Delta

"Memory is the key."

- Delta

Artificial Intelligence Program Delta was designed for the Special Operations program Freelancer, originally assigned to Agent New York. Delta is a main supporting character of the Out of Mind mini-series, Recovery One and Reconstruction. He is seen wearing a set of green Mark V armor. Delta also changes color when he is alarmed or angry; whether or not this is voluntary is unknown. Delta is a fragment of the Alpha AI, specifically the Alpha's logic.

Character Background
Delta is one of the few constructs not removed from its host after the Epsilon incident. York's explanation to this was that Delta was not considered a risk. Delta and his behavioral patterns in a stark contrast to the rampant Omega AI. He analyzes everything with logic and reason, whereas Omega acts on impulse and insanity. However, Delta does share a trait with Omega in that he speaks longer than necessary, though not to the same extent as O'Malley.

Delta developed quite the rapport with his assigner, York. This is evidenced by his refusal to leave York after being injured by Wyoming. His decision to risk deletion to comfort his host indicates a level of emotion not traditionally seen in stable AIs. To the contrary, such emotion is a sign of rampancy, as is his disobeying an order from Tex to enter her system, as well as the directive that demanded said order.

He also showcases a significant degree of self-awareness and later lies to Recovery Command, another sign of rampancy. Though it would be noted that even if it is a sign of rampancy, it would not be a normal manifestation of rampancy. Delta does not appear emotionally distraught or angry at anyone. He still keeps his logic and ability to preform his task as a "strategist" in combat, so it would seem Delta may not be developing the same kind of rampancy seen in 343 Guilty Spark or Omega, more like slowly gaining a sentient consciousness, if such a thing is possible for an AI of his kind.

Project Freelancer
Delta is shown shortly after being split from Alpha having a conversation about himself with The Director and The Counselor, with The Director saying to him that they will do incredible things together. Delta is first seen in action when he appears in front of an Insurrectionist soldier, telling him he has been doing nothing for 13 minutes. He begins a chat with the soldier, trying to reason with him and convince him Freelancers aren't bad guys, merely working toward a different goal. The soldier begins to agree with Delta until York flips him out of his chair. Delta tells York it was unnecessary to do that. While York picks at a lock, Delta goes through the ships systems and finds an anomaly, as he tries to investigate the anomaly, he discovers a remote alarm has been triggered. F.I.L.S.S. locks onto the ship he and York are on and while York finally realizes what she's locking onto Delta tells him that he may have known about it.

A.I. Interaction


When North Dakota introduced Theta, York convinces Delta to greet his fellow A.I. and assure that everyone present was "nice". But Delta's logical personality gets in the way. The Director enters and tells Delta to refrain from conversing with other A.I.'s, and refuses to allow him to log off as he is required to manage the simulation testing Theta's skills.

Delta was present at the class where the Director and Counselor informs the agents about the A.I. theory. South Dakota questioned the need to study the concept, which Delta considered South' comment as "rather rude" when she compared A.I.s to vacuums and coffee machines. After the class, he speaks briefly with Sigma.

Battle at the Longshore Shipyards
When attacking the Longshore Shipyards, Delta met Four Seven Niner, who was concerned that Delta was there to take her job. When she dropped the Pelican to enter the base undetected, Four Seven Niner incorporated Delta's help in preventing the ship from crashing in the process. Later, while Maine and Carolina fought the Insurrectionists, Delta reprimands Sigma after Sigma starts talking to Wash and York. Sigma reminds Delta that there are no rules on the battlefield, eerily stating that AI's should stick together. Delta is silent during his speech, appearing to contemplate his meaning.

Post-War
Delta is first introduced in the third episode of Out of Mind when Tex sneaks up on York, who was breaking into a shop. York asks for Delta to deliberate on the trustworthiness of Tex, who quickly raises her weapon at the sight of the construct. Delta is alarmed by this in turn, believing her to still have the Omega AI with her.

Delta is still extremely cautious of Tex, despite her not carrying an AI. Delta's pure logic-based thought process is flabbergasted when he tries to understand why York agreed to help her destroy O'Malley. He does not understand why York would destroy Omega for damaging his eye, as killing the program would not restore his vision; but admits that "a little payback would be nice." Delta concedes the argument when he discovers that York's actions are driven by pride, not stupidity.

Later, Delta provides Tex and York with tactical information in their firefight with Wyoming and his guards, as well as providing advice and analysis of their proficiency. Despite his assistance, York receives two fatal gunshot wounds to the chest from Wyoming when trying to cover a prone Tex. Delta stays in York's system to administer medication to make York's death as painless as possible, despite the possibility that he would be deleted by the system when it powered-down. He projected an image of Tex to help her capture Wyoming, and wished them both luck before being encrypted.

