York

"The whole universe is moving too fast, Wash. I think we're just trying to keep up."

- York

Freelancer Agent New York, also codenamed Foxtrot 12, was once an agent in the Special Operation's Project Freelancer who specialized in infiltration. York was the second best Freelancer agent at one time.

Project Freelancer
For a time, York was the second highest rated Freelancer agent. In the episode 'Introductions', York (along with Agents Maine and Wyoming) fought in a training excercise against a new recruit to Project Freelancer, Agent Texas. During the fight, York repeatedly tried to coordinate his team's attacks, but Maine and Wyoming ignored him and tried to fight Tex on their own by recklessly charging at her, which led to them being easily taken down. Tex bested York and his team in eight rounds of combat that included the use of melee weapons, hand-to-hand action, and guns loaded with paralyzing paint.



However, in the ninth round, Maine and Wyoming switch their guns' projectiles to live ammunition and attack Tex with them, prompting York to try and help Tex, thought she repeatedly resists his aid and attacks him each time he attempts to help her. Tex eventually immobilizes Wyoming and Maine, but Maine breaks free and rams a column towards Tex. She dodges it, but it hits York instead and sends him reeling. Tex fights and defeats Maine, who throws a grenade in a last ditch attempt to beat Tex. Again, she dodges it and it lands next to York instead. Still stunned from the earlier impact, York is oblivious to the grenade. Tex fires rounds of the paralyzing paint at him in an effort to harden York's armor, thereby protecting him from the grenade's explosion. York flies across the training room and the Freelancers watching come to his aid with medics. He is shown with multiple cracks in his visor and a hole above his left eye.

Mission for the Sarcophagus


He later recovered enough to join the other Freelancers in their next mission, though his rank had fallen down to sixth. York is then seen inside a building, where Carolina has him pick a lock for her. He notes that it's holographic, and she asks if he can do it. He does so, but accidentally sets off an alarm. York alerts the team of an enemy patrol coming in, and helps them acquire a window washer lift to carry the package to the roof. Later, he is told to shut down a bomb planted by Agent Texas. However, he reveals it to be a transmitter. He asks the insurrectionist soldier to hold the transmitter and attempts to escape. Thanks to a MAC round fired from the Mother of Invention, the building collapses, and York is sent in a freefall. He is rescued via a Warthog driven by Agent Maine, and is later seen driving himself. He gets the coordinates to Team B; however, they are told to go after Rhee Sebial. Maine kills Sebial and takes the briefcase.



York picks up Maine with Carolina in the Warthog and they leave the scene of the crime with York stating that Response Teams are likely already on the way. They are pursued by Hornets. Later when Carolina is fighting two jetpack soldiers and Maine is injured in the warthog, York tosses Carolina Maine's Brute Shot. He also picks up Carolina when the truck they are on swerves, sending them flying. Pursuing the Insurrectionists, Carolina tells York that they have to get the briefcase before Tex with York questioning why. While pursing the Insurrectionists, he is told to bail out of the Warthog to allow Carolina to get into a closing door. Later when Carolina is being picked up by a Pelican, York extends his hand to help her up and she angrily grabs it.

Back aboard the Mother of Invention North tells York the scores have changed (with him placed in third). York says everything has been changing while going to his locker and picking up his old helmet, which he tosses in the trash. He then says everything has been changing since Tex showed up and brings up the police shooting at them as an example. He asks North if they're the good guys and North says they are but York points out the uncertainty in his voice.

Mission in Space
Sometime in the future, York is on a mission aboard an Insurrectionist ship with Delta. York is shown knocking out a guard and then trying to access a holographic lock. Once he gets the lock he tries to hack at the lock until a remote alarm is sounded. Once it is sounded he tries to continue hacking the lock until F.I.L.S.S. fires at the side of the ship, creating a hole and sending York into the vaccum of space, out of the ship. When Carolina points out that York was unsuccessfully able to open the leader's hangar, York quickly states that it wasn't his fault albeit still floating in the vacuum of space. Later, when Carolina and her team neutralize the Insurrection forces in the recycling station, South quickly finds out that the leader isn't in the station but in Bone Valley. Carolina quickly orders her team to make way towards Bone Valley, but as they are about to leave, York comes flying in from the vacuum of space with a jetpack and humorously crash lands in the station. York quickly mentions how hard it was to get back there, what with the battle occuring outside, only to be cut off when Carolina and South fly towards their next location. York jokes about no one welcoming him back, to which North does before flying off himself. York then asks Wash where everyone is going with Wash stating that the leader's location is in Bone Valley and that is where everyone is headed. York is surprised that they were heading out there, vaguely hinting of a unfortunate incident with Georgia to Wash. Still in the dark, Wash humorously asks York to tell him exactly what happened to Georgia. York's reply was that Wash doesn't want to know before he takes off himself, leaving Wash to comment that he really wanted to though.

York is later seen flying through the junk debris field in Bone Valley with the rest of the team, searching for the leader. When Carolina points out that enemy movements has seemingly stopped, North states that they may have retreated. York simply mentions the fact that there is nothing left but junk around the area. Only a short moment later however, Four Seven Niner quickly finds out that the Insurrection has led the Mother of Invention into a trap with their flag ship, the Staff of Charon disguised in the junk field which begins to fire upon the Mother of Invention. As the Director and Counselor try to ward off the sudden attack, the Insurrection Elite discreetly leaves behind a nuclear device as a "present" for his guests before the Staff of Charon jumps into slipspace. Four Seven Niner immediately detects the nuclear bomb and warns the team to get away as fast as they can.

Carolina orders her team to quickly get into their Pelican before the bomb can detonate. York and the rest of the team manage to get back to their Pelican only to notice that Wash was still flying in the field. York tells Wash to hurry and get into the ship by using his jetpack. Wash panicly remarks that he doesn't want to end up like Georgia. Carolina, realizing time is running out, uses her custom magnum and shoots her grapple hook onto Wash's groin armour plate and pulls him into the Pelican before the bomb detonates behind them. Four Seven Niner asks if everyone was okay as they fly away safely. York sarcastically says that they were fine and thanks her for asking. When the Director asks if the team accomplished their mission, Carolina states that the leader wasn't there at all. North points out the fact that the enemy fled to live and fight another day with South mentioning that it's happened before. The Director then asks if all the Agents were accounted for. York only looks at Wash and North in silence before Carolina tells the Director that C.T. is gone.

A.I. Interaction
Back aboard the Mother of Invention, York along with Wash is seen talking about North's A.I., Theta with Wash commenting that he expected the A.I.s to be a bit bigger. York replies that Wash should see them in action despite their size. North tells Wash to stop staring at Theta, as he is making him nervous. North then introduces Theta to York and Wash. York, seeing that the A.I. is still a bit nervous, tells Theta that he has a friend who is also like him and asks if he would like to say hello to Delta. Though North is cautious about doing so, he lets Theta greet Delta. Soon after, the Director along with the Counselor approaches them and tells North and Theta to begin the test. Upon seeing Delta conversing with Theta, the Director is quick to remind him that interacting with other A.I. is against protocol. York quickly claims responsiblity, stating he did so to set Theta at ease as he seemed nervous. As the Counselor explains the reason North is paired with Theta is due to him having a nurturing nature, York states that North was always good at looking after people. Along with South and Wash, he bears witness to North and Theta's test. When they complete their test objectives, York excitedly agrees with Wash that what they just saw was awesome, only to tell Wash to stop talking about the A.I.'s size after he asks if York is certain they couldn't get any bigger.

Much later, York is seen along with the rest of the Freelancers (without C.T. and Tex) attending a class session led by the Counselor about A.I. theory. South poses the question as to why she has to learn such things if she doesn't have an A.I., Carolina mentions to South that she does not have an A.I either. York quickly says to Carolina she doesn't have one due to her giving Sigma away to Maine. Carolina states it was due to Maine's throat injury and he needs to be able to communicate with them again that she gave Sigma to him. York along with the rest of the Freelancers leave the classroom when the Director dismisses them. In the Freelancer mess hall, York asks North if he could talk to him about the Alpha A.I. as both Delta and Theta are obsessed with him. Wash, also at the table, quickly asks what an Alpha is with York asking him if he is eating inside his helmet. North tells Wash that it's the Alpha and that Theta is often thinking about him. York mentions that Delta is the same and states that while the other A.I. units refer to each other as "brother", they all refer to the Alpha as the "creator". Wash then states the idea that the Director was their creator. York responds asking Wash if he's been paying attention in class and that A.I.s aren't created, they are copied from someone's mind. North adds the fact that their A.I,s are only fragments, which causes York to raise the question of where the original is. Still a bit confused, Wash asks again if the Alpha creates the fragments. York humorously asks Wash to swallow his food before speaking. North mentions the fact that Theta believes the Alpha creates the fragments or "something. York's response is that it was the "or something" part that worries him the most.

Battle at the Longshore Shipyards
Later, York is seen is gathering in the hangar with the rest of the Freelancers, as a part of Carolina's team to find C.T. at the enemy FOB. York introduces Delta to Four Seven Niner, with her asking why he is there and whether or not he was one of those robots that takes people's jobs and puts them out of work. York states that he does not know. On the way to the enemy base, York notices that they were slowing down and asks if they were stopping. Four Seven Niner confirms this and explains that they are right above the enemy base. She and Carolina settle on a plan that involves a free fall in their pelican at 75 000 ft. When Wash comments that he is feeling sick during the fall, York joins Carolina on teasing Wash about him attempting to throw up in his helmet. As soon as the pelican lands, he charges into battle alongside Wash who tells him to move up. York comments he's on it before being knocked back by a grenade. Recovvering quickly, they notice Carloina under heavy sniper fire. York and Wash attempt to take out the enemy snipers on Wash's signal, only to quickly be forced back into cover when the enemy Warthog opens fire on them. North quickly kills the enemy snipers with his armor enhancement and asks York and Wash if they got it from there. York jokingly replies that while he was blown up a minute ago and is paired with the second worst fighter, they can handle it regardless. York is then sucker punched by the Sleeveless Insurrection Soldier along with Wash. The latter then knocks York's shotgun away and tackles him before being forced to fall back in credit to Carolina firing upon him. York quickly gets back up and knocks back both the Sleeveless and the Female insurrectionist soldiers before having to fall back due to the enemy Warthog backing up towards him.

Out of Mind
York was found by Tex, breaking into a small shop, as he was left unemployed when Project Freelancer shutdown. Tex hires him in a mission to find Omega and he accepts. York assists Tex by breaking into Wyoming's hideout, in which they both receive heavy fire upon entry. They are successful in eliminating the armed guards, but are unable to eliminate Wyoming himself. Tex had a clear shot at Wyoming, but her gun jammed, requiring York to cover for her. Moving in panic to cover Tex, York put himself in a position where he couldn't see Wyoming (due to his damaged eye) and was mortally wounded. His armor shut down once he died, sending out a Priority One Recovery Beacon. His AI is eventually retrieved by Agent Washington, and his armor is "decommissioned".

Reconstruction
As revealed by Washington in Reconstruction Chapter 1, York's armor enhancement was not destroyed, but taken by Washington.

Skills and Abilities
In Introductions, York, along with agents Maine and Wyoming, displays considerable combat prowess in his fight against Agent Texas. While unable to defeat her, he is the only one of the three capable of blocking several of Tex's attacks, (Wyoming did injure her shoulder, but only by using live rounds on the training floor, and thus 'cheated' in a sense.) even managing to disarm her during one of the lockout paint rounds, though she was quick to nullify the achievement by swiftly defeating him with his own gun. On the ranking board, it states that York is the second top Freelancer, which is another indication of his combat expertise. York has also displayed a great skill in driving, aiding the escape from Insurrectionist forces during Spiral. He avoided several civilian vehicles at top speed, hit the brakes to throw the enemy off the hood of the Warthog (saving Maine from an inevitable headshot), slammed the Warthog into a truck to throw off the aim and balance of the Insurrectionist Sniper, and drove Maine close enough to strike him, all of this with a damged eye. However, due to unrefined combat abilities and his damaged eye, York was killed by Wyoming in Out of Mind.

York's unique armor enhancement is a healing mechanism, which was taken by Washington upon his death. It is also stated in the mini series Out of Mind that York is an infiltration specialist, as he is seen trying to break into a store, and later assists Tex in inflitrating O'Malley's base.

Trivia

 * The fact that York, who'd been stealing for (presumably) years to make ends meet, has not gone by his Freelancer codename (much to the converse of Tex, who still participates in military operations), explains why York and Allison are names neither are used to hearing, respectively.
 * York's codename Foxtrot 12 is similar to the designation Sierra 117, an alternate designation for the Master Chief within the Halo games, as both are made up of a NATO phonetic letter followed by a numerical sequence. The use of the letter Foxtrot is due to York being a Freelancer and Sierra is due to the Master Chief being a Spartan.
 * York's healing unit is very effective as it allowed Washington to survive a direct shot to the back from Agent South Dakota.
 * In Out of Mind: Part IV, York sheds some light on how he lost his left eye by saying "Omega and Allison were always the best. Nobody could compete with them, not me, not Wyoming, not anybody. Trying to beat them when I should have given up is how I got hurt in the first place."
 * York is the first character in Red vs. Blue to reveal his face on screen.
 * According to Burnie Burns at Pax East, York was the link in the trailer to show that Red vs Blue Season 9 was not taking place in present time.
 * The extents and limitations of York's healing unit are unknown, leading many to question why he didn't use it to heal his eye or to save himself from Wyoming's fatal gunshot. As of episode 8 of Season 9, it has been noted that Freelancers are not permitted to and that it may be hazardous for them to use their ability units. In light of his injury, it likely healed into permanent scar tissue before this became viable.
 * In Season 9, York seems to have a preoccupation with whether or not the Freelancers are "the good guys." Interestingly, after abandoning the program, he became a thief to survive, abandoning that ideology.

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