《Spartan 118 (Halo Based)》


 Chapter 1

    Jumping a fallen trashcan, I ran as quick as my little legs could carry me. The sound of my breathing rang throughout the long, dark alley. Looking behind me, I could see the two drunk teenagers chasing me only feet away.


    Stumbling on a crack, I regained my balance and ran faster.


    I had been coming home from a friend''s house late tonight when the teens came around a corner, obviously drunk. One was carrying a baseball bat.


    When I tried just walking in the opposite direction, but they had already seen me.


    "Hey, come here so I can give you a beatin''." one slurred. The other one cheered drunkenly, stepping forward, and before I knew it, the chase was on.


    By the way, my name is Steele. I am eight years old and in fourth grade since I skipped third grade. I have short, caramel brown hair and bright blue eyes. It is currently the year 2552 and I am at the top of my class. I also happen to be the fastest kid in my grade and the tallest, towering at 4 ft 9 in.


    Between heavy breaths, I could hear them getting closer. I quickly toppled a trash can, causing one of them to trip. Despite my predicament I laughed and gained some ground while they were occupied. I looked behind to see the one help the other up, and, cursing in rage, they continued the chase.


    Dang it, where to hide? I thought and frantically searched the shadows. The moon was too bright to allow for any large enough hiding places.


    Turning a corner onto the sidewalk of the next street I ran across the road. Mayb... My thought was interrupted as I stepped in a puddle that was slicker than I expected. My feet slid out from under me and I let out a short, "Aaah!" I slid under some tape and into an open man-hole. As I fell, I twisted so my back would hit the ladder and then splashed into the dirty water.


    The gross water got in my mouth when I fell and I noticed as I sat up that my back ached terribly. I groaned and stuck out my tongue to keep the disgusting water from spreading in my mouth. Yuck! I thought as I began to spit it out, but then I froze in mid spit as the teen''s footsteps came closer. I held my breath....the footsteps got quieter as they got farther away. I let out my breath and looked up the ladder, starting the climb up and trying not to touch as much of the slime covered bars as possible. My frustratingly short arms could barely reach each rung. I pulled myself out onto the ground, panting for a moment. As I breathed I unfortunately caught a whiff of myself and held my nose. What an awful stench. My back still hurt too. I looked up at the sky and saw the moon was directly above me, seeming to grin at my misfortune. Ugh, I wish I was older.


    Tired, hurt, and wet, I got up and headed home, my shoes squishing loudly. I finally arrived at the driveway of my house, my dripping feet leaving a trail of wet shoeprints. Looking at the rows of bushes down the street, I noticed that the neighbor''s trash was out. Man, I forgot, it''s trash day. I slipped inside quietly and listened for a second. Not a sound came from upstairs where my mom was asleep. She''d be pissed if she knew I was out so late without doing my chores. I crept up the stairs and changed out of my repulsive clothes, coming back down for the trash. I emptied the kitchen trashcan and put it in the bin, rolling it out to the curb.


    My mind wandered a bit as I walked down our long winding driveway. Man, I hated that the high schoolers picked on us so much. We couldn''t do anything without them chasing or bullying us for no reason. I had talked to my friend about telling our parents but he said we wouldn''t be men if we couldn''t handle it. I wasn''t so sure, but I trusted him. Somehow we always seemed to get away. There was a gust of wind and a stick fell out of a bush nearby. I jumped and shook my head, nothing to worry about. But I had a bizarre feeling of unease, like something was going to come out at me from the bushes along my driveway. I looked warily around me, realizing how dark it was. Nervously I walked a bit faster and looked forward, trying to get the thought out of my head.


    I was just setting the trash down when I heard something, a rustling, kind of like leaves blowing in the wind. The only thing peculiar about that was that I was in the middle of a street that had no trees. I only thought for a moment when I realized that clothes make the same sound, but only the ones I see on the soldiers in the ''Remember Reach'' videos they show at school. Those videos are from the war at one of the inner planets in the galaxy. The clothes are heavy duty so they don''t move the same. I suddenly looked around at the thought, peering into the shadows of the houses that surrounded me. They seemed to loom over my small form threateningly. Why would the military be here, I thought irrationally. I hope they don''t think I''m a criminal or something, I''m only eight!


    I didn''t see anything after a few minutes and sighed, relaxing. It was probably just the wind or some trash bag, I always made up some crazy stuff with my imagination. I decided to go back up the driveway. I turned away from the trashcan and took a step back towards the house... Then suddenly I heard something drop onto the ground with a muffled thud. I swiftly turned but only had time to see a black figure with piercing blue eyes emerge from the shadows. It placed a cloth over my mouth and nose, making me inhale something strange. Everything went dark. I felt myself falling and blacked out.


    ----------------------------------------------


    The figures in black quickly picked the subject up. A rope was lowered from a sleek black aircraft hovering above, shaped like a wedge. They hooked onto it and the rope was raised, taking the young subject and the figures with it. A car driving behind the craft infiltrated the house and set a sleeping and defective clone down on the bed, one that was identical to Steele, but would not survive longer than a few months. Then the vehicle drove off and the craft rose up into the dark clouds, blending in with the night and flying away.


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    I woke up very slowly, the white ceiling above me eventually coming into focus. I squinted at the bright light. I looked around me to see I was in a small white square room. I was laying on a gray bed with a pillow under my head. When I sat up I felt slightly dizzy. Must have been that weird stuff he made me breathe, I thought. I looked around the room. There was a thin window to my left and directly in front of me was a sink and mirror. There was a door to my right but it had no doorknob on the inside. This was definitely not my house. Good thing it was a weekend or I''d be missing school, not that I necessarily would be sad if I missed it. Seeing that the window was too small to escape through, even being as small as I was, I laid back down and waited. Eventually, someone will come in to get me, I thought. They will tell me what is going on.


    After a few minutes of looking at my hands and playing eye-spy, which was quite an accomplishment in such a sparse room, I heard the door handle turn. I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. A man in a dark gray uniform with some yellow strips on it came in holding a folder. He was an adult, carrying the same commanding look my teachers at school always had and his clothes reminded me of the ones from the Reach videos. Before he could even open his mouth, I blurted out, "You work for the military, don''t you."


    He nodded and said, "Good observation Steele, indeed I do." he said somewhat unenthusiastically and wrote some things in the folder.


    I blurted out again, "Why did those guys grab me from my house?"


    Seemingly interested at my bold behavior, he responded, "How about you try to guess why?". I looked down in thought for a moment and then looked back up, "I''m not sure, Is this punishment for something I did?" I asked. He chuckled, "No, you''re not in trouble, in fact, you''ve done relatively well, better than anyone you know."


    My brows furrowed, "Well then what am I doing here? Where even am I? And where are my parents? I need to tell them where I am. I live on 354 South...". He interrupted my barrage of memorized information. "You don''t have to worry about your parents, they... won''t be seeing you anymore. We are at a camp, for kids like you who excell physically and in school." He said.


    I widened my eyes in surprise and sadness, "I... I won''t see my parents again? How will they know where I am?"


    His face held a hint of sadness for a split second but quickly relaxed. "Don''t worry, they love you very much and would be glad that you were selected for this program. But you must promise to forget about them to be here with us, not only them but all the people you knew too. If they find out you aren''t training and instead worrying about them, they would be very disappointed. This will be your new home now."


    I stood for a moment comprehending his words. "But what if I want to go back? I never got to grab my stuff."


    He sighed, "Going back is not an option, but don''t worry, you will be put with another group of kids like you and become best friends, even family. Here you will have opportunities and be able to do things you never imagined you could do, and we have everything you will ever need here." he paused to check his watch. "I need to leave now, but one last thing. Since you are starting over here, you will no longer need your last name, you only need to remember your first name. Feel free to explore the room." he said and left.


    I stood there, dumbfounded by the strange and abrupt conversation. After a few moments, I turned, sat down on the bed, and rested my chin in my hand. Well, that was unexpected, but because he was an adult I knew there was nothing I could do. And he didn''t seem like he wanted to hurt me, so all I could do was believe him. I laid down, shifting around and trying to sleep, but I was too curious and if this would be my new home I should be able to see what there was here. After a bit of trying to get comfortable on the bed, even desperate enough to go upside down, I couldn''t take it! This room was just so boring! There was nothing to look at, no toys, no games, just white walls. I needed to get out!


    I walked to the door, running my hands along the wall next to it to feel for a switch or an indent. My mom had one of these kind of switches under her dresser. Hers had a weird L-shaped metal object in it, and there was a small space on one side that had a gold pointed dome in it. I never dared to touch it. I was about to give up hope when my finger caught something. I felt along the button''s edge and pressed down.


    Surprisingly, it opened, no lock. I looked out carefully, pulling back quickly when I saw a guard to my left. Hmm, how do I get rid of him?


    I reached into my pocket. There was a gum packet from my friend''s house. I threw it upwards at the ceiling. It landed noisily on the other side of him. He jumped at the sound and curiously peered at the packet, and then looked at the ceiling. I took the chance and shot out, heading to my right. I saw another guard preoccupied with a sort of phone heading my way and ducked into the first room I found. The guy passed and I let out my breath in a sigh of relief. I looked around the room I had stepped into.


    It was well lit but currently there was no one in it. It was a square-ish white room. There was a platform in the center with robotic arms around the ceiling above it and TV monitors. I was standing behind a long, fancy-looking, curved computer desk, and it was on. I climbed onto a seat and looked at the bold words next to two pictures of armor. It said, "The priority 1/Red directive under way, Subject Steele apprehended, Project: Good Samaritan: initiated. Shows promise."


    Huh? Directive? What was that? I looked over the last sentence again, and hmphed. Shows promise?! I''ll show them! I looked at the two armors, reaching to zoom in... Then the man from earlier came running in with two guards, one of them was my guard. My guard looked relieved to have found me but the other guy looked mad. "Quarters now!" He commanded and I slunk out the door, of course not before taking another look at the desk. What was Project Good Samaritan? I don''t think I would ever get to know, but one thing I did know was that one day, I would wear that armor.


    They escorted me back and this time I heard a lock click as he shut me in. I was about to protest when I realized how dark it was. Dang-it, no use in doing anything else now, might as well get some sleep.


    I laid down and drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 2

    "Get up weakling! Naptime is over!"


    I jolted awake and sat up suddenly. What? What''s going on? My eyes were a bit blurry and I was still tired but the person yelled at me again.


    "Get up now!" There was a sharp Zap! to my torso this time. I yelled out, bending slightly in pain. I hurriedly stood up, saluting automatically and still trying to clear my blurry vision. What is going on? Why did I just get poked with that shocker thing? I wiped my eyes and saw the man clearly, an older guy with close-cut black and grey hair and a crisp black suit, adorned with multiple medals. He was pacing along the hall, doing the same with older kids. I quickly went to the doorway, not wanting another painful zap.


    More kids appeared in the doorways until it seemed that the whole hallway was awake. The officer zapped one more person and came back down the hallway. "Everyone! These are your barracks. You will sleep and dress here. You are expected to wake up at 500 hours sharp and make your beds to perfection every day. There will be no dilly-dallying, no horsing around, no disobedience or rowdiness whatsoever and I will not tolerate anything other than what you are asked. You will all do exactly as I say! Meet on level 2 outside in exactly 5 minutes!" He yelled. "Sir, Yes sir!" Everyone shouted and immediately went about getting dressed. I only had my pants buttoned when he was yelling for us to get outside for training. Uhhh, what do I do? I grabbed my shirt and ran, putting it on as I went up the stairs and outside.


    I looked down and was surprised to see a number, 118, stamped on my shirt. I looked back at the hallway I had just stood at attention in and was surprised to see that it was different than yesterday. I must have somehow been moved while I was sleeping. Others who were older than I were running too and also had numbers. "Hello," I said between breaths to the kid next to me.


    The boy next to me turned to me and answered as he ran. "Hey, I''m Scott. What''s your name?"


    "Steele, what are we doing?" I said as we slowed to a halt with the others.


    "This happens every day, we will train, eat, then go to our lessons and more training." He pointed to a girl next to him, "This is Selina by the way." He said, and then shushed me as the Drill Sergeant started speaking. He explained something but I didn''t catch it because someone pulled me aside. It was a woman with grayish hair and blue eyes. "Hello Steele, Sorry for the harsh start but it is necessary." I looked at her with suspicion. Would she poke me with a hidden stick for not answering? "Hello. Do you want me for something?"


    She nodded, "You catch on quick, yes. I have a few questions for you, why don''t we move off to the side some more." She gestured for me to move near the wall and I did.


    "So, have you met anyone so far?" She asked.


    "Yes, a kid named Scott who seems nice, and a girl named Selina, but I like my old friends better," I said. My buddies were the best.


    "How so?" She asked.


    "Well, my old friends liked to talk about cool stuff and I like to listen, but here no one rarely speaks. I don''t like speaking either but it''s always fun to listen and add a suggestion here or there. They also like being with me and doing stuff together with me because I come up with all the ideas for games and ways to defeat the other teams and I''m the strongest. I was told I can be a little too rough on the other kids sometimes though, especially when they cheat or pick on other kids, but I think they deserve it."


    She smiled, "Yes, they do sound like good friends, but I''m sure you will get along with the kids here too."


    "Yeah," I smiled halfheartedly. She smiled back and reached her hand into a coat pocket, searching for something. I watched with interest. She finally found what she was looking for, and took out a coin. It was silver and had a UNSC logo on one side and a different symbol on the other. She held it up for me to see and said, "I have a game for you, and it involves this coin. I am going to toss it into the air, and if you guess the correct side it lands on a couple times, you can have it. The UNSC side is tails. Are you interested?"


    I nodded, "Yes."


    She smiled again and flipped the coin into the air. "Heads," I called and caught the coin. Opening my hand, the coin had landed on the head''s side. She smiled and took it from me, tossing it again.


    "Tails," I called and caught it again. It landed on the tails side. She threw it 3 more times. "Heads...Heads...Heads." Each time, I was correct. "Five out of five..he''s just like John." She mumbled.


    "What?"


    She looked up quickly, "Oh, nothing, here is the coin, you have won." She smiled and handed it to me. I smiled and tucked it into my pocket. I could maybe buy something later. I looked back up and opened my mouth to ask her if I could go back. She started first. "You can return, but you must promise me to watch this later." she pulled out a small chip. "It has all of your rules, responsibilities, and other information on it. If there is anything not on it simply ask for me." She handed it to me. It had a small logo on one side and the word RULES written by hand on the other side.


    I tucked it into my pocket and felt it hit the coin. I withdrew my hand and smiled again at her. "I promise, Thank you," I said, and turned around, walking back to the place my group had been but they had disappeared. Where did everyone go? I turned around only a few paces away, mouth open to ask her the question... and closed it. She was gone, somehow already down the hall and out of sight. I shrugged. I''ll look farther down. I walked outside farther and found all of the 10-year-olds and up in a large training area with different obstacles. They were just going over what we had to do and I hurried over. The Drill Sergeant glanced at me but said nothing. Thank goodness.


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    "You will train on this course every day until you can move up to the next course. You will not leave anyone behind and stick with your teams. For our team exercises, you must work together. A leader will be appointed to each later. Is that clear!" He shouted. They saluted and I mimicked. "Sir, Yes Sir!" They shouted.


    "Training starts now! After the course, you will run through the forest on the path. Get to it, Cadets!" He shouted and they ran to the training course. He leaned towards me. "You are on the Orange team." He pointed to the red and orange side of the course. "Get to it, cadet!" He said and I ran over as fast as I could. I did not want to be on his bad side.


    I zoomed up the wall and passed a teammate. I crawled through the mud and wires as fast as I could, passing another. I was about to go on when I remembered what he said about sticking together. Man, I shouldn''t leave them behind. I went back and came back to where two girls were stuck in some wires. I unstuck them and helped both of them through the mud, now in my third pass through. The two girls smiled at me and we ran up to the two guys on our team who were climbing poles. We scaled them, and got a rhythm going, catching up to the third guy. We got a few drinks on checkpoints along the way. After a ton of other courses, we finally made it to the end together, though I had to keep reminding myself to stay with the group.


    I paused during the last section of the run and panted, kneeling in exhaustion, desperately in need of water. The last checkpoint had been a while ago. The girls and one of the boys had sat down. I needed to stay strong for them because there was still more training to do today.


    "Come on guys, up. We have to keep moving. He wants us to run to the next camp, then we can rest." I said, trying to stand up as tall as possible to encourage them since they all looked as worn out as I felt. It was weird trying to encourage older kids. Maybe I just push through better. The girls groaned and stood up, as did Scott and the other boys. We got a quick drink and started running. Scott followed behind the other boy and then the two girls, me last. I tried to keep up, pushing through. My heart felt as if any second it would give out and I would collapse.


    As I ran I found myself wondering, has anyone ever died from this? Probably. That didn''t give me much comfort.


    At last, I saw the end a little way ahead. By now I had fallen far behind. I pushed harder, my heart beating like crazy. I breathed heavily, almost there. I saw the end where my new team was waiting. Then suddenly everything went dark, the ground coming up to meet me in blackness.


    --------------


    I woke up abruptly, gulping in air. The worried faces of my team came into focus. I coughed a bit and breathed deeply. "What happened?" I asked. One of the girls replied. "We were so worried, you were right behind us, and then suddenly you just fell like something tripped you. When we got to you, you weren''t breathing. I thought you were going to die. I don''t even think anyone noticed. Thankfully Selina knows a bit of first aid and I called her over. She did CPR and saved you. I''m sorry we were going so fast, we forgot you''re just a kid." She said, eyes down in shame. There was a chorus of "me too"s.


    They helped me up. The girl named Selina came over and said, "I just did CPR, without Sift here we would have never known and it would have been too late. Thank you for encouraging us though, I don''t know if I would of had the willpower to get through it and I would have been thrown out. I owe you one." The one girl nodded, "Yeah, thanks. I hope we can become great friends."


    I smiled at them, brushing myself off. "Thank you both. I have the jist of your names but we never really introduced ourselves. My name''s Steele, number 118." I said, pointing to my uniform. At my number, they exchanged a quick glance at each other, eyes wide for no more than a second. Then the moment passed and they started saying their names. What was that about?


    The girl with blond hair, blue eyes, and a relatively average height said, "I''m Sift, 201" The next girl said, "I''m Selina, 245" She was a quite tall person, just over average for her age with golden-brown hair and blue eyes with green and gold specks. "My name is Kade, 164." Said a kid with brown hair and brown eyes. He seemed to have a stocky build. "I''m Grayson, 283." said a boy with an average build on the buff side, brown hair, and green eyes. "Last but not least I''m Scott, 489." Said the boy I met earlier with a smile. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and a slim but tall build.


    "Nice to meet you." I said, smiling a little. "You too, we better get going though, the rest of the teams just arrived." She said, pointing to the gathering group, some completely exhausted and laying down. "Ok, let''s go." I said, walking over with the rest of the team following. We joined the group, hanging in on the side. I looked out towards the woods and saw the Drill Sergeant coming towards us. "Officer on deck!" Someone shouted. The others quickly formed a block and saluted and I followed suit. We happened to be on the first row of the block. He stopped in front of us. "At ease cadets." He said and we relaxed. "I heard we had an incident on the course and I must apologize." The cadets exchanged glances. I guess he never apologizes.


    "That was my fault, I did not take into account the physical condition of our newest recruit. I have been told by tomorrow he should be able to keep up with the rest of you due to his ability to adapt to conditions quickly. Now since that''s over, you will report to your barracks. You have an hour before you are required to be at lunch at 1200 hours. You will receive your daily routines then and be appointed your team leaders. Dismissed." We shuffled around and Grayson came up to me. "Hey, want to join us in my quarters?"


    "Sure!" I said enthusiastically.


    He nodded for me to follow and led me back to a few doors down from my barracks. The rest of the group had come in and we''re watching videos on the monitors. Board games were on a shelf and a hat from his home team was resting there. I went over to see what they were watching. There was a big soldier in a suit of armor similar to the one I had seen previously on the desk was leading a group of soldiers into battle. As we watched, he engaged a Brute. These were the large, shaggy, bear-like creatures of the covenant with giant powered hammers called gravity hammers that could create shockwaves on impact. He did a backflip off of it and they all made sounds of awe, "Cool." Kade said.


    We watched him a bit more and then played a game of chess with teams. By the time we finished, we had to go to lunch but as I looked around at the team, a smile appeared on my face. This was my team, my new family, and I would do everything I could to help them.

 Chapter 3

    1 week later


    Today we would go on our first assignment. I had received my schedule and it was the only thing on today''s agenda so we had all day to rest and prepare. We now stood in light marine-standard armor tailored to our bodies. We were told to wait in the briefing room and now stood stiffly. The Commander came in and we saluted. I had been training hard last week and now we were all pretty accustomed to physical expectations here. "At ease cadets. Today, you go on your first assignment." He said, pacing.


    "Now, your mission is to navigate through a forest environment to the pickup point east of where we will drop you. There will be a pelican with 4 guards stationed at it that will escort you inside. Today you are here to test your adaptability to natural environments and test what you have learned. There will be obstacles you will have to cross through your own creativity and hard work. I''m expecting great things from all of you." He said, stopping in front of us.


    "One last thing, you only have 6 hours to complete this exercise. Go over that time and you will be left behind and disqualified from the program. Your suits have vital monitors to make sure you can be airlifted in case of an accident but I highly doubt it. Good luck everyone."


    "Sir, yes sir!" We shouted and saluted again, filing out and heading towards the hangar. We boarded our Pelican, buckling into the seats. As the Pelican took off I spoke. "You guys ready for this?"


    "I was born ready." replied Scott enthusiastically. We all laughed quietly at his comment.


    "I think it''s going to go pretty well. We only have to be careful of those obstacles and we should be fine." said Grayson.


    "I sure hope so." Sift nodded, "I don''t want to have to provide first aid to another person, one in a month is enough."


    There was a shake as the Pelican hit turbulence and steadied. Then the Pelican lowered and hovered just above the ground, the hatch opening to a clearing surrounded with trees. We all stood up and the Sergeant stood at the opening. "All right you greenies, get out there and hustle, your time starts now! Go! Go! Go!" He yelled. We ran out the hatch, dropping and rolling out of the way for the next team member.


    I dropped and immediately stood, darting aside for Kade. The Pelican rose after Kade and Grayson jumped, quickly closing the hatch and flying far out of sight. "Ok, we need to find east, look at environmental signs." I said, we spread out and Selina studied the early night sky. "We go this way," Kade said, indicating to his left. He was pointing at a patch of moss on a tree trunk. "Let''s get moving team." I said, nodding at him. We gathered into a group and ran out of the clearing. "Stay close. With the fading light we could easily lose someone." I said. They moved a bit closer together, traveling carefully.


    The moon came out, allowing some light to reach the forest floor. I walked over a fallen tree and stopped abruptly, putting up my hand, and Scott accidentally bumping me. I leaned off-balance above the large, deep crevice I had stopped for before Scott pulled me back. "Woah there." He said and they steadied me. "What are we going to do?" Selina said. I looked down both sides, "Too long to go around. This must be the first obstacle. Stay close but look for something to go over on." I said. They nodded and looked at the ground and trees. I looked up for any over-hanging branches.


    After a minute I saw one, low and not completely over but far enough to jump. "Here," I said, pointing. They looked up and we walked to our left to the tree. The branch was thick and had broken off most likely from another branch. It didn''t reach to the other side completely but only had about a 3 foot(1 meter) gap to the other end and was about 7-8(2.5 m) feet above the ground. I motioned for them to climb and they swung up into the tree. I waited for Scott to go before going last.


    Selina reached the branch first, crawling on all fours before scooting to the end in a crouch. Kade waited near the tree so he wouldn''t off-balance her. She crouched a bit more... And jumped, flying far past the edge and rolling once before standing. Kade then began scooting to the edge in the same way. He tensed and leaped, rolling twice as he hit the ground before slowly standing. Scott and Grayson jumped as well. They waited for Sift to go, and she scooted to the edge more cautiously on all fours, going on two only once she was near the end.


    She steadied herself with her hands and I climbed onto the branch, inching forward so I wouldn''t knock her off. She jumped, flying across, and landing half on, half off. She started sliding off the cliff. I got up, taking a running jump and angling it downward.


    I reached for Sift and landed next to her, glimpsing the team running toward us. Grabbing the back of her suit before she slipped off, I rolled from my momentum, flipping Sift with me away from the edge. We tumbled a few feet, flipping her once more before I came to a stop on my back and her on her face.


    I let go and got up, Selina helping me and Kade helping Sift up. "Thanks," she said, spitting out some dirt but obviously grateful I had just saved her life. I nodded, "Don''t mention it, just repaying the favor. We have to get moving its almost been an hour already." she nodded and we continued in the forest.


    We stumbled every once in a while when the moon was completely shadowed by the canopy but managed to keep the same course. The second obstacle came up after about an hour and a half.


    "Well, we''ve found the next obstacle." Scott commented. I looked across the wide fast-rushing river, sparkling with the midnight moonlight. They were standing next to me, grouped around. "Too fast to swim alone." Grayson commented. I nodded. We stood thinking.


    "I know!" Sift said. "How about we all go at once, the strongest in the front, Grayson, and two after him, and then the three that are left. This way it''s kind of like a wedge shape and there is less resistance and we can support the people in front of us who have more resistance." She said excitedly.


    The others nodded. "Sounds like it could work, strongest three on the right, weakest in the middle." Kade said. "Who''s the weakest?" I asked. "Either Sift or Selina." Grayson said. The girls looked at each other. After a moment Selina said, "I''ll be the middle"


    "Then let''s get to it, we have no time to waste." I said. They nodded and we slowly got into the freezing water, chilled by the night air. Grayson moved to the far left, facing us so he could lean against the river. Kade and Sift took the second row, turning sideways to walk forward. Scott went to the far end, shivering. Selena went the middle and I took the back. "Ok, everyone hold on to each other and don''t try to swim, walk along the bottom leaning against the current." I said. They nodded and grabbed each other''s arms and hands. "Ok, go." I said. We started moving forward. I leaned against the current, shivering and almost swept off my feet with the initial current. We walked slowly, Grayson slipping every once in a while and being helped by Kade and Sift. We reached the middle after a few cold minutes. Now I really struggled. I pushed on Sift as she lost her footing and couldn''t stay upright. Grayson was practically sideways, pushing against the current, and Kade and Scott were trying to pull us as hard as they could.


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    Then, as we passed the middle, Grayson slipped, falling underwater between Kade, Sift, and Selina. I let go of Sift, swinging out using Selina and grabbing Grayson''s disappearing hand. It jolted Selina and she nearly fell, barely standing by support from Sift. I could barely hold on with the water reducing the friction between our hands, my fingers numb beyond belief. He floundered, trying desperately to get upright. We were still moving towards the edge, Kade and Sift now taking the brunt of the water flow and barely keeping all of us from going down.


    I thought desperately and after a moment knew what to do. I said over the roaring river, "when I let go, swim as hard as you can towards the bank." He looked up with fear in his eyes but slowly nodded. We were a few feet away from the shallower part. I brought my arm back with a huge effort and swinging Grayson into the current, then swinging back with the combined force and sliding him towards the bank. He let go and immediately started swimming with the force of the swing carrying him closer. I struggled to get back to Sift and Selina in formation and we made it to the bank. I got out and ran down the river bank. "Grayson!" I shouted just loud enough for it to carry over the water.


    I looked down and saw him. He was climbing out a few yards down. "Over here!" I shouted. He looked up and walked towards me, though something was wrong. He was limping and only placing the toe of his boot on the ground. He came up to me. "What happened to your foot?" He looked down at it. "Oh, well the reason I fell was because I slipped on a rock and it cut my foot through my boot. Thank you for saving me by the way." I shook my head, "No problem, but we need that wrapped." I looked over to the team walking towards us. "Hey Sift, can you take care of a cut?"


    "Sure, as long as it isn''t too bad I should be able to find a plant to keep it from becoming infected and wrap it. Sit." she told Grayson. He sat down and she took off his boot. "Yeah, not too bad. Someone get me a leaf from that tree and one from a blue-flowered plant with green leaves."


    Scott went in search of the flower and Kade grabbed a leaf. He handed it to Sift and she cupped some water in her hands from the river, pouring it over the cut and washing it gently. Scott came back and handed the leaf to her. She crushed it in her palm and added water to make it a paste. Applying it to the cut, she then wrapped the leaf around his foot. He sighed a bit and she put his boot back on. "Well, he''s good to go. We should get moving, that river crossing took a while." She said, standing up and wiping her hands on her pants. Kade helped Grayson up. "Ok, let''s go." I said. We headed into the forest, but at a slightly slower pace because of Grayson''s limp and the rest of us freezing a bit in our wet pants and boots. After not too long there was a weird sound, possibly an angry bird call?


    I gave the signal to halt as it came again, definitely not a bird call. There was a green flash on our right as something passed and disappeared. The moon disappeared for a moment and something large with purple lights passed overhead. We crouched. A moment passed, and then there was a whistling sound. Something glowing purple shot out of the brush a few hundred feet away. It struck Sift in the chest as she was in the motion of crouching. She collapsed, falling into a bush. "Sift!" Selena yelled from a few feet away. I ran over with Kade and Grayson. Kade pulled Sift''s limp body over his shoulders and started running. We ran as well.


    Green blurs and purple shards flew around us, missing by only inches. I jumped over a log, leading us out and east still. A green sizzling bolt burned my thigh. I stumbled, but Selina pushed me back up and we kept running. Then I heard something. I almost couldn''t hope to believe it but then it came again. Gunfire! Human gunfire and the sound of a Pelican overhead! I almost jumped for joy but I was running too fast. I signaled the team to turn left. There was a clearing nearby. We turned, and I heard another wrenching sound of pain from Grayson as he was hit by a needle in his side. He signaled for us to stop and we took cover in a large group of bushes. "I can''t go on, I''ll bleed to death before we can make it to the Pelican." He said with pained gasps. Blood was quickly soaking down his shirt, the needle must have hit something vital. Selena started tearing up. "No, we won''t let you sacrifice yourself, we can still get out of this together."


    He pressed his hand to his side where the glowing purple shard could be seen. "No, I''ll lead them away, you guys split off, and then you will have a chance. Otherwise, they will surround you in the clearing and destroy the Pelican. And this will be a favor to you for saving my life." He looked at me and smiled weakly, wincing as he breathed in. Selena had a tear rolling down her face and she looked to me. "Don''t let him go, maybe..." I shook my head slowly and she lowered hers. "You''re right." She looked to Grayson and hugged his neck. "Be brave and try to get away. We''ll come back for you if you are still alive." He nodded.


    "Let''s go." He said and we got up after a moment running hard towards the Pelican. After a few hundred feet I reluctantly gave the signal to break off and we rolled into a bush, Kade being careful of Sift. Grayson kept running as best he could. We stayed completely still as weird aliens of different types ran after him, firing spiky guns and long smooth weapons.


    Finally, the last one passed. We waited for a few minutes and then rose. Selena had red eyes but didn''t make a sound as we trudged on toward the clearing. We broke out of the foliage and spotted the Pelican. I took Sift in my arms, her heartbeat faint. There were men with weapons surrounding the pelican fighting off stray aliens and as soon as we stepped out they ran towards us. One tried to take Sift but I wouldn''t let them. They ushered us into the Pelican, and it immediately closed the hatch so they could take off. A medic pulled out a stretcher and put Sift on it. He felt her pulse and checked her eyes and vitals. After he was done he took off his stethoscope and sighed. "I''m sorry but she won''t make it to the base, she''s lost too much blood and I don''t have the tools I need. It was surprising that she stayed alive this long but I wouldn''t count on her living even until the next 5 minutes. The best I can do is prepare her for emergency stasis. I''ll leave you alone to say your goodbyes." He packed up his equipment and went up to the front. The team crowded around, Selena in silent sobs, and the rest of us had tears in our eyes that never fell. I cradled her fragile head and Selina smoothed her blond hair. I didn''t even know her that long but she had already done so much for me. First Grayson and now Sift, I was losing my family. Again. We sat silently.


    Her heartbeat faded in my arms just as we landed and they put her in a cryo-tube at the base. They told me they would keep her there until they could try to revive her in the future. She was clinically dead and still had electrical activity, but there was nothing else they could do to restore her breathing at the time. We were released after a brief report of what happened during the mission and left to our own devices. I sat in my room, looking out numbly at the early dawn. I heard the smooth slide of the door as the three remaining members of my team entered the room.


    There was a moment of silence.


    Finally, Kade spoke, "We will honor them by becoming the best of the best. It''s the least we can do." He said, looking around at Selina and Scott. "We can''t allow this to happen to anyone else. We have to keep moving forward, For the Fallen. " I turned around to look at him holding his hand out in a fist. The other members nodded. On their faces were looks of determination. I nodded, replacing my sorrow with the same. "For the Fallen." I said, standing up and placing my hand on his. The others joined and for a moment, we just stood like that. I slowly dropped my hand and turned around. They looked at me expectantly. I walked towards the door. "Well let''s get started."

 Chapter 4

    4 Years Later


    "Atten-shun!" The drill Sargent shouted. The Spartans and me, the only one younger than 16, lined up in the front of the training room and quickly saluted.


    "At ease." He said. "Today you will be cataloged for height, weight, and physical features by Dr. Catherine Halsey, the overseer of this specific program. She holds the highest rank a civilian can have so treat her no different than me." He then stepped aside as the door opened and she came in with an assistant holding equipment. She immediately went to work and took each Spartan into a room and weighed and measured them, including their Body mass index. When she came for me and measured me though, she smiled for a brief second... I blinked and then it was gone. She didn''t say a word when she went on, and I stood there bewildered.


    "Get cleaned up for lunch marines!" The drill Sargent ordered when she had left. "Sir, yes sir!" We shouted and marched to our quarters.


    1100 hours


    Being in the mess hall was a little awkward for me since I was the only kid and everyone was at least 4 years older than me. Luckily though, I was respected and had been promoted to Team Leader, or Captain if you could call it that, after our mission that terrible night long ago. I no longer spoke about it since I wasn''t supposed to show emotion to my team, I had to be strong for them and a role model. I was also a lot taller, stronger, and faster than other 12-year-olds.


    Selina, Kade, and Scott had become my only "friends" They were never called by their first name by anyone but me, mostly because that was the name I had learned first. Others simply called them Spartan 245, 164, 283. I don''t know how the number system works, I never asked. We had also become the best team, White team, and now had pieces of white included in all of our clothing and armor, even if it was a darker white that was almost grey. We ran in formation with each other instead of a messy group like when we first started. Everyone knew my name now and showed me a decent amount of respect now too despite the age difference. I had proved my worth during the attack four years ago and although no one directly brought it up, I heard the tall tales and stories for weeks afterwards. That''s not to say that we hadn''t lost a lot of people over the years though. Small squads from other groups were deployed and never came back. Now it was only us and a few other teams from training left.


    We grabbed our standard issue lunch and sat down. Scott spoke first, asking, "When do you think we will be getting our augmentations? I never knew when they did it. Do they test you or something?"


    "I don''t know, probably just when they think you are ready physically and mentally." Selina said.


    He thought for a moment, "I guess I was hoping for a more specific date but you''re probably right Selina, as you usually are. I wonder when I will be ready." Kade said. I remained silent as they talked. Even in such a comfortable atmosphere I usually didn''t socialize as I was told only to speak when necessary and was trained like that. Even if that wasn''t the case, I had limited my contributions to conversations after I lost Grayson and Sift and my team respected that.


    I thought about my own augmentations as they talked. I knew that I would probably get my first round soon. I had passed my first four years of training and was gaining significant weight and muscle. Even though I was younger than everyone, I already knew as much as my fellow cadets and could take them in a fight using my wits. However training could only do so much and for now their strength was still superior to mine, but that was okay. If I kept at the pace I was at now, I was on track to be stronger, faster, taller, and smarter than them when I reached 16 year old.


    I listened to their conversation loosely as I ate. They concluded that no one knew when enhancements would start and finished lunch. We cleaned up our trays and reported to class. Today we were learning about soldiers in combat.


    "There are many heroes in battles..." the instructor started. "but none have done more than some of the first Spartans for the UNSC."


    Everyone in the room sat up a bit straighter, their interest collectively piqued. The teacher paused, smiling at their reaction, and continued.