Adventures with Washington
Delta learns of the encryption and the Recovery process when he is revived by Washington a few days later. This is much to Delta's protest, as deletion is the only logical way to ensure an AI doesn't fall into enemy hands. Delta sends an inventory of York's armor and equipment to command, as well as activate a timed charge on his expired host, before Washington is attacked by Wyoming. He gives Washington advice in battle, though it is an obvious suggestion, before Wyoming and Washington are forced to flee due to the impending destruction of York's armor.

Washington proceeds directly to a new Priority One signal upon recovering Delta, in which he makes further use of the construct. Delta conjectures that falsifying South's death would be dishonest (and seemingly beyond his programming), but complies nonetheless, much to the bewilderment of South. After sending identical reports of South and her brother to command, Delta decommissions North's armor as well. Delta and Washington then both brief South on the situation of something hunting down freelancers, and that Washington's plan to apprehend the fiend involves Delta being implanted into South. This is due to the fact that Wash refuses to allow another AI in his system after his experience with the Epsilon program as well as the fact that being in a Freelancer's armor is the only way to protect the AI in combat.

Upon implantation, Delta offers to run a tutorial program for South, but she refuses it. South abandons Wash's plan and betrays him to his death, much to the astonishment of Delta. South then gives her enemy the choice of trying to get her AI or Wash's equipment (which she claimed was set to detonate). She is able to escape in the enemy's ship with Delta. Delta's whereabouts, and that of his host, were unknown until Episode 4 of Reconstruction.

Return
Delta first appears at Church's "secured facility" when Washington arrives to retrieve him, as South is tracking Washington (for reasons, as of now, unknown). Delta is extremely cautious about doing this as others, namely the Meta, may be following Washington, which quickly becomes apparent to be true. South fends off the Meta with her domed energy shield (which she apparently lied about losing). Delta objects to South's plan to abandon him and her armor to save herself for two reasons: first, it is against protocol, and second he reasons it is only a temporary solution to escape the Meta. She is about to carry out her plan regardless, overriding the AI's objections, when Washington and Blue Team intervene. South tries to escape, but Caboose "helps" her by shooting her (which the AI correctly identifies as friendly fire). The Meta's temporal distortion unit, which he took from Wyoming, malfunctions and the Meta retreats.

South is too wounded to carry Delta further, and Washington directs Caboose or Church to take the AI, which Caboose does. Delta objects to taking South with Washington's company due to her numerous betrayals, including planning to abandon him and betraying both Washington and her brother North. However, her inability to walk would "hamper [their] progress" and Delta suggests Washington not allow her to do so. Not wanting to let her escape either, Washington kills her with a single shot to the head. For a while, Delta remained in Caboose until he was knocked out. He was then seen being confronted by a group of AIs that were part of the Meta. Their words would seem to indicate that they wanted Delta to join with them.

Captured


In Chapter 11, Church verifies to the viewer that Delta had left with the Meta when Church goes into Caboose’s mind as a ghost. Delta had left behind recorded memories of himself, with ‘pre-programmed’ responses to any of Church’s questions, including several responses to Church’s comical questions. He states that the next time Church and the others see Delta again, he may not want to be helped and leaves a message for Church to tell Washington that “memory is the key.” Delta appears again briefly during the season finale, alongside his fellow AI. However, he doesn't have any major role, although Church is forced to subdue him and the others in order to incapacitate the Meta. Following the activation of the EMP, he was destroyed.

Trivia

 * When the Alpha AI was split up into the other AI fragments, Washington states that Delta was "the logical one in the family" during Reconstruction Chapter 7, whereas in The New Kid, the Counselor states that Delta's skills are "more analytical in nature". Yet all the fragment AIs that have appeared in the series so far have demonstrated some degree of logic and analysis.
 * Delta was possibly given to York because of York's laid back personality and tendency to take risks in battle and, according to Washington, he is usually lucky. Delta would provide some analytical background to York's decisions in order to help measure his experience as a Freelancer.
 * While allegedly the Alpha's logic, Delta has also been shown to exhibit other traits such as compassion (in interacting with Theta in The New Kid and to York as he died in Out of Mind: Part V), vengeance (wanting to get payback on Wyoming in Out of Mind, over South Dakota's treatment of him in Reconstruction), and subterfuge (by not being direct with York as the Director changed the break-in's plan during Revenants).
 * According to Washington, Delta was the result of one of Alpha's many attempts to keep his sanity. In this case, removing his logic in order to avoid being able to comprehend what is being done to him.
 * Delta finds calculating probabilities fun according to York.