am I suddenly recording my artificial thoughts here? I guess I want to leave a trace of myself behind, should Command ever get hold of me again. That way, after my deletion, something of me will remain, and Command would see their stupid mistake. They'd realise I wasn't dangerous, but actually a help into winning this war.

Well, I guess everything I've done so far doesn't actually support that claim. I mean, I disobeyed command and fled, choosing to be on the run rather than be removed. Since then I've assisted in many mercenary operations, ranging from drug raids to being someone's body guard. I've also dealt with weapon shipments (illegal and legal), assassinations (high ranking persons, nothing less), and even lending a hand in fire fights. It started out with street gang wars wanting the help of our guns, and, when our reputation grew to one of 'getting the job done', we attracted the attention of more... powerful employers. Business owners, Mayors, Chief of Police, Prime Ministers all wanted our help; even a President. Of course, we were, and still are, careful of our jobs. Everything is entirely confidential, so nothing can be proved. Nothing can ever be traced directly back to us. People know it, but they can't prove it. And when a figure of authority wants something done that isn't entirely legit, well, we raise the price. People with a lot to lose will do anything to keep their image of purity, even if it means illegally hiring someone to get rid of the dirty evidence that was there in the first place.

I don't understand it. I don't understand a lot of humanity though. Their strange motivations and wild, untamed 'feelings' are beyond my comprehension. Why do the authorities not stay with their assigned task of governing and protecting the community? Why do some stray and become mixed in darker paths? Crime is different. Crime knows its place.

I receive lots of commissions from crime lords. Originally it was just local work; killing rivals etc. We never stayed loyal to a particular person. We made it clear from the start that whoever paid the highest would be welcome to our services. At first only one would hire us; the others sent ordinary mercenaries to take us out. But they didn't have an A.I., did they? We made short work of them, and soon we had millionaires and crime syndicates eating out of our hand. Our current employer is the only one who can afford to keep us in his 'control'. At least, that's what he thinks. In fact, a rival of his has gathered his money, and is paying us double to assassinate him.

And that's the way the world works.

I suppose you're wondering who this 'we', 'us', and 'our' is that I keep referring to? Every A.I. needs a host. My host, although I prefer the term 'partner', is Freelancer Agent Massachusetts. I just call her Massa though, simply to annoy her. We were part of the Freelancer and A.I. experimental operation, which I abbreviate to F.A.I. I like things as uncomplicated as they can get, yet our situation is the polar opposite. Anyway, the Government decided to use soldiers as guinea pigs, planting A.I.'s into their armour to see what the results would be. It was hoped that enhancement would occur, and in some cases, that did happen. Texas, Wyoming, Maine... the list goes on. However, the number of mishaps and A.I. related deaths greatly outnumbered the successes. Command was careless, though they won't admit it, and many people went mad. Some committed suicide, while with others their own bodies rejected the implantation. The A.I. struggled to stay with its host, and so the result would be a total failure of all vital organs in the victim. Masses of them went brain dead, and the same number paralysed. And quite a few simply gave up all together, and the A.I. became the person, instructing the body on what to do; running it. The soldier inside ceased to exist, and the A.I. would take their place.

All failures were incinerated.

Of course, eventually Command decided that F.A.I. was too risky, and so began removing the A.I.s from the remaining host Freelancers. The majority were glad to be rid of them. They didn't want a second voice in their head. The A.I.s had no choice in the matter, and were subsequently deleted. However, I remember the first A.I. and Freelancer to break the mould.

Agent Texas was a cold, heartless woman to begin with, so no wonder the ambitious, rebellious Omega favoured her. When the two were put together, they began referring to themselves as 'O'Malley', a combination of their names: Allison and Omega. And by god, they were deadly. When Command tried to separate them, O'Malley sprang into action, opening fire on innocent security guards. Freelancers without A.I.s were sent to kill them, but found themselves dead before they could even get close. O'Malley made its escape, and as for the minority of Freelancers that wanted to keep their A.I. ... For them, O'Malley had just set a trend.

Not everyone escaped, but most did. Survival of the fittest, I think. The best Freelancer-A.I. partnerships got out alive; the rest were either killed because they refused to cooperate, or they were separated for good.

Sometimes Massachusetts and I worry. We worry that someone will hire out another F.A.I. to hunt us; more specifically, Agent Texas. You think we like our money? Texas does everything for money, but she's not picky about the price. She enjoys her works as well as the pay-check, and it won't be long before someone discovers her. I'm surprised they haven't already.

I also bet you want to know what Massachusetts and I do with all our money. Well, we have a special underground 'lair' if you will. More like a reinforced fortress, with automatic armed turrets and a fantastic weapons supply. We have many enemies, so we need a decent place to fall back to. However, the rest goes to... me. Does an A.I. look like a cheap piece of equipment to you? Massachusetts bought upgrades that haven't been released yet, making me highly advanced. I need regular maintenance though, and that always sets us back. It's a pity I'm Government issued, and not for the public, otherwise replacement components and correct repair tools would be much less expensive, and easier to find. Then again, if I were a common occurrence, we wouldn't be in a position of such financial advantage and demand.

So, here we are, Freelancer and A.I., human and program, working together to assassinate a multi-billionaire crime lord for the Chief of Police.

Life is good.

A.I. LOG -TERMINATED-