    "These Spartans were entrusted with the most important missions because of their strength, natural leadership, and quick-thinking. They took on the hard jobs and over time, they went missing-in-action doing acts of heroism for mankind. Now there are only a few left," he said.


    "Sir?" A cadet in the back interrupted. "Yes?" The teacher responded.


    "If the Spartans were so great, why didn''t they make more?" He asked.


    "That is a very good question cadet. The reason there are not more is that to make them, they had to be exceptionally gifted and very young children to do well in the spartan program and withstand augmentations. These children were one in a billion finds, and so they were tested and then specially selected, and eventually kidnapped from their homes." the teacher said, to which gasps of exclamation could be heard throughout the room. He continued, "Also when they were augmented, they had less than a 50% chance of coming out of it alive and well. There were originally about 75 candidates, but only about 33 made it out of the program fit for duty. Dr. Halsey was sent to jail for kidnapping them and other war crimes that we will discuss another day."


    The room was completely silent for a moment as everyone who had been in awe of the program were ashamed now that they realized how terrible it really was. I however was a bit concerned at this revelation. If it was true, then my whole existence was technically illegal, and whoever was sponsoring me could get into serious trouble. Not to mention I recognized the name Dr. Halsey from the woman who had me play the coin game and did our weight and height 4 years ago. Considering she was working with the UNSC again, she must have gotten out of jail but my existence and training was still a bad thing right? But then again, it seemed like I was the only one taken this time. Could they need me for some specific purpose that would excuse the use of the program one last time?


    Even if that was the case, I didn''t even know if I would be able to go through augmentations considering the survival rate the teacher just mentioned. I mean all I could do was trust them I guess, it''s not like anyone would believe me if I told them my story. And even if they did, what would I do? If the UNSC was involved I could just be causing more trouble for myself too. In any case, I was too far into this to quit now.


    Scott seemed to remember our original topic and spoke-up. "Sir? Who was one of the last Spartans left?" Several chairs squeaked as they swiveled from their conversations to face the front of the room again. He answered, "That would be the Master Chief, Spartan 117, he''s the only well-known one."


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    He went on about the Spartan program but my eyes widened in recognition. So that''s why my number was special, It was the number directly after Master Chiefs. This was further proof that I was here for a reason, but what? I brought my attention back to the teacher who was saying, "and that brings me to Master Chief''s achievements. He had to destroy 2 of the Halo rings to stop the Flood parasite and the covenant from killing mankind with them. The Halos are massive superweapons that kill all life, originally meant to stop the flood by killing their food supply." The cadets all had their mouths open. Scott said, "He did all of that!? Spartans truly must have been everything people say they are."


    The teacher smiled, "Yes 283, they were the saviors of mankind. Unfortunately, they are almost all gone after sacrificing themselves in the initial invasions. Most went MIA when Reach fell. There are new Spartan programs like the Spartan IIIs but no genetically enhanced adult can replace them. They were the best of the best." There was a moment of silence.


    "Well," the teacher said, clapping his hands together. "It seems we''ve run out of time, you need to get right to training. There will be a test on the history of the Spartans in the future so make sure you review your notes. Do your best in your next class." he said smiling. We all started filing out the door. I now knew more about why I was here, even if it wasn''t very much. I would have to do my research on Master Chief I thought, maybe it would help me find out what they want to use me for in the future. However as I was about to leave for training, the teacher leaned over and whispered as I walked by, "Don''t let anyone beat you."


    I was about to ask what he meant but he quickly ushered me out the door, saying nothing more. I shrugged, confused as what it could mean. But, for now, I have to get on my training suit. I headed off to the locker rooms. I quickly got into my gear, given to us as a step up from training level 1, and grabbed my Stun-Paint loaded gun, given to us as a step up from level 2. I was the only one that had a better helmet with a computerized screen and movement tracker, a level 3 accomplishment. After we put our gear on we went out into the training field/forest. We were divided into two teams, red and blue.


    I was pretty familiar with the members of my team, but there were only ten here that I grew up with. The rest would usually be people who were added and taken out sporadically for missions or some other need. This round was Capture the Flag. The automated voice started a countdown and we got into our tubes. The voice hit zero and we drifted off into cryo-sleep, a sleep-like state in which your body doesn''t age. After what felt like nothing (actually 30 minutes in which the game was set up) we were awoken from cryo and got our helmets on. We quickly hurried out into the sheltered starting alcove and waited for the countdown. The countdown hit ten seconds and I relayed our plan. "Ok, let''s do this quick and clean. Ten of you will hit them head-on and then quickly retreat to draw them in. When they take the bait, two teams of five," I pointed to a group of cadets, "...will flank them and another will close their escape route. I will provide cover fire from that tree," I pointed to the tallest tree, "after they pass me."


    "You ten soldiers," I pointed to a group on my right, "will return and jump behind this ledge. When they jump over it, surround them, and if they don''t surrender immediately, take them out. I will then head for the flag with a squad of eight. You two, " I pointed to two soldiers with sniper rifles slung across their backs, one of them being Scott "stay to the tree-tops and take out any snipers that might be watching us through the brush. I need to count on you to cover us." I finished, looking them in the eye. They nodded solemnly and slung their rifles on their shoulders, walking off to find good spots to set up.


    The countdown hit zero. Ten cadets moved in while the other two teams spread out among the trees. My team and the backup team hid under the ledge at the near side of the alcove. I waited silently, I could hear the other cadets breathing heavily. Waiting was always the hardest part. I tilted my head over the side of the bottom of the tree I was behind so that only the smallest edge of my helmet could be visible from the other side. The clearing was silent.


    I shifted my weight to keep the blood in my legs flowing. Then a twig snapped from the foliage to my left, directly across from the ledge. I signaled to a cadet under it and he waved to the others to press close underneath it so they wouldn''t be seen. I paused, waiting until the nearest enemy cadets passed my tree, and took them out before quickly scaling the tree as planned. Our team''s main group ran out of the foliage and engaged the enemy. After making sure I was completely hidden, I shot another two of their soldiers before I had to hide to maintain cover. The main squad who engaged them retreated and the other team took the bait, running after them.


    I dropped down from the tree and hit the forest floor as quietly as possible, but when I got to the bottom, I stumbled. As I did, I was blinded momentarily by a glint from someone''s armor. I quickly aimed and took out the sniper up a tree with a quick burst from my rifle. I checked the area for any others before running up to join with my group to find the flag. Tree branches whipped at my helmet as I jumped over a log. The forward squad followed me to a clearing. The flag was in the center. My team slowly walked into the clearing, keeping our rifles up, alert for any movement. I lowered my rifle, backing towards the flag, whipping my rifle back and forth. Then there was a crack and the soldier beside me fell with red splattered paint on his chest. It was impossible to tell the exact location of the shot, he had twisted when he fell.


    "Take cover!" I yelled. We quickly retreated and ran into the bushes surrounding the clearing. They were all around us! I looked at my motion tracker to try and give some help. There was movement to my five-o''clock, but he hadn''t noticed me. I backed up and circled so I was behind him. He was currently lining up a shot at Scott who was occupied with a sniper-battle. You''re not taking out a soldier under my watch. I walked up behind him, stepping slowly. I aimed for his head, focusing on the stripes of the back of his helmet. I took one more step to get a clearer shot through the foliage. A twig snapped under my foot.


    I fired and cursed as he swung around and rolled out of the way. I stepped out of the brush and aimed again and fired. As I pulled the trigger I noticed him doing the same thing and darted to one side. The paint hit his gun instead, and because of my impromptu dodge mine got caught in a branch and I couldn''t pull it out.


    Now that we were both without our primary weapons, he took advantage and moved in, swinging at my head. I abandoned my gun and ducked. At the same time I swept his feet out from under him, breathing hard and thinking for a way out. He rolled over backwards and I moved in, punching him in the side as he stood up, which left a small splatter, marking the touch with paint from my gloves.


    He threw some gut-punches at my left and right side. I got tagged on my side by his right arm but I grabbed his left arm mid-swing, spun around behind him, twisting it in the process, and kicked the back of his knees. He dropped to his knees and bent over, crying out in pain as I pulled his arm behind his back.


    To finish him off, I put my hand in front of him and hit his top helmet part, leaving a paint splatter their and marking him as a ''kill''. He fell and stayed there, not permitted to move once the paint was on his helmet''s half-face cover. I stepped away and looked around. My team shot one last person and was scouting the area for any more soldiers. Selina came up to me and said, "We think you should take the flag, you have earned it." I nodded. "Thank You."


    I walked up to the flag and grabbed it, tearing it out of its holder. The automated voice said ''Training game Capture the Flag Over''


    A door opened in the foliage and a commander stepped out. "I watched your game, Good job 118." I nodded respectfully. "Thank you, sir."


    "Now, there is something I want to talk to you about so report to my office at 1800 hours." I handed him the flag. "Sir, Yes Sir." I replied saluting. He went back through the door and my team came over and congratulated me. All of the ''dead'' got up and took their armor to go get washed. We went to our quarters. Winners got to take a break while the team that lost took 5 laps around the training area and did 100 push-ups. I took off my gear, put on my uniform, and walked to the commander''s office a little later, at 1800 hours.

 Chapter 5

    I arrived outside the commander''s office. I was about to knock on his metal door when it opened and an automated voice said, " Welcome Cadet Steele 118."


    The commander looked up from a rectangle holographic map on a table at the sound and turned it off. I walked into the command room and looked around. The table was in the middle, he had a huge triple-monitor at the front of the room and a bunch of smaller computer screens off to the sides with a bunch of people working at them. The commander stood at parade rest, a position with his hands clasped behind his back and feet slightly apart. He had light brown hair, dark blue eyes, and a scar stretched across his right cheek from the bottom of his nose almost to his ear. I saluted, "Sir."


    "At ease Cadet. I am Commander Silas, the overseer of this facility. Unfortunately, Dr. Halsey could not be here. She is currently... occupied." He said, adding emphasis on the word. "I am here to inform you that you have completed your four years yesterday... Of course, you already knew that, didn''t you."


    "Yes, Sir." I replied.


    "Well then you know that your pre-training is up. Everything will get exponentially harder from here on out. Not just training but academics. I expect you to be up to the task."


    I nodded. That was previously explained to me.


    "But from what I''ve gathered, you haven''t been informed that you will also be preparing for your augmentations soon. This will not be as easy as your training, but I expect you to perform admirably."


    I tilted my head slightly, I expected it to come sometime, but this was new. He continued. "This process will take place when you are 14, which I understand is quite a bit earlier than the others. They will get them if they want to after the age of 18."


    "Excuse me, Sir, but might I ask, why am I going earlier?" I interrupted respectfully.


    "You were especially here to become a specific kind of spartan, almost identical to the late Spartan IIs. You are a special project Dr. Halsey was informed to proceed with on order from my superior officers. Your classmates have not received the same special training you have and do not meet the necessary requirements." He said simply. "Sir, but why was I taken... why am I the only one? What is my purpose?" I asked. I had a feeling about what the answer might be, but I wanted to hear it from them. Otherwise why would he bother telling me all of this himself?


    He sighed, "We knew you would ask eventually, Dr. Halsey should be the one here answering you here, but you might as well know now."


    "Your purpose in all of this... your mission, is to follow in the Master Chief''s footsteps. He is no longer the Spartan he once was, especially with his age. Halsey knew this and realized no other Spartan now enlisted could ever be up to the challenge of saving mankind. She picked you, out of many, many planets in known space. No one else had your potential, your creativity, or your... Special qualities. Once Master Chief dies or retires, and he would have done one or the other soon, you will step up to become his successor, a replacement you might say. He recently was unofficially MIA, so we have been pressured for results ahead of schedule as well." He finished, allowing me time to contemplate what he just said.


    There was a moment of silence. I thought for a moment. I was supposed to become the next Master Chief? To accomplish tasks on his scale? How was that possible, I was just a normal kid. On the other hand, I was taller, faster, smarter, and had faster reflexes than other kids, I always had. I thought back to my second day at the academy when Dr. Halsey visited me in the hall. It was a test, I knew that much now, but what for?


    Her question had a 50% chance of getting it right, so my answer was one of chance. There was no skill or intelligence required. Why? I remembered that in class the teacher said Master Chief was lucky, and not just your average kind of luck, he was consistently lucky, especially considering his survival despite the loss of almost all of the other Spartans. Commander Silas also just said that I share many of the same qualities as Chief had. It would only make sense that Halsey was testing my own luck. That was also why I was the only one, it was a once in a life-time chance to find someone like Chief, and even more so to find someone like me to replace him. I was the only one capable of carrying on his legacy. All of the pieces clicked in place except... what were the specicial qualities he talked about earlier. I would have to figure that one out on my own. It was clear he was not keen on elaborating, but, I knew now that I had to do this. I was the only one who could. I sighed, that''s a lot to expect of one person, much more of someone my age.


    Commander Silas broke the silence saying, "Dr. Halsey selected you, out of all of the planets in known space, and that says a lot. It may be a big responsibility but you have plenty of time to train. You have a duty to do so regardless." He stopped, put his hand to his ear, and listened to something. "...Ok, Sir, Silas out." he straightened and said, "It seems I have other matters to attend to. For now, report back to your quarters. Once a week you will go to an extra class to prepare you for your augmentations. Dismissed."


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    I saluted and walked out, the door closing behind me. I walked back to my quarters and sat at my desk. Powering on my Holo-computer, I looked at my schedule. Sure enough, the Aug-prep classes were already added, one day of every week at the same time, at 1400 hours. For the rest of today''s schedule, I had classes in 10 minutes, at 1830, then Dinner at 1930 and lights out at 2000 hours. I closed out of my schedule and pulled up the troop index. I searched for Master Chief''s file and pulled it up. Might as well find out some more about him if I was supposed to replace him. Besides, he seems like an interesting enough guy.


    When I opened up his semi-classified file though, which was for lower ranked officers, I was dismayed to see a lot of it blacked out. Oh well, I could fix that I thought. I cracked my knuckles and pressed a key, which brought up a page of code. I altered a few lines of the code that had digitally hidden the text that existed there and cleared off the censored bars. I then exited from the page''s code. I''m not a programming genius or anything, and pretty much anyone could do this if they looked it up.


    Now, time to see what they had to hide. His classification was a Spartan II and was 42 years old, 6 foot 10 before he went missing after destroying another halo ring and something called the Ark, which controls all of the Halo rings. They never told us that. I was astonished. He was even more than his stories led me to believe. His file was almost like reading an action movie script. I wouldn''t have even thought some of this stuff was possible if I wasn''t reading it at that moment. I shook my head and continued. It also mentioned that his group of Spartans received augmentations at age 14, the same time I would receive them.


    He also has an AI named Cortana, the only AI created out of living tissue. She was given to him by Dr. Halsey about a year before the discovery of the first Halo ring. He also battled the Flood, a parasite that feeds off of the essence of life itself and can bring back the dead if they are infected. They managed to fend off and successfully eradicate the flood after destroying the Ark though.


    I''m glad I never have to face that!


    I was about to read about his augmentations and missions when my screen reminded me it was time for class. I closed out of the page and shut my computer off. I walked out and headed towards class through a different route this time, my boots clomping against the metal floor. I was halfway there when I heard a small, almost inaudible sound, like someone shifting their weight, from the closet to my left.


    I walked past, my pace not changing, turned around after a few doors, and treaded back silently. I could hear something breathing, a slight wheezing. There was a small grunt as it struggled with something. I stepped closer, bringing my arms up to a defensive position. I slowly reached for the open button. Then I quickly pressed it to open the door and stepped back. Right in front of me was a Grunt, an orange alien that breathed methane through a pyramid-like methane tank on it''s back. It had been struggling to open what looked like a control panel to some alien bomb the size of a toaster and the shape of a pinto-bean.


    We both froze for a split second. Then, he grabbed the panel and started to open it, frantically trying to set it off. I reacted faster though. Before he could even start to lift the panel up, I moved in and meleed what I think was it''s face with my elbow, pushing it backwards and away from the bomb. I held it down and grabbed it''s mask, crushing it, making it squeal in pain. I quickly grabbed a spare gun lying in the closet and after a brief struggle managed to put a few bullets in it''s head. The Grunt stopped struggling and lay still. I backed off of it, certain of it''s death, and set the gun down.


    I heard the sound of heavy boots as Marines ran my way, they had heard the gun shots. I set my gun down as the first soldier arrived a tall guy with dark brown hair and brown eyes, currently raised in surprise. "What happened?" He questioned, looking at the body of the grunt. "I found him trying to set off a bomb sir."


    "Sergeant Case, send marines to check the closets in the other halls stat, he can''t have been alone." He ordered to one of his officers. Then he grabbed the bomb from the corpse and un-primed it. "Marines, clean-up this mess. Cadet, report to your quarters and relay this message to the others that they have orders to stay in theirs no matter what. I need to go to the Sergeant Major with your Commander." he said, pointing and setting off at a fast-pace with the Commander he assumed was mine who had also reported to the scene.


    I took of in the direction of my quarters, leaving the rifle and walking away from them, but not before the ground shook and the alarms went off. "Dammit!" He cursed. "The marines didn''t make it in time. Come-on." They quickened their pace, heading towards the Sergeant Major. I headed towards the barracks, dreading the impending sound of another explosion.


    I quickly made my way there and went into every room and told the other cadets to stay in their rooms, ignoring their questions. After, I sat down at my desk after locking my door and logged in. I wanted to watch what was happening and the soldier had a helmet with him which he, without doubt, put on after leaving for the Sergeant Major. I logged into the main site for the facility with my commander''s credentials, that I might have seen him type in one time, and searched for the soldier''s feed.


    I found it, and it allowed me to watch and hear everything he was hearing. I adjusted the volume until I could hear the sound of the soldier and the Commander''s boots. I sent a message to my friends, asking them to come to my room quietly. I also made sure to trick the network into thinking that I was the Commander''s computer and not mine.


    After about two minutes, Scott, Kade, and Selina came in. "What''s that?" Scott asked, pointing to the feed.


    "Turns out that the covenant broke into the main floor. I logged into the base network with our commander''s credentials and now we can watch the battle live." I replied.


    Selina gasped, "Isn''t that illegal? Using his password?"


    "Well yeah, but don''t you want to see? I mean it''s not like we''ve ever had the chance to watch a battle unfold in real-time before. And no one will know." I said.


    "I guess it couldn''t hurt to watch." Kade said. "Ok, I''ll watch." Selina said. "Me too!" Scott chimed in.


    "Ok, have a seat on the floor, this is going to be awesome!" I said with an eager tone.


    We all got comfortable and watched the scene unfold.

 Chapter 6

    They approached a dark red door and it immediately opened. They walked into a room similar to Sergeant Silas''s but much larger, with more people at computers, and another room to the left of the giant screen. The Sergeant Major was talking to some commanders as they stood gesturing periodically to a large 3D map that appeared to be a model of the base, but he looked up as he heard the door open and the Sergeant and the Soldier I was watching walked in. He said a few things before leaving the table and walked over to them.


    "Is this the soldier that identified the threat?" He asked.


    "Yes Sir, the cadet eliminated the grunt and this soldier, sorry, officer controlled the situation in an effective manner and quickly sent out the alarm to warn the base of further threats." he stated.


    "Step forward Officer." the Sergeant Major ordered. The Officer did as he asked, the view from his helmet rising slightly as he stood a little straighter in front of such a high ranking officer.


    "Now you are going to tell me everything that happened, clearly and efficiently, and then you are going to lead the team we have ready to track down the other bombs."


    The screen went up and down as he nodded, "Understood sir."


    The Sergeant Major gestured for him to start and the Officer explained to them how he came across a cadet who had found the grunt trying to set off the bomb. He told them how I managed to eliminate it and that he found me just as I did so. He knew that grunts never traveled alone, ordered me to keep the other cadets in our quarters, and warned the rest of the base as he took a few other soldiers and the Sergeant.


    As he finished, the Sergeant Major stood there thinking. "Well done Officer, what''s your status?"


    "Green sir." he answered.


    "Good. We will reward you later but we need to act fast if we want to stop the Covenant before they do any more damage. There are definitely more grunts with bombs somewhere in the facility and we need to find them. They have most likely brought an Antimatter Charge as well so we need to make that the first priority." he said. "Lead a team of my marines to search this sector. I already have teams scouring the rest of the base and so far they haven''t found the Antimatter Charge so it is probably close. Go, on the double, they may have already primed them."


    "Understood sir." He said. The Sergeant Major waved a group of 15 soldiers to go with him and they took off running down the hall.


    "Where is the nearest access point?" My person asked a young soldier to his right. He had to raise his voice over the deafening sound of boots hitting the metal floor in the hallway.


    "Downstairs and to the left." The soldier answered.


    "Ok, that''s where we are headed. Everyone stay on guard, there could be Covenant around any corner." He warned.


    They lifted their rifles from the slings on their backs as they ran and loaded them. The Officer grabbed one from a rack they passed. They ran down two flights of stairs and headed to their left through the gray metal hallway, slowing as they neared the access point. They had an experienced looking soldier, probably another officer, go in front of them to scout around the corner. He slowly looked around the corner and then drew back.


    "This is worse than we thought," the soldier whispered. "There are a group of grunts and an elite carrying an Antimatter Charge into the center of the hangar."


    Oh no! I thought. Those bombs were the size of a coffin and could destroy entire ships the size of the Pillar of Autumn and bigger. Which was way bigger than our entire facility. And there was an Elite, who were typically one of the Covenant commanders, smart, and taller than even a Spartan.


    "They had a group of about 40 Covenant. What''s your plan?" the soldier asked the Officer.


    "I''m thinking that we spread out across the room, and when I give the signal, take them by surprise, killing all of the grunts first and taking out the Elite''s shield. Then we''ll take out the elite and disarm the charge." the Officer whispered. "Everyone agree?" He asked. They looked around and all nodded.


    "Then move out." He ordered. They slowly filed into the room from the hallways and spread themselves around the edges. There was a big hangar door at one end where it dropped off after the opening.


    There was a hallway-like passage with many openings circling the room and a few crates of things along the inside of the room. The soldiers snuck through the hallway-like passage, darting from pillar to pillar. The Elite was currently directing the grunts to place the bomb close to the opening to the hallway. He kept looking around for any human activity but failed to see the soldiers moving into their positions as the clumsy grunts managed to drop one side of the Antimatter Charge on the ground before it was in the place the Elite wanted it. He shouted in an alien language at them and they whimpered before continuing to move it.


    I watched from the Helmet view as the soldiers crept around the room into place, someone even climbing slightly down the drop-off, out of view except for the very top of his head which he kept extremely still so he could still see the signal. When they were fully spread out, the soldier who talked to the Officer before signaled for their attention. Everyone got their rifles up, and a sniper across the opening to my person''s right laid down and set up his sniper rifle, aiming for the middle grunt.


    They were setting the bomb down now, preparing to prime it. The Officer watched as the soldier started a countdown with his fingers.


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    3...2...1!


    Immediately they sprung into action, firing from their positions at the covenant in the center of the room. My person did the same, the helmet view whipping back and forth as he moved from target to target. Immediately as they move into action, the grunt who was going to prime the bomb fell, dead. The outer grunts also fell. The Elite looked around, surprised, and started backing towards the bomb, ducking and telling the panicking grunts to shoot. The soldiers started moving closer to the bomb as the pillars became too shredded to act as substantial cover anymore, shards whistling around them. They darted behind the crates surrounding the edges of the room, popping out for a few moments at a time to shoot a few bullets and take out a grunt or two. However, the battle wasn''t entirely one-sided. The soldier on the drop off fell to a well-placed plasma round to the head from the Elite''s gun. Another soldier across the room fell as well, peppered with needles from one of the grunts. Purple and green plasma rounds whizzed past my person''s head, dangerously close as he darted from cover to cover, sometimes taking down a grunt. I saw that there were only a few grunts left and despite a few losses, the soldiers now had the upper hand on numbers.


    The Elite, seeing that they were losing, started to run for the Antimatter Charge, going for a last suicidal attempt at setting it off. The Officer''s view swung towards the Elite as he turned his head and realized what it was going to do. He started running for the Elite but a stray needle must have gotten him in the leg because he cried out while he was running and his gait changed. Despite this, he still ran as fast as he could and jumped onto the Elite''s back, shooting it repeatedly with his gun in the head. The Elite tried to shake him off as he drained it''s shield and the Elite reached behind itself and grabbed him by the arm off his back, flinging him onto the ground with a Boom as he hit the metal floor. There was a loud, fast exhalation of breath as the Officer hit the ground and his breath was knocked out of him. He wheezed, trying to inhale with little success.


    The Elite said something unintelligible and prepared to shoot him in the head. I gasped as I could see right down the barrel of the Alien weapon, the same thing the Officer was seeing.


    The Elite pulled the trigger---but got shot in the chest right as he did so, jerking the weapon and shooting the Officer somewhere in his stomach instead. The Elite fell to the ground and a helmet appeared in my guy''s view. The soldier who belonged to the helmet ripped off a piece of his shirt and pressed it down somewhere on my person''s stomach. Soon more soldiers crowded around and someone shouted for a stretcher. A few soldiers slowly turned him onto it and he was lifted off the ground. Despite the care the soldiers took to keep the Officer still, we could hear him crying out in pain and whimpering as the soldiers moved him.


    I looked away for a moment and noticed that my friends had been sitting there with their mouths open the entire time.


    The Officer''s view transitioned from the tall hangar ceiling to the shorted hallway lights as someone carried him down a hall. They came to a medical room, as we saw by a passing sign over head, and he was set down on what was presumably a table. Two doctors with medical suits on hovered over him and one took off his helmet. The camera turned and moved as the helmet was set on a table. We saw the doctors hovering over the soldier an we saw his wound, a big hole the size of a golf ball in his stomach. There was blood everywhere. His leg was also bloody, a glowing pink needle sticking out of the side. He cried out as the first one removed his shirt and groaned as the other took out the needle. A curtain was drawn across the room, blocking our view.


    I said, "Well that''s all we will see." and turned off the computer. My friends were silent.


    "That''s really war?" Selina asked, shocked.


    "Yeah, didn''t you guys pay attention in class?" I said, surprised.


    "No." Scott said solemnly, just as shocked as Selina. Kade was the only one not relatively surprised.


    "Well that was just a small fight, war is much worse if you think this was bad." I said.


    I didn''t like the killing but I wasn''t going to regret it if I had to kill or be disgusted by it either. If it had to be done, or I was ordered to, then it had to be done. I would follow orders as I was trained to.


    "You better get back to your quarters before they find out you aren''t in them." I said.


    They snapped out of the daze and Kade said, "Yeah, come one, before we get caught." to the others. They peeked out the door to see if the coast was clear before running off to their quarters. I shook my head, they really gotta get better at paying attention in class I thought. The teacher had touched briefly on the reality of war, but they obviously weren''t listening at the time. I was about to look out my door to see if I could tell what was going to happen next but the intercom came on. The automated voice said Please go on with your schedules. Sections Bravo-7 and Delta-3 are currently on lock-down.


    I went back to the computer and looked at the time. 1400 hours! I''m going to be late for Aug-prep! Man, we have to worry about this stuff while whole wars are going on and our facility was just attacked? I shook my head.


    Then I ran out the door, barely avoiding running into an officer as I did so, and yelling "Sorry!" behind me.


    I bolted down a flight of stairs at the end of the barracks hallway and turned right at the bottom. The yellow striped classes hallway was packed with students so I had to slow down. After weaving through a few feet of people, I turned right at the end and walked into my Aug-prep. There were a few adults in there and they stared at me as I came into the small, green room. I ducked my head down so people could see over me and made my way towards the back, sitting in the last row. The teacher looked up and, seeing that everyone was there, got up. He was of Mexican ethnicity and had curly black-ish hair with a few gray strands here and there. His curly hair brought out the best of his dark brown eyes and bright smile.


    "Welcome to Augmentation Preparation class. All of you in here I assume know that you will be receiving Augmentations within the next two years. Am I correct?" He asked


    There was a chorus of yes''s and a nodding of heads.


    "This class is to help you know what you are getting yourself into. You will learn the different procedures and what each one does." he said.


    I was actually looking forward to this class. This was stuff no one in my age group would know until they were 18 at the least. The teacher started handing out notepads, lingering a bit at my desk, a confused look on his face, but then he seemed to shake it off and move on.


    "First we will start with what you know. Who knows which augmentations were the most successful?"


    I raised my hand.


    "Yes, you there in the back."


    Everyone looked at me. "The Spartan ll''s, the group the Master Chief is in." I said confidently. "That''s correct, and do you know why?" He asked. "Because they were children and children''s bodies are more adaptable." I said. "That is once again correct. Unfortunately, they were part of an illegal operation so children are no longer used." he said.


    "First we are going to watch a video of the first portion of the first augmentation which is the Carbide Ceramic Ossification procedure." he finished, sitting down and starting the video.

 Chapter 7

    Kyle''s POV


    I''m supposed to be paying attention to the teacher at the front of the class who is talking about weapon types but my eyes aren''t on the teacher. They''re on the clock. In just a few more seconds the bell will ring and we can go on to playing our Free-for-All training game. I can get more combat training in, and this time I wanted to try to do some more advanced stuff that will at least mimic real firefights.


    Oh yeah, I''m cadet Kyle 324. Nice to meet you! I live on the massive one-of-a-kind spaceship called the Infinity. I live here because my parents used to serve in the military but sadly, they both died in a car crash after retiring a few years after I was born. I was put in the UNSC''s foster care until the age of 10, and then enlisted in the Infinity''s Advanced Military Youth Corps, AMY Core for short. From there I was chosen for a special program aboard the Infinity thanks to my exemplary test scores and familial military history. As for my age, I am 12 years old as of a few months ago, 5 feet tall on the dot, and the smartest one in my squad. My red hair and green eyes make me stand out quite a bit along with my intelligence in the corp. I accidentally sliced my nose with a knife while trying to trim my hair myself once in foster care so there is also a scar cutting diagonally across the right side of my nose.


    Currently I am in class and the bell is about to ring for my squad to go on to training. Today we are playing a Free-for-All, Last one standing wins. Of course it''s with paintballs. I continued watching the clock and tapped my foot, counting down the seconds. Just a few more...


    Riiinng!


    I bolted out the door, anxious to get to the training room. My favorite part about these training exercises isn''t that they are Free-for-Alls, it''s that we are doing it in Zero-G. So if we ever get off-ship and have to fight in space(which happens more often than you think) we will be prepared for the lack of gravity and disorientation that comes with having no sense of direction. I darted through the metal hallways, weaving around people until I reached a large metal door. The door automatically opened and I slipped inside, going down a short hallway and turning right into the boy''s locker rooms. I started putting on my gear immediately and was already half-way done before the others even arrived. I finished up, strapping my chest-piece on and putting on my helmet before walking into the training room.


    The room was huge, bigger than a football field. The room appeared to be completely empty, not a box or item in sight, just swaths of solid gray metal flooring, but looks can be deceiving. This room was special. It was the only one of it''s kind aboard the ship since it can change itself to become any environment or scenario. Forest, Cities, Space, you name it and it can create it. I''m not quite sure how they do it, but I know it''s some pretty advanced tech and it draws a lot of power to create each zone. Scenario days come very rarely because of this and they will typically reuse scenarios once they''ve been created for a while before resetting the room for a new one. This was why I was so excited for today on top of the stuff I listed before.


    I walked through it to the cryo-tubes as directed by the teacher that were in a room off to one side. They have us go in cryo-sleep for the set-up of the game not just to allow the Scenario Room time to change but also to give us practice for slip space journeys. It also keeps us from seeing how they set the game up, for security reasons, as no one is even allowed anywhere near the exterior of the room during setup either. Every second of room time matters, so this was the only way we could be stationed close enough to enter quickly and still be kept in the dark about the mechanics behind it.


    Laying back in my cryo-tube, I waited for the everyone else to arrive and the cover slid down preemptively for cryosleep. It wouldn''t activate until all tubes were ready.


    My thoughts drifted a bit as I waited. I have always tried to do my best, in hopes of becoming a Spartan. And not just a Spartan IV, but a real one, like the Spartan IIs. I want to get my augmentations at 16 too, just like them. No one really talked about it, but everyone knows that the Spartan IIs were the strongest Spartans out of all of them. They were faster and just... better too. Because of this, I''ve always wanted to meet Master Chief as well, the last Spartan II known left. He''s been my role model since I was little. I mean, all the stuff he does seems impossible, but somehow he never fails anything, ever. And he''s saved humanity probably more times than we even know about from stuff like the Halo Ring''s(massive ancient galaxy-destroying weapons), the Flood(like zombies but worse), and the Covenant.


    I was startled out of my brooding at a knock on the glass of my cryo-tube. I immediately smiled and knocked back. This was mine and my friend Slash 580''s custom before going into cryo. He is a bit shorter than me and has dark brown messy hair and brown eyes to match. His personality can seem a bit cold at first, but he''s just not great at making friends and chit chat. He has a strong sense of loyalty and a heart to match.


    They notified everyone that the cryosleep process would now begin. I closed my eyes and felt myself drift off as I slipped into cryo-sleep. But something must have gone wrong, as I had a really weird dream. People don''t usually dream in cryosleep, but it has happened on rare occasions. It seemed like somehow a file had accidentally leaked into the system that monitored and sent information to the brain during cryo. It was of a kid who''s physique looked about 14 but his face made him look 12. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and was seriously ripped for a kid his age. He started to shrink from view. Then my dream zoomed out from the facility he was in and continued zooming out. I could now see the planet, orbiting a red dwarf and a sun. It continued zooming out until his solar system shrunk from view and many stars flew by at blazing speed. It finally slowed down, coming to the Infinity and the planet it was orbiting. It zoomed in on the Infinity and the training room until I could see my self, sleeping in cryo.


    I jumped awake, choking on the cold air that was still left as the waking process finished. I gasped for air, bewildered by what I just saw. I shook my head and wobbly got out of the cryo-tube. Everyone was checking ammo and equipment. That was really strange, but right now I didn''t have time to think about what I just saw. I quickly grabbed my gear and moved to the entrance of the Scenario room where the teacher was talking to the rest of the class. The teacher explained the gear and procedures, as he did every game, and I loaded my rifle with paintballs. We then pushed off from the hallway one at a time and spread out into the scenario, a scrap yard in space. The scenario had even generated broken vehicles and pelicans and there was a false-view of a planet on one side and stars around the rest of the room. If you couldn''t see the door, you would really think you were in space. The gravity was turned off of course, and I pushed myself into a corner that was above the door.


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    The countdown started. I moved some scrap-metal floating nearby between me and everyone else, leaving a space to point my rifle through.


    The countdown neared the end,


    5...


    4...


    3...


    2...


    1!


    Immediately I saw people in the corners of my vision pushing off of walls and sheet metal, starting to shoot each other. I aimed for a kid in a blue-suit and fired, hitting him in his side and rendering him immobile as it was a kill-shot. Quickly I turned my gun slightly and hit another light blue soldier next to the now immobile blue soldier. They had probably been teammates considering their proximity even though that was technically not allowed.


    I spun upside-down to get a better view of the battlefield and it became up because in Zero-G, there are never any true ups or downs. I could see some cadets advancing in my direction and pushed through my scrap metal so I wouldn''t be cornered by them, spinning and taking out 2 cadets near me. I took cover behind a big piece of sheet metal, shot someone to my right, and looked out.....hiding again after a paintball hit the metal next to my face. I envisioned where the shooter was in my mind, mentally preparing myself. Then I spun out, remaining still as they shot a paintball next my head only inches away and shot back at them, aiming instinctively from the mental view I had made.


    The shot hit it''s mark, splattering the helmet of a lime green cadet a few dozen feet away. I silently cheered in my head.... but then a paintball hit me in the leg, coming from my left. I spun a bit from the force of the paintball but quickly latched onto the sheet of metal I had hid behind before and moving it between me and the attacker with my remaining limbs. The paintball stung like crazy, and my leg was now immobile.


    Whoever fired continued to do so, trying to sneak one through the gaps in the sheet metal. The shots got closer and closer. I was in a bad position so all I could do was wait for an opportunity as he advanced. There was a pause as he didn''t see any response from me and questioned if I had been taken out and I took the chance. I flung the sheet of metal away from me, hitting the soldier and spinning him in the air while pushing myself back. Then I pushed off a few other sheets of metal that were behind me and flew around him as he grabbed onto a sheet himself to stop himself from spinning. Now facing his back, I peppered him with paintballs. He cried out from surprise and probably a bit of pain, and froze, an effect of the paintballs.


    I looked around and saw a red tinge in a group of scrap-metal. The soldier was trying to catch someone else off-guard who had been battling with another soldier. I took aim and fired, shooting him in the back and taking him out. Then I aimed for the soldier he had been targeting and shot, but this time missing him. I cursed as he spun around, looking for me in the direction the paintball passed from. I quickly adjusted my aim and shot again, but not before he had spotted me and fired as well, hitting my left arm. My paintball hit him in the chest this time, pushing him back. I slowly spun from the impact of his paintball and looked around for something to stop my rotational motion, but then the bell rang. I smiled as this signaled a win and considering I was still alive, it was my win. The freeze penalty of the paintballs was removed and everyone began pushing themselves back to the equipment area next to the cryo room. I pushed myself back there and hung up my stuff, smiling as I could hear the groans of the soldiers becoming unfrozen and feeling the pain of the paintballs.


    My arm and leg still hurt but nothing could bring me down from my ecstatic high of winning yet another game. I unloaded my gear, and the teacher informed everyone that we were free to go. I walked out, almost skipping down the halls as I enjoyed my victory. However, I didn''t get out unscathed. I walked normally as I went over the mistakes I had made in my head when the First Officer came out of a door in the hallway. I stopped immediately and saluted. First Lieutenant Lasky was a young fellow with a pretty standard officer uniform on and brown hair. "At ease cadet. Have a moment?"


    "Yes, sir?" I said, confused at his normal behavior. We started walking.


    "I watched your training session. Good job on that move with the sheet metal by the way." he said. "Um, Thank you sir." I said, still confused. Shouldn''t he be really formal or something? We walked towards the direction of the single-person training room.


    "You''re going to be a great soldier someday, possibly one the best in the UNSC." He said. "How''s your shooting?"


    "Point 87 accuracy." I said, with an idea now of where he was going. We arrived at the training room door and he pushed a button to open it. We walked just inside the door. "Let''s put that to the test." He said. He handed me a semi-automatic rifle. "See those targets." he pointed to a group of moving targets. I nodded.


    "See how many you can hit in 30 seconds. Starting now." he stepped back, closing the door and watching from a window.


    Startled by the abrupt start, I clumsily got my gun up and trained it on one of the targets, firing and hitting it, but the shot landed pretty close to the outer edge. I took a deep breath and transitioned my mindset into battle-mode, focusing on just hitting the targets in front of me and nothing else. I moved with the fast-moving targets almost running around the room and avoiding the obstacles. I shot at one, hitting it in the head, a bullseye, this time only taking a few seconds to aim. I got better with my aiming and as the 30 seconds neared their end, I hit every one in the center. A buzzer sounded and I stop shooting, breathless. He walked in and clapped a few times, smiling. "Excellent shooting, better than I could have hoped." I looked at the targets. 14 out of 16 are hit and only a few were not hit spot-on. I felt a bit if pride for my accuracy.


    "Well, that was a test and you passed. You get a promotion to level 4 effective immediately. I will send someone to your quarters to give you your new armor, real armor." he said.


    "Thank you sir!" I exclaimed excitedly. This was a big accomplishment. When your armor gets upgraded, that means you are almost ready for some type of real combat. The new armor can withstand actual bullets, not just the training paintball ammo. I couldn''t believe it. He smiled and said, "I''ve always enjoyed watching you train, you''ve got real potential. You know, every time you have a training match, there is a crowd near the observing windows. It seems you''ve become quite popular. I won''t keep you any longer, you are dismissed Soldier." he said, emphasizing the Soldier part.


    I smiled, said, "Thank you sir!" again, and left, jogging down the halls. Now that I think about it, I have noticed people near the windows when my training matches are going on. I also have heard other people talking about it but I never really paid any attention to it. I need to tell Slash and Seth I thought, about everything that happened today. The dream, the training, Lasky and what he said about the matches. Everything. I slowed down as I neared our hall and start making my way to the barracks, anticipating my new armor.

 Chapter 8

    Steele''s POV


    We finished watching the video. The teacher stood up and clasped his hands together, turning to face the class. "Well can anyone give me a summary of the procedure we just watched?"


    A caucasian boy raised his hand and said, "It strengthens the bones, making them virtually unbreakable, Sir."


    "That is correct. Thank you! Furthermore, they do that by grafting strengthening materials, the exact materials being classified, directly into the bones and bone marrow. However, this procedure does not have a high success rate, and has been reported to cause the subject significant pain despite being anesthetized. That''s why now these procedures are done by grafting the material to the exterior of the bones. The Spartan IIs were the only class of Spartan that received the procedure as we have watched, but we use these videos as the newer procedures are still classified." he said.


    "Well, that''s it for today, I''ll see you next week. Dismissed."


    We all filed out of the room. As I walked past the teacher on my way out, I looked back at him as he seemed to be in deep thought. He was looking at his roster, muttering under his breath something about "underaged". Strange, but I shouldn''t get involved in the matters of adults. I shrugged and checked my schedule on a small tablet that had been distributed to all of the trainees. Man, I have drills again today. I sighed and dragged my feet as I walked to the physical fitness areas of the base. Drills were my least favorite type of training to do that the moment. Since I was supposedly becoming a ''real'' spartan, I had to do 3 times the work as everyone else. If they did 100 push-ups, I had to do 300 in the same amount of time. But at least it''s not like the first 2 years I had begun to train with the intention of becoming a Spartan. During that time I really was pushed to my limits. I did at least 10 times what everyone else did and was trained until I dropped, and I rarely dropped, but I may have thrown up a time or two. I cringed at the thought of embarrassing myself back then by doing that, but it wasn''t my fault. They wanted to see what my limits were, and how successfully they could push me past them. I shook my head, I must have received enough training to make at least three Spartan IIIs. Those years were not pleasant, but I don''t regret them either. I am proud of what I can do now because of that time spent training, although I definitely don''t ever want to do that level of training again. While shuffling half-heartedly down the hall, the intercom came on and said, All afternoon drills taking place outside are canceled. Once it clicked off there was a loud cheer throughout the hallway.


    That''s odd, I thought. They would almost never cancel drills, even for holidays. Maybe today was an exception? I had a nagging feeling that something might have gone wrong, but as for what I had no idea. I went back to my quarters and logged onto my computer. I absentmindedly tapped my finger on the desk, thinking about what I should do now. I hadn''t had a moment of free time for a quite a while, and now I wasn''t even sure what I wanted to do with it. I ruffled my hair in a surprising bout of boredom and looked at my computer. Hmm, I could always do some research. In battle often the most mentally prepared opponent would be able to take the advantage, and I wanted to get ahead as far as I could above our enemies. As for what to look up... I guess I could learn more about my own planet. I knew a ton about Reach and Earth and Harvest, but I wasn''t even sure where our planet was located in relation to the core worlds. I knew we were kind of far, but not specifically how far. I did a quick general search and read the first AI-catered description.


    The planet''s name that has the base Fort Cause on it is called Atrius. It has many facilities all over the planet and 2 oceans, Segha Ocean and Calid Ocean. Atrius is a colony planet used for agricultural and military purposes alike. Neither field dominates this planet''s functions, but both are seen as important assets to the core planets. Atrius supplies 15% of all agriculture to human-inhabited planets, a 14.9% increase from its previous .1% after the fall of Harvest. Atrius is also a pivotal military outpost for the protection and control of the outer colonies, as well as one of many first defense planets against threats towards inner colonies. Planetary resources were also updated and their military functions improved after the fall of Reach.


    It continued, but at that moment I heard a lot of heavy footsteps approaching from down the hallway. I turned off my computer and got up, opening my door to see what was happening. Looking out my door, I had to bring my head back in quickly to avoid getting hit by the butt of a rifle going by. The footsteps belonged to an older squad of soldiers from one of the barracks farther down. They seemed to be heading towards the pelican bay. That''s weird, what were they doing? The squad was too large for it to be just a routine patrol or training drill. The guns they were carrying were real too, not the usual training rifles for scenarios and base exercises. No doubt there was some kind of battle about to go down, but what they heading to fight? Not the Covenant surely? We still had a treaty with the covenant, despite there being splinter factions that liked to cause trouble for the UNSC every once in a while. But at the same time, Atrius didn''t have any problems with Insurgents, so they had to be going to fight Covenant. What were the Covenant doing here? It''s not like Atrius had significantly special resources or a major military force, and taking the planet had no strategic merit despite the planet''s function as an outer defense world. Think of it like taking out a pawn in a game of chess, not very consequential in the grand scheme of things. I did remember that I had managed to hear via some gossip circulation the higher ranks. It was about how the covenant had been seen in small squads excavating planets in the near space just outside of the UNSC''s control. It''s possible they were searching for something, and decided it would be worth it to take a risk and land here.


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    I watched them go by, but as I watched I saw one of them put his hand on his ear and speak softly. He said something like "-peration is a go. Coordinates received. Getting the peli-". He passed and the rest was drowned out by the sound of their boots thumping on the metal floor. Hmm, maybe I can look up those co-ordinates and see what''s there and what''s going on here. I closed my door as the rest of the troops came through and sat back down at my computer. I pulled up the map of Atrius and logged in the coordinates. It focused the map on a broad area with a small black spot in the middle. Zooming in, I sighed in frustration. The area with those co-ordinates and everything around it was covered in the black spot. Why does everything have to be classified? I growled at the inconvenience and reluctantly used the credentials that I had picked up the last time I needed access to something like this to log in so I would hopefully be able to see what was there this time. I had to be careful using them though, too many log-ins and someone might investigate.


    I re-searched the area at the coordinates and zoomed in on the spot that had previously been covered up. There was a base there marked Naval Intelligence. I switched my view over to a live satellite feed and enhanced the image. As I got closer, it was clear to see that there was a battle going on, explosions erupting every few seconds and flames dotting the landscape. People were running from Elites, Hunters, and Grunts. Half of the military vehicles there were in pieces, blown up by plasma canons.


    The Covenant were advancing as the soldiers guarding the base were slowly but surely pushed back. I saw a pelican drop into view and the soldier I saw talking into his helmet earlier got out with his group of soldiers and started covering for the wounded soldiers who were retreating from the front lines. I smiled, thinking to myself that now the Covenant would be driven back.


    I was so wrong.


    Only a few moments passed when lucky grenade thrown by an Elite and a plasma blast blew up half the squad that had just arrived. The Covenant pressed their advantage over the reinforcements and drove the rest back into the base. The fight was now inside and I didn''t feel like watching something I couldn''t help with anymore. Although I did send an anonymous mayday out for the base, maybe someone could get to them in time even if I couldn''t do anything. I sighed and then looked at the base''s inventory. What could the Covenant possibly want here as to risk so many casualties?


    I shook my head as I scrolled down the list. Besides the usual weapons and supplies, it was all research and maps of known space. Why would they want maps? There were a few unidentified Forerunner artifacts that seemed like important maps also, but still, why the maps? The only possible explanation would be that they were searching for something beyond what the base contained, but what?


    As I watched, the Forerunner maps disappeared from the database but nothing else. Forerunner! It finally clicked. They must be searching for other artifacts or even planets of Forerunner origin. That''s bad. Forerunner tech was super advanced.  After all, they were the ones who built the massive Halo rings that wiped out the life in all of known space a long time ago. Anything they might find had a similar chance to be a weapon of mass destruction.


    I went back to the live satellite view and saw the Covenant leaving. The base was half destroyed, a huge hole in the left side. The soldiers came out and started carrying out the wounded and cheering, thinking they drove the Covenant off, but I knew the truth. I would probably get in trouble if I did much more, but just to help I made some anonymous flags on the virtual storage spaces where the maps had been. Someone would look into it.


    I logged out and was about to go to one of my friends rooms to tell them about it but the intercom came on again. It said, Curfew has been moved to 1800 hours, lights out in 10 minutes. Guards are being posted in each hallway from now on. 2 hours earlier!? Guards? Did we possess something similar to what that base was holding? That incident must have made them beef up security, but if it had, I had to wonder what we were hiding too. That also means I can''t see Scott, Kade, or Selina anymore, and on top of all of that, I''ll miss some training.


    I thought back to the battle again and ran my hand through my hair, overwhelmed by all of the new information. I better get to sleep, it''s been a long day. As I laid my head down, the lights went off in all of the rooms as per the new curfew. I sat there for what seemed like forever before sitting back up. Who am I kidding, I won''t be able to sleep. I turned on my computer and decided to do some random searching. I typed in some general topics and clicked. I didn''t realize that I was still logged into the commander''s profile.


    There was a kid in front of me that popped up on the monitor, details so clear I could see the hairs on his neck. He had red hair, green eyes, and a scar on his nose. He was smiling, which was odd because people in training or the military rarely smiled in their official photos.


    Then I zoomed out from him, revealing a huge ship. The side if the ship identified it as The Infinity. The ship got smaller as I was zoomed out from it and the planet it was orbiting. I felt my cursor glitch or something because it continued to zoom out despite me no longer touching the computer. Then that solar system shrunk from view and the video feed came to my own solar system and started zooming in on Atrius. It continued until I could see Fort Cause.


    Then it zoomed in even more on one area of Fort Cause, the view changing to the top of the inside of the facility. It slowed down again, closing in on a room and someone sleeping in it. I could see an officer in the hallway. I was confused until I realized the person was Me. I could see myself sleeping. Suddenly the terminal flashed red and turned off. I was startled and jumped back. I heard boots in the hallway, and fearing I had been caught I ran to my bed. There was a flash of a bit of blue from a uniform through the crack at the bottom of my door, but the person was too far away from my door to be coming for me. I sighed and laid down. Probably just my imagination, I thought.


    That ship, The Infinity, I am going to look up that ship and that kid tomorrow. That was the weirdest experience I''ve had since I arrived here. Now that I think about it, it was one of only two times that I''ve looked up Atrius since my time being at Fort Cause. Weird. I laid back down and tried to sleep, thinking about the kid with the scar and strikingly green eyes.


    _________________________


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    -Spartan_steele

 Chapter 9

    Kyle''s POV


    I arrived back at my barracks, slightly disappointed my armor wasn''t waiting for me when I opened the door to an empty room. He did say he''d send someone and that should take a while though, so I shouldn''t be too upset. What to do, what to do. I sat at my computer, logging in and thinking. Oh! I know, that file! I''ll search for that solar system with a red dwarf and sun with a habitable planet. I went into the galactic search and searched for the specific info. But when I hit the Search button it came up with nothing except a small file that I couldn''t open because it was classified. I sighed, man, despite classified files supposedly being rare, this stuff seems to be everywhere. I did my thing and pulled up the file, revelaing a map with the planet I was looking for on it. Apparently it was called Atrius, and was on the outer rim of the colonies. It had two oceans and a few bases on it. I looked for the base that matched my dream''s description. I found it, it was called Fort Cause and had a specialized training program.


    Finally, I''m getting answers for once, I thought. I looked at the map of the area... Woah! This facility is huge! It had and indoor and outdoor training area and full sized shooting ranges along with a ton of other specialized areas. I began looking into the map a bit more before pausing. Wait, what was I doing? Oh yeah, I have to find him, the kid from my dream. Focus Kyle, I thought a bit scoldingly. I clicked out of the map and swiped until I found the directory and the rosters. I searched through the descriptions, looking for his specifications. A few minutes later I sighed in frustration. He wasn''t in the rosters! There was a black page on one if the rosters that must be him but why would He himself be classified?


    I sighed and hacked into the page, clearing off the black and looking at the page again. It was him! The kid from my dream! Blue eyes, brown hair, 12, 5 feet 6 inches, Cadet Steele 118. Yes! I silently cheered in my head.


    I know his name too now and he is 5ft 6? That is Tall! Like really tall. But hmm, no weight. Maybe they just haven''t done it yet. I thought. I clicked on another part of his file. It said, Subject''s purpose: Succeed the Master Chief. First Augmentation Appointment: age 14, March 31st, 0600 hours.


    Wait, what? Succeed Master Chief? That was his sole purpose? I was at a loss for words, or thought. I don''t know what to think. That was a big task, and Master Chief was like The Guy. Everyone knew about him. His battles were legendary, and this kid was somehow supposed to fill those shoes? That must be why he is classified. I moved my hand over the screen to click on the accuracy percentage and accomplishments. But before I could, there was a knock at my door. I scrambled to close out of his profile and quickly said, "Come in." One of the maintenance crew came in holding a suit of armor. "Delivery for Kyle. He hopes it holds up to your expectations." The man said.


    My eyes widened as I realized that it was my new armor. The person set it down on my bed and left but my attention was fixed on the gloriously customized piece of equipment before me. I was probably exaggerating but I didn''t care. I have never had anything that truly was made for me and me alone. It was a base-dark blue and White color. It also had black and gray pieces all over it. My number 324 was clearly stamped in white on the middle left of the chest-piece and there were small lights on the shoulders and around the suit for various purposes. The helmet had also been replaced with a better one and had lights on it on either side of the visor and a camera on the top right.


    The armor came in pieces but together it would be incredible. I brushed my hand over my number on the armor and rushed to my computer, turning it on and quickly sending messages to my friends Slash and Seth. I told them to come to my quarters and went back to my armor, still amazed. I was inspective the undershot when I heard my door open moments later and I turned around. Seth and Slash came in and when Slash came in he immediately gasped, seeing the armor. "Is that yours? Is it Real armor?! Like bulletproof?" He asked in awe.


    "Yes and yes," I said, "The First Lieutenant tested me and said I was ready for it." I smiled proudly as they looked in awe at the armor.


    "Is that all that you wanted us to come for? I mean it''s cool alright, but you could have shown us this at training. I''m getting the feeling you have something else you want to show us right?" Seth asked. He was always straight to the point, although sometimes a bit frustratingly so. "Oh yeah, I have to tell you guys something, sit down, this might take a while." I exclaimed.


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    They sat down and settled in, looking at me expectantly. "Ok, so you know how I do good in training matches? Like really good? Top of the class good?" I asked. They nodded. "Well, apparently I attract a crowd and First Lieutenant Lasky watches almost every time, and that''s how he set up my test to determine if I was ready for my new armor."


    Slash gasped in awe, "Dude, that''s insane! But how do you know they are all there for you?" He asked skeptically. "Oh of course they are there for me, besides, he said so." I laughed, throwing my pillow at him, "but that''s not all, last night, I had a really really weird dream. There was this kid, bro-," I continued, describing the dream down to the last detail. They nodded periodically, not once interrupting .


    "-and then woke up in the cryo-tube and choked on the cryo-tube''s air that they use to unfreeze us." I finished.


    "That''s so weird. Did you look him up? I mean it''d be foolish to think that you hadn''t already." Slash said. "Yes, you know me." I said playfully. "Anyway, turns out that the planet he''s on and he himself are classified. Like, there''s nothing on either that''s available to the public. They want to keep this guy as big of a secret as possible."


    "Now that''s weird." Seth said.


    "I know right, his name is Cadet Steele 118 and he is 5ft 6! That''s crazy tall!." I exclaimed excitedly.


    "Whoa, I''m kind of jealous. I wonder if they did any experiments on him or something." Slash said. "No idea, but I wouldn''t put it past them, anyway," I continued. "from what I gathered, he lives on a planet called Atrius, and it takes a year or two to reach through Slipspace."


    "That''s so cool, that you had the dream and it was real. Too bad you can''t go through slip-space to get there. The Infinity wouldn''t waste a trip for that." Slash said. I paused and sighed a bit dejectedly, realizing he was right. It''s not like I''d ever see him, so the dream meant nothing. It was cool and everything but we would probably never meet. "Anyway," I said, changing the subject. "Who wants to help me try on my armor?" I smiled mischievously. They smiled, "Let''s do it." Seth said. We got the under layer out and put it on top of my clothes. We grabbed the chest-piece and clicked the two interlocking pieces in place. It was a snug fit, perfect.


    We worked our way down until we reached the knee pieces. It was a bit confusing to figure out which way they assembled but after fiddling around a bit, we got it on and finished my look with the boots. I stood and they stepped back. Slash put his hand on his chin, looking me up and down and said, "It suits you, and wow what a great fit."


    Seth agreed, "Yeah, looks nice and bad as heck!" I smiled and shook my head. "Thanks guys, glad you like it, well I guess we should take it off now, come help me." They stepped in to grab the straps on the back but as they did, the intercom came on and said, Cadet 324 please report to your commander for assorted messages immediately.


    Crap! I still had my armor on. "Umm..." I said, trying to think about what to do. "Hey, you''re fine, just go. Lots of people wear their armor around." Seth said.


    I paused a second longer but I didn''t really have a choice anyways. "Alright, you are probably right. Thanks, bye guys!" I said quickly and ran out the door. The armor was heavy so I ran slower than usual, but I still made good time. When I got there I was practically panting so I waited outside his office to catch my breath for a sec. Once I was calm I went inside, trying to look cool and collected. My commander turned around and his eyes widened in surprise at seeing my armor. "Did you get that today?" He asked. I nodded, turning a bit to show it off.


    "How? Cadets don''t get armor until the next level, or so I thought" he said, confused. I frowned a little at his reaction but said, "First Lieutenant Lasky tested me at the training room and said I was fit to receive it. I think that means I''ve leveled up." He sighed and shrugged. "Hmm, ok, good job then. But that''s not why I called you here." he said.


    "I called you here because in 4 years, you will be having your first augmentations. You may not know what these are but that''s why I am putting you in an Augmentations Preparations Class, Aug-prep for short." I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "When will it be Sir?" I asked. What if it got in the way of my training?


    "Don''t worry, it won''t get in the way of training," he said, a smile in his eyes. He knew how much I enjoyed my practice matches. "No, it will take place once every other week on Wednesday, during your classes and before training. I expect you to attend them instead and I will inform your teachers of this. I wish you good luck in this endeavor. That''s all, you are dismissed."


    I breathed out a sigh of relief that I didn''t know I had been holding. Looks like everything worked out, and I wasn''t in trouble. I started walking to the door. "Oh, and Kyle," I stopped and turned around. "I suggest you wear that all you can now, it will help you get used to the extra weight." he said. I nodded and left the room. Wow, what a great day. I hope every day will be like th-. Suddenly the Infinity shook, sending me sprawling and slamming me into the wall. A few alarms went off. What the...


    _________________________


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 Chapter 10

    Steele''s POV


    I woke up the next day and got ready for classes and training, all the while thinking about the terminal that went haywire. What was that? Did our system get hacked? And who was the kid? He was important, that much I knew, otherwise he wouldn''t have appeared on the terminal. Especially not on the Infinity, which is the crowning jewel of the UNSC fleet. I sat down at my desk, staring at the terminal for a moment and considered researching a bit. But as I looked at the time, I shook my head. I didn''t have time to think about it right now. If I spent time doing that I would be late for training.


    I stood up and made my bed, straightening my physical training(PT) uniform before heading to the training area. As I got there however, peculiarly everyone was lined up and looking at the door expectantly. I didn''t know what was going on, but following the crowd this time seemed to be the best move. I got in my spot and joined them in looking at the door. Another peculiar thing was that it was deathly silent. Not even the cadets who usually liked to chat said a word. I was about to give up looking at the door when it slid open and Sergeant Silas came in. We instantly straightened our postures and saluted. "Sir!" we shouted in unison.


    I joined in, still confused on what was happening. Sergeant Silas strolled in front of us as we stood at attention, inspecting the ranks before he spoke. "I see you got the message," He commented.


    Message, what message?


    He continued, "And I am proud to announce that your group has been chosen to test out new experimental power armor for our team of scientists. In exactly 1 hour, you will report to the training room wearing the armor. This suit gives you extra strength to do things you couldn''t before and it is the hope of the team and the UNSC that after preliminary tests it may be used by regular soldiers on the battlefield to bridge the gap between front-linesmen and Spartans."


    I widened my eyes slightly, focusing on the part about use being chosen? And Experimental armor? That means it is almost guaranteed to have issues like software bugs or physical weaknesses. I did not like this as much as my squad probably did.


    "As a reward for this mandatory testing of the armor, you will all advance a rank. I am giving you the hour to prepare and put your armor on. Most of you will find it a bit hard to manage at first since it''s not like your training armor, but I''m sure you will adapt quickly. You have proven to be a very effective and capable team, which is why this opportunity has been presented to you. That''s all for now, you are dismissed." he ordered, and left out the same door he came in from. Immediately the room was alive with talk. I heard someone to my left say, "I can''t believe it! We get to test power armor. It''s gonna be so cool to have enhanced strength, and we get to advance a level." I looked around for Kade or Scott as I wanted to see what they thought about the Experimental armor. I spotted them talking to each other near the wall, excitement beaming from their faces. Making my way through the chatty crowd, I walked up to them.


    "-eve it. Oh hey Steele, aren''t you so excited?!" Scott finished, Kade turning around to face me too as I approached. "I personally think that this is a mistake. Experimental armor? It will most likely have flaws and someone''s going to get hurt." I stated, a bit upset at the whole situation, especially since it was an order so we had to do it. Kade replied, "I was thinking the same thing. On the bright side, at least we get to go up in rank if we do it."


    "Oh, I never thought about that." Scott said, replying specifically to my comment and less excited now. I noticed people started leaving to put their armor on and figured we should head out too. "Let''s go White team, we have to put our armor on regardless. Meet back here in time for the exercise." I said. They nodded and we walked out, going our separate ways to our quarters. I arrived at my room and saw the armor resting on my bed. It was a base-green and had white stripes. The helmet had a rounded visor and lights on either side. I sat there staring at it for a moment, deciding which piece to put on first. Then I noticed the undersuit hiding below the chest armor. I know for sure that I have to put that on first. I slipped into it and zipped it up.


    Then I decided to do the chest-piece since it had been resting on the undersuit, and then the arms, and the rest of it in order from top to bottom. I finally finished, putting on my boots last and stood up. I went to my computer and turned on the camera, taking a look at the fit and features. I had to say I did look kind of cool wearing it.


    However, as I turned around I noticed a fault in the design. The back of the knee was open, the thigh-piece and the calf piece came no where close to covering it. The only thing in that area was the thin undersuit. They had made it so there was nothing there as to allow me to bend my knee without any restriction in movement, but the sheer size of the opening combined with the lack of armor meant that someone could easily cripple you there. I shook my head, what a terribly obvious weakness, how did they miss that? I knew that I had a bit more of a practical/critical thinking mindset, but that didn''t excuse the development team from making such a blatant error.


    Though I did notice how the suit seemed light as a feather. I jumped to see if I felt a difference and unexpectedly I touched the ceiling of my quarters with my head. Weakness forgotten, I jumped again. Wow, nice strength. I can''t wait to test this out. I looked at the time. There was still half an hour until we were to report for the exercise. With the free time I now have, I can look up that kid from the terminal. There''s a distinct probability that he''s not actually important, but I have nothing else to do during this time and it can''t hurt to check.


    I went to my computer and looked up The Infinity, the ship from my terminal. The ship came up. It was a massive ship with two giant alien thrusters on the back and the biggest ship I had ever seen. Being the new flagship of the UNSC fleet, it was often used in propaganda messages that we sometimes saw around base. I clicked on it''s directory and searched for a red headed kid with a scar named Kyle. 2 people came up and I clicked on the one with the green eyes. His profile opened with the info, Kyle 324, 5ft, green eyes, small scar across nose, 115 lbs, lvl 4. Augmentations scheduled in 2558. Under watch at all times.


    So he was actually someone important, that''s weird. I checked the time again, 15 minutes left. I clicked on his accuracy, waiting a bit for it to load. 0.87, that''s pretty good. My own accuracy was .93. I clicked on his past battles. All wins. That''s really good.


    I checked the time again, 10 minutes left. Time to go. I swiped the holographic screen to close out and turned off my computer. Then I walked to the training room, boots clinking against the metal floors. I entered the training room. Besides 2 other people, I was the only one there. I stood in line and waited for everyone else to arrive.


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    People started trickling in, some walking a bit funny as they weren''t used to the new armor. The line filled up and pretty soon everyone was accounted for.


    We looked towards the door as it opened, revealing the Commander. He walked in and stood in front of us as we stood at attention. "Today cadets, as you''ve been briefed you will be doing a mock battle to test out the experimental armor. The format of today''s match is a Team Deathmatch." He said. "Two teams will start at opposite sides of the room. After the starting countdown, you will work with your respective teams to wipe out the enemy. Which ever team eliminates the other team first wins. In this game only helmet shots will count as ''kills''. Understood?" He asked.


    "Sir, yes Sir!" We shouted in unison.


    "Good, the same teams you used in the last Capture the Flag will be the teams for today. The training floor is already set up so Red team come with me. Blue team will start from here. Oh, and here''s the catch, after 20 minutes, the ''dead'' are revived." he said and walked off into the training area with Red team. Hmm, I thought. I assumed they decided on Team Deathmatch to hopefully increase the amount of conflict and scenarios that real soldiers might find themselves in. The more they can gain out of a single test, the better. Anyway, As the group leader, I would now be responsible for coming up with a plan for my team. I looked over at my squad that had assembled. They were staring expectantly back at me, waiting for their orders.


    I took into account that many people were probably doing this mode for the first time, and the fact that we still needed to get used to our new armor. A normal approach wouldn''t work, as close combat fighting and simply charging in would likely get everyone eliminated as they fumbled to move the equipment quickly. Hmm.... I know!


    I approached the team and stated, "We will be doing something a little different this time since this is a new game with a new scenario. I will assign two small parties of 5 go out on recon. They will not make the enemy known of our presence or engage, only scout out the area and report back to me." They nodded, a few smiling. Regardless of what it was, my plans usually ended in victory, and I had painstakingly gained their trust up until now.


    I continued, "Then we will divide up everyone who remains into two groups that will prepare for combat in two different areas. There," I pointed to my 11 o,clock at a diagonal, "and there." I pointed to my 2 o,clock at a diagonal opposite from the first. "Each group will spread out into the foliage as far as possible, although still in visual range of each other." I declared and they nodded, dividing themselves into the necessary groups with little correction from myself. A person from the second main group spoke, saying "What happens if we find them and they don''t see us yet?"


    "Then report back to the other groups so we can surround them and take then by surprise." I stated simply and he nodded. "Anymore questions?" No one spoke-up. "Ok, then get into position and wait for the countdown." I ordered. The different groups then arranged themselves behind the starting line directly in front of the different areas they were in charge of. As the last person settled, the countdown started. 10...9...8...7...


    We all anxiously awaited the start of the match. The scouts had their weapons away and were prepared to run as soon as it started.


    4...3...2...1! We moved into action. I lost sight of the other groups as we went in and focused on my own. I gave the signal to spread out as we reached the area and we slowed down and spread out among the foliage. We quickly moved to the other side of the map from that position, White team and a few others splitting off from the main group to eliminating a small enemy squad before returning. I chose my steps carefully, trying not to make any sound since we were now very close to their base. Since we had not encountered any other enemies and none of the other groups had reported back, they had to be lying in wait for us there. For a few minutes there were no signs of the red team as we waited, still not in sight of their base as it would be too risky to get close without seeing anyone. Then I saw something, a glint.


    I waved to my team to stop and hide as I slowly moved forward, a few men doing the same. As I crept forward I saw it again. I switched weapons and zoomed in on the area with my sniper rifle, now completely stopped in my tracks. As I zoomed in, I saw him, a scout. He had a sniper rifle and was picking his way through the forest about 700 feet away. I quickly checked the area around him for others. Seeing none, and making sure my muffler was on, I zoomed in on his visor until I could see a reflection of the forest on it. I pulled the trigger and shot, changing weapons as he fell backwards.


    I motioned for my squad to move in and set up a perimeter, which was an area that we had people stationed on the edges of to watch for the enemy and could be sure no one was inside it. I walked over to the Red Team cadet. There was a large paint splatter on his visor where I shot him. His only primary weapon had been the sniper, which was laying on the ground. He had a few flash grenades which I relieved him of and a small pistol. I put the small pistol in a magnetic holster on my mid-thigh and Scott approached me. "What should we do with him? Take him with us so he can''t revive?" He asked, crouching down.


    "No, that would just weigh us down. Though we can''t let him use that sniper against us later. We can''t carry any more weapons and I don''t like breaking property but these don''t cost that much. Take care of the sniper." I said. He nodded and I gave the signal to move out. I was a few feet away when he snapped the rifle in half, using the extra strength given by our new suits. Pieces flung everywhere and I felt one catch in the exposed top part of my calf-piece, slightly pressing just below my knee.


    Cursed weakness, I thought and shook my leg out straight to get rid of it. The pressure disappeared and I continued into the forest, periodically checking the area with my sniper for enemy activity. We would be upon the Red base soon. As I walked farther, I lifted my leg quickly to step over a log. Suddenly I felt an extremely sharp pain just under and above my knee. I looked down to see that the piece of the gun had stabbed me from the back of my knee and had pierced completely through it to the front of my leg.


    I cried out and fell over, more pain shooting up my leg as the piece dug deeper. Scott signaled the squad to halt and rushed to my side, "Steele, what''s wrong?!" I rolled over on my back, gritting my teeth and trying and failing to extend my leg. Blood was running down my leg and my hands where they were holding just above the stab. It must have punctured a major vein, I needed to stop the bleeding quickly. I let go for a moment with my hands to tear the undersuit to make a tourniquet, blood dripping from my fingers and smearing on my armor. Scott looked at my hands and my knee and exclaimed, "Oh god, you''re bleeding bad!" The rest of the squad came over and through my squinted eyes I saw them crowd around me. As I tightened the tournequet, trying to keep the blood from flowing, I saw a red glint. I whistled the tune, red robin, to them to signal a warning as the pain was preventing me from speaking, but it was too late.


    The entire red team had come up on us while we were distracted. They had surrounded us and the moment the squad looked up from me, red team started shooting. Scott immediately got hit and the rest of White team heard the signal and took cover, returning fire. I rolled over, gritting my teeth as pain spikes shot up my leg. I got up on my good knee and held into a tree for support. Suddenly a red team member came out of the foliage right in front of me.


    He was holding a sniper rifle with it slightly lowered so that in my kneeling position I was staring right up the barrel. He noticed me immediately and, trigger happy that he had caught the leader of the squad off-guard, raised his rifle slightly.


    I felt the dull thump of the barrel hitting my visor as he pulled the trigger. The visor shattered inward from the rapid change in pressure and the force of the shot, flinging glass into my face at high velocity. The last thing I saw was him stepping back in shock before everything went black.

 Chapter 11

    Kyle''s POV


    I got to my feet but immediately fell again, sliding across the floor sideways and hitting the other wall hard as the Infinity quickly pulled to one side. My vision flashed white in pain as I simultaneously heard a pop the moment I slammed into the wall. Immediately all of the alarms went off and the normally white hallway lights began flashing red. The metal window security shutters closed all around me with large bangs as well. I slowly got to my feet, holding my dislocated shoulder and leaned against the wall, grabbing the railing in case there were any more shakes. What the heck is happening?!!!


    I heard boots behind me and turned to see a squad of soldiers marching towards me. One of them, a medic, stopped when he saw my arm.


    "Are you okay soldier?! What happened?" He said over the blaring alarms and inspected my arm. I gritted my teeth as he gently moved it around and said, "I hit the wall and it dislocated."


    "Well then brace yourself, this is going to hurt." he said, and, without warning, swiftly popped my arm back in place. I cried out as pain shot up my arm and black spots appeared in my eyes. The spots cleared quickly and the initial pain went down to a dull throb. "Sorry, had to do that or you would have tensed up." He laughed nervously with a sympathetic look in his eyes.


    I waved off his apology and rolled my shoulder around to make sure it was alright, shaking off the pain. He checked it again and said, "Well you''re good to go, hop in this squad and they''ll take you to where the covenant are attacking." he said, pointing.


    I looked at the squad who were waiting as the medic treated me, confused. Did he really think I was old enough to go to battle? Then I realized at that it was likely neither he or any one else could see how young I was due to the helmet I was wearing. On top of that, my physique was large enough to pass for a slightly shorter adult male, and my armor made me look like any other enlisted.


    Before I could protest that I wasn''t ready, he quickly pushed me in the squad and I got trapped in the middle of the tight formation. I was forced to keep up with their fast pace to avoid tripping myself or anyone else as they ran into the hangar where the battle was going on. As we turned the corned of the hangar door, I could see that there were covenant all over the place and I barely missed getting hit by a needler shard. The covenant had destroyed most of the ships that had been docked in the hangar and were trying to advance towards the exits we had just entered. The broken ships and crates of supplies were acting as cover for the responding personnel. The squad spread out, having been briefed before-hand and moving into their positions, and the door shut behind me, locking.


    I stood there for a moment and internally panicked. I had never been in a real battle before and was unprepared. I tried going back for the door but it was it looked like no one was getting out until the covenant were all dead. I frantically looked around as bullets and plasma rounds missed me by a few feet to only a few inches. A shard skidding off my armor took me out of my panic and I dove for cover behind a storage crate. Two other soldiers were there and no one had seen me freeze up.


    "Why aren''t you shooting soldier?" One yelled over to me and I shrugged, my hands out. He took that to mean that I had no weapon and said, "Here take this one." and passed me a standard battle rifle. I sat there like a deer in headlights. I''m not ready... I''m not ready! I thought. I tried to explain saying, "Sir, I am only-" but he nodded for me to get shooting and before I could explain myself, started firing at the Covenant again himself. I looked out over the crate and saw most of the covenant near the force field opening of the hangar that kept the air in but let physical objects enter and leave. You can do this, I told myself, it''s just like training.


    Except you''re actually killing, a small part of my conscience told me. At least it''s not humans!, I countered.


    I mentally prepared myself and popped out from behind the crate, resting my elbows on it for stability and firing at the closest grunt. A few rounds missed at first but then I actually hit him! I didn''t have time to cheer though because a shard exploded on the crate right in front of my face. I ducked and looked to my left, watching helplessly as a soldier got taken out by a shard and another by an Elite''s energy sword as it charged over their crates and stabbed him in the chest. The Elite then was blown into a million pieces as someone threw a grenade at it''s feet. As shards exploded and plasma rounds singed the floor and the crate around me, I faced the reality of my situation.


    I was going to Die if I didn''t get out of here.


    I looked for an exit and saw one across the room. It was the only exit, probably because they could only risk leaving one open so the covenant would stay trapped in the hangar. I cursed, I''d have to run across a huge amount of open ground to get there and would be completely vulnerable to enemy fire as I did so. I checked the area around the opening. There were only UNSC soldiers that I could see thankfully, and I didn''t see too many covenant rounds going through the open area. I just might be able to make it. I calmed my nerves, propped myself up into a kneeling position, and booked it as fast as I could. Shards and plasma rounds whistled around me as some of the Covenant noticed the exposed human soldier running across the gap. After what felt like an eternity, I looked behind myself to check my progress and saw that I was only a third of the way there. I pumped my legs harder in desperation as more enemy fire began to focus on the area around me.


    I wouldn''t make it if this kept up, so I looked to my right and took out an elite and a few grunts as I ran. I missed a covenant to my right and before he died from another soldiers fire he shot me in the arm with a Needler. I slowed a bit in pain but pushed on. You can do this... You can do this..., I repeated over and over in my head. I remembered that needles could explode on contact with other shards so I pulled the one in my right arm out with my left hand, gritting my teeth as blood came out, and threw it away from me as it exploded with another shard. I finally got close to crossing the gap but this wasn''t over until I reached the door.


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    As I neared the group guarding the door, I spotted a grunt on the Covenant''s side get up. It had a grenade in its hand, ready to throw it at a large group of soldiers near the door in front of me to my right. I slowed, deciding whether to try and kill it and risk getting shot myself, or try to save the soldiers. Even if I did stop, there was a possibility I wouldn''t get a good hit in until it was too late.


    That didn''t matter though and I knew it. I made my choice and stopped completely to increase my chances of hitting it, taking aim. It was raising its arm to throw it and everything seemed to slow down. I shot, and watched the bullet hit the grunt square in the head. However, it had already started to throw it and my shot jerked it''s hand to the side. Everything sped up again and the grenade sailed through the air... towards me! I ran as fast as I could towards the soldiers, only a few feet away before it exploded, propelling me towards the soldiers I had saved.


    I flew through the air and hit the wall behind the group, hard and upside down. Hard enough to make a small dent in the metal. Black spots appeared in my eyes for a few seconds from the impact of my head hitting it. I then fell from the wall and dropped to the ground ungracefully, collapsing onto my stomach.


    When the black spots cleared, I could see that a few soldiers from the group were crowded around me. My entire right side hurt and I couldn''t move my leg due to pain. I groaned and rolled onto my back. Why did I have to be wearing my armor during a stinking Covenant attack and get stuck in this situation? One of the soldiers asked, "Are you all right man? Where are you hurt?"


    I tried to speak but all I could get out was a strangled cough. Oh yeah, the breath had been knocked out of me too. He seemed to grimace and as I tried again he shook his head as to say that I didn''t need to speak. I took in strangled breaths as a couple of them came over to assess my injuries while the rest continued fighting.


    One of them took off my helmet after confirming I didn''t have spinal injuries so I could breath. The movement still hurt a little and I grimaced as he pulled it off. As he did so, I saw a shard hit the wall next to me and the others moved one of the metal barriers closer to the us to better cover the group from Covenant fire. I was dragged behind the provided crate, someone pulling me from behind by lifting me from under my arms. Once they set me down and finally got a good look at my face, one of them immediately said, "Holy crap, he''s just a kid!"


    "We need a medic over here stat!" A soldier near the opening shouted down the hall, seeing my bloody arm. The other two gaped for a moment, exchanging astonished, confused, and bewildered looks. After the longest 3 seconds of my life, one finally said, "How the heck did he get here, he''s way to young for this."


    I finally started to get my breath back and coughed out, "Accidentally...pushed...in line."


    "Well we need to get you to a medic. Your arm''s bleeding and your leg is pretty scraped up" He said and then he and the other soldiers exchanged looks.


    "What?" I asked and the other went back to covering for us. The soldier said, "Lets get you to a medic." The medic came over and took a look at me. He shook his head at my apparent age, looking strangely at the group for a second before wrapping my arm first after filling the wound with bio-foam. I cried out as he sprayed the foam into it and a soldier have me a piece of cloth from a crate to bite when it was time for my leg. The medic put the disinfectant on it and I bit down hard on the rag as the stinging pain flared up.


    Then he wrapped it and told another soldier to help him walk me out of the Hangar. They stood me up, me grimacing and I put my arm around his shoulder. Another soldier put my helmet back on and provided covering fire as they dragged me out quickly. I was set on a stretcher and a different group of people without armor began rolled me away.


    I lifted my head and looked at the group through the door as the view of the Hangar was slowly covered by the door frame. There was a large Boom and I heard a cheer from the soldiers before I was rolled out of audible range.


    As they rushed me to the infirmary, I passed Seth in the hallway since our barracks were close to the affected Hangar. His eyes widened at my wounds and I shrugged as best I could, grimacing in pain before I was rolled out of view. Every shake had my arm and leg in a world of hurt so I focused on the gray, metal ceiling as we moved through the hallways. I got rolled into the infirmary, a doctor greeting us and guiding us to an empty bed. There were several other soldiers already here being treated, but as far as I could see I was one of the less injured ones thankfully. They set me on a table as carefully as they could and the Doctor checked me over.


    He said, "Thankfully, they aren''t actually major injuries. In a few minutes, you''ll be back on your feet. Next time though, I would avoid fighting until you are an adult, you could have died out there."


    Another doctor joined him and they took off my armor and cut back parts of the under-layer. They removed all of the pieces and then moved me into another room with medical equipment all around. I was put under for a few minutes and when I woke up I was back in the main room and nothing hurt.


    Surprised, I moved my arm and leg, only feeling some slight pain. I looked at the doctor who was doing a report at the end of my bed and asked, "What''d you do?"


    He smiled and said, "Oh good, you are awake. Your leg had a few moderate fractures that had separated from the bone so we put a metal staple in it just in case. You''ll find that it''s kind of like a reinforcement. Your arm had some shard residue in it so we cleaned it out and applied a healing patch and wrapped it in bandages. You''ll have to come back every other day for your arm but otherwise you are good to go. Just be careful and no running for at least a week."


    I sighed in relief and sat up slowly. My armor had been put pack on and I put on my helmet. I got up, wincing slightly and they showed me out. I noticed that the alarms had stopped and there were no more shakes. The metal panels had slid back up too. I walked back to my quarters, confused. What happened to the fight? Some soldiers were marching back. They seemed to be happy so I guess we won. I entered my quarters and as I was taking off my armor, heard the announcements come on. It said, Deck B and the pelican bay are on lock-down. The shakes were just an engine malfunction. Everything will report back to normal. It then cut off, leaving me more confused than ever. Why didn''t they tell the truth? I sat at my computer, about to message Seth and Slash when a messenger came to my quarters.


    He walked in, briskly reported, "The First Lieutenant has requested to see you, you have 15 minutes." And left.


    I got up, once again confused, but also a bit worried, and walked down the hall towards his quarters, stopping just outside the door. The door opened and I walked in. Uh-oh.


    __________________________


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    -Steele

 Chapter 12

    Steele''s POV


    Recap-


    Suddenly a red team member came out of the foliage right in front of me.


    He was holding a sniper rifle with it slightly lowered so that in my kneeling position I was staring right up the barrel. He noticed me immediately and, trigger happy that he had caught the leader of the squad off-guard, raised his rifle slightly.


    I felt the dull thump of the barrel hitting my visor as he pulled the trigger. The visor shattered inward from the rapid change in pressure and the force of the shot, flinging glass into my face at high velocity. The last thing I saw was him stepping back in shock before everything went black.


    ________________________


    I regained consciousness as I heard voices around me, but they seemed like they were coming from somewhere far away. My ears were ringing and my head was throbbing. My face and leg hurt the most, and my face felt like I had rubbed a porcupine on it. I opened my eyes as best I could, the sharp stinging pain all over my face increasing as I did so, and looked around with what blurry vision I had. I could hear people yelling and I saw a group of blurry figures standing above me. One came closer as they knelt down, the blurriness reducing enough for me to identify the person as Seth. He was trying to say something but I could only hear mumbling over the ringing and couldn''t make out what he was saying. The rest of the group all kneeled and I closed my eyes as I felt myself being picked up to somehow help with the agony doing so caused. I struggled to open them again and once I did I was looking towards the tree tops and dimly felt myself being carried. My face began to hurt even worse and my leg was in pain with every shake. It was too much! After another big shake I passed out.


    ------


    This time I woke up in a hospital. There were several doctors and nurses surrounding me, all doing different tasks and shouting orders. I squinted my eyes from the bright lights and winced as my the pain in my face flared up. I cried out as I felt someone pulling something out of my leg and tried to move away. I was confused and loosely grabbed a doctors coat, trying to pull him near so I could ask what was going on. The other doctors panicked and pulled him away as they restrained me, strapping me down. I was too weak to fight it and blacked out again.


    ________________________


    I woke up again, everything slowly coming into focus. This time I was in a hospital bed and I was alone except for Scott who was sitting next to me, face down. A heart monitor steadily beeped on my left and I could see the remnants of sunlight fading through the closed curtains on my right. I could feel something wrapped around my head and lifted my hands to my face. I could feel that it was completely covered by bandages except for my eyes and mouth. I groaned and leaned forward, the sound waking up Scott. He groggily lifted his head, jumping awake at the sight of me looking at him. he almost fell backwards out of the stool and I reached out to grab him, but paused as my leg flared up and I winced. Scott, who had easily regained his balance without my help, noticed and said, "Woah, take it easy, you''ve been out for a while."


    I held my head, groaning, and asked, "How long was I out." My voice was muffled and scratchy.


    He looked down, "Two weeks. You we''re beat up pretty bad." He sighed.


    I laid back down onto the raised back of the bed, "Man, that''s a long time."


    Scott looked like he wanted to say something but before he could open his mouth a doctor entered the room while looking down at a clip-board. He looked up as he approached my bed and nearly dropped it in shock. "You''re awake!" He said in surprise, and then seemed to regain his professional composure and continued, "That''s unexpected. Well, How do you feel?" he asked, almost eagerly.


    "Alright I guess, My head and my leg don''t hurt enough to be worried about." I looked down as I spoke, pulling back the covers a bit to reveal the bandages and a brace on my knee. "What happened?" I asked, looking back up.


    He started "Well-"


    "It''s all my fault!" Scott interrupted and put his head in his hands. He looked distraught. "If I had been more careful in breaking the gun, the piece would never have stabbed you and if I had been paying attention, I could have kept you from getting shot point-blank." He cried. "Thanks to my own incompetence, when you were injured I couldn''t do anything. I''ve failed as a squad-mate. I''m so sorry Steele." he said, getting up and running out, hiding his face as I saw a tear drip down it.


    I was speechless. No one had ever really cared for me that much before, and as squad leader I had always kept myself distant to reduce the emotional shock should I lose someone like I had on my first mission. I had no doubt that he had never left my side while I was recovering for the last two weeks.


    The doctor, uncomfortable, cleared his throat and changed the subject, "The metal fragment pierced your leg quite deeply, it even scraped a major vein, but you got lucky. It did not puncture the major vein or break any bones, it just cut into the muscle in your calf. A very painful but easy fix. You won''t even have a bad scar...." he went on but I wasn''t listening anymore.


    Scott must think it was all his fault, but it wasn''t. I didn''t physically check to see if it was there and I let my pain get in the way of warning them. If I had simply been more careful, none of this would have happened and Scott wouldn''t feel like it was his fault. I sighed, looking down in regret and winced as the pain in my face flared up again. "What about my face?" I asked, interrupting the doctor''s admiration of my luck and reaching up to touch the gauze.


    "Oh yes, that. That was a little harder to treat, but once again you got very lucky. I don''t even know how most of the tiny pieces managed to miss your eyes. Very lucky indeed." he said, contemplating it.


    He moved on, "However it seems that visor pieces went nearly everywhere else. It took us a couple days to extract every last piece. You will have some scars around your nose and face but they will surely fade away in a few years. While most missed your eyes, we did have to extract a few from your corneas, but after bandaging them for the two weeks you were out, they''ve pretty much already healed and there should be no impact on your vision."


    "That''s a relief." I sighed, closed my eyes, and laid back. Eyesight was one of the most important things to a soldier, if I didn''t have that then everything I had done up until now would have been meaningless.


    "But..." he started again and my eyes shot open as I looked back at him. Huh? What else was wrong? "the piece of metal did move a few things out of place slightly. You''ll be able to use your leg for now but as soon as you have all your augmentations completed we''ll put a few plates in there to reinforce it. Just in case since the armor you''ll be wearing after that will put a decent strain on your body." he finished. "Ok." I said simply. That''s not that bad.


    "As for why you were out for two weeks, it seems that you hit your head on a rock after you were shot. There was some swelling so we had to put you into an induced coma. UNSC officials had us add a week to the initial planned time, something about wanting to be careful with your recovery. It''s gone down completely so there shouldn''t be any issues with that either. Well, If you need anything, press the button next to you and I''ll come back. Don''t get up either. Walking won''t hurt since its already been two weeks, but to ensure a full recovery we''d like to keep you off your feet for a bit longer." he said. I nodded to him and he walked out.


    I made a mental note to talk to Scott about the incident later and laid back, closed my eyes, and tried to get some sleep.


    _______________________


    "Sergeant Major, What should we do about 118''s evaluation? His plan was going to work. The scouts had just come back to warn hi-"


    "I know what happened Sergeant. I watched the footage as well. I also know that it shouldn''t have failed, but due to the experimental and apparently faulty equipment it did." the Sergeant Major replied bitterly. He had been watching cadet 118 exclusively for a while as 118 had progressed more than twice as fast as any of the other cadets. Because of this, he had planned to promote Steele if his squad won. He still planned to, but now he felt 118 deserved some compensation for this incident. The mistake was one made by the scientists, they had forgotten to properly design that area and were too focused on the major protection zones.


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    "We will promote him as soon as he is back on his feet and give him his secondary armor. Our scientists failure in detecting the weakness cannot be excused and his exemplary leadership deserves it. He has done everything remarkably well since he started training, and was even able to detect it before they could." he said.


    He remembered how he had seen on the cameras that Steele looked at that area with disgust when the others failed to detect any problem with it. He had been unsure as to what the reaction was for until the incident occurred and everything made sense.


    "Sir, would you like me to check the status of his recovery so his armor will be ready when he returns to training?" the Sergeant asked. "That would be helpful Sergeant." He said. The quicker they could get him back on track, the better.


    The Sergeant went to a monitor and switched to the hospital room view. The Sergeant Major turned away and another Sergeant walked up to him. "Sir, it is imperative that we deal with-"


    "Um sir?!" The sergeant at the monitor interrupted, almost frantic.


    "What Sergeant?" The Sergeant Major asked, annoyed that he had been interrupted.


    "Um, He''s not there!"


    "What?" The Sergeant Major walked over and looked. The bed was empty and the sheets were neatly folded. The only sign of him being there in the first place was a half-drained glass of water on the table next to the bed. "Find him. We can''t let him go around injured. The Covenant access point hasn''t been found yet and could still be inside the base somewhere." He said.


    The Covenant had found ways into the base before and were known to be targeting cadet 118 specifically. Now that 118 was hurt, they could easily take him out if they discovered him alone.


    "Yes sir!"


    _______________________


    I tried to sleep but I was just too restless. I couldn''t stop thinking about a million different things. What if my squad needed me? What am I missing in lessons, etc. For all I know, they could be teaching us a new battle tactic that could be the difference between life and death in the future.


    To take my mind off things I should probably go for a walk. At that thought I sat up quickly, and then instantly regretted it, for pain shot up my leg at the abrupt movement. I put a hand up to my face and groaned. After the pain dulled, I slowly swung my legs over the bed and looked around for a support to hold my leg''s weight. Thankfully there was a pair of crutches next to my bed, probably for me when I was healed enough. Oh well, better use to me now.


    Grabbing a piece of toast and a sip of water from a tray on the table next to me, I then grabbed the crutches. I leaned a little weight on my leg before standing up and quickly transferred it to the crutches when the pain became too great. Looks like I''ll definitely need them.


    I got up and unsteadily walked with the crutches around the room until I got the hang of them. I quickly changed and then I looked out the door. Sighing that there was no guard posted, I went out, crutches clicking against the tile floor. Thankfully there weren''t many people in the halls and the only people I did happen to pass simply nodded respectfully or didn''t even notice me. I had changed into regular clothes so I didn''t have to worry about people wondering what a patient was doing outside of the hospital ward.


    I walked with no real destination as I let the rhythmic movement of me walking on the crutches and the fresh air calm my frantic thoughts. I thought about what Scott said. Was he okay? I hoped so. No, you can''t be thinking like that, my subconscious contradicted. He''s fine, he''ll shake it off. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn''t realize where I had gotten to. I was in front of the exterior hangar. I looked around and decided to take a look inside seeing as these were the vehicles I would one day ride in.


    _______________________


    "Sir," the Sergeant at the screen said.


    "Yes Sergeant? You''ve found him?" The Sergeant Major walked over to take a look. "Yes, he''s entering the main hangar now." he pointed at the screen and switched cameras as he entered. The Sergeant Major looked at the area by the door and saw Steele enter, walking with crutches as he looked around and inspected the pelicans and other vehicles. The Sergeant Major was just about to instruct the Sergeant to send someone down when he saw movement on the other side of the room. "Zoom in there sergeant!" He ordered, pointing to the left side of the screen. The Sergeant did so and his worst fears came true. The movement was made by a grunt, hiding behind a crate with a large group of other Covenant and an Elite as they watched Steele, waiting for him to come closer.


    "My god! Send a squad down there stat and alert anyone in the area. The covenant, they''ve been waiting for him!" He said in alarm.


    Immediately, everyone got up in a flurry of shouting and running and a squad was dispatched. No! The Sergeant Major thought. We can''t lose him, not with Chief missing, we still need him.


    ______________________


    I entered and looked around at the massive Pelicans. They were even more massive up close and some were prepped for take-off, altitude-sensing tube covers already off.


    Walking further into the room I admired the work that had to have gone into such a complex and multi-purpose vehicle. It was cool seeing the auto-tilting thrusters up close. I made my way around the back of one of the Pelicans and looked up the ramp at the dark bay inside, contemplating going inside. Surely they wouldn''t mind me taking a look.


    I looked around just to make sure no one would see me go in, but as I did so I saw something in the corner of my eye. I pretended to look at a pelican and secretly inspected the area out of the corner of my eye.


    There! Behind some crates I saw the pyramid shape of a Grunt''s methane tank and the top of an Elite''s head. I moved on from the one I had just been about to go up, pretending to look at the next pelican, closer to the awaiting group. They got excited and I saw more pop up before the Elite shoved their heads down.


    I moved farther into the landing area and walked so that there was a pelican blocking the view between myself and the Covenant. I got aboard the pelican behind the first and closed the hatch. The hydraulic sound was loud, but could be mistaken as the central air turning on and would be hard to pinpoint even if they knew what it was. However, as I closed the hatch, I dropped one of my crutches through the gap of the closing hatch and it crashed to floor. That would not be mistaken for a normal sound and would definitely be easy to pinpoint. I winced and my mouth went dry as I saw the grunts and the Elite run out of hiding around the first pelican.


    The hatch closed before I could see more so I moved to a window and watched as they inspected the crutch and pointed to the pelican I was in. The grunts climbed up a wheel and I moved away from the window, but not before I saw soldiers enter the room and start firing on the group still on the ground. They began moving towards the pelican I was in as they pushed the covenant back, but the small group of grunts had already entered the wheel wells of the pelican. I ran as best I could towards the back of the ship and looked for somewhere to hide. There has to be somewhere! Then I looked up and saw a space that I could hang from. No one ever looks up! I started to climb, but not before placing a gun on a seat so if I had to go down, I''d be prepared.


    I saw a panel on the floor begin to move as the grunts forced it open from inside the wheel well. Dangit! I thought. My leg was in serious pain due to my position. Hurry soldiers I thought as the first grunt entered the back. I heard gunfire as the soldiers outside battled the Elite. I strained to hold myself up as the grunts checked the area, one heading to the ramp to open it and staying there to block the opening as the rest checked the rest of the craft. My breath came out in little bursts as my injure knee strained and pain shot up my leg. The grunt cocked it''s head as I made a sound in reaction to me shifting my knee. The gunfire got closer and I saw a grunt outside die. The grunt below me got nervous at the sound of it''s dying comrades and began to move back towards the opening. My knee was slipping.


    Just as I saw marines come into view, my knee slipped. I gasped as my feet swung down and pulled the rest of my body with them. My hands couldn''t hold the bar I had held onto as my body swung down and I fell.


    I heard a single shot being fired and I hit the ground on my back. My leg was throbbing in pain and I gasped for air and sat up. I looked to my right, towards the back and the two grunts who searched the ship came out and one raised a shard gun, preparing to fire. I held up my arm in defense and I heard a loud Bang!


    I flinched, but seeing that I wasn''t hurt, lowered my arm. The grunt was standing there with a surprised look on it''s face. It stood for a moment longer before it crumpled. The other did the same. I sighed and looked to the right where a soldier was reloading a gun and standing in front of a squad. "Let''s get you back cadet" he said and two soldiers helped me up. I slung my arms around them and they started walking. One of them spoke into his helmet com saying, "Sir, 118 is alive and on his way there, no casualties were suffered and he is not injured further. Over and out."


    ________________________


    The Sergeant Major listened to the com as the commanding officer relayed his info. "Sir, 118 is alive and on his way there, no casualties were suffered and he is not injured further. Over and out."


    "Ok, Good work. Over and out." The Sergeant Major replied and sighed in relief. That was close. He had postponed his other meetings to watch everything personally. One second later and 118 might have died, and the UNSC would not have been happy with that.


    "Sergeant Major,"


    The Sergeant Major looked over at who had spoken. "Everything is ready sir."


    "Good," he replied. "There has been enough postponement and tests. He is definitely ready for this. He''ll be here soon."


    "Almost here." the sergeant reported and the Sergeant Major stood at the opposite end of the door and waited. "Door is opening" the base AI announced.


    ________________________


    We walked down the hallway and I expected us to turn to go back to the infirmary, but we walked straight, heading towards the command center where the Sergeant Major was.


    What''s going on? Where are they taking me. This can''t be good, I thought.


    Although, as we walked, my leg didn''t hurt as much. In fact, by the time we had made it near his door, I could walk on my own with a limp. It still hurt, but not enough to walk with help.


    We neared the door. I heard the AI say, "Door is opening." and we walked in. As I saw what was behind the door, the only thought I had was, What?

 Chapter 13

    Kyle''s POV


    The door opened and I walked in. Uh-oh.


    The First Lieutenant, Drill Sergeant, and my Sergeant were standing at the front of the room, waiting for me. Their faces were emotionless but I knew I was probably in trouble. How could I not be when I had managed to get myself not only into an actual firefight, but decently injured as well. I looked down and walked slower, bracing myself as I made my way over to where they were standing in front of the big screens and the windows. I stopped in front if them and stood at attention. My abrupt statement of "Sir!" rang throughout the quiet room.


    There was a moment of silence. I licked my lips in anticipation and put my head up higher.


    Finally, my Sergeant cleared his throat and stepped forward. "What happened? How did-" he was cut off as my Drill Sergeant stepped forward. "Son, what were you thinking?! Walking in the halls and almost getting yourself killed!" he said, anger and embarrassment slowly becoming written all over his face. I made him look bad and I knew it. It may have not been my fault but I would take the blame "Apologies sir, it won''t happen again." I said promptly. I had no excuse, and now was not the time to try and justify myself. His face was still getting more flustered though, and was turning red, practically as red as a tomato. I almost laughed. Almost. It would be the last thing I did if I dared. He practically yelled, "You''re dang right it won''t happen again, you-"


    "That''s enough sir, it may not have been entirely his fault" My Sergeant interjected, calm as ever. My Drill Sergeant opened his mouth again to slander me more but got cut off abruptly.


    "For once I agree with the commander." First Lieutenant Lasky spoke up. The two looked at him, both closing their mouths from trying to speak at the same time.


    "Drill Sergeant, this incident was most certainly unavoidable considering the circumstances. Clearly you did not review the footage of the incident since you have not come to the same conclusion. Since I did, I will give you the short version of what happened." he said, confidence in every word. There was no doubt this was the Second in Command of the ship in front of me. He exuded the kind of aura leadership should have.


    The two paused their conversation and paid attention, ashamed, but now standing at attention as they listened. I lowered my head slightly, still standing at attention but a bit worried. This could be good or bad. I had a moment of panic during the pause and I considered the repercussions of this incident ending badly. This could end my good record and I''d get put in with the lower level kids. It would take me years to get back up to my current training level and I would likely never have a chance for a leadership position for the rest of my life.


    He continued, "He was injured during the initial boarding of the Covenant onto the ship and then was pushed into line on accident. The medic who treated him understandably mistook him for an armored soldier responding to the incident. He was then forced onto the field and prevented from returning through his access point. Though, when faced with escape across the battlefield or bravery, he chose the latter, getting hurt in the process. I think you ought to be proud of him, don''t you think?"


    My Drill Sergeant grumbled and looked down. My Sergeant though, had a look of pride in his eyes. I allowed myself a small smile but quickly covered it up. It was hard to please My Sergeant, so seeing him smile was a surprising sign of his genuine admiration of my actions.


    "And that is why I think he deserves a promotion. Without his help, the group of soldiers mainly responsible for defeating the Covenant when they attacked would have died long before completing their task. We could have also lost a great deal more soldiers in the process. So technically Sergeant, you owe him your life." he said, gesturing towards the Drill Sergeant. "After all, the Covenant might have broken through without him and could have killed everyone here." He finished.


    "Apologies sir, I was unaware." The Sergeant said a bit dejectedly, looking at the floor.


    I knew I was out of the woods now, but when I heard the word promotion, I gasped. I was being promoted?! I lost the calm fa?ade and straightened my posture a little, almost giddy.


    "I''m really getting a promotion sir!" I asked eagerly, trying to control my voice with moderate success. After all, considering my age and actions I should be more...mature.


    He was about to respond but someone came up to him and whispered something to him. He relayed a few instructions and turned back to us, pausing for a moment as he tried to remember what he was going to say. "My promotion, First Lieutenant?" I asked again, awaiting his answer. "Ah Yes, I have decided to promote you to Petty Officer 3rd class." he said proudly.


    Instantly the two Sergeants were at a disagreement. "Respectfully Sir, he hasn''t gone through the necessary requirements. He hasn''t even done the test." My commander said. The Drill Sergeant added, "I also have concerns Sir, he hasn''t become a seaman yet and he''s still inexperienced!" First Lieutenant Lasky raised his hand for silence and they immediately stopped, regaining their composures. "I understand the requirements have not been completely met, but I have the authority to promote him above where he is at and will do so." He said firmly.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "What do you mean Completely! He hasn''t done any of them!" My Drill Sergeant protested. "He is more experienced in the workings of the ship than even some full fledged soldiers, and he has done the test. Saving those soldiers in that battle more than account for it." he answered calmly. Before the others could protest any further and risk my new position, I said, "Thank you sir. This is an honor and I will gladly serve in this position." They closed their open mouths and he answered, "No, Thank you Petty Officer Kyle. You are dismissed to your duties."


    The others were about to protest again but I exited quickly. As I made my way down the hall, I couldn''t help but feel giddy. I''m a Petty officer! I almost smiled in excitement. Wait, what does a petty officer do? I better look it up. I walked into my quarters and logged on. To my surprise there was a message for me. It said, Take all of your possessions and move to quarters 3B.


    Oh, I forgot about that. I took my clothes, armor, and one possession, a bracelet I''ve had as long as I could remember.


    I grabbed them and went up a floor, to Quarter B on level 3 of the barracks section of the ship. Then I put my stuff away and logged on. I was satisfied to see Welcome Petty Officer Kyle 324, 3rd class, on the screen already. Man they work quick, I thought. I looked up my duties and got to work.


    ______________________


    On Atrius, Steele''s POV


    I looked into the room and saw the Sergeant Major and my Commander at the front. Their faces were emotionless, but I thought I saw as smile in the Sergeant Major''s eyes for a moment. The two soldiers and I came in, me limping despite the extra support. Another person came in and offered me a wheelchair. I refused it so they gave me crutches instead. Then, as best I could, I straightened up and have them a crooked salute. "Just another one of those days I guess." I said weakly.


    The Sergeant Major asked, "What happened?"


    "They were waiting for me, probably for uncovering their plans last time they were here. I had to hide and was hanging to the top of the pelican. Then the marines helped me out." I reported. "I saw most of it, I was the one who sent the marines. I''m glad you came back alive. We can''t have you dying on us Seaman." he said, showing a bit of concern which surprised me.


    "But Major, aren''t you forgetting something," my commander said.


    "Spartans never die." I interjected. All of my Sergeants had told me that if Spartans didn''t technically ''die'', then the overall moral of the troops would be boosted. "But you''re not one yet, just on your way to becoming one." my commander refuted. "That brings me to another thing. You have done exceptionally well in all of the years you have trained here. Not only are you always top of your class, but you managed to notice a flaw in the armor that others did not and have successfully faced the Covenant not once, but twice." the Sergeant Major said. I straightened my back a little in pride, shuffling a bit with the crutches.


    He continued, "And so, that leaves me with the decision of promoting you to Chief Petty Officer 2nd class. You deserve it and the encounter with the Covenant can be counted as your required test. This will take effect immediately, and I hope to see good things out of you Petty Officer." I was speechless. I would be able to skip the long promotion process for 3 whole ranks! "Thank you sir," I managed to get out. "I''m honored."


    "The honor is mine. I''m sure you will become a great leader and a great Spartan one say." he said curtly. My Commander asked, "Is that allowed, promoting someone three levels? And he is just a boy."


    "It is allowed as long as I say it is," The Sergeant Major answered. "and he may be a boy, but he has exemplary skills and performs better than most of our troops who are fully trained. The rest of his promotion process will go as it is supposed to unless I or another of my rank say otherwise, rest assured." He then turned to me. "You are dismissed Chief Petty Officer."


    I saluted and left as the two started a conversation. I couldn''t believe it. This was a huge thing. The soldiers helped me to the door and I was left with the crutches to head to my quarters. I went back to my quarters and grabbed my things. I checked my messages and saw I was to be in room 2E. Limping down the halls, I awkwardly carried my clothes, weapons, and other necessary things under my arms. In total it didn''t amount to a whole lot and most of it had straps so I had less trouble than you''d imagine. I finally arrived and put my stuff away and sat down. What does a Chief petty officer 2nd class do anyway? I guess now is as good of a time as any to find out. I turned around to log into the computer, but paused when I heard a knock to my door. I opened the door and two of the armory workers came in. One holding a new uniform, and one holding a suit of armor.


    They set them down on my bed and left without a word. I was a little confused but quietly said thanks as they left. I get new armor? The Sergeant Major never mentioned that. I inspected the armor. It was standard military gear, modified for my smaller form. It was gray, dark green, and black, also standard colors.


    I sighed, I guess this is temporary until augmentations finish. I looked at the uniform. Fancy. It had a crest with an eagle on both sides of the shoulders. I smoothed it over and hung it up. I would try it on later. Now, apparently every soldier who has armor is supposed to wear it around so they can get accustomed to the weight when it first arrives. I would wear mine to do the same thing. After a bit of wiggling and adjusting, I put it on, It was relatively easy compared to the other armor I had tried. Though, I had to remove my brace but the armor supported my leg better than the brace had.


    I looked down at myself. Thick padded, well proportioned, relatively heavy. One word described it. Perfect. There was no weakness like the experimental stuff they had us try that caused my injury too.


    I walked around my quarters a bit to make sure everything was fitted and adjusted correctly. It was weird at first but I became accustomed to it pretty quickly. Then I sat down at my new, bigger desk. I''d have to look up the jobs of a petty officer sometimes. I already knew that it took 3 years in each grade to advance to the next but I''d look that up later, right now I just wanted to sleep. I slowly took off my armor and got into my nighttime clothes. I put on my cast, grunting slightly as it hurt a bit. Then I laid down and thought about what was to come next.


    To think, for the next two years, it would be the same thing. Every day, no more unexpected training exercises, I would be the one controlling those. I would also get my first augmentations. I wonder what they felt like.


    I yawned, and started to drift off. My leg dully reminded me of my injury every once in a while. Maybe the covenant would attack more, they already...betrayed.....the treaty.......


    I drifted off into another dreamless sleep.

 Chapter 14

    The timeline might be a bit confusing so to clarify, At the respective notes dictating so, it is 1 year later for Kyle from the last chapter and 2 years later for Steele, making Steele 1 year ahead of Kyle. The timeline will be easier to figure out later, but I hope that helped.


    Kyle''s POV


    Present


    Hurrying down the hall, I turned a corner to the cryo-tubes. The news about a distress call possibly from The Master Chief had spread fast. Everyone was hurrying to their cryo-tubes to make a slip-space jump to the signal coordinates.


    As I reached the cryo area, the alarms started going off. It was time. The reason we were going in cryosleep was because the journey would take quite a while and it was the best way to preserve supplies. As for how long, they didn''t exactly tell the normal soldiers stuff like that so I had no idea.


    I slowed to a walk as I looked for my tube. Found it! I put on my cryo-suit and got in. I laid back and the hatch closed, as did everyone else''s who had arrived already. I subconsciously waited for the knock on my tube, a bit concerned as I continued waiting, but then I finally hear a hurried knock and quickly knock back as Slash runs to his tube. The overhead countdown finished and the cryo-freezing process began. The cold air came in and I drifted off peacefully in silence, a stark contrast to the chaos that was about only a few minutes before.


    ....


    Almost 1 year later


    .....


    My subconscious slowly picked up a soft hissing. I felt a breeze on my face, my senses slowly coming back to me. Opening my eyes, I slowly looked around and saw a case around me. I panicked and pounded on the glass once before realizing I was in a cryo-tube and relaxed. The hissing stopped and the hatch opened. I closed my eyes as the influx of light and calmly breathed in the fresh air. Stepping out, I realized the light was coming through the windows. That must mean we were near a sun, and the presence of a sun means that there must be planets nearby. Combined with the fact that we''ve been awoken from cryosleep and therefore have exited slip space meant... that we were near the coordinates of the distress call!


    The people around me also stepped out of their cryo-tubes as well and swarmed by the windows at the realization of the presence of a star. Many inevitable came to the same conclusion I had just made and the area was a frenzy of commotion similar to the initial announcement made before slipspace. A couple started cheering and a few smaller children of scientists on the ship started laughing and jumping in the air while looking in awe out the windows.


    I walked down the hallway near the bridge( the command center). I could see a surge of activity inside as well as directly outside the main doors and I could hear orders being dished out like crazy. People ran in all directions, holding papers or tablets. As I began to pass the door and could see further inside, I saw what appeared to be the most officers I''ve ever seen gathered in one place standing near a map and the monitors, with a few looked out the front viewing window.


    I inched closer at the sight, barely avoiding a sergeant coming out the door. I figured after coming out of slipspace I wouldn''t be needed for a while and decided I wanted to take a look around. Most people still had their cryosuits on so I wouldn''t stand out. I then walked in like I belonged there and looked around. Through the massive windows I saw a giant metal planet next to the star that was giving off the light we saw through the windows. There were a few lights and a large ring-like structure facing us on the surface, at least thousands if not hundreds of thousands of miles wide. As I passed by the main group of Officers, I caught the Captain saying," ...signal seems to be coming from inside planet of Forerunner origin. Attempting to enter." into a radio.


    Inside! The planet''s hollow?! How is that possible? And Forerunner? How did the chief end up here? And why would we go inside a planet! There''s no telling what could happen!


    I was about to do something incredibly stupid and tell the Captain my concerns, but all of the sudden there was a blast of orange light that projected itself at the ship. It seemed to be some kind of semi-translucent beam that made a screeching metal sound as it passed through me and the whole ship. I looked down at myself as it passed, confused at the sensation and cringing at the loud noise. It felt weird, like a ghost. I shivered and looked back up at the planet as the orange light finished what it was doing and vanished.


    All was quiet for a moment, not a single person spoke as we all looked around and at the planet. Then the planet started opening. Giant metal spikes spiraled outwards from one point in the center of the ring I had observed before. There was a few cries and gasps as the lights in the ship flickered and then abruptly went out. I watched in horror as the ship lost power, and the only light illuminating the room came through the shaded front windows from the star. Everything sparked and shorted as it shut off and the ship slowly dipped towards the opening, a loud metallic groaning coming from the straining metal as it was pulled in.


    People began screaming and finally the backup generators kicked in, plunging the command center into a red haze. I cried out as the ship tipped more, the gravity of the planet providing the downwards force now that the ship''s artificial gravity was offline, and other people started panicking as they ran for the hallway. The captain was shouting out orders but I wasn''t paying attention as I was made aware to my own immediate peril of slipping towards the front of the ship.


    I grabbed onto a rail as my feet left the ground and began to be pulled towards the planet. I barely caught the words ",caught in some kind of gravity well, going down," that Captain Del''Rio sent out over the radio before we began gaining speed and things somehow got more chaotic in the command center.


    I started slipping and desperately repositioned my grip for a better hold. Looking around as I hung there, I saw others loosing their grip and falling towards the front of the ship, hitting things hard and getting knocked unconscious or hurt by the fall.


    The gravity of the planet increased and my palms were sweating, making it harder to hold onto the rail. My fingers began to slip and then I fell, writhing in the air to grab something, anything, before I became the next victim. I grabbed a desk but my hands were yanked off of it by the speed I was already traveling at and I fell off. Screams rang in my ears as I dropped past frightened and desperate personnel clinging onto things for their own lives. I curled into a ball and closed my eyes tightly, preparing for the worst as I hurtled towards the front of the ship. The ship itself continued falling faster and faster, passing the horizon of the opening and heating up as it began to enter the atmosphere and plunged into the planet.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    _________________________________________


    Steele''s POV


    2 years after the present day at the beginning.


    ....


    I watched the cadets closely as they proceeded across the training course. That used to be me running those obstacles, but a lot had changed in the past couple of years. In terms of Atrius''s status, the last few years had been tense. Covenant activity and attacks had been reported all over the planet and from distant neighboring planets as well, which everyone worried was an omen of war. Now it seems as if they are gathering their forces for one last major strike, but no one has any clue of where it might be. As of today it was July 12th, 2559 and my physical status was pretty much perfect. As for my leg, it healed pretty quickly, only within a couple of months after the initial incident. The doctors couldn''t believe that it healed so fast and would have kept me for research purposes if my training wasn''t more important.


    I was a much more mature and capable person now too. I spoke with newfound confidence and could be counted on to be prompt with my tasks, honest, and dependable. Remembering back to how I had been 2 years ago, it felt like I was a completely new person now. I could remember it like it was yesterday. I had reported to the training room for my first responsibility, training the other cadets.


    I awaited my sergeant''s orders, thinking about how great it was that I was a petty officer 2nd class and excited for the new opportunities that now awaited me. I still had crutches but I could rest my foot on the ground. The Commander finally entered the room and I straightened and saluted as he did so. "At ease Officer Steele." He said and stood in front of me. I dropped my salute and we both sat down.


    "Usually there is a class for this but I''ll just give you the short version. The majority of your duties as a 2nd Class Petty Officer involve training other cadets alongside a sergeant or on your own. For the first few days, the Drill Sergeant will help you with the paperwork and customs for training." He started.


    I nodded. It was nice to know that I wouldn''t be completely thrown into my new role on my own and be expected to figure things out.


    "As an important part of your responsibilities, you will also report all cadet fights, back talking, refusing command, etc. Even small things. I want weekly reports on this delivered on paper to me or the Sergeant Major. You have a few other minor tasks, but a summary of them has been delivered to your quarters along with a roster for the squads you will manage. Your first squad will be here in a few minutes, as will the Drill Sergeant who is assisting you. That is all for now." He said and I nodded. He walked out as I saluted once again. Almost simultaneously the Drill Sergeant came in before I could drop my salute and dismissed it. He stood in front of me, sizing me up for a second before ordering, " Okay, come on, time to get ready for the cadets." He said and lead me towards another room along the hallway of the first one.


    I looked around at the large area we had just entered. There was training equipment of all sizes and shapes all around me. Everything you could possibly need, weights, obstacles, etc. The Drill Sergeant grabbed the closest thing, cones and tied rope, and began walking around. I watched with interest as he put two cones out at opposite ends of the room, and the rope next to the coned-off area.


    "Okay Steele," he started and dusted his hands. "The training exercises you will be overseeing each day will be varied and different. When you use equipment, you''ll use the stuff in the front first and when you are done make sure to place it at the back of their respective rows for cleaning and maintenance. Today we will have the cadets perform a number of drills and after each drill, they will go through the ropes. Simple enough?"


    I nodded. "I understand. I assume these are standard drills, which is basic Petty officer knowledge."


    "Great to see you prepared before-hand then. I guess for now you are good to go. I will supervise to make sure things are proceeding smoothly, but you will be in command of the cadets." He said. I nodded, and, right on time, the cadets came in and lined up. I walked in front of them, observing them for a second before speaking.


    "From now on I am in charge. You will follow my orders or bear the consequences. Today we will be doing drills. First, your standard workout regimen drills, and then the ones I call out. Go!" I said and blew the whistle, watching each cadet closely as they started to ensure they performed them correctly.


    ....


    I sighed and was taken from my thoughts by a Crash! Looking up I saw that a cadet training with a staff had gotten frustrated and thrown his staff against a stack of weapons. I blew my whistle for them to stop and walked over. "What is the problem here!?" I asked sternly.


    The cadet came to attention and said, "I couldn''t master a move and I let my anger get the best of me. Sorry sir, won''t happen again."


    "You got that right! Because I''m gonna teach you what happens when you take out your equipment and show you how it''s done. Grab your staff and stand on the mat." I said and grabbed a staff.


    He returned with it. "Now, which move was it?" I asked while getting into a stance and positioning the staff. The other cadets had formed a crowd.


    "The double cross strike with an overhand blow sir." He said while also getting into a stance.


    "Well then, try it on me."


    He hesitated. "Now cadet." I commanded.


    He immediately started forward swung his staff at me. Sidestepping, I moved aside and as he stumbled, I knocked him down with the opposite end of my staff.


    I stepped back as he got up, now slightly angry. He came forward and we clashed. Avoiding a double strike (hitting with both staff ends in succession), I delivered a back-hand strike and swiped his feet out from under him.


    He reacted quickly and rolled backwards while striking my arm and got to his feet.


    Closing the distance quickly, I struck him across the back and completed the move he couldn''t. Front hit, back hit, and finally, overhand to the back, knocking him flat on his stomach.


    The cadets cheered and I stepped back, fixing my uniform. "Get back to training." I commanded. The cadet wiped his mouth and climbed to his feet. "Maybe now having been on the receiving end, you''ll get it now. Continue." I said and walked back to my place where I was standing before the outburst.


    Well, I better report this. Reaching to press a button on a thing in my ear, I was interrupted by a voice. "Officer Steele, report to your sergeant''s quarters pronto." It said, coming from the device in my ear.


    I pressed the button and spoke, "I read sir, over." I told my assistant to take over and walked out. There were salutes and nods in my direction as I passed. I could never get used to that.


    I walked into his quarters, surprised to see him waiting. I saluted and he said, "At ease officer, I understand that you are 14 now. Am I correct?"


    I nodded. He continued, "Well then, this must be a special year for you."


    Confused I said, "I don''t understand."


    "You don''t remember? Starting tomorrow, you''ll be receiving your first augmentations." He said, smiling ever so slightly.

 Chapter 15

    Kyle''s POV


    Present


    As my body was hurled towards the front of the ship, the scenery flew by too fast for me to react. I was going to continue to fall until I hit something, and I could only think one thought. Crap, This is gonna hurt. Then I closed my eyes and braced for impact.


    I rammed into the rail that the Captain would stand behind to view the scenery with my back, knocking the breath out of me. Then, stunned, I fell through the rails, faintly trying to grasp the rail as I began wheezing to get my breath back, but it slipped through my fingers.


    My fall was slowed slightly as the ship tilted slightly upward and I hit the floor. I finally gasped as my breath returned to me and coughed as I sat up to get my bearings again. I continued to head towards the front of the ship at an alarming speed as I slid across the floor. I looked toward the out the front window, horrified to see that it was becoming an orange color and I could feel the heat radiating from it as we entered the planet''s atmosphere without our shields.


    I laid back down onto my stomach to try and slow myself with the increased surface area, grabbing at the floor all around me, my hands sliding on the floor, barely slowing me down. Even bracing my shoes against the floor barely reduced my speed. No no no no, come on, there must be something I can grab! I started to panic. It had only been a few seconds since I had begun falling, but every second felt like a full minute with the adrenaline pumping through me.


    Suddenly there was a sharp screeching sound above me. I looked up as a panel flew towards me that had detached from the ceiling. I quickly rolled aside as it struck the floor next to me and left a dent in the metal. I looked back up, yes! There was a wire that had fallen from the same place and it was sliding towards me at a slightly faster pace than I was falling, thanks partially to my efforts to slow my fall. Screams still present in my ears, I grabbed it, closing my eyes and bracing myself for my arms to be yanked sharply as the wire would abruptly stop my fall. It didn''t come. I opened my eyes, surprised as I kept sliding. The wire was still unfurling from the ceiling. There were more yells throughout the ship as it gained speed through the atmosphere. I began sweating as I neared the scalding front window, which had turned a blinding white.


    If I hit the window, I would be burned badly, if not killed by the intense heat. I looked up at the ceiling where the cord was coming out of and suddenly my arms nearly tore out of their sockets as the cord pulled taut. I gritted my teeth in pain and couldn''t hold back a shout as pain exploded in my shoulders.


    I desperately grabbed the cord, looking at how close I was to a very painful death. The glass was a mere two meters away from the edge of my now-very hot army boots that had actually begun to melt and bubble. If my skin had touched the glass, I shuddered at the thought of what might have happened to me. I could feel burns starting on my legs, possibly blistering. Phew, that was one lucky save. I looked around and then quickly averted my eyes as I saw several people who had not been so lucky below me. I quickly started pulling myself up the cord, groaning as the pain in my shoulders started up again. The slope of the ship had lessened as I got about halfway up and the heat from the front window began to lessen. Sunlight now lit up the interior as the light from reentry faded.


    People were starting to get up and using the rails to start taking and giving out orders. My struggle to get up the cord was lessened as I felt myself moving faster. I looked up and saw that a few people had seen my struggle and were helping me. I finally made my way to the main rail, the people who had helped me pull myself up now assisted me in hoisting myself through the rails. I sat there shaking as I came to think about my close encounter with death once again. I can''t believe I almost died, and was lucky enough to grab the wire when there were people that weren''t so fortunate. The three people that had helped me up then lifted me to my feet and, making sure I wasn''t in immediate mortal peril, ran off to their respective responsibilities.


    I stood unsteadily and lifted up a pant leg, dismayed to see first and second degree burns on them. Captain Del''Rio was currently transmitting over the radio, "we are without power, and on a collision course with an unidentified forerunner planet," The floor began leveling off even more after this statement, enough to walk on.


    I started running towards the door despite my pain. Healing my legs would have to wait, and honestly speaking my injuries weren''t as bad as they could have been. I left the command room and took off towards my quarters. I have to get to my armor! I was almost there when there was a huge shake, that continued for nearly a minute. I caught myself against a railing as I was pulled towards the front of the ship again, barely able to hang on. The shaking finally stopped and immediately a departure alarm went off and a call for battle stations was announced over the speakers.


    What! Well I will not be caught armor-less when we are under attack. I regained my footing and booked it as fast as my legs would allow and ran into my quarters, quickly donning my armor. My heads-up display, called a HUD lit up, the holographic screen showing full grenades and shield. I quickly ran out, satisfied. I should check out that departure, I thought, and made my way into the vehicle docking bay. I was met with a flurry of commotion, and people shoved me as they ran past. Someone briefing a nearby squad said that there was going to be a scouting run to see if they could find more info about the planet. Are they crazy, we''re under attack!


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    A random soldier came up and grabbed me by the arm. "Come one, we gotta get on the Pelican before it leaves!" He said and pulled me aboard. "Wait! What''s going on, the Infinity can''t protect us while its under attack!" I said franticly.


    "Captain Del''Rio''s orders, the pelican should be fine. We are sitting in the passenger part of it." He responded and we boarded. Here we go...I guess. I strapped myself in and the pelican rose and went out. Out the back window of the small rectangle room, I could see the closest covenant to us being destroyed by the now-grounded Infinity. Go Infinity I silently cheered.


    Though my celebration was short-lived. The infinity was being over-run. As I watched, the AA guns went offline and the pelican we were on became the covenant''s new target. Crap, the guns were our only hope! There was a beam sound. I looked out the window and saw a Banshee hovering just outside the window, a flying thing that looks like two fat flat Popsicle sticks stuck together with a small rounded cockpit and two long wings with light beams on the ends. It''s cannon was powering up, turning green.


    "Banshee!" I shouted and hit the deck. The others followed suit and there was an ear-splitting explosion. Glass and metal shards exploded around us, scraping my helmet and I squinted my eyes shut. What have we gotten ourselves into? I opened my eyes and saw half the people around me not moving. The person in charge was scrambling for a weapon. I looked around and found mine on the floor next to me. Grabbing it, I fired at the open back if the banshee that had begun to turn away, killing the elite inside. The banshee spiraled out of sight.


    One down, a few dozen to go. I gritted my teeth, man, this is not my day.


    The floor tipped slightly as the pelican lost an engine. Not this again! I just got off a crashed ship. What do I do! I looked around, there! A parachute! Next to a crate in the back of this too-small carrier. Man I have really begun to hate the design of this pelican.


    I ran over and put it on quickly, annoyed at the amount of equipment that I had to move to get it free. The Banshees were coming back. Opening the hatch at the back of the room, as the hole in the side was too small to jump out of without getting caught on debris, I saw the ground flying by way too fast. Someone shouted, "Brace for impact!" Holy Crap! I tried to jump as we hit the ground and I felt myself flying though the air. I pulled my chute but it was definitely too late for that. Then it all went black.


    Steele''s POV


    1 year from present


    "Wait. Augmentations? Don''t they start next month?" I questioned. I didn''t know if I should be excited or not. "The genetic enhancements, and yes, but for you it''s finally time. It will start tomorrow. " he responded.


    "Um, ok. Sir, where do I go?" I stuttered, for once at a loss for words. "Here." He said and reached into his pocket in his black coat, pulling out a chip. "You''ll need this for later augmentations but most of the special ones are done by doctors. You already know everything else so just relax, I''m sure everything will be fine." He shrugged and handed it to me. I looked at it. It was small, square, and mostly green. I put it in the pocket of my standard gray coat. "You are dismissed Petty Officer. Oh, and someone else will take over your duties until you have recovered, so don''t worry about training the cadets for now."


    "Yes sir." I replied and walked out. Relax? I''ve never relaxed in my life! I don''t even know how to relax! I walked along the hall, absorbed in my thoughts, but then someone bumped into me, hard. I fell and the person in a commander''s uniform said a quick sorry before running to the room I just exited.


    That was rude. What''s the hurry anyway? I picked myself up, dusting off my uniform. What is he doing? I looked back and saw the Sergeant Major step out. A few words were exchanged and the Major''s face turned from confusion to worry. He spoke to the commander again and hurried inside. Then the commander quickly ran the other way.


    Hmm, what''s he up to? I took a step forward. Wait! What am I doing! I shouldn''t get involved with something I''m not a part of. I stepped back. Well, on the other hand, I''ve got nothing to do the rest of the afternoon. My mind battled with it for a moment. Welllll...yeah, I''m going. I hurried down the hallway where he had disappeared. Turning right, I caught a glimpse of him entering one of the rooms along the wall. I quickly ran to the room and laid back flat against the wall next to the door. I leaned closer to the opening to try and catch the conversation.


    "to be done, we needed the reinforcements. The covenant have broken through, another month and we will be done for." A deep voice said, closer to the door. A slightly gravely voice said, "Well have you spoken to the Major? We need his conformation on the arrival in a month of the squad of ...Spartans?... What were they again?" I leaned closer. "It''s the-" I lost my balance as I leaned a bit too far and fell over a bit, stomping my foot down to keep my balance/keep me from falling across the door which made a small noise.


    "Who''s there?!" The deeper voice called sternly. Crap. I quietly stepped into the room next to me on my other side and closed the door. Pressing my ear to it, I could hear the sound of boots pacing around. It was most likely them looking for me. I heard a, "Look down there." And the footsteps faded. Phew, that was close. I sighed and opened the door slightly, looking out. Coast clear. I stepped out and walked calmly back to my quarters. I passed the a guy running down the hall, looking around, and I openly watched him, looking inconspicuous. I made to my quarters and slumped in my chair.


    Never doing that again. So Spartans are coming to help us? Or something like that. Why have they kept the Covenant breakthrough from me. I am an officer now after all. But maybe right now this stuff is only for the higher ranks. Next time though, I''m staying out of it. I shouldn''t have snuck around and tried to eavesdrop on their conversation in the first place, and knowing what I know now hasn''t changed anything anyway. I looked at my watch. 1800 hours. I could get extra sleep tonight. He did say to relax. I changed into my white and gray night-clothes and got in my bed.


    Staring up at the UNSC motto, I could almost imagine myself as a full spartan. Maybe someday.

 Chapter 16

    Kyle''s POV


    I was jolted awake at a few light taps on my helmet. I groaned and opened my eyes. Through the blurriness I could see green foliage and the back right side of the pelican I had previously been a passenger of. As I regained my bearings I noticed that I was laying on my side, my arm at an uncomfortable angle under me. My vision was split and I focused on the my helmet visor to see it had a thin crack running through my shield-charge bar before branching out in two places through my grenade count.


    I heard a click as a weapon was put back in place and someone crouched down. Their left leg and arm came into view. "Are you okay soldier?" An urgent voice asked. I groaned again in reply and slowly dragged my arm from out of under me.


    The person quickly helped me up to a sitting position and I shook my head to clear it. I looked up to see who had helped me. It was a soldier in standard armor and a helmet with a short visor that didn''t cover the entire face. "You okay to go?" He asked.


    "Yes," I said as he helped me up, "Thanks for helping me." I said. "It would not have been nice to have woken up to a plasma in the back. Not exactly my ideal wake-up call." I began to step forward and realized my parachute was still on me. I looked behind me to see it had caught itself on several trees, and there was a short row of broken branches that it had dragged through. Even though it didn''t open nearly high enough off of the ground, it probably slowed my fall enough to keep me relatively unharmed. I could see a few men scattered around who weren''t so lucky though.


    "No problem, Come with me, First Lieutenant Lasky is over there with some Spartans." He said and waved for me to follow him


    Spartans huh? That will be a significant boost to our combat capabilities out here. I nodded and we headed over. We walked a couple hundred yards away from the crashed Pelican before we reached the area where Lasky was. The door opened and the Spartan IV''s came out, checking our identification and clearing the area before they gestured for us to go inside. The silent type then I thought as I walked inside. There was a field engineer in the corner trying to get a radio working. Seeing everyone had something to do, I sat on a pipe and did an inventory check.


    I had lost a grenade, my pistol, and my helmet was cracked. Great. I looked around. There must be extras around here. I looked up and saw an ammo pack. As I opened it I was fortunately greeted with the sight of a few extra grenades. I grabbed two and put them in my grenade pack. There was also an extra helmet sitting on one of the crates. I picked it up, and then paused. I hope it isn''t used. I looked inside just to be sure...phew, nothing inside. I took of my cracked one and put it on. Same set-up, it just didn''t cover my entire face like my old one. Slightly less safe, but if my visor had cracked, who knew what else had been compromised on my old one. It would have to do.


    Suddenly the Spartans quickly hopped up and quickly made their way to the door. It opened and I leaned out of my seat a bit to try and see what was happening. I wonder who''s here now? The person who had arrived stepped out, revealing the one and only Master Chief. My mouth almost dropped. It''s him! he''s really back! He had been missing for a bit longer than 4 years, and everyone had assumed he died like the rest of the Spartan IIs.


    Sarah went up to him and said, "I thought you''d be taller." and smirked slightly. Then Lasky went up to him and talked to him for a bit. I stood up and tried to keep my cool. I can''t believe it is actually him. Since He''s here to help us, we will be almost unstoppable!


    Suddenly the guy working on the radio said, "Commander, radio''s hot." They walked over to him and Lasky knelt down to hear better. The room got quiet as the transmission came in a bit scattered.


    Captain Del''Rio could be heard saying,"...respond to com.... On what frequency? What frequency dammit!?" Lasky immediately grabbed the radio and transmitted, "Infinity, this is Commander Lasky. Pelican recon teams are down. Repeat. All birds are down. We''ve got numerous casualties and require immediate assistance. Over."


    "Finally... Did you get the coordinates to that gravity well?" Del''Rio asked. Lasky closed his eyes in exasperation and replied, "Affirmative Sir. But we''re going to need a bus out of here-"


    "Make it happen-" the captain interrupted. I, for one, was shocked. He didn''t even care about the wounded, or selectively chose not to hear Commander Lasky''s request. Lasky sighed again and looked down at the radio. A new voice started speaking, startling me. I totally forgot about Cortana, Master Chief''s AI. I hadn''t heard her speak before. In fact, I still haven''t heard Master Chief speak either.


    I payed attention to the conversation again. Cortana was saying, "...scouting run in the middle of an attack on the ship." Lasky replied, "The Captain thought Infinity could provide us cover and hold off the attack at the same time." He finished, his voice giving away some sadness. "Sir," Spartan Palmer said solemnly, coming up to him. "We''ll never get the wounded back to the ship on foot." I frowned, she''s right, we would never be able to get them all. We didn''t have enough manpower to carry everyone.


    Lasky thought for a moment, stood up, and looked up at Master Chief. With a down-trodden voice he said, "I don''t know if its too soon to ask you for a favor but we''re going to run out of breathing room here real quick." Then he smiled slightly and said, "I don''t suppose you''re and good at clearing LZs?" (Landing zones)


    Master Chief finally spoke saying, "On occasion. I''ll send out an all clear once the area''s secured." Even his voice sounds cool! All right! Now we''re talking. I got up and loaded my gun. Walking to make up part of the group going with him, I couldn''t help but feel excited. Let''s do this!


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    __________________________


    Steele''s POV


    I woke up to a hand over my mouth. Instinctively I grabbed the arm attached to it and flipped the person over onto their back hard. Rolling on top of the intruder, I brought my fist up and was about to throw a hard right hook when I heard him say, "Wait Steele! It''s me Scott!"


    My eyes widened as they adjusted and could now see Scott''s terrified face under his arms raised in defense. I got off of him and helped him up. "Don''t do that, I almost knocked you out." I scolded him. He rubbed his back a bit and dusted himself off, "Sorry Steele, but this was the only way I could talk to you with your new rank and everything. I heard you were doing augmentations today and I wanted to see you before they happened. You know, to compare." He said sheepishly. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Okay, but next time just request to speak with me. I nearly broke your nose." He fake-whimpered and clutched his nose. He started laughing and I cracked a small smile. "Ok, now you better get back to your barracks." I said ushering him out. He paused at the door. "Oh, Steele?"


    "Yes Scott?"


    "Never give up during the augmentations. I''ve heard that they are tough to pull through so even if you feel like it, never, ever, give up, ever. Promise me that. I don''t want to lose such a good friend to some crazy military experiments."


    Suddenly I was brought back to my second day at the academy.


    ....


    She was about to leave when she stopped and turned around. "Oh, and Steele," "Yes mam?" I replied, confused. "Don''t ever give up, Ever. Promise me."


    "I promise." I said. Then she left.


    ....


    "Steele?" Scott asked, bringing me back.


    "I promise."


    "Thanks, see you on the other side." He joked and left, the door closing behind him.


    I sighed and laid back on my bed, running my hand through my hair. Looking at my watch I groaned, 0600. I''ll never get back to sleep. For the next two hours I mentally prepared my mind for the first augmentations, and hyped myself up to push down my rising nervousness. After a while it was finally time and I sighed and made my way to the section of the hospital reserved for these operations. I took my clothes off and put on some black boxers they gave me and waited patiently in a special room as black lines were lasered on my body to show where they would go in and augment. My head was shaved and I then walked over and stood at attention in front of a sterile room door.


    It opened and I went inside to see a large private operating room with hundreds of different equipment being prepared and arranged. Doctors were milling around and prepping for the augmentations. I was ushered on a table and told to lay down as they started the process to administer anesthesia. I couldn''t help but feel nervous as an IV was fed into my arm and a cold liquid ran up my veins. Slowly I started to lose consciousness, the sedative doing its job. The last thing I saw was doctors starting to crowd around me to take me to the facility where the augmentations took place.


    ....


    I started to dream. I was in my bedroom from when I was 8. What the? I got up from my bed and crept downstairs. Looking around the living room, I dared to speak. "Hello?" Someone replied, "In the kitchen Steele." I walked in. A woman, possibly my mother, was sitting in the square room drinking something in a mug. "How-" suddenly I couldn''t move or speak. There were no visible bonds but it felt like it. She was speaking but I couldn''t hear the words that came out of her mouth. Then she got up from the chair, turned away from me, and started walking away.


    Just as she was about to turn a corner, An intense pain wracked my body. Like someone was putting broken glass in my veins. The dream immediately disappeared leaving nothing but pure black in my vision. I tried to get away but I couldn''t do anything. Something was keeping me from moving. My mind was consumed by the pain. I internally screamed in agony and the seconds turned into hours. It was impossible to tell how long I was like that.


    After what felt like forever, it finally lessened and I relaxed, thankful it was over. My dark state of unconsciousness was short lived as my veins felt like they were on fire and pulsated. Make it stop! I strained. I couldn''t get away, please make it stop!


    The fire slowly subsided, leaving behind an uncomfortable but not unbearable heat. As I relaxed, I was interrupted again by small prickles of pain along my entire body, just enough to be uncomfortable. The prickling sensation started to increase steadily, becoming less bearable by the second.


    Suddenly there was an immense pain, like someone was setting my entire body on fire mixed with something that felt like shattered plated glass was being worked into my body.


    I tried to cry out again in vain and I struggled at my invisible bonds. The pain before was a walk in the park compared to this one.


    __________________________


    Doctor''s POV


    "New augmentation versions accepted so far. Alterations coming along. Heart rate increasing." He said, checking the subject''s vitals. As the other doctors worked on the subject, the metal arms retracted, the injections for increasing muscle mass well on their way. "Heart rate dramatically increasing." He noted.


    Suddenly the subject cried out and strained at the bonds, ripping one halfway. "Restrain him!" He said. Immediately assistants came over and strapped him down.


    "More sedative, we don''t want a repeat of what happened with subject Soren" he commanded. An assistant got a needle from the anesthesiologist nearby and injected it. The subject calmed slightly and was easier to control. The ripped bond was replaced.


    The doctor watched as the muscles on the subject greatly increased density, better than any of the original spartan IIs.


    Suddenly the subject''s heart rate skyrocketed and he woke up screaming and straining against the straps. "Don''t worry, there has only ever been one spartan to break these bonds." I hope it stays one, he thought.


    _________________________


    Steele''s POV


    Out of all the pain I have ever experienced in my entire life, this was the worst by far. It felt like I was in a furnace that exploded only to reveal a larger furnace around me. I screamed and woke up, writhing in pain and blinded by the overhead lights.


    Pulling at the restraints, I snapped the ones on my arms and legs. The doctors backed up, but it seemed like they were moving slower. They were talking but I couldn''t understand them. I didn''t know what was happening.


    I broke the other straps and stumbled off the table. Screaming, I doubled over in pain and shoved a table away so hard that it broke and dented the wall.


    The Doctors started to try and stick a needle in me, again seeming extremely slow, but I knocked them down. What are they doing! Why are they trying to hurt me more instead of helping me! I fell onto my knees and screamed again as another wave of pain hit me. Then there was a prick on my neck. I suddenly felt really tired and slumped to the floor unconscious.


    ___________________________


    Doctor''s POV


    He pulled the needle out of the subject''s neck and stepped back, watching as the other doctors placed him back on the table and reinforced it with double the normal amount of restraints.


    "Increase the sedative dosage again and start the next advanced augmentation set."

 Chapter 17

    Kyle''s POV


    Master chief led us through a short hallway and then we were under fire almost as soon as we left the ship. Master Chief opened fire immediately with an incredible accuracy I thought only computers could hit. Whatever was firing at us was a new kind of enemy that I hadn''t seen or heard about before. They were these weird glowing bug-like things with what looked like swords as their arms. That''s new.


    I hid behind some crates and a barricade near the entrance and shot a couple rounds into a few of them, momentarily surprised as I watched them practically disintegrate into nothingness in a flash of embers. Weird, no bodies. What even are these things? As I was still contemplating the strange phenomenon, Master chief started advancing and I hurried out of my barricade to follow him, shooting more of the strange beings along the way with him.


    For every one I shot, he killed three, switching weapons and reloading occasionally like he had done so a million times before.. He seemed to be going along a specific path that I couldn''t identify with my basic helmet display. We continued for quite a while through the deep forest, and every once in a while he would paus for a bit. During this time I noticed a decrease in his killing speed, likely from verifying our path forward before continuing. As we progressed I focused on following him and staying alive. When I finished with the closest ones after we stopped again, I looked around and saw him quite a ways ahead, no hint of hesitation or fear at all despite the seemingly increasing number of enemies. How did he get so far?


    I caught up to him and tried to shoot a thing that teleported behind him but missed as it teleported away. He finished off the last two and we eventually came to a clearing with some other soldiers. A transmission from Lasky came in as we approached. He asked, "Chief, its Lasky. We''ve getting reports of friendlies pinned down near your position, can you assist?"


    Master Chief started engaging while Cortana said, "Commander, this is Cortana. We''re on our way." Aren''t we already here though? I started engaging as well and I heard someone say, "I thought he was dead." Well this spartan definitely isn''t dead. I heard another say something about Prometheans. I guess that what the new aliens were called. Another said, "Holy mother of..."


    Every once in a while, I''d get way from him again but I could mostly always find my way back by tracking a new path of fallen Promethean weapons. I mostly hid behind barricades and provided supportive fire while he did the hard stuff. We moved ahead and I saw a beam of light aim right at my forehead. I ducked before it could hit me. I quickly tried to run after Chief and bent over backwards as the beam lit up the space in front of me. I fell on my back, off-balance from dodging, and widened my eyes in fear as a third beam lit up my chest. However, another marine was able to kill the Promethean sniper before I had to tempt fate a third time. Phew, that was close, I almost got roasted. I looked back up front at Chief and watched him for a sec as he progressed ahead and kept shooting. I still couldn''t get over how efficient of a soldier he was. I wasn''t the only one having a hard time keeping up. I looked around at the slightly out-of-breath men around me and realized that I was also getting a bit tired.


    I was so caught up that I realized he had moved on and I had lost sight of him. Oh crap! I got up and ran towards where I had seen him last and looked around, there! He was surrounded but it looked like he had it under control. I started shooting some of the Prometheans around him anyway, making sure to not get close to him and accidentally hit his shields with friendly fire, even if he''d probably be ok. He finally killed all of the Prometheans and came to a door. There were no other people around and I walked up next to him as he put Cortana in the door control console. Then, on some unspoken command, he got on a turret and started defending the position. I realized he probably anticipated the incoming enemies because they were likely linked to whatever the door was protecting and would try to stop us from opening it. I shot a few incoming dog-like aliens with him, getting on the other turret.


    I guess Chief said something to Cortana because I jumped as she scared the crap out of me by suddenly yelling, "YOU DO YOUR JOB AND I''LL DO MINE, OK?!!"


    I looked back at the console in concern for a second, but quickly returned my focus to the incoming Prometheans as I couldn''t afford to look away for long. What the heck was that about? I think I heard about an AI disease called rampancy that can make them aggressive as they get older, Is she going rampant?! I stopped for a moment, but shook my head and kept shooting. Right now, I have to focus on this.


    We killed incoming Prometheans for I don''t even know how long before finally Chief got off the turret and grabbed Cortana, who was a blue orb instead of the familiar blue woman I had seen before. I got off the turret and started shooting from behind cover as he came back around.


    I thought he was still with me when I realized a bit too late that he had left me. Aww come on, I''m supposed to be his escort! I quickly went through the door. Coming through I saw that there were dead Covenant as well as Prometheans this time. They''re working together?! Suddenly I heard Del''Rio say over the radio, "Mayday Mayday, Code Red! Hostile elements attempting to gain entrance to the Infinity bridge." I could then hear an officer in the background say, "They''re outside the hatch!" After which there was a loud crashing sound. "Doors breached! Doors breached!" He shouted. Then I could hear yells and fighting faintly in the background. I cringed, and continued listening to rest of the transmission. Del''Rio shouted again, "All units return to the Infinity Immediately! That''s an order!"


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    I made my way outside again and happened to see Chief once again. He was getting on a pelican and I hurried to get on it after him. Are we going to take back the ship? I could hear the Pelican pilot up front say, "This is Pelican Five Nine Five. We have the Chief onboard and are outbound for rally point Alpha Sierra Foxtrot." I looked around the ship. Besides me and Chief there were 4 other Spartans! The same four I met briefly after crashing for the second time. We arrived at the rally point and I was about to get out after everyone had already disembarked until one of the 4 Spartans stopped me and shook his head at me like I needed to stay. I sat back down a bit confused and dissapointed. What the heck? Then where am I going? I watched dejectedly as the Chief and the Spartans shrunk from view and the Pelican carried me away, all alone.


    ___________________________


    Steele''s POV


    Pain, small at first, but growing to be just barely bearable woke me. I squinted my eyes and then fully opened them to the soft light of a long recovery bay room. I squinted again. Why does everything look weird? It looked unreal, too sharp and vibrant to be true. I raised my hands and looked at my palms first and then turned them over to the backs. There were black edged scars running where the black lines had been from before. My legs showed the same kind of scars. There was also a thing on my arm.


    As I sat up, the first thing I noticed was that my muscles were a lot bigger than before. I squeezed my hands into fists, tensing the new muscles to get a sense of their strength. The pain was still there but it was pushed to the back of my mind at the new discoveries. Pain was something I could deal with.


    I swung my legs over the bed and placed my feet on the floor. I slowly rose to my feet and took of the device on my arm. Getting dizzy I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes. The dizziness passed and I opened my eyes, once again overwhelmed by the sharp vision. Dang, I am a lot taller than before, probably at least 6ft 2. I was also extremely thirsty and reached for the glass on the desk beside the bed.


    I put my hand around it and picked it up two inches before it slipped and thunked back onto the desk. I frowned, maybe the glass was slippery. I grabbed it again, this time harder. The glass shattered in my hand, a few pieces digging in slightly. I opened my hand and the glass fell from my hand to the floor, water mixed with a little blood dripping from it. How in the world did it shatter so easily? I didn''t even grab it that hard. Man, this is gonna take some getting used to. I wrapped it in a bandage on my desk.


    I took a few steps forward...and fell over on one knee and my hands. That was unexpected. I tried getting up, only to fall back down again. Dang It, come on now. I slowly rose to my feet, firmly planting them widely to get a better center of gravity. I took a few steps forward, my legs feeling like dead weights, but I noticed that somehow, it felt like the room had reduced gravity, like I was in space or something. I licked my lips and took a few more, getting bolder as I reached the door, only tripping once and stumbling a few times. I never thought I''d have to learn how to walk again but here I am. I leaned on the door, what should I do now?


    I heard footsteps and looked up, expecting some one to be there but no one was. The footsteps continued, getting louder. I looked down the straight hall and saw someone at the very end. That couldn''t possibly be the source? It sounds like they''re right in front of me. I looked down the other end to see if there was anyone else but there wasn''t. I shook my head, this can''t be right. I know they improved my hearing too, but I didn''t expect this.


    I waited a bit for the person to approach me, the sound of their footsteps much louder, clearer, and sharper than before. The noise rose but not so much that it was ridiculously so. As the person slowed their pace, I realized I was in a hospital gown. I made sure it was tied before clearing my throat and saluting. I saw that it was a Commander and expected him to say something to me.


    He stopped, looked me up and down, and kept walking. Confused, I lowered my hand. Why didn''t he say anything? Well, I should probably lie down again. I still need to recover. I slowly walked back, still dumbfounded by the weird gravity.


    Just as I sat down, I heard footsteps and a minute later a doctor came in, typing on his tablet. He looked up an saw me awake, his eyes showing a bit of surprise. He approached me and said, "Sleep well? How are you feeling?"


    "There has been some dizziness and falling, slight pain, and difficulty grabbing things." I said, gesturing to the broken glass.


    The doctor nodded, "These are normal side effects. You stood as well?" He asked. "Yes, how long was I out?" I asked.


    He was still typing but said, "Exactly 4 days and 6 hours."


    4 days! No wonder I have recovered so much. "How long till I can be up and active again?" I asked.


    "Well," he looked up from the tablet, "Based on your recovery rate, I''d say about a week and 4 days from today. Give or take a day. I''d rest for a few days and then take walking slowly, maybe a few steps a day and then increasing the amount each day. We will need to administer vitamin and mineral injections after each of your five meals so report directly here. I''ll have someone bring in your lunch." He said, putting the device I took off back on and looking at my monitors, taking down the data. The monitors required me to be attached only by the thing on my arm.


    "One more thing, why is the gravity so weird?" I asked, watching his calculations for how high my protein needed to be per meal.


    "Ah, That''s right, you were unconscious. We moved you to a UNSC carrier in orbit around Atrius so you could recover in a microgravity environment. No one knows that you are here so I''d keep a low profile. I have all I need, remember to take it slow." He said and walked out the door.


    I laid down and sighed, putting my hand up to my face, surprised to feel bandages there. I forgot I had bandages on my face. No one has seen my face since the augmentations. That''s probably why the Officer didn''t say anything too.


    This is going to take some time to get used to.

 Chapter 18

    I watched the Spartans until we got far enough away that the trees blocked my view. "Hey!" I yelled up to the pilot. "Where the heck am I going?!"


    He leaned his head back slightly and shouted over the roaring wind, "Del''Rio is ordering almost everyone to drive back that Didact. I''ve been instructed to drop you off near the Infinity''s Anti Aircraft guns to assist the soldiers there in destroying the Didact by using any means necessary!"


    Ok, I guess I can try to do that, shouldn''t be too hard, I''m only trying to take down a giant impenetrable orb that is stealing thousands of gigabytes of classified data per minute. I grumbled to myself and sighed heavily before I grabbed my gun and got up, clutching onto the rack to steady myself as we hit a bit of turbulence.


    Subconsciously watching the landscape for when we would get close, I checked to see if I had all of my equipment. I finally saw the main deck of the Infinity come into view, the massive friendly Anti-Aircraft guns inactive.


    "Light''s green!" The pilot said and hovered about 3 feet above the deck. I hopped out, rolling as soon as I hit the ground to break my fall and immediately getting up. I watched the pelican fly away and took my gun off my back. Hmm, where to start? I looked out across the vast platform, spotting multiple battles taking place across it. I tapped my gun quietly for a moment as I tried to decide which one I should assist with.


    Suddenly there was a huge explosion to my left, on a deck above mine. I guess I better start there. I sprinted to the stairs, hopping three steps at a time, and slowing near the top. Can''t be too careful.


    I peeked over the top of the stairs, and immediately jumped out, firing. I killed one of the Elites that was up there, the other just letting go of a soldier he was about to kill at my interference. Dismissing the soldier the other Elite would have killed, he charged at me. I fired at him, draining his shield and firing one shot into his shoulder before he came up on me.


    The Elite only flinched as he tackled me on my back next to the deck railing. I instantly lost my rifle, the force of his tackle flinging it far away, and lost my breath as his 700 lb or 325 kilo body landed on mine. The Elite sat up quickly and immediately pulled his arm back and brought his energy sword down onto me, aiming for my chest. I grabbed the handle, the only safe part of the energy sword, and managed to stop the blade inches from my chestplate somehow. I locked my elbows, and my bones groaned as the Elite pushed down on me.


    The Elite grunted at my unexpected resistance and started pressing down harder, using his weight to increase the force, the end of the sword sizzling into my armor. My elbows began to buckle, and I couldn''t keep my arms straight anymore. What should I do?! I can''t go for my knife or I''ll surely die and he has my legs pinned. Another push and it sizzled deeper, passing through my armor and beginning to cut into my skin. I cried out and pressed harder, my arms visibly shaking as I forced my muscles to their absolute limit, but I couldn''t stop the blade from entering my chest. Something punctured through and I thought, This is it. This is where I die.


    Then there was a sharp crack! The Elite seemed to seize up and fall off of me, his energy sword turning off as he released it, but not before it cut into my right arm armor, slicing through the first layer.


    My breathing was labored from the pain in my chest, I shoved it the rest of the Elite''s body off of me and sat up slowly, panting. Who saved me? And why''d they have to take so dang long?!


    I looked to my right and saw a soldier looking at me, his rifle slowly coming down from firing position. His companion was just starting to get up as well, still rubbing his throat from the Elite''s chokehold. I looked down at my chest to see blood running down my chest armor through the holes the energy sword had made. I weakly put my hand over them in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but my efforts accomplished very little. I painfully turned over and pushed myself to my feet.


    "Thanks," the soldier said, starting to walk towards me as he shouldered his rifle. "For saving our lives."


    "It''s... it''s not over yet." I wheezed and walked unsteadily to where my weapon had landed. I began to bend down to grab it, but the soldier grabbed it for me. "Here." he said, offering it to me. I took my hand off my chest and accepted it gratefully. He gasped as he finally noticed the copious amounts of blood running down my chest from the energy sword holes. "You''re hurt! Here, Jason, get the biofoam!" He shouted to his partner who was shooting at any covenant trying to come up the stairs. Jason looked back and quickly threw a grenade down before grabbing something that looked like a small fire extinguisher and running over.


    There was an explosion as he quickly handed it to the other soldier, and ran back to the stairs to continue firing on the Covenant and Prometheans trying to come up. "Here, this is gonna hurt but it''ll stop the bleeding." The soldier said and sprayed it into my wound. It was some thick white foam, and it did hurt, but I couldn''t complain. I grunted and tried to stay still. "There," he said, pulling it away and tossing it behind him, "that''ll hold for now."


    "Thanks" I said awkwardly and got up. "I never caught your name."


    "Cameron, what''s yours?" He asked, taking out his gun. "Kyle 324." I replied, taking mine out as well and subconsciously putting my hand over my chest-wound.


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    "Oh, so you''re going to be a spartan. Glad to have you. We better hurry over to Cameron, can''t let him start the party without us right?" He said, smiling and running over. I chuckled, coughing a bit as I did so, and ran over as well.


    Jason was slowly backing up, a good ways away from the stairs now as the aliens pushed through. I started running, and jumped past him, kicking the first few aliens with my feet and knocking them all over. I opened fire and I saw Cameron firing but looking at me with awe. I mean, I didn''t think it was that impressive, but I guess that was definitely not a standard attack they teach at the academies. I shot a Promethean, not even watching as the bullet missed through it''s disassembling body, but instead turning around and firing, killing the same Promethean where it re-appeared behind me.


    Jason was on my left and Cameron on my right, shooting a couple Prometheans appearing in our way and an Elite as we pushed forwards, almost running. We got closer to the AA guns. Come on, I needed to hurry before that didact steals too much information. "Any of you technicians?" I shouted over the gunfire as we shoot a small group of grunts, hopping over their bodies.


    "Yeah, Jason is." Cameron said, knifing a stray Promethean dog. "Good, I''ll need his expertise in a minute." I reply, not even focusing on shooting, my reflexes automatically killing anything non-human for me.


    "Ok, do you want him to get the Anti Aircraft guns online, because our destination is coming up fast." He says and I look up, surprised to see the AA guns only about a hundred feet ahead of us. We were that fast?! Sometimes I impress even myself. "Alright, we know those guns went offline because of Covenant interference. Jason, I need you to fix whatever the covenant messed with while me and Cameron keep guard." I said, killing another Promethean and skidding to a halt in front of the maintenance door. He puts his gun on his back and pushes the door open, the lock already broken. Jason steps inside, then Cameron, then me after checking that no Covenant or Prometheans were actively following us.


    I closed the door with a loud Clang! The soldiers were already ahead so I followed quickly, keeping an eye on the exit. Jason entered a large room with rows of computers and wiring, and went over to a torn panel. "Ahh, so this is what they destroyed." He said, taking it off and going to work. I slumped to the floor, exhausted and weak from my injury. When will this chaos end?


    ___________________________


    Steele''s POV


    The next few days I had to stay in the bed, doctors orders. But, of course I had to be moving in order to not let my muscles atrophy, so I tried walking a bit every day. I didn''t push it though, I had made way too many mistakes in the last year to be acceptable. Two weeks had passed since the augmentations, and the doctors said that because I was recovering so rapidly, I''d be back on Atrius in a week or two. The people watching my recovery let me have regular clothes back, but they all had to be specially fitted due to my augmentations. Right now I was trying to get someone to escort me to the training room, claiming to be a new recruit.


    Come on, what''s taking so long? The escort should be here by now, I thought, pacing around the room.


    There was a whooshing sound as the sliding doors opened and someone walked in. Finally, I can''t wait to get out of here. I turned around, opening my mouth to complain on the wait... and closed it. Standing in front of me was a pretty cute girl, blue eyes, short brown hair, and a pearly white smile illuminating her face.


    I coughed awkwardly and said, "Um, I assume you are here to escort me to the training room?" She smiled even wider, if possible, and said, "Yes, this way please." She pointed to her left down the hall. I briskly walked past her and her unnerving smile and stepped into the hall. I breathed in deeply. Fresh air! I heard footsteps as she started walking down the hall and looked to see her pretty far down. I can''t ever get used to that.


    I jogged to catch up to her and slowed to a walk. She walks pretty fast for such a small person. She turned left and I followed quickly, getting a workout before I even reached the room. Even with my memory I soon lost track of all the twists and turns. Where are we going? That answer showed itself not a moment later as she stopped in front of an indistinct door. I watched her put a key card on a scanner. So that''s how they keep people out, and why I needed an escort. There was a click and the doors slid open.


    I nearly opened my mouth in awe. I thought Fort Cause''s training room was big, but this was four times the size. There were hundreds of soldiers working out on multiple floors, some getting fitted in armor, some sitting at tables engaged in gambling or talking. People there were pretty buff, but when I stepped in, talking stopped near me, while the rest were oblivious. I probably look like a freak with my fading scars showing at the edges of my sleeves and collar. Thankfully I brought a hat so they couldn''t see the scars on my head. My hair was slightly growing back but now I realize that it would have looked awkward.


    I followed the woman, not looking at the ODSTs and marines who were staring at me. She led me away to a bench with a bar and some weights already prepared next to it. "You can start here and rotate to whatever you want. Just press this button," she handed me a button on a small keychain, "and I''ll come to take you back to your quarters." she said, plastered a smile on her face, and left. I looked at the assortment of weights before me. I guess I''ll try 85 lbs for now. I loaded both ends of the bar and sat on the bench. Laying back, I grabbed the bar, easing it off of the hooks, and resting it on my chest to get a better grip.


    I looked up, preparing to lift it, and met the eyes of an ODST instead. He leaned over me with a few other ODSTs on either side.


    "So, you''re the new kid. You may try to act tough but you ain''t foolin'' nobody. You probably drew those scars yourself, crappy job there." He said cockily. I grimaced, restraining the urge to punch him considering the pain these scars had caused me.


    He continued, "You ain''t no one, and you''ll learn that soon enough if your smart. Why don''t you let the real men do all the work instead, go join the kiddy table and get back to paintballs." He reached for the bar, bending over. His buddies snickered.


    I had enough, what was their problem?


    I shoved the bar up fast, accidentally catching him right in the nose. Surprised, he stumbled back with a shocked look on his face. Blood started to stream from the broken nose and he tried to stanch the flow with his fingers.


    "Oh, you''re in for it now. If I were you, I''d watch my back." He said in a nasally voice, walking away as he desperately tried to contain the bleeding. His buddies shot me glares and followed.


    I laid down on the bench again, and hoisted the bar back into position. Man, Now I''ve drawn attention to myself and I''ve earned a few enemies. I need to keep a low profile from now on. I lifted the bar and started to bench-press, the ODST''s words echoing in my ears.

 Chapter 19

    "Just one more thing....and.....Got it!" Jason exclaimed. I looked up and slowly got to my feet to head over. We had been sitting here for quite a few minutes and although the wound in my chest had been sealed from the outside, the lack of air and pain was starting to get to me as the adrenaline from earlier wore off.


    "Are the guns back online?" Cameron asked hopefully, moving over to him to look at the panel. "Well, kinda." Jason said sheepishly, still fixated on the terminal. Cameron threw up his hands in exasperation "How can you ''kinda'' fix them? It''s a yes or no question!" Jason protested at the accusation and I came to a stop next to them, looking back and forth between the two. "Kinda like the time you "kind of" saved me." I said, mustering my strength to talk over them and subconsciously holding my chest. Cameron backed off and let Jason talk. "Well, I couldn''t fix them to where they are working right away, someone has to activate them manually and that panel is on the upper deck. I''ll call Del''Rio and tell him so he can have someone head up there and do that. I''d volunteer our squad, but it would take us even longer than it took me to fix this to reach that area, not to mention we don''t have a whole lot of firepower to deal with all of the Covenant and Prometheans that have gathered up there, and we have injured."


    He looked at me and I nodded weakly. He nodded back and lifted his hand to his COM button. "Infinity, come in, this is Technician Jason, code number Delta O Five Two Niner." There was a pause as they switched to his channel. I didn''t know there was a code. I stepped closer and gave Jason a look that said, what''s up? He shook his head and listened. "We read you loud and clear five two niner, go ahead." A woman''s voice said. "Please patch me into Del''Rio, we may have a way to get rid of the Didact and need assistance." Jason responded. "Affirmative, link secured." She said, and then the radio cut to static for a moment. The link was with all of us so we could all communicate, but it was probably better just to let Jason handle this.


    "This is Del''Rio," a deep voice said. There was gunfire in the background of the transmission. "This is Delta O Five Two Niner Sir, the MAC AA guns are online but manual activation is required on the top deck terminal. Requesting assistance in accessing the terminal." Jason replied, urgency in his voice. "Acknowledged, sending someone to assist. Over and out." Del''Rio responded. The radio feed cut out for the final time, and we turned off the channel in our helmets.


    "Alright, we can''t stay here forever so we should get moving. We will be better off if we can find a turret. After all, we are pretty low on ammo and the more fire power, the better." I said and grabbed my gun, ignoring the stabbing pain in my chest. "I''ll lead. And fire. You''re in no condition to man the turret so you get to sit on the sidelines for this one Kyle." Jason delegated. Before I could protest, he shouldered his tools and started jogging down the stairs. Cameron shrugged and offered his shoulder for me to lean on. I gratefully accepted, the lack of oxygen from my reduced lung capacity was really catching up to me now, and I was beginning to feel weak on top of the pain. We hobbled down the stairs and made it to the door. Jason scouted the area real quick and waved us to go ahead as it was clear in our vicinity. As soon as we passed the threshold of the door, we were assaulted with the sounds of gunfire and explosions. We saw a covenant ship go down to our right from a missile and looked to where the munitions had been fired from There was a mantis on the main deck with a smoking barrel. A person hopped out and ran over to the AA gun controls that needed manual activation. They managed to get someone there pretty dang quick!


    Hey, he looks familiar. I squinted, and then realized who I was looking at. A larger than normal army-green suit of armor, the familiar motorcycle helmet-shaped visor and lights. That''s Master Chief! He made it! Cameron dragged me over next to a turret that was on the deck and sat me down. I nodded my thanks and Jason mounted it. Looking back to Master Chief, I saw him punch a button in the panel and the massive AA guns suddenly rose simultaneously. They aimed towards the giant orange ball and fired. Everyone started shooting at once. This is the final stand! I realized. They''re throwing everything they''ve got at it. They fired again. Jason fired as well, realizing what I did. The noise of the machine gun right next to my head was deafening. I watch as the weapons force the didact orb to slowly back up, and then zoom away. There were cheers on all of the decks and the firing stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief. Mission accomplished. Jason smile and looked down at me. I smiled back, "We did it."


    He nodded. "Couldn''t have done it without you." He said. Cameron, who had been on a turret farther away, came over. "I guess we should get you to the infirmary. Can''t thank you enough for saving my life." He said gratefully, offering me his hand. I grabbed it and he pulled me up, putting my arm around his shoulder. "We needed your hand to hand combat skills." I joked. He grinned, "Hey nobody''s perfect, and that Elite had an unfair advantage." I laughed painfully. We started walking to the nearest door and Jason took lead to watch for any covenant or Prometheans. There was no need though, they had all abandoned the ship when the Didact had been driven back. We made our way back inside the ship. It was deathly quiet, the silence broken only by our boots thunking against the metal floor and my ragged breathing.


    Funny, how it can be so quiet after all that noise made by the fighting. I coughed, pain shooting through my chest and my breath hitched to smother the pain. Cameron exchanged a worried look but I just gave him a look that said, I''m fine, stop worrying about me. He shrugged slightly and shifted my arm on him so that I was holding onto him more securely. We arrived at a room with a white door and a red Cross. Despite the silence of the ship, we could hear a decent commotion inside. "Well, this is my stop." I said, smiling at the both of them. Jason stepped up to it and the door opened. He gestured me and Cameron inside. I stumbled into the bright lights, noise assaulting me. Squinting, I raised my hand to adjust to the lighting change. What I saw.... was horrific.


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    The room was full of people on stretchers or beds, some moaning or crying out in either pain or delirium. Some had minor things like a plasma wound to the arm or a shallow knife wound, but others were missing body parts or had gaping holes in their sides or limbs. How some of them were even alive was a miracle at the least.


    I nearly puked at the sight and smell. Cameron walked pass the rows, keeping his eyes forward and his face grim. I followed suit and it was a little easier to hold in my lunch. We walked up to a curtain in the back and Jason called softly through it. A woman in a white coat came out. Jason exchanged a few words and she nodded. "Bring him right here." She said, opening the curtain and pointing to a bed just inside. "We''ll get you fixed up right away. Del''Rio has a special mission for you as soon as we are done." I froze as I was sitting down on the bed. What did she say?


    _____________________________


    Steele''s POV


    I sat up on the bench, sweating and breathing a little harder. I wiped my brow and breathed heavily. I had been bench pressing for the better part of thirty minutes and had gradually made my way to 300 lbs as I tested what my new muscles could withstand while I was still recovering. I stood up and grabbed a drink of water at a nearby table. Letting the cold water run down my throat, I thought back to when I broke the ODST''S nose. He had it coming but in hindsight I should have restrained myself more, that was unbecoming of someone of my caliber who was supposed to be a moderately high ranking officer. In my defense, I hadn''t known the bar would have been that easy to push up so quickly.


    Well, I guess I''m ready to go back. I felt in my pocket for the chip, taking it out. I pressed the button, pushing lightly. I wouldn''t underestimate my strength a second time. I waited, and barely two minutes later the door opened. I got up and saw that it was the woman, still wearing a smile. That was fast. She walked up to me and said, "This way please." And gestured for me to go out the door. That smile still unnerved me. I walked past her into the hall and she stepped out as well and without a word, started walking down the ball to my left. I quickly hurried to catch up. I walked quietly and she said nothing until I reach my quarters. "Here you go, just ask for me if you need to go anywhere." She said, and left as swiftly as she came. I had walked in but now I quickly grabbed a computer chip and set on the ground between the door and the wall before it closed completely so it wouldn''t lock. You never know when you might need a quick escape.


    There was the sound of something electrical firing up as I turned around and I saw that the monitor had turned on. There was the doctor that helped me heal on the screen and he spoke asking, "Steele, please come to the recovery room. I need to talk to you." I nodded, "Affirmative." I replied. He then followed up with, "and be quiet about it, avoid being seen as best you can." And disconnected. Better hurry then, it must be important. I closed the screen and went to the door. I started to pry it open, grunting in exertion. I got it to where it was wide enough for me to fit past sideways and quickly stepped through. Then I stopped and grabbed the chip. I tossed it in the air, see, you never know when you might need to exit quickly. I stowed it in a pocket and walked down the hallway, acknowledging other soldiers and striding with a purpose so no one would talk to me. I reached the door that I had exited not too long ago. I shivered, those augmentations are something I do Not want to repeat.


    I knocked on the door a random pattern so he would know it was me. The door opened not a moment later and I entered the semi-dark room. He was in the back sitting on a bed. I paused near the door, unsure. Does he want me to join him? He waved me over. I guess that''s a yes. I quickly walked over to him and stopped, "You wanted me." I said, neither confirming nor questioning it.


    "Ah yes. First, I need to do a checkup. Sit here." He patted the bed next to him and got up. I sat down and held out my arm so he could put the equipment on. As he was doing so he said, "Any more side-effects? Pain, dizziness, etcetera?" "No, none since two days ago, and then it was a bit of pain in my legs and a small migraine and some dizziness." I replied, tensing as he strapped it on tightly. "Yes, normal, vitals normal." He checked his tablet and then the device again. "Everything seems good. One moment." He said and took it back off, packing it away. "Now," he shoved a particularly large piece in the bag, "about the other thing, since you have fully recovered, you are going back to Atrius but there Is one thing no one has told you." He said, looking around to make sure their were no cameras or people who could be eavesdropping.


    I leaned in, he will probably whisper this. He said in a low voice, "We are in trouble, the Covenant are on the verge of an invasion on Atrius. They need you and will use you as much as they can. But we needed help so there are other soldiers coming to assist. They actually will be here in a few days." He checked his watch to be sure. What? Why wasn''t I told Atrius was going to be invaded. After all, I am a 2nd class petty officer, I thought this kind of information was within my chain of command? He continued, "So be ready, it could happen any day now. I have faith in you."


    I nodded, "I''ll keep an eye out." I said thankfully. Man, this is a lot to process. I turned away but he spoke again. "Oh, and one last thing. You will be getting your MJOLNIR mark VI armor pretty soon!" I whipped around. What did he just say?

 Chapter 20

    Kyle''s POV


    What!? Special mission!? By the time my brain had registered her comment, she had already started walking away to check on another patient. I called as loud as I could with the pain in my chest, "Wait! What mission!?" but she was already out of earshot. I looked to Jason and Cameron. "Any idea what that mission stuff is about?" They both shrugged and I sighed. Now I have to wait for her to get back. I slowly brought my legs up onto the bed and laid on the elevated backing so I could breathe better. "Does it look bad?" I asked, changing the subject and gesturing to my chest. I couldn''t see it due to my armor. Jason''s eyes darted down to it but he kept a grim face and looked elsewhere inconspicuously. Cameron however, walked forward to get a closer look, his expression showing extreme concern before he hastily masked it. "It looks pretty bad, I''m not gonna lie. But, that could just be the dried blood and bio foam making it appear so." he said with a grimacing smile.


    I groaned internally. Come on, I just got healed and now I''ll have to heal again. I heard footsteps as the doctor came back along with two assistants. "We have to do a scan to see how bad it is before we take off the armor so my assistants are gonna roll you into the room." She said and I nodded. She gestured for the assistants to move me and they got behind me and started pushing to a room at the end of the back. The doctor opened the door and I was rolled into a small rectangular room with rooms adjacent to it on either side. One of the side rooms had a glass window and was completely white except for the robotic arm mounted on the ceiling. I wonder what that''s for.


    She set me under some type of scanner and laid my stretcher flat. I closed my eyes as it scanned me and opened them when it stopped humming. The doctor was looking at a pad and frowned. "It seems that your armor has melted slightly and has contaminated the wound. We''ll have to cut your chest armor off and take the melted bits out surgically, but the rest of the armor can be removed normally. Don''t worry, we''ll give you plenty of sedative so you won''t feel a thing." She said optimistically. I had a feeling though that she wasn''t telling me the whole story but dismissed the thought. How bad could it be?


    "Ok, that seems fine to me." I replied. They always needed the patient''s approval before doing anything to them unless they were unconscious.


    "Alright then, here is the sedative, I''m going to inject it and I want you to lie back after I do so." She said, while holding a small syringe that was poised above my inner elbow


    She had cut away a small section of my suit so she could access the vein. I nodded and felt a small prick as she inserted the syringe and injected the sedative. I looked at the ceiling and laid back. I blinked¨C the ceiling instantaneously changed. Surprised, I went to sit up and saw I was in a hospital garment. Did they really do it already? I took a peek under my collar, not sure what to expect... I gasped, the middle of my chest looked fine except for 2 small diagonal scars. Marveling at this, I looked up and saw the doctor coming over. I also noted that Jason and Cameron weren''t there, probably assigned to another mission. The doctor stopped by my bed with a smile and said, "How are you feeling?"


    "I feel great!" I almost laughed. "There''s no pain, and almost no scar. Thank you!" I smiled at her. I hadn''t felt this good in days. Not only was most of the pain gone, I felt refreshed, as if I had taken a 12-hour nap.


    She smiled again, "Good. I can report that everything went as planned... but there was one complication..." The smile disappeared from my face, replaced by fear. "What complication?" She gave me a reassuring smile, "Nothing major, but due to the internal destruction of your chest plate and your armor on your arm being beyond proper repair, the set is no longer wearable and you''ll need a new one. However, they don''t have any more of that model apparently. It was one of a kind." My mood sank. That armor had protected me from a lot of things and it was the first I ever had. Now I can''t even get a new set of the same armor.


    "So I guess I have to pick a new set of armor now." I said glumly. She nodded and I sighed, slowly getting out of bed, testing my legs before completely setting them on the ground. It looked like she was about to help me so I held up my hand for her to stop and she crossed her arms across her chest, frowning. I took a few unsteady steps, and then walked confidentially towards her. "Show me my options please." I said.


    "Here, you might want to get dressed first." She said and pointed to a pair of clothes on a counter that lined the room. I grabbed them and she left the room for a moment so I could have some privacy. I quickly got into the long sleeve gray shirt and pants and walked back up to her. She turned around when he heard my footsteps, and gestured to another woman next to her in a different uniform. "She will take you to the room, I have other patients to attend to. Make sure to follow the recovery instructions in your messages."


    I nodded as she left and said to the other woman, "Let''s go" She nodded "Follow me." She led the way out of the room and went down the hall. Whether we were in space or in the atmosphere above the planet I could not tell.


    She tuned a corner and led me into a small room. There were four sets of armor on stands in the middle of the bare floor. They were all space gray with black under suits. "Why are they all gray?" I asked, going up to one and looking at the helmet and thrusters. "Once you''ve chosen one, you''ll be able to customize the paint all you want, within regulations of course. Do you like what you see?" She said, watching me go between them. I went up to one with a curved but blocky visor that covered almost all peripheral vision, relatively small water drop shaped shoulder pads, and blocky thrusters and knee protectors. It also had a chest plate that was a few large 2 inch or more thick pieces that covered the entire front. "It''s perfect" I said, admiring the mobility I would have and the complete protection it offered. The curved shoulder pieces would allow blows to glance off and the shoes had extra stabilizers, 2 long little pieces on the sides that stuck out. It would be slimmer than other armors but I had a feeling it gave more protection that it seemed to have.


    She smiled, approving of my choice. "We though you would like this one based on your history, but be warned, its only worn by special guards now and its relatively old. In about three to four years you are going to need a new one. This is the Enforcer model. Also, do you know what colors you want?"


    I thought for a moment. "Orange, kind-of dark, and bits of blue, also a bit dark." She raised an eyebrow at my choice of colors but said nothing and wrote it down. "Well then, you can return to your quarters. You have been released from the infirmary as mentioned and are requested to wait for further instructions about your mission." I was halfway to the door and stopped to ask her about the mission but when I turned around she was already gone.


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    __________________________


    Steele''s POV


    "Real armor? I''m not supposed to receive that until I''ve stopped growing." I said. They would have to refit me continuously if I received it now. Due to the augmentations, I would be growing dramatically over the next couple of years. I would technically have to have my own fitting team just to continue operating the suit effectively. It would be expensive at the very least.


    "Yes, this I was supposed to tell you about. They''ve gotten a special team for it that will only need to take a scan of your body so they can use it to model the new suits on so you won''t have too much of your time taken up. Actually, they wanted me to tell you to go to your temporary room where someone is waiting to take you to your armor options."


    "Alright, I''ll go there now." I said and turned to leave. I heard him say, "Be safe." Quietly just before I walked out and then the doors shut behind me. People keep saying some strange things to me recently, I thought, and shook off my confusion before continuing. I strode swiftly to my temporary quarters. They were at the very back end of the barracks so that I would be separated from the rest of the base''s cadets and personnel.


    I turned a corner into the barracks and stopped suddenly. The ODST''S from before were back. One of them cracked his knuckles and said, "Boy we''ve been looking forward to this." as he smirked angrily. I noted that his nose was a bit crooked so he was probably the one I had nailed in the face. His buddies had similar smirks on their faces. I stayed completely still, calculating my odds. Far-off I heard footsteps, unnoticed by the ODST''S. I got into a defensive stance, but one that could be relaxed easily.


    The ODST whose nose I broke stepped forward and said, "No, we can''t do it here. A more private spot is needed." He smirked and stepped closer, intending to grab my arm and drag me off but the footsteps had finally come close enough. It was a commander by the stripes on his jacket and he slowed when he saw the three ODSTs and me still in a defensive stance. "Is there a problem here soldiers?" He asked sternly. The ODST stepped back, saluted, and quickly replied, "No Sir!" The Commander stared at him for a second, and when the ODST didn''t move he said, "Well, get a move on, all of you!"


    The ODSTS gave me one last warning look and walked off, the guy with the broken nose purposely bumped against my shoulder and they walked past me. I turned my attention to the Commander, saluted, and walked to my quarters. I have to watch out for them, I thought. I walked into my quarters and saw that Commander Silas was waiting for me. I quickly saluted and he seemed shocked for a minute before he said, "At ease 118. You''ve grown a lot since I last saw you. Has your recovery been going well for you here besides the obvious success of the augmentations?"


    "Affirmative Sir." Except for the ODSTs, I secretly thought, but he didn''t need to know about them, I could handle my own problems. He nodded, and said, "Good, good. I suppose you are wondering why I''m here. The Sergeant Major wanted to have me check up on you in person. He also wanted me to show you the armor you will wear in combat. It''s bit early for you to receive it but they got special permission. If you will follow me, I will show you to your armor now." He gestured for me to follow and made his way out the door. I followed and locked my quarters. I don''t want any nasty surprises from those ODSTs. I walked after him and, due to my lengthened stride, I caught up to him easily. We were halfway there before he finally spoke up. "It seems like not too long ago, you were just a teenager, but now you seem like an adult." I nodded. "I''m not the careless cadet I once was anymore." He smiled. "No, you''re much more than that." We fell into silence and I stared ahead awkwardly.


    "Here we are." He said finally. We stopped in front of a gray sliding door and he typed in a quick code before it opened. I stepped inside, him closing the door after but leaving it unlocked. There were 2 single sets of armor in the middle and the room looked like it has previously been a classroom but everything has been cleared out.


    The first set of armor was interesting. It had a tall spike like thing on the top of the helmet and a V shaped visor with two very much smaller smoothed spikes on the sides of the top shooting back with the visor, giving it a threatening look. I didn''t think the spike on the top had any advantage but I''d ask. The shoulder pieces were circle and the thrusters were round. The main chest piece was also shaped like a V. The rest of the armor was smooth, curved, and slim.


    The second set was remarkably different. It had an extremely curved helmet that swept up in the back and make it look a bit like a water droplet on its side, but where the tip would be it was flat and curved. The visor looked kind of like two pairs of bat wings missing the middle joint that swooped upwards. It had layered shoulder pieces and the first layer on the shoulder was wide and form fitting, and triangle like thrusters adorned the back of the shoulders. The arms and legs had layered armor in about 5 different, overlapped, but side-by-side, pieces. The shoes were also slim and separated the big toe from the rest. The chest piece was also extra thick.


    "What''s the advantage of the spike on top of the first one?" I asked. "That is a breakthrough in replicating Forerunner ''baffler'' systems. To put it simply, it helps hide you from the sensor''s of ships and other things using geometric distortions. It''s not invisibility but it will work nearly as well in terms of anything but an organic being visibly detecting your presence." He said. "What about the other one?" I asked.


    "That one was designed by a Sangheili prodigy who created the best armor she could. Everything is reverse engineered."


    I thought for a moment. They were both good helmets and suits. I could always get camouflage added to the other suit. Wouldn''t be too hard, or I could have something else, but I''ll tell him about it later. The Sangheilios one seemed to have a thicker under-suit as well. Sangheili were the same species as Elite''s, but they rebelled against the Covenant and were helping humanity. "I''ve made my decision."


    Silas had been standing there quietly and he perked up when I spoke. "You have? Which one?"


    "The Sangheli one with a few add-ons. Hidden knife holders and a few special requests."


    "Oh, ok, that can be arranged. What colors?"


    "Black and grey. And the visor dark grey. I want to be able to blend in with my background."


    "Ok then, they''ll work on that. It should be done in a few hours after you have been scanned. You might want to go over there now."


    I nodded and turned to leave but he grabbed my arm lightly, "Hold on there, I wasn''t done yet. I wanted to give you something. Here." He said, and placed a relatively small and long knife in my outstretched hand. "This is made from the toughest metal ever found, extremely rare and even has a few hidden features. One is that it will always come back to you. I''m having a button installed in your glove so that when you press it, the knife will teleport into your hand using technology developed with the help of the Sangheili. Though be warned, it only works after about an hour charge up because the range is so long, almost anywhere on an average sized planet, so use it sparingly."


    "Thank you Sir!" I took the knife from him. I was shocked, no one had ever given me a gift before. Especially not something like this. He smiled, "This time try not to drop it like you did that one time. This one has extra grip just for you." He said jokingly. I even cracked a smile. "I''ll never be able to repay you for such a gift."


    "Don''t worry about it. Repay me by fighting to protect humanity. You better get going. I''ll have your requests filed asap so they know what to make." he said, giving me a pat on the shoulder. I nodded and saluted before walking away, a smile slightly prominent on my face.

 Chapter 21

    Kyle''s POV


    I quietly cursed under my breath and turned around, heading towards the door. How does she do that?! I exited the room and walked back towards my quarters stiffly, ignoring everyone on the way and scaring a cleaning worker after turning a corner with a sour and angry look on my face. Won''t anyone tell me what''s going on? I threw myself on the bed, thinking Ugh!! This is so frustrating! I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath. Calm down Kyle, they will have to tell you eventually, I reassured myself. At the very least, I needed to go get my armor so that I would be ready for whatever they had in store for me. I got up and headed to the fitting rooms, walking up to who seemed to be the main person in charge. "Hello, I''m here to have my armor sized."


    The woman looked up from a computer and stood up saying, "Ah yes, Spartan Kyle, if you will just step over here and hold your arms straight out and legs apart." She pointed to a small platform. I got on and there was a buzzing sound as she took my measurements. It stopped abruptly and she waved for me to get down. "All done, it should be ready in about ten to twenty minutes. You''ll pick it up from the armory, but before that someone will deliver the under suit to your quarters to put on before-hand." she said. I nodded, "Thanks." She smiled and I walked out, heading back to my quarters and sitting on the bed again, subconsciously smoothing out the wrinkles from my little outburst earlier.


    Having nothing to do, I peeked under my shirt again, the two pink scars prominent. Yep, those are going to stay for a long time. I poked one tentatively ¨Cand withdrew my hand quickly as there was a dull stinging pain as I did so. There was a cough at the door and I looked up, standing up so fast I hit my head on the ledge to my bed. For a brief moment stars danced across my vision before I saw the guy watching me with... Amusement? I rubbed the back of my head and cleared my throat. "Um.. Hello." I said, embarrassed. The amusement was gone and he stepped forwards and delivered a small chip and a Spartan armor under-suit to me. I had scarcely grabbed it and the under suit before he was off, his footsteps already fading down the hall as I grabbed the bottom of the suit to prevent it from touching the floor. I widened my eyes in surprise and resisted the urge to look after him, instead stepping towards my holographic computer and setting the under-suit on my bed. I put the chip in and sat down.


    A video message came on with an Officer I didn''t recognize. In a gravelly voice, he began. "This is Captain Del''Rio. If you are watching this video, that means you have been selected for a very important job. About a week ago we received a distress call from a remote planet on the very edge of UNSC-controlled space called Atrius. They have detected possible plans for a large-scale Covenant Invasion on their planet and are not properly equipped to deal with it. You and several other Spartans will be sent into slipspace for a year to answer that distress call for the UNSC. You''re mission, eliminate all hostiles at all costs. If you fail, your secondary objective will be to escort a VIP off the planet at all costs. The information and identification of that subject has been classified and will not be revealed until you arrive for security reasons. Arrive at the Docking Bay at 1800 hours in full gear. Good luck Spartan. Del'' Rio out." And the message ended. Coordinates appeared on the screen and I stored them in the chip.


    Well, that was interesting. He called me Spartan, but I haven''t had my augmentations, I physically can''t as I am too young and haven''t taken the appropriate classes yet. Was this a mistake? On the off-chance that it''s not, all I know is that I need to get my armor, now. I guess with the newer Spartan armor my above-average strength would be enough to handle it, fortunately things weren¡¯t the same as they were with the Spartan II armor where the wearer could be killed if they tried to wear it without augmentations. I quickly put on the heavy under-suit and headed to the armory. When I got there someone came up to me and put a hand up in front of me to stop my advances. "Only authorized personal are allowed in here." I took out the chip with Del''Rio''s authorization on it and showed it to him which made the guy widen his eyes in surprise and step aside, letting me pass. I ignored all of the things going on in the room and quickly spotted my armor at the end. I walked quickly to where they were making adjustments. "I am Spartan Kyle 324, I need that armor now. My pelican leaves in an hour."


    The guy who was checking things on his tablet looked up and said, "Affirmative, only a few adjustments need to be made, you can stand right there for fitting." He pointed to an elevated platform. I slowly walked over to the strange contraption. It was backed up against the wall and was a large circle that cut off on the back where it hit the wall. The top mirrored the bottom with the circle part and had a large, vertical halo in the middle, which had places to put your hands and feet in for a computerized equipment of the armor. Mine was being done manually since it was the first time I was doing it, ensuring a tight fit and no miscalculations or pinching. There were arms mounted to the top circle as well and a contraption mounted to the floor as well for the application of the armor by the computer. There were a few scientists surrounding it, waiting for me to step up.


    I noted this and quickly stepped up on the platform. The scientists stepped around me and backed me up to where I should stand, having me step into the already-ready boots and helped me put on my gloves. Then they had me put my arms straight out and legs slightly apart. I complied, intrigued by the whole thing. They grabbed onto the arms hanging from the ceiling and did the next process relatively quick. Starting with the upper body, they put on my lower arm and upper arm pieces and my chest pieces, all of which came in two parts for front and back and then clasped together at the edges. At first I was afraid they would pinch me, but as they put on the chest piece I relaxed and let them do their job.


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    Then they put on the thigh and lower-leg pieces, and finally, my helmet. One of the scientist stepped on a stool-thing and slowly lowered it over my head. There was a click and he stepped back. "How do you feel?" A scientist asked, poised over a tablet. I looked at myself and flexed, feeling the armor working with my body. I looked up, "I''m ready."


    ___________________________


    I walked into the scanning room and they completed the mapping of my body quickly, using a strange-looking machine. I didn''t pay much attention to it but instead kept all the details of what happened in the last 12 hours running through my head, gripping the knife Silas gave me. I quietly requested the camouflage option on my armor despite a bit of complaining by the techs. My brain was in overdrive, focusing on only the essentials of preparation and evaluation. The attack could happen any day and I needed to focus and the state I was in right now was something my friends had dubbed my ''game mode''.


    Whenever I got into my game mode. All joking and feeling was over, I became deadly serious and my mind was all on tactics and preparation. When everyone who knew me saw me get my battle face, they got serious and began planning with me. Especially Scott, Selina and Kade. I momentarily paused my thoughts and experienced an odd bit of... homesickness? It snapped me out of my game mode almost immediately. I hadn''t seen them in weeks, and hoped they were still ok. Communication between this station and the ground was limited and the worst could have happened without me even knowing. I really didn''t want to lose any more team members.


    I finished discussing the details of my armor with the techs and completed the things they needed me to do and quickly made my way back to my quarters. I absentmindedly looked out the window that I passed, into space and at Atrius, wondering about my team. Th¨CI was grabbed from a side hallway, large hands pulling me roughly and angrily. The glint of brass knuckles caught the light in the corner of my eye, and immediately I went on the defense and offense. This was a hostile and whoever they were, they did not intend to have a friendly chat. Everything sped up and slowed down at the same time. The doctors had told me this would happen every time I experienced a major adrenaline rush. I saw everything with startling clarity and speed and I evaluated my situation. Even without seeing their faces, there were three of them, that I knew off the bat. The ODST''S then. The farthest had the brass knuckles, not a danger yet. The one who had a hold of me was pulling back his hand to hit me in the gut. The second was preparing to punch me in the face.


    I moved lightning fast, grabbing the first''s fist and twisting his arm, breaking it, causing him to cry out as I kicked him against the wall. Then I kneed the second, and when he bent over I delivered a nasty blow to his jaw with my fist, a crack! sounding and him stumbling back a few feet before I moved onto the third, who I had watched come closer until he was almost behind me. He swung with the hand that had the brass knuckles at my head. I moved to one side so it passed near my face and grabbed his arm, flipping him on his back and punching him in the face twice before sweeping my right leg in a half circle, knocking the first ODST down again who was trying to use his good arm to hit me in the face and pushing off the ODST with the brass knuckles to spin and do a roundhouse kick in the face to the second ODST. He had advanced after shaking off my previous blow. He went down, his head hitting the ground hard with a loud crack!, and stopped moving. The first ODST had passed out after landing on his broken arm. The third was nursing his nose, which had started bleeding, and started to stand up, adjusting the brass knuckles. I got a small running start and delivered a flying kick to his stomach, landing in a crouch as he fell backwards.


    I quickly positioned myself above him and brought both hands up, preparing to knock him out when someone shouted "Stop!"


    I felt hands quickly wrap around my arms from behind, dragging me off of him. I shrugged off their grip and turned to see Silas walking towards me. "Sir," I said, saluting. "At ease Steele." He said, shifting his gaze to the two unmoving ODSTS. "They attacked me." I explained briefly, looking over as well. There were medics crowding around them, and the third was being walked to a stretcher. The brass knuckles were lying on the floor so I picked them up and handed them to Silas. "He was going to use these on me, Sir." I said. Silas looked them over, They were bronze-colored and had little spikes that were blunted but could obviously cause serious damage. He pressed his lips into a thin line and then handed them off to someone else. "Good job Steele, but wait in your quarters for your armor for now. I''m assigning you an escort to avoid further... Contentions. Dismissed." I frowned, "But sir, I can take care¨C" "I said you are to report to your quarters, that is an order Spartan 118." I closed my mouth. "Yes Sir." I walked away, taking a last glance at the ODSTs on the floor before picking up the knife Silas gave me from where I dropped it in the beginning of the fight. I walked away, not looking back.


    ________________________


    Silas''s POV


    I watched him pick up the knife and walk away, and then I turned back towards the alley and took in the damage to the ODSTs. One of the medics came up to me and said, "Sir, the one with the broken arm is dead, and the other one may have long term memory loss and might have lost his ability to speak. The third suffered a fractured skull and 5 broken ribs, along with a broken nose." I sighed. ODSTs and Spartans would be driven farther apart if this ever reached their ears. "Move them to a secure place, pronto. I don''t want this to get out to the others." He nodded and went back to the other medics. I looked at the figure down the hall who was turning into the barracks. What am I going to do with you? I thought. I pinched the bridge of my nose and called an assistant over. "Tell a pilot to prepare a pelican to leave at 2100 hours. Spartan 118 is being transferred to the surface." I looked back down the empty hallway. "And tell the Sergeant Major to Prepare 118''s team. I want them ready." The assistant nodded and went off down the hall. It''s time for you to go home Steele.

 Chapter 22

    I walked down the hallway confidently, boots thumping on the metal floors, heading towards the pelican bay. I holstered my gun in my thigh holster and made sure my knives were firmly in theirs. I approached the entrance to the vehicle bay and walked up the vast ramp into the hangar.


    There were pelicans and small ships everywhere, including frigates, smaller ships about 150+ meters long. A pelican flew in and touched down as I took in my surroundings. The hatch opened and soldiers walked out. A lot of the spots were vacant due to search parties and recon to make sure we were safe. The word going around was that Master Chief had gone AWOL(Absent Without Official Leave) and gone on a mission to save the planet from the Didact. So far, the Didact was trying to get the composer back, a gigantic weapon that turned humans into the Prometheans we fought often now and that could do it again to the humans on Earth. Rumors were that he already had it and was coming to earth to finish what he had started before the Halo rings had fired.


    I didn''t want to leave with that threat on Earth, but I had my orders and I had to leave for my mission. By the time I got there either all life on the inner colonies would be gone or the Didact would be defeated, so it was even more terrifying to leave but I had to trust Master Chief and the UNSC. Unfortunately Del'' Rio wouldn''t let anyone help him after Cortana had an outburst of rage, which is a sign of rampancy and usually dictates deactivation, and Chief defended her, but officially the reason was because the Infinity was still vulnerable. I could only hope Master Chief succeeded.


    I spotted my frigate being prepped a few crafts down. I quickly walked over, putting my helmet back on from when I took it off earlier in the hall. I saw a Spartan with standard MJOLNIR Mark VI armor enter the door of the small frigate and I followed. Allowing my eyes to adjust to the lack of light, I looked down the hallway, seeing the Spartan just as they disappeared further down on a door to the left. I hurried after them and turned the corner, just in time to see him turn again farther into the ship.


    I followed and walked into a cryo-room, where all of the cryo-tubes were held. There were a few Spartans in different armor talking around each other as mechanics checked the pods. They stopped talking as I stepped in the room and turned to look at me, there were about 14 guys dotted around the room, about 5 in the group talking, and 8 women.


    I slowed my pace slightly but kept walking towards a pod that said my name.


    "Hey," a female voice called.


    I stopped, waited a second and turned around as someone approached me. It was a woman with black hair cut short. She stood about 6''9 and was significantly taller than me.


    "This is the last one." She called back to the group. A guy nodded and walked off to were I presume the main deck was a give the pilots the all-clear. "So, you''re a Spartan?" She asked incredulously, her face showing a bit of disbelief.


    "Not exactly." I admitted.


    "How so?"


    "Well I haven''t gotten the augmentations yet, but apparently I''m strong enough to handle the armor after they modified it a bit." She looked me up and down and seemed to believe me, but was still suspicious. "Just keep up and don''t make us pull your weight. You got that?" I nodded. "Affirmative." She nodded and said, "Why don''t you join us? And drop the formality for once, we have to be a team after all." I nodded at this and walked after her as she turned and joined the group. She paused and asked, "What''s your name?" I looked at her, surprised that she cared about my designation beyond the number on my armor. "Kyle." She smiled, "I''m Shelby." she said and walked to the group. I followed.


    Helmets and foreign faces turned my way as I walked over, all looking down at me due to the height difference, except for two exceptionally short Spartans who were my height. I came to a halt and waved a little with my right hand, not trusting my voice with all of the superior Spartans judging me.


    They immediately started talking, no longer paying attention to me. "Turns out that our target is a lot more classified than we thought." Said a tall Mexican Spartan who happened to not be wearing a helmet. "We aren''t allowed to know the location of it, not even the planet coordinates that it''s on. Apparently the coordinates will be broadcast to us using a closed and secured network with the highest security measures, and on top of that, in code."


    A woman with a dark blue and green armor spoke up and started talking about the planet, but as she did so, the ship rumbled and slowly moved, probably lifting off. The floor shook a bit as it did so. I looked around a little and widened my stance a bit to stay upright, trying to hide my worry. I looked at the other Spartans and they didn''t even seem phased. The conversation hadn''t paused for a moment. There was a bit of a pull as the frigate took off, which lessened as it reached its target speed. I shrugged it off and rejoined the conversation.


    "...eams of 3 or 4. We should be fine with having small groups help different parts of the planet, and apparently one team has already been decided as there is some specific mission they have." A few Spartans nodded and the Spartan who had left came jogging back in. "They''re almost ready for slip-space, and according to some new intel the trip will take a year." He said.


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    "Let''s go then." The Mexican said, who I could now tell was a commander, and the Spartans immediately dispersed to their pods. I walked towards mine and seeing the others getting in, stepped into mine. Subconsciously I raised my hand to knock and smiled. The knock never came. My smile faded. Oh, right, he isn''t here. I lowered my hand. Knock knock. I looked up, surprised, and saw Shelby''s black hair disappear from view as I quickly knocked back. The pods started to close and I laid back, smiling. Maybe I''ll like it with them after all. I closed my eyes and slept.


    ________________________


    Steele''s POV


    I walked into my room, closed the door, and sat down. I put my head in my hands, I don''t know what I was feeling. Regret? No. Disappointment? ...Possibly. Did Silas not trust me? No, he knows he can trust me. I didn''t really feel anything, just acceptance, and a weird sense of obligation to do what was needed. I guess that''s my way of telling myself that it was either me or them. I heard footsteps outside my door.


    That must be my new escort. I opened the door and looked out... and then up. It was a Spartan, and he was about 4 inches taller than me and didn''t acknowledge me when I opened the door, but he knew I was there because his head had turned slightly. He was standing next to the door, facing away to guard me essentially. I drew my head back in and sat down again. I had expected a Spartan, no one else would have been able to keep contentions against me at bay.


    The sound of approaching boots once again appeared.


    Another escort? I looked out again and saw a lower class soldier walking towards my room. He stopped in front of my door and was about to speak before the Spartan at my door held a hand out to stop him. "State your business." A voice with a slight ...Irish... accent said, coming from the Spartan. "I''m here to bring Spartan 118 to his armor and deliver a message." The soldier said calmly, looking directly at me.


    I returned the look until he broke eye contact to look at the Spartan who had brought his hand down. "You may bring him to his armor, but you have to remain within arm''s distance at all times." The Spartan replied. The soldier looked at me and chuckled lightly before gesturing for me to come.


    I squeezed out the doorway past the Spartan and walked behind the soldier. We walked slowly, and after a minute the soldier stumbled, leaning off balance. I quickly went closer to keep him from falling and he grabbed onto me. He pulled me closer for half a second and softly said in my ear. "Silas wants you in the docking bay ready to leave for Atrius in an hour." And quickly pulled away, pretending to be relieved. "Thanks, almost fell back there." He said, smiling at me, and started walking again.


    The Spartan did not seem to have heard the message but watched us closely after that.


    I walked after him and we quickly arrived at a private armory. He slid a card and walked in. I followed and the Spartan tried to follow as well but a scientist said, "You will have to wait here." And closed the door before the Spartan could say a word.


    He gave me an under-suit for my armor. I quickly stepped into it and made sure it fit. The scientist checked me and nodded.<u></u>


    He gestured me to step on a platform, the only difference between it and regular platforms being that it was a full circle and the mechanized arms hung straight from a circle in the ceiling. I stepped on and put my arms straight out and my feet apart. I stepped into my shoes, clipping them in. They put on my armor pieces, taking care to be precise. I finally watched a scientist get on a stool, holding my slick black helmet with small Grey bits on it. I bent my head down low as he reached up to put my helmet on. It clicked and I looked up, my eyes adjusting to the digital display. The visor allowed me to see all but the very edges of my peripheral vision.


    "Any pains, trouble seeing, or dizziness?" the scientist asked me through his white shield mask. I flexed my arms and looked at my new armor. "No." The scientist wrote something on his pad and the other scientists examined me, lifting up each arm and looking at different things. I stood there and let them look over me until they finished.


    "Ok, you can go." The scientists said as he put down my arm and wrote a few things on his pad.


    I stepped off the platform, noticing a long curving holographic desk. A memory flickered at the edge of my mind. Have I seen that before? For a second the room flickered to a white one that was empty with nothing floating above it, a littler me standing at the desk. I gasped and it flickered back.


    "Something wrong?" The scientist asked me. "No, I... I thought I saw someone." I said and walked towards the man who had guided me here, the scientist shrugging and writing more things on his tablet.


    That was weird. I stopped outside the door as it closed and searched my memory for it but I was losing it. A boy......at a table? No,...a desk. Was it me? I don''t know. The fragments were slipping away. ...a desk?... It''s gone. No use in trying to remember it now.


    I shook my head, the weight of the helmet surprisingly light. I looked at my newly gloved hand and my armor. My knife was in a sheath at my right thigh, camouflaged and part of the armor. There was another knife sheath over my left shoulder, this one much shorter but tough. I had to get to the pelican bay. It has almost been an hour putting on my armor and being examined so I had to hurry. The guy from earlier made sure I had exited a different door than I had entered so I could shake my spartan escort for Silas''s request.


    I had no personal belongings and my clothes were the ship''s anyway so I went directly to the hangar. I sped up into a military fast march, getting used to my new armor. I arrived at the pelican bay and looked for Silas. There! A few pelicans down to my left.


    I hurried over and saluted. "You wanted me?" I said. He nodded, "Yes, I asked you here because the doctors say you are fully recovered, you can return to Atrius. I agree that it is time for you to go back. It will also avoid further contentions with the ODSTs aboard this ship. It''s better if we do this discreetly for everyone''s sake."


    I nodded and stepped onto the ramp, sitting on one of the side seats and strapping myself into the slanted seat and pulling my gun that they had already attached to my armor off my back to lay it down next to me. Silas boarded and sat across from me. "All clear." He yelled up to the pilot. The pilot put up a thumbs up and the back hatch started closing.


    Goodbye ship. I thought as the hatch covered my view.


    The pelican shook slightly as it took off and Silas strapped in. Pretty soon we were off towards Atrius. Silas immediately pulled out a tablet and started doing something on it. I settled back into my seat and looked out the small window in the back. See you soon team.

 Chapter 23

    Steele''s POV


    The view of the green planet from the inner atmosphere changed abruptly as it was obscured by an inbound Banshee, it''s main cannon charging with a dull green glow. Without a millisecond to spare, I ran faster than I knew I could to the cockpit. "Banshee! Hold on!" I yelled to Silas in the back and grabbed the controls in the empty right seat, shutting off the engines. The pelican dropped and at the same time the Banshee fired, the green blob of plasma scraping the top of the pelican with a sizzling screech but not burning through. That small push was enough to knock the pelican off-level as it left the atmosphere though and it quickly tumbled into a fast barrel roll. Our airspeed increased significantly and I found myself flung into the back ramp door, my shields flickering wildly and pain shooting through my back. I tumbled to the ceiling as we rolled and before I could grab on I was flung into the seats on the side. This time I was able to grab onto a strap hanging there and stop bouncing around like a pinball.


    Silas was still strapped in, covering his head and body with his arms from the pieces of loose equipment flying around. The Pilot struggled to regain control of the aircraft, using the thrusters to slow the pelican''s spin while shouting warnings and a may-day over the coms. I engaged my grav-boots and crouched on the wall, waiting for the roll to stop. A spare gun glanced off my shields. We were still spinning and the Pilot engaged opposite flaps and turned the Pelican as hard as he could, finally stopping our flat spin just a few thousand feet above tree level. The pilot steadied it and shot off towards our coordinates.


    I dropped to the floor with a thud, bending my knees and doing a quick checkup of myself and my systems. Nothing broken, just a few bruises, shields drained a quarter, but recharging now. Only a few guns had shaken loose but everything seemed to be fine. I looked towards Silas who was nursing a bruised arm, most likely hit by one of the guns, but it would be usable.


    I heard multiple distress calls and orders coming through the coms now, presumably from other Pilots in combat. The Pilot yelled back, "Landing hot! Be ready to hop out!" I winked my acknowledgment light and turned to my rack to grab my weapons. Silas was doing the same. I hooked both of my primary weapons on my back. Silas walked to the hatch, his pistol ready. "I didn''t expect them to attack so soon, but apparently they were tipped off about about our reinforcements and tried to get the jump on us. Luckily, I was just informed that the reinforcements arrived just after we left the station. How we didn''t hear about either sooner is a mystery. " he said, lowering the hatch as the pelican came to about a few meters off the ground outside the entrance to Fort Cause.


    "Well find out everything soon enough." I said through my com as the sound of gunfire overwhelmed any other communication the moment the hatch opened. I jumped out, rolling as I hit the ground. Silas followed suit and we ran inside the base as the Pelican made a quick get-away back into the atmosphere. A few plasma bolts got close as we entered but they seemed to be strays and not aiming specifically at us. A soldier at the door hit the button for it to close as we entered the side-door, it closing just as my foot left the threshold with a bang! I nodded respectfully to him and he just kind of stopped there, a stunned look on his face. I looked away, I guess this is more treatment thanks to the public opinion of Spartans being these figures of awe and mystery. However we were simply soldiers doing our job an deserved no more recognition than other soldiers. There were a lot of enlisted and officer jobs that I would have hated to do if I wasn''t a Spartan.


    Silas quickly walked down a hallway, likely needing to converse with the other Commanders, and I was left standing there without a word. Considering the fighting outside, I should probably see what I could do to help.


    I walked quickly towards the Sargent Major''s main room, contacting Selina, Scott, and Kade. "Team, report." I said. I heard Selina through the com. "Things aren''t going well. The Covenant managed to launch a surprise attack on us and take out a few AA guns and a defense outpost before reinforcements helped. However, there aren''t enough reinforcements who have been able to make it through the atmosphere to Atrius because of the Banshees. Apparently despite that, we are supposed to be receiving a squad of their best in a few minutes. I''m here with the Sargent Major and so is the rest of the team." She said. "Hey Steele, glad to have you back." I heard Scott reply. Kade joined in "Thought you were never coming back." I smiled in my helmet briefly. "I''ll be there in a minute." I said and they winked their acknowledgement lights. I reached a door and it opened automatically.


    My team was lounging on the guest seats when they heard the door open and looked up, quickly standing to salute. Kade fell off the chair as he scrambled to get to attention and I had to stifle a laugh. "At ease. Glad to see you guys, you''ve grown a lot." I said. They were all wearing standard Mark VII armor with different modifications and strips of a darker white to symbolize White team. They had also had augmentations done, but since they were older than me it didn''t require the zero-G recovery and had less effect as well as very much less pain involved. "We could say the same to you." Selina replied, eyes wide at my appearance as she tilted her head back to look up at my helmet. I reached up and took off my helmet, tucking it under my arm. "Glad to see you haven''t changed too much to be unrecognizable. Oh, the Sergeant Major will be here right about... Now." Scott said and I turned to the sound of the automatic doors opening and closing. The Sergeant Major walked in, dismissing our salutes, and gestured for us to come over to the holographic table.


    We walked over and he began, "We are in the middle of what is essentially a full-scale Covenant invasion. We have received reports of attacks all over Atrius within the last hour at almost all of our outposts and several civilian centers. In a perfect world it would be nice to have our best team of Spartans reach all of them, but for now our efforts are going to be focused on the area around Fort Cause. I apologize that you have all just reunited, but this is an emergency of unprecedented scale. The other Spartan squads are at other outposts so you will be defending it on your own, along with the marines of course. I am giving complete tactical command to you Petty Officer Steele. Should anything happen to our defenses that risks the loss of your lives, you are to fall back immediately. Without you, our chances of success decrease drastically. This command also applies to disabling injuries and to critical losses to our ranks. There is a battalion of men waiting at the defense posts and in the vehicle bay for your command. Good luck Spartans. Dismissed." He saluted and we returned it. I ran with my team close behind to the vehicle bay, the sound of explosions and gunfire more audible by the second.


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    ______________________


    Kade''s POV


    I waited for Selina to file out and started after them. "Wait a moment Petty Officer Kade. I need to talk to you." The Sargent Major said. I stopped and turned around. "Yes, Sir?" He ran his hand through his hair and said, "You may be aware of this, but Petty Officer Steele is a high value target for the Covenant and a priority 1 asset for the UNSC. The Master Chief cannot be relied on as he once was and Steele is the replacement for him. In other words, we can''t afford to lose him. He is still young and will become more valuable as he gains combat experience. Protect him with your life and do not speak of this to anyone. This is classified information of the highest level. Don''t let me down Spartan."


    "I won''t." I said, saluting and quickly hurrying after the team towards the bay.


    ______________________


    Kyle''s POV


    1 year later


    Flickers of dreams, me as a kid playing in a sand box, watching my best friend move out of the orphanage with his new parents, signing up to become a Spartan. Sometimes I dreamt of impossible things, other times of memories. Then it ended. I came slowly out of my haze, sounds of air releasing and clicks, muffled, slowly getting clearer. I opened my eyes, feeling my body wake up from the trip. The hatch popped open and I stumbled out of my cryo-tube, ripping off my helmet, desperate for non filtered air. I took a few deep breaths and stepped away from the pod. I carefully put my helmet back on. I looked behind me and saw that thankfully the others were just getting out. I made a mental note to not let that happen again. I don''t know why, maybe because I haven''t been in cryo that long or had a suit that gave the air inside a metallic taste? I guess I just needed to get used to it. I looked around and waited for the others to get out. I noticed a few Spartans heading out the door so I followed, others trailing behind me into the hallway, the ones ahead turning a left into a large room with a holographic table attached to the floor in the middle. We filed in, spreading out and waiting for the others to arrive. I stepped around the left side of the table and hung back a little. I guess this is where we are going to be briefed then. The rest of the Spartans filed in and I shuffled my boots a bit, who is briefing us?


    We waited about a minute in silence before the door opened again and there was the sound of armor clinking and shuffling as we all turned to see who it was. It was a Commander and an assistant. Someone who seemed to be the lead Spartan of our group stepped up. He had the standard bulky Spartan armor that looked roughly like two plates of connected metal covering the chest, and connected to his thrusters and another long strip of curved armor just in front of the bottom of the rib cage underneath, and assorted smaller pieces and cuts for other purposes. He also had the standard motorcyclist looking helmet with a short visor. He straightened and saluted, saying, "All Spartans accounted for Sir." He replied, "At ease Spartan Henderson, thank you for the update." He turned to the rest of us and said, "As you all already know, this planet is under imminent attack. We received their distress call and are assisting, but were asked to do so in secret. What you were not told though, is your individual assignments for this mission. We need 5 teams. Henderson will lead team 1 in the protection, or if need be, escorting of the main target back to this ship. We received the identification of the target and the info will be sent to the selected team members'' HUDs." There was a pause before a few Spartans tilted their heads slightly to view the information.


    Beep. My HUD blinked with a red dot and I was surprised to see that I had received the information as well. I read the information on my screen and made a small gasp. It was him! The boy from the file leaked during my cryo-sleep and search! I quickly read the information. It was different than what I had researched before. First, the height was now 6ft 4. Dang! His eye color had also been affected, somehow it was light blue rimmed, with some of the original green surrounding the pupils. The information said that he was off-planet for a bit and right about now was scheduled to arrive in a base called Fort Cause to join up with a team of other Spartans. They were only a priority two but almost as important. We would rendezvous with an Officer named Silas and defend the base along with the subject. Should it be overrun, our primary objective would be to escort the subject off the planet.


    I moved the notification to the side of my hud and re-focused my attention on the conversation. He was saying, "...and team 4 will go to the other side of the planet to the coordinates being sent to your HUDs now." He pause to let the selected Spartans view the information. "Lastly, team five will go to the main command center and assist as needed, which may include data recovery. You have your missions. The Pelicans leave in 30. Move out Spartans." He said, closing the hologram. "Sir, yes Sir." We said in unison, and filed out.


    I was last in leaving and stepped out, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned to look at the Commander. I was surprised to see him smile at me with sad eyes. "Good luck Spartan." he said. I nodded. "Spartans make their own luck." He sighed a bit and said, "Yes they do." and let go. I watched him walk off for a moment before hurrying after the others. What was that about? I caught up and hurried to my assigned pelican. "Come on Spartan. We have a schedule to keep." Henderson said, waving me in. I rushed inside and sat down, strapping in and putting up my assault rifle in the side of the seat. "All clear!" Henderson called to the Pilot and the Pelican started rising. The hatch shut and Henderson sat down as well, strapping in. I felt the Pelican move forward and quickly looked around to see who was on my team. Next to me on my left and right were two guys, one had his head in his hands with a plasma launcher that fired four guided bolts quickly that had massive destruction and could go long distances. He also had an energy sword and was mumbling something about strategy, a name print on his chest saying Grey, and the other had a personally modified helmet of the standard Spartans'', who''s armor said Strang. He was leaning his head back and had his hand resting on a form of the battle rifle, possibly sleeping, but his head snapped up when I stared too long. His secondary was an AMG. I looked away quickly and saw that we had a girl on the other side, she was cleaning a shotgun and I could see multiple knife-holders. There was a grenade launcher on her back. Her name was Roberts. Henderson was talking in a low voice next to the girl with another guy who had a sniper rifle across his lap, a Covenant needle sniper across his back, and was absentmindedly fiddling with some high-tech gadget that looked kind of like binoculars. His name was Smith.


    I held onto the seat as we hit the atmosphere and the pelican shook. The pilot called back, "I have to set you down a ways away from the coordinates, things have been heating up since we arrived and they don''t want me landing you too hot." Henderson replied, "Acknowledged."


    More turbulence hit and even Henderson had to hold on. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to relax, I looked around and it seemed like everyone was nervous today. Most of them were sitting rigid in their seats. The descent slowed and our angle leveled out, the Pelican flying more smoothly. "ETA two minutes." The Pilot yelled back. Finally, my first mission! I thought. Let''s just hope it''s not my last.

 Chapter 24

    Kyle''s POV


    I looked out a side window and saw a Pelican spiraling out of control near our co-ordinates. I heard the pilot of it yelling through the coms, something about the Covenant and a Banshee. Then I noticed the Banshee they were yelling about far above ours, moving away from us. That must have brought them down. I looked back down and couldn''t see the falling Pelican anymore. I hope they''re ok. "Get ready for drop." The pilot said to us. Henderson acknowledged them and stood up, grabbing his gun as he did so. "Lock and load Spartans, time to give the Covenant more than they bargained for." He said and loaded a magazine into it. I stood up and grabbed my rifle, clipping in the magazine with a satisfying click!  I grabbed extra ammo for it and my pistol as well and loaded the mags into my belt. Hmm, what else? I looked down the weapon rack, spotting a rocket launcher. Heavy, but hey, you never know what could be useful, and rocket launchers tend to be more useful than not. I set down my gun, picked it up, and hooked it onto my back, getting used to the weight for a moment before grabbing some more spare ammo and picking my assault rifle back up.


    I walked to the back of the pelican, holding onto a strap in the ceiling. Henderson was waiting there already and within seconds the rest of the team came up behind me. Henderson spoke, "Ok, first priority is to enter the base and meet with Commander Silas. After that you know what to do but I will be give tactical commands as I see fit. Clear?" We nodded in unison. "Good, here we go." He said and hit the button on the top right of the door, turning it green. The hatch opened and the pelican stopped its descent quickly to hover a few feet above the ground. "Go go go!" Henderson ordered. We jumped out one after each other, hitting the ground seconds apart. I bent my legs as I came down and brought up my rifle, alert for Covenant in the open patch of forest where we landed. Roberts was in the lead, and we fast-marched into the forest. I was behind Strang, Henderson was second, Grey was behind me, energy sword out for now, and Smith was last. I heard distant sounds of struggle and checked our coordinates.


    We had a half a mile left and were heading north, somewhere in the middle of the upper hemisphere. I saw a flash and raised my gun quickly, but it was only one of the native wildlife, some kind of bird with two long tails. As it took flight I saw two hooked claws at the ends of its wings and a scaled head.


    The others had stopped to try and see what I had been alarmed about but I waved them forward and we started up again. "Movement in a quarter mile, stay alert." Rogers said quietly. She slowed her approach and we followed suit. Henderson must have a lot of faith in her. I looked at the burly soldier and tried to imagine him needing anyone. I slowed as I saw him put up his hand. He gave the signal to spread out and stick to the shadows. A large group would be easily spotted.


    I grinned and pulled up a panel in my helmet as I walked. I chose something and closed it, watching as the orange on my suit turned a dark green-gray. It was another special feature they had told me about since a lot of my missions require stealth. Invisibility would have been better but at least it didn''t need to recharge like invisibility did. I spread out to the left, between Strang and Grey, half crouching. I could pick up the movement now, about 4 contacts so far. The facility was not far behind the contacts.


    As we crept through the foliage, I could no longer see the others but I knew they were there. 50 feet until the facility. I saw Henderson''s hand raised up and give the signal to crawl and scout out the situation first. I got on my stomach, putting my rifle by my side and pushing it up every few feet as I crawled until I reached the edge of a small clearing. I brought out my pistol and used the scope for a better look.


    There were 6 of them, 4 Grunts and two Elites, and a Banshee to the side. The elites had some kind of binoculars and were looking at the base. A grunt kicked the other and started fighting. One Elite angrily spoke in Sangheili and kicked them apart before going back to scouting. Henderson whispered in our feed, "Ok, This will be a silent run. Grey, Strang, and Smith, you take care of the grunts. Rogers, you''re with me in taking out the elites. If we''re lucky they won''t have their shields up. Kyle, you take the banshee, but only after the covenant have been taken out. Is that clear?" We winked our acknowledgement lights. "Ok, go, and be quiet." He said. I crawled backwards a few paces and got up, lightly stepping in an arc around the left of the clearing towards the banshee. The long hatch on the back was open, and I hid next to the banshee, looking for the others. Grey, Strang, and Smith were coming up behind the Grunts, Henderson and Rogers behind the Elites. There was a quick hand motion and three Grunts and the Elites died by a quick slash of a knife. The fourth Grunt was killed shortly after, not even aware of the death of its comrades.


    Ok, I can do this. I got up and climbed into the cockpit, the hatch lowering behind me. It was positioned so that I had to lay down to pilot it. I looked at the unfamiliar controls and pushed what I believed to be the ''on'' button.


    The banshee came to life with a low hum.


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    "Henderson, what do I do with it now? " I asked through the feed. "Stay low until we reach the battle. Then come out and give us a hand, just try not to blow up our troops." He replied, and I saw out of the left side the team slink into the bushes.


    I turned off my extra camo and looked down at the controls. There were surprisingly few buttons. I maneuvered what looked to be the flight controls and figured out how to go wherever I wanted. I zoomed around the clearing, leaving light trails from the ends of the wings, and backed up. I aimed away from the direction of the base and fired, two twin bolts of blue energy from the two cannons on the front of the cockpit. I hit another button and a big green bolt came out, arcing and landing with a pretty big explosion.


    I heard gunfire in the distance towards the base. "Come on Kyle, give us some backup!" Smith called through the feed, sounds of gunfire and explosions in the background.


    That''s my cue.


    I shot out of the trees, heading straight towards the sounds, and saw the battle-ground open up below me. There were many Covenant forces pushing against our line of defense in a half arc about 200 meters from the base. They were in a clearing while our forces hid in the trees with turrets and barricades, staying ahead... For now.


    I zoomed in, charging up the main cannon. The Covenant cheered, thinking I was on their side. I fired and they quickly ran in fear as a green bolt blew up a large group of Covenant. Almost immediately a bunch of angry Sangheili came through the Banshee''s coms, but I neither knew how to reply nor spoke that language. Our troops cheered as I passed by. I smiled and came back for another round, turning the Banshee in a short left circle. My victory was short-lived however. As I came around I saw a total of three enemy banshees heading straight for me over the tree-tops, cannons charging. Oh no.


    ___________________


    Steele''s POV


    I walked through the vehicle bay door, stepping aside for a warthog coming in from a neighboring bay. There were soldiers milling about, leaving and entering almost constantly, but a squadron of marines were hanging close to the door. One noticed me and my team and said loudly, "Officer on deck!" The marines quickly lined up and saluted. I looked down their straight and neat line.


    I think I''m going to like this a bit.


    I stood at a military rest, hands behind my back, feet spread apart, and spoke. "At ease Marines. As you know, me and my team have tactical command, you will follow all orders exactly when we say them. Not complying may cost the life of a fellow marine or the tide of the battle. Who here is the Sergeant?" They all looked towards a guy in the near-back of the group. He spoke, "I am Sir." I nodded, "Come with me, the rest of you, follow my team outside."


    They moved into action and I told Selina, "Take them to the back of the fight, I will be there shortly." She nodded and I walked away with the leader following as she yelled a few commands. The leader looked towards me expectantly, his name tag identifying him as Sergeant Colby.


    We reached a small raised platform next to the door, overlooking the fight. He saw my silence as an opening to speak and said, "Aren''t we glad you''re here. Things aren''t going so well. The Covenant have been pushing us hard and we can barely keep our defenses up. They''ve got the base surrounded in a half arc, though other breach attempts elsewhere have been snuffed out pretty fast. We''ve had to retreat a few time and we are still waiting on the reinforcements from the atmosphere."


    Reinforcements? From who? The ones from slip space? I didn''t think they would get here so soon. "Well we better get out there, sounds like you need everyone you can get." I said instead.


    I watched the fight a bit, noting the closeness of the opposing Covenant and the abundance of fuel tanks the facility had, as this place was also a resource outpost. The Covenant also had very little tanks or Ghosts, little vehicles that floated about a foot off the ground with two purple wings and two twin cannons. They could boost to go very fast but only for about half a minute. I watched as a battalion fell back and the Covenant got a little more reckless.


    "I have a plan, follow me." I said, marching out towards the battle, Colby following.


    We got closer and I had to duck behind a rock to avoid a plasma blast. The team was only a few feet away, laying out only suppression fire so far. I darted out and rolled to a stop before running a bit to her position, Colby close behind. "Selina, what''s the status of our troops." I asked, crouching behind her and my team. "No major losses so far, the group as a whole have lost only about a thousand out of about six or seven thousand dedicated to this position, but the covenant have got a little over ten thousand. The remaining troops are defending other positions and can''t come to our aid." This facility really is big for us to have that many troops. The Covenant force isn''t exactly invasion scale but I have to keep in mind that there are forces of this size scattered around at several different outposts.


    "Selina, I have a plan, relay it to all of our battalion," I asked her. There was a bit if static as it connected and when it cleared I began. "We are going to wipe almost all if them out at once, see the fuel tanks around us?" I paused so they could look and continued. "I need two marines for each one, one pushing and one providing cover fire. Place them in a random pattern as close as you can get to the covenant, it''s better if it''s pushed into the covenant group, but you must do this randomly and defend that position for a few minutes or a few seconds before you feign defeat. You will retreat and signal me that you are ready while each getting a grenade ready. When I have your signal I will drive up with a few crates and set mine off while I signal you with a light in your HUD to set yours off with a few grenades. Since the covenant are grouped so closely, the chain reaction will be devastating. Then our forces can take care of the remaining covenant." I finished.


    They nodded, and even with the helmets on I could tell that a few were smiling. I nodded and said, "Alright, Move out!" and waved them to get started. They dispersed while I ran back to grab a Warthog.

 Chapter 25

    Kyle''s POV


    I watched as the banshees got closer and quickly swerved as the first green plasma bolt flew at me. It missed by inches. I fired at the one that was charging me head on, spinning to dodge its fire, squarely hitting the cockpit with several rounds. I must have gotten the pilot because the Banshee stopped flying as I flew past and began smoking before it hit the ground in a purple fireball. I rolled my Banshee to the right as the one of the others ones that had broken off fired it''s twin turrets at the space I had just occupied. I swung around, firing a green plasma bolt at it and managing to hit it with the heavy projectile. The bolt seared the side of the Banshee as it had mostly managed to swerve out of the way, but one of its engines was severely damaged. I couldn''t cheer for long though as the last one came at me. I spun to the left, try to come around his back but the last Banshee turned as well, putting us in a circle loop where we were both chasing each other.


    This is ridiculous! I was stuck looping and if I stopped I would most likely be destroyed by the other Banshee. I looked around for it as we continued our stalemate and saw the second banshee struggle toward us and start firing. I winced as a round hit the side of the cockpit of the Banshee I occupied. Ok I''m done. I broke from the circle and immediately shut the engines off. My Banshee dropped several feet and the plasma flew safely overhead. I turned them back on and flew up after the two banshees now in front of me. Alright, the weak one''s going down. I fired, hitting its right wing. It exploded, pieces spiraling out into the trees.


    The other banshee was trying to turn around. I flew straight at it, firing non-stop. We passed so close that I scraped the top of the cockpit of the other banshee. I flipped around and we flew at each other again. This time I fired my cannon. The green plasma hit it right in it''s cockpit.


    The banshee seemed to float in midair for a second before exploding.


    I was too close to turn away so I flew straight through the wreckage. A piece scraped my wing and for the first time I noticed the critical condition of the Banshee I was piloting. Much more strain and I could blow whatever engine powered this thing.


    I have to land soon.


    I turned back towards the battle, launching another green blob of plasma before flying it straight towards a covenant tank. I ejected and landed hard, rolling and stopping on a knee, automatically saying, "Contact" in my coms. I watched the pilot-less Banshee crash straight into the tank, creating a huge explosion. I shielded my helmet and quickly ran behind cover as plasma fire from the ground caught my attention. Bringing up my rifle I saw some soldiers grabbing a fuel tank and pushing it up towards the Covenant. "Are you crazy, what are you doing?!" I yelled.


    One of them looked back and yelled, "Gonna give the covenant a little gift, Petty Officer Steele has a plan!" Then they continued to push it into the midst of the covenant, another soldier joining them.


    Steele is here?! That''s my mission! But first I have to find my team.


    I looked around, spotting a familiar helmet a few hundred feet away, towards the center of the battle now. I breathed deeply... then ran for my life.


    I hopped over a group of soldiers and flinched as a few needles shattered on my shield, draining the charge significantly. Almost there! I rolled over a crate and dodged a few slower plasma rounds but then a needle shattered on my shield again, using up its charge and leaving me vulnerable. Of course I still had my armor, but Needlers could do some decent damage. Oh no! I ran faster, sliding into cover next to my squad as a needle nicked my helmet, creating a deeper-than-normal scrape. I had kicked up dust and as it cleared saw my team looking at me. "What? I had a problem." Henderson shook his head and with humor said, "Of course you did. Have you located our objective? By the way nice touch with the Banshee."


    I nodded. "Thanks, and a few soldiers told me 118 had a plan for the Covenant so I''m guessing he''s near the middle." I said. He nodded and we made our way to the center of the fight on our side. I covered Grey while he looked for him. I took out my rocket launcher and fired into the Covenant''s midst, blowing up a group of Jackals. "I don''t see him." He said. I ducked behind the cover and looked around too. He should be here. I heard a humming sound, slowly getting louder. "What is that noise? Is that a..." A warthog came out of the base, with the one and only Steele driving. "car?!" I said, and rolled out of the way as it zoomed past. It was carrying something in the back, but whatever it was, he was driving it straight towards the covenant.


    _________________


    Steele''s POV


    I raced out of the base, catching a quick glimpse of a group of Spartans, one in Enforcer armor staring at me and rolling to get out of the way. I dismissed it and drove straight towards the covenant with three fuel tanks in the back. I drove as fast as the car could go and sped towards the stack of fuel tanks placed in the middle of the covenant. I was a few hundred feet away now. As I got in range, I slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel as fast as I could to the right, spinning the back end of the warthog out and throwing the fuel tanks out of the back with the momentum. Then I signaled the troops to throw their grenades and slammed on the peddle, rocketing back away from the Covenant as fast as I could. I skidded the warthog to a stop in time to see the fuel crates blow up in a chain reaction, and the soldiers throwing their grenades ensured that the entire chain went off. A few explosions were late but that was ok, the outcome was no less. The effect had been devastating to the covenant. Few groups of Covenant were left standing, and the ones who were still alive seemed shocked or bewildered.


    The soldiers cheered, those who helped cheering the most. The rest of the troops charged with a battle cry, quickly obliterating the remaining Covenant or forcing them to retreat. I watched them go and got out of the warthog, looking around at the celebrating troops. My team joined me and Selina said, "Nice job Steele."


    Our celebration was a bit short-live however as I soon heard footsteps approaching me and my team to our 6. We turned around and I was surprised to see the same soldier with Enforcer armor from earlier approaching me. He quickly saluted, his team following suit. "At ease soldiers." I said. They brought their hands down and the soldier with Enforcer armor stepped forward. "Sir, I am Third class Petty Officer Kyle. This is my team and my Commanding Officer Henderson. We were sent on a classified mission that involves you and your team. We need to speak with you and the Commander named Silas asap, privately." He said. I nodded, a bit curious as to what they had to say but there was no reason not to trust them. "That can be arranged, follow me." I said and walked towards the hangar. My team walked a little behind me on my left and the others followed up behind me, Petty Officer Kyle coming up to walk beside me. He leaned over slightly and said, "That was a great plan, what you did with the fuel tanks. What people say about you is true." I was a bit thrown off by the change in formality, almost like he was a fan or something, so I simply nodded my thanks and kept walking. We got a few weird looks as we passed through the hanger but everyone was mostly celebrating.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    I led them towards Silas''s room and gave them the signal to stop. I walked up to his door and knocked. It opened and I stepped halfway inside, saluting. He was looking at some papers. "Second Class Petty Officer Steele reporting Sir, we have visitors." I said. He looked up from his papers and said, "At ease, send them in." while cleaning up the papers and putting them away. I waved the teams to come inside and walked over to Silas, standing at a military rest with my team. The team of six entered and lined up.


    Their Commander stepped forward. "Sir, before we proceed I must as you to please secure the room. What we are about to reveal is of the highest classification and is for no one else''s ears except those currently present." He said. Silas nodded and tapped a few things into a panel on his desk. There were clicks and a few other sounds as the room became sound proof and all windows closed, making the room darker. "Go ahead commander." Silas said after the last sounds settled, gesturing with his hand.


    Their leader began. "We were sent with a group of Spartans in response to the distress call you sent around a year ago. There were specifications to this rescue that we received only after we departed from slipspace. My team was specifically chosen to respond to those specifications, which were to rendezvous with an officer named Silas, you sir, and defend the base. Should it be overrun, our primary objective would be to escort the subject off the planet, and eventually to another planet. The reasons for this being that your Second Class Petty Officer here is of high value not only to the Covenant, but also to the UNSC. They believe that he could become the next Master Chief, even possibly better than Chief himself. In anticipation of the eventual death or retirement of the Spartan IIs, Halsey had already started to train a replacement for him. They agreed that the troops need a leader and the UNSC needs someone to be a primary defense against the covenant. But, they also know that he is still young and in training so we are here to make sure nothing happens to him and his team." He said, gesturing to the silent Spartans next to Steele. He stepped back into the line.


    I looked down. The gravity of the revelation I had made earlier seemed to finally hit me now that it was confirmed by another source. A lot of people were counting on me, and willing to risk their lives for me. Did I deserve their praise? Was I really all that special? Sure I was the commander of my team who have proven time and time again that they are the best on Atrius, but this was bigger than just my planet. The whole galaxy seemed to rest on my shoulders, adding to the responsibility of the safety and well-being my team and my outpost. Could I live up to their expectations? I wasn''t even totally sure what they wanted me to do. I couldn''t just copy the Master Chief after all, his achievements were one-of-a-kind. Even the Covenant seemed to think I was important. Out of the corner of my visor I saw Selena turn her head to look towards me. That''s right. Regardless of my status, I still had a job to do, that I had been training for my entire life. As long as I did that job, everything would be just fine. I would protect my planet and fight the Covenant as those had done before me.


    Silas asked, "Why wasn''t I informed of this before now? I was the one to send the request after all." The Commander shrugged. "Unknown Sir." Silas walked to his desk, sitting down. He looked at the Commander again. "What happens if the Covenant are destroyed or chased off. Where will him and his team go?"


    "Most likely he will be escorted by my team to the UNSC''s best training base to hone his abilities until they are needed. This was approved by ONI and Admiral Hood." He replied. Silas put his head on his hand, looking me over with a bit of... sadness? "Very well, what will you do now that the Covenant have retreated?" Silas asked.


    "For now, wait until the other teams report in that there is either the all-clear or that the situation is FUBAR(screwed up beyond all repair). If it ever comes to that then we will evacuate the planet." He replied. Silas exhaled. "You really think it could go FUBAR?" The commander stated, "Anything can happen Sir. The covenant do have a large force here. We must always prepare for the worst." Silas took a deep breath and stood up. "Well, we are glad you came to our aid. We can arrange your team to sleep in barracks near one of the base entrances. Or we do have an outpost just outside of you prefer to be alert. I will be communicating with the other outposts in the meantime." He turned off the sound-proof barrier and the other precautions. The room became significantly brighter, though my eyes adjusted so fast that I barely noticed. I could see just as well in the dark as in bright daylight. "I must attend to some things. Steele," he began. I looked at him. "You have full authority to command both teams but this Commander will be the Senior officer. If anything goes wrong contact me through the link I will send to your helmets." He said, and walked swiftly out the door.


    We were silent for a moment. Their Commander stepped forward. "Second-Class Petty Officer Steele, I am Sergeant Henderson. This is my team, Grey 278, Rogers 574, I believe you have met Kyle 324, Strang 299, and Smith 486. It''s an honor to meet you." He said, reaching out his hand. "It''s an honor to meet you as well. This is 245, 489, and 164." I said, shaking his hand and gesturing to each as I said their numbers.


    "We are going to take watches at the outpost. Your team can take accommodations inside." He said enthusiastically, but I could tell he was just being courteous and wasn''t committed to the idea. Even with armor to keep out the cold and cushioning them, it would be a miserable night of shifting watches and cramped space, making it nearly impossible to sleep. "With all due respect Sir, we are more suited to the task and take up less space. We will take watches." I said firmly. He nodded, and gestured for his team to move to the barracks. I led my team outside and up the stairs to the small open outpost. "I will take first watch." I said. My team nodded and they took off their weapons from their backs, setting them beside themselves and sitting up against the wall.


    Scott stretched and slumped down against the wall. "Well that was fun. Reckon'' they''re any good?"


    "I guess we will see tomorrow. They haven''t gotten themselves killed yet so that''s a start." I replied semi-humorously. He chuckled lightly and leaned his head back on the outpost interior wall. Within minutes they had all fallen into a light sleep, from which a single noise out of place could bring them to full alert status. I sighed and took my gun off my back, shouldering it and leaning against the doorway. I looked out into the vast battlefield that had been created in front of the base, wreckage and some bodies still present. The trees behind the clearing were dark in the moonlight. I sighed again. This is going to be a long night.

 Chapter 26

    Kyle''s POV


    I woke up to the first streaks of dawn filtering in through the dew-covered half window of the room. I yawned refreshingly at the good night''s sleep and swung my legs over the edge of the bed as I sat up, my eyes still a bit blurry. I lifted my arms over my head, stretching out my muscles that were cramped from me sleeping in my armor. I looked across at the other bunks to see everyone else either getting up or already awake and subconsciously reached for my rifle.


    My hand grabbed air.


    What! I looked at the floor and behind the bunk to see if it fell off but it wasn''t there. "Guys! Someone stole my rifle!" I said, frantically jumping down from the top bunk and searching Grey''s bed too.


    I turned around, combing my hands through my hair exasperatingly as I looked around the room and saw them staring at me. "What? Come on help me find it! We need to report this!" They all had their helmets off and I could see Smith concealing a smile. I quickly walked over and searched the other beds.


    "This isn''t funny, someone snuck past us and..." I paused. Wait a minute, Smith was keeping watch last. I whipped around.


    "Where is it." I asked him, folding my arms angrily. He laughed out loud and Grey joined him. The others were smiling. "Very funny, now give it back." I held out my hand. Smith pulled out one arm that had been tucked behind him the whole time and handed it over. I looked it over and paused. "Oh that''s great, very funny." I said sarcastically.


    Smith had painted the entire dang rifle a bright girly pink intermittent with crude bows. He had even modified a small scope on to it as well. I looked down the scope at the crosshairs pattern. Instead of the normal circle or x-marker, the target dot had a small heart encircling it. There were snickers the whole time I had turned away from them to inspect Scott''s ''handiwork''. I turned back, holding the bright pink gun standard at-ease position with my orange and blue enforcer armor still on. They all burst out laughing.


    I stomped towards Smith and he choked out between fits of laughter, "Grey helped me do it!" I ran at him and he ducked behind Henderson, still laughing. I ran around Henderson and cornered him. The team stepped in and held me back, the laughter wearing off but still smiling. Smith chuckled a few more times.


    "Come on man, now I have to repaint it, I''ll be spotted a mile away." I said, arresting my attempts to kick him for his prank and picking up the rifle from where I had tossed on the bed with disgust. Henderson grabbed his own rifle as he checked the time. "Come on guys, now that we''ve had our fun we have to go on patrol with Whom I have found is officially classified as White team." Fancy I thought. "We will start patrol while Kyle cleans up his rifle. And forget the scope, just make the rest of it combat fit." He said to me. My shoulders sagged and I nodded. Man.


    "Speaking of names, we are officially classified as a Fireteam so we earned the name Fireteam Prime. You will respond and identify as this name. We have a lot of ground to cover so move out Prime." He said. I grabbed the rifle and made my way towards the armory. They headed the opposite way to where White team was waiting, but stopped and ducked into a room for a moment before coming back out. Something was said and they all nodded.


    I walked around the corner grumbling, "Stupid Smith."


    ______________________


    Steele''s POV


    I looked up from cleaning my rifle as the first streaks of dawn started to show above the horizon. White Team had been up for an hour or two already and were ready to leave on patrol as soon as the others were ready as we had eaten already. I dimly heard the sounds of Fireteam Prime awakening in the quiet morning air. I guess their watch didn''t want to wake them up. We usually automatically woke up at 0500 hours now, a habit from training.


    I heard quiet whispers through the door thanks to my improved hearing, catching a few words. "Kyle...Employer...stick to the plan..." The whispers cut off as I heard someone else wake up. The rest of my team started to get up from their positions, only noticing that Fireteam Prime was awake from their laughter at something since their hearing wasn''t as sensitive as mine.


    I rose to my feet quickly, sliding my magazine into my assault rifle with a satisfying click! I put it on my back and said, "Let''s go." they nodded and we walked out of the tower, a guard standing at the bottom looking at us with awe as we came down for him to replace us. I always thought it was strange and a bit uncomfortable that people thought we were so much different than they were or some big heroes. We just want to do our job, we earn no more merit than they do.


    We spread out just next to the door, my team waiting behind and beside me for the other team to report. After a few minutes Henderson came out with Prime, all except Kyle. "Commander Henderson. Where is Spartan 324?" I asked.


    "He needs to clean up an incident with his rifle. He will be with us shortly so we will start without him." He replied casually. I grimaced. One thing I remembered from training was Never leave a man behind. A soldier left is a bullet to the chest. However, he was their commander so the matter was out of my hands.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He watched my physical responses closely and I stilled, returning the gaze. Something wasn''t right. "Let''s move then." I said and we walked in rows of two out of the base, immediately taking out our rifles as soon as we passed the fence, me on point with their soldiers named Rogers and Grey. I placed a muffler on my rifle and scouted the forest, now at about 200 feet away from the fence-line. We walked over the after-math of the battle, abandoned weapons, pieces of warthogs and tanks, and a smoldering banshee.


    There was a quiet crack! ahead and I signaled the teams to stop and take cover. My motion tracker detected a small group of blips half a klik ahead. We quietly moved into the brush, my team up front barely making a sound and the others too far back to matter. I enabled my helmet zoom and looked ahead, scanning where the tracker was indicating.


    There was a flash of purple as light reflected off of a grunt''s methane tank and I zoomed in on him. He was accompanied by one of the bird like walking creatures of the Jackals. His sniper rifle and standard round electric shield with a small indent for shooting were both down in a relaxed position. I signaled Scott to come up and he army-crawled next to me. I pointed at the jackal and signaled him to take it out with his sniper. I gave him my muffler and grabbed an extra, aiming at the grunt. The two teams watched us with interest. I held up my hand and counted off. 3...2....1! I closed my hand and we fired simultaneously. There was a small sound of escaping air and the grunt and the jackal dropped. We stayed completely quiet for a moment. No alarm had been raised.


    I signaled the team to rise... but then there was a sudden blip on my motion tracker and there was the sound of a bush rustling behind us. We all simultaneously drew our weapons and pointed them at the emerging figure. Kyle dropped his newly camouflaged gun and raised his hands in surprise. "It''s just me guys." We lowered our weapons. He picked up his gun up from where it had fallen, brushing off the dust. "Took you long enough." Henderson remarked and Kyle grumbled a little. "Not my fault it was a thick layer of pink." I smiled and we continued on our rout with no further encounters. We walked back into the base, another team of about 20 relieving us.


    "Awfully quiet for after a battle don''t you think?" Selina remarked. I nodded grimly, "Somethings up." I replied and we headed to lunch. Commander Henderson came up next to me, "What do you think the covenant could be doing? It''s not like them to go quietly."


    "I don''t know, but it can''t be good. They must be gathering." I said.


    "I''ll contact the other squads to see if they''ve experienced similar events."


    I nodded. "Report back to me. As of now I have to report to the Sergeant Major." I said, and finished my meal quickly, standing up and walking to the Major''s office. I walked in, the doors closing behind me. "Sergeant Major, First Class Petty Officer Steele reporting." I said, saluting.


    He was speaking with another commander. He turned and gestured for the other commander to leave. I stepped aside for him to pass and began as soon as I heard the doors close. "Sir, as expected there was minimal covenant activity. We only encountered a jackal and a grunt. I think they are planning something."


    He nodded. "How far did you patrol?"


    "Past the farthest outpost about a mile. Well into what should have been enemy grounds."


    "We feared this. Usually this can only mean one thing. A glassing is imminent. The only other thing I could think of since we haven''t detected any slipspace ruptures yet would be that they are gathering for one focused attack. Both are not good. We have to evacuate all of the largely inhabited areas of the planet. I will notify the other outposts immediately. You are in charge of civilian protection at the large city of Redemption. I will prep a pelican immediately for White team and Fireteam Prime''s transport." He said. I nodded.


    "Also, Seeing as you will be spending a lot of time with civilians and other people and your recent successes in battles. I''ve decided to go against protocol and promote you once again. All of the standards could be counted as fulfilled and since I am the highest ranking officer it is within my authority. You are hereby promoted to the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer. People will refer to you as Chief, Senior Chief, or Senior. You are dismissed Chief."


    I stood there for a moment, temporarily stunned before remembering I was still in the presence of a Sergeant Major. "Uh, thank you sir." I said, saluting and walking out the door. That was unexpected. I walked back to where the teams were gathering after lunch. Selina approached me. "How did it go?"


    "We have new orders to protect evacuating citizens of the city Redemption. A pelican is being prepped immediately. I was promoted as well." I said. She widened her eyes. "That''s great. What to?"


    "Senior Chief Petty Officer." Now my whole team was surprised. "Really? Wow, that''s a huge honor." Kade said. I nodded. "It is, but we need to get moving. The Major thinks the covenant are planning either a focused attack or a glassing. Grab your equipment and let''s get the the hangar."


    They ran back to their seats and grabbed helmets and weapons. We marched to the hangar. I stood in the entrance, the teams stopping behind me. I found our pelican, the second closest. We hurried to it and ran up the ramp inside. The door closed and we heard the pilot call back, "All clear!" before the ramp closed. The pelican rose off the ground and shot out of the hangar, Fort Cause shrinking from view at a rapid rate out the window. I doubt we will ever see that place again.


    There were footsteps from the cockpit. I looked up. To my surprise it was Commander Silas walking out. "Sir?" I asked. He waved me down as I started to rise and I sat. "Yeah, I know, not protocol to have a Commander escorting Spartans. I just wanted to wish you luck and this was the only way to talk to you privately before you left."


    "Thank you sir."


    "Don''t mention it. Just stay safe. A lot of people are going to be depending on you and your team. I have to stay in the cockpit so good luck to you and goodbye."


    "We make our own luck, but thank you sir."


    He nodded and turned, stepping up into the cockpit. The pilot called back again. "ETA 30 seconds"


    "Alright, let''s get ready to drop. We are being let out about 20 feet off the ground so roll when you hit the ground." The pilot called back an all clear. "Secure your weapons. Light''s green." I said and hit the button to open the hatch.


    Then we jumped.

 Chapter 27

    Steele''s POV


    I hit the ground and crouched as I did so to absorb the shock. There were multiple thuds behind me as my team landed similarly and as Fireteam Prime rolled. We had been dropped smack in the middle of a park. There were five exit streets around us in a star shape, the park surrounded by a large round-a-bout. Several Pelicans were parked on one of the streets the furthest away from the Covenant ships, awaiting evacuees. There were people running and evacuating all around us, some pointing in fear at us as the two teams came together. "Spread out and watch out for Covenant but stick near your teams. Use the private COMs to tell us if you spot anything or need help." I ordered and turned to Scott as they spread out towards the edges of the park. "I need you on sniper duty. Climb a building and scout ahead of us."


    "Got it." He nodded and sprinted towards a building, hooking his hands on the first balcony before jumping up, repeating the move with each floor. He made scaling a skyscraper look easy. I turned to Selina and Kade. "You two head down that street." I pointed to the one opposite of where part of Fireteam prime had gone. The other three had headed one street to the left of it. "I''ll take the one between you guys and Fireteam prime. Scott''s keeping a watch on the last street where the citizens are evacuating to." Selina nodded and pulled out her battle rifle. Kade loaded his light machine gun, aka the SAW (squad automatic weapon) and hooked the gravity hammer on his back that he had picked up earlier. I turned on the team com. "Once you all patrol your streets a few blocks, sweep back towards the evacuating area by the same route. Avoid getting the attention of the Covenant, keeping the people of Redemption safe is our top priority." I relayed. At this I was met with multiple affirmation lights on my HUD. I jogged into my street, holding my rifle against my chest with the barrel towards the ground, ready for combat at a moments notice but without potentially endangering anyone. I swung my head back and forth, looking for people left behind or Covenant.


    Then a few minutes along I heard a trash can bang on the ground, noisily rolling to a stop against a wall. I looked sharply towards the source of the disturbance and saw a little girl of about 6 years old quickly crouch in the shadows of a shop corner, whimpering. I put my gun on my back and walked across the street to where she was huddled. She whimpered and drew back. I paused at her reaction. I must look like a death machine to her, I thought.


    "Hey, I''m not going to hurt you. I need to get you out of here." I said and kneeled on one knee a few feet away, one hand on my knee and the other outstretched to her. She un-curled a little, watching me warily. I quickly took off my glove to show her I was human and stretched my hand out a little farther. She stood up and walked over, shyly accepting my hand.


    I smiled in my helmet and stood up, bending over a little to keep from lifting her off the ground. I quickly withdrew my hand and replaced my glove before holding hers again.


    I led her as quickly as I could back to the circle and knelt down to her. "Ok, I need you to run down that road there," I pointed to the road where people were evacuating, "and don''t stop until you get to other men like me. Do exactly what they say." She looked up at me and quietly nodded. "Now go, and don''t look back until you get to that ship." I said.


    She nodded again and I let go. I watched her run down the street before turning back and walking towards the middle of the park.


    "Scott, you have anything?" I asked through the COM.


    "Negative, and almost all civilians are on transports. They will be leaving in 3 minutes."


    "Okay, tell the others to hurry and loop back."


    "On it."


    I started running down the street I had just been on, pointing a few straggling civilians to the transports along the way as time began to run out to evacuate. Then I finally reached a block where it seemed no one was left.


    I was about to turn around when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a plasma grenade sailing through the air towards me. I did a backflip away from it, barely avoiding it sticking to my leg, ducking immediately as shards and gravel from the explosion soared over my head. I returned fire at the grunt, now running back towards the center as I shot behind me. "Contact!" I yelled in the COM.


    "I see them, it seems like just a few straggling Covenant that were left behind. There''s no coordination." Scott said. I flashed my acknowledgement light and tossed a grenade at an Elite who had come at the sound of the grenade, the explosion killing it instantly.


    I reached the circle again, spotting Henderson, Grey, and Rogers. Scott had jumped from the tower, firing at the covenant on the way down and slowing his descent with his thrusters.


    Selina and Kade appeared as well, only Kyle, Smith, and Strang were missing. "Where''s Kyle''s group?" I asked.


    "Something''s jamming the coms in their area. I can''t get through." Kade said, cursing under his breath. "We have to get them. We can''t leave them behind."


    "Alright, Selin.." I started, then stopped as the loud humming of a ship filled the air. There was a blindingly bright light as a Covenant ship descended from just above the clouds and the beam on the bottom of it''s hull started charging. We shielded our faces as it fired, a brighter beam of light striking the city a few miles down Kyle''s route.


    The Glassing had begun.


    I shook my head and sadly watched the destruction for a moment. "No." Selina breathed, frozen and staring at the ship.


    I snapped them out of their daze and said, "Alright, new plan. You guys go to the shuttles. I''ll go help Kyle and his group get back. Hold the shuttles until I tell you to leave."


    "No, we are going with you." Kade said, stepping forward.


    I shook my head. "I can''t risk any of you coming. Protect the civilians. Now go to the shuttles, that''s an order. You too Henderson." I said.


    He had opened his mouth to speak but now closed it, nodding. I turned to leave. "Steele, stay safe." I heard Selina say. I paused, looking back over my shoulder, "I will." I started running down that street at nearly top speed. I heard them wait for a second and then start running in the opposite direction. This is either the stupidest idea ever, or the bravest.


    I was down two blocks when a second ship appeared, burning near where the route I had scouted earlier. I grimaced and ran faster. The beam from the first ship was closer now, I didn''t have much time. Then I saw them a few blocks away. Kyle was being dragged by Strang and Smith. His head was lolling to the side limply. There was a dent in his helmet and a gash on his inner thigh and side.


    I sprinted at top speed now. I could see the glassing a few blocks down and speeding closer. They looked up and saw me running, waving and pulling him faster. I slid beside them and pulled Kyle over my shoulders. "Come on, run!" I shouted over the glassing and ran at my top speed. Smith and Strang were barely keeping up, sprinting just a bit behind me. Their heavy breathing was loud enough to be heard over the high pitched energy beam as it seemed to chase us.


    We burst out into the circle. The glassing following as soon as we crossed it and ran down the other street. It was catching up. I could see the evac ships now, only one hadn''t taken off. Selina was waving for us to hurry. My legs were burning with carrying Kyle and running at top speed. Strang and Smith weren''t doing much better. I could feel the heat through my suit.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Take off now!" I shouted over the com. She nodded and told someone something and the ship rose slowly. I jumped, shoving Kyle on and catching the edge with one hand. I turned, reaching for Smith''s hand. They had fallen a ways behind, the glass practically touching their heels.


    The Pelican was rising higher. I stretched. "Hurry!" I shouted. Smith and Strang jumped, reaching for mine and Selina''s hands, Selina having seen them fall behind and reached down with me, Kade holding her steady.


    The tips of our fingers touched... then slipped.


    Smith tried grabbing my leg as he fell, but the smooth metal offered little grip and the glassing crashed over them, rolling through and sweeping them away. They disappeared into the white, their yells abruptly cut off. I cried out as it super heated my legs, my suit barely holding out. The craft shot off into the sky, away from what was left of the city. I was pulled onboard and set down carefully onto a seat.


    I slammed my fist onto the metal seat in anger and sorrow. I put my helmet in my hands and silently shook with sorrow. I had just watched two good men die, for nothing. No goodbyes, no last words, no reason for them to die except that I wasn''t able to catch them. I looked at the floor, surprised to see my vision was blurry with unshed tears. The floor was harsh and bare. I didn''t dare look up. I didn''t want to do anything, I couldn''t think of anything to do at the moment anyway. Looking over slightly at the boots and shoes of the people wearing them lining the back, I found myself searching and failing to find their boots among them, and there was even an empty spot where they would have sat. No more laughing or joking around, it was deathly silent, the only sound coming from the hum of the Pelican''s engines. I shifted my arms and hung my head lower, but the darkness only let me see the last moments I had of them, and that I had been able to even see Smith''s eyes through his helmet, illuminated by the sun as he jumped, trusting and confident, and then the instant horror and despair as he fell and cried out in pain.


    After what seemed like an insufferably long time, I finally looked up and around the Pelican at both teams. Selina was looking down slightly at the helmet in her hands, a single tear rolling down her face. What was left of Fireteam Prime was hunched over, Henderson stone-faced and treating Kyle''s leg gash. I took a deep breath, ashamed of my failure and my outburst. It was as if Grayson and Sift had died all over again. I looked over at Kyle, glimpsing passing mountains out the window above him as we headed to wherever was safe. I looked out my window at where Fort Cause should have been. There was only smoldering and roughly glassed landscape. I can only hope they made it out and took Sift with them. My team were all still staring silently at the floor. I looked slowly around the room only to see sad and despairing faces of the people who had just lost everything. I saw the little girl from earlier and she gave me a short smile. I had forgotten they were here as they were impossibly quiet, not a cough or whisper among them. I lifted my hand to wave and saw someone next to her recoil. They probably had been scared when I slammed my fist. I set my hand down gently and hunched over gloomily.


    All I could think of was why? Why''d they have to go like that? Why didn''t I call to take off a few seconds later? Why didn''t I reach out farther? My guilt laid heavily on me and I looked back down at the floor.


    Coughing brought me back to the present as Kyle rolled on his side, trying to get up. Henderson held him back. "Hold on there. You need to sit still, I haven''t applied the rest of the biofoam. You also had a nasty hit to the head." Kyle nodded and laid back, letting out a little noise of pain. "Wait, where''s Smith and Strang?" He said, holding his side and looking around the room at us and the civilians. Everyone lowered their heads, I looked away and Henderson looked down. He looked at everyone''s reactions. "What?" I looked back, taking responsibility as the leader and the culprit, and cleared my throat. He turned his attention to me, confused and worried. "I''m sorry Kyle..." His face fell. "they got caught in the glassing. I couldn''t save them." I said softly, lowering my head at the last words. He laid back, his face consumed by sorrow. He closed his eyes in utter despair. "We were just beginning to get along..." He trailed off and rolled over, not making another sound.


    I looked down in shame. As I did I just began to notice the pain in my legs. I stifled a gasp as they stung, radiating heat from the hidden burns that my armor had failed to protect them from. I could see no physical change to my armor, maybe some discoloration but that was it. My HUD showed no system damage, but it did show that my legs had an equal share of first, second, and third degree burns. I numbly remembered my armor''s healing unit. I activated it, my legs cooling as it did it''s job. I breathed a little easier, but my pain was nothing compared to what had been caused here, mainly by me.


    The Pelican shook and the Pilot called back briefly, "We are here." and we felt the Pelican shake as he set it down and the doors opened. The Civilians in the craft emptied quickly, still completely silent until they got a ways away from the ramp. I slowly got up, the pain in my legs flaring up, but I ignored it. I didn''t deserve sympathy or relief, and it was the least I could do to put the other''s needs before mine.


    Henderson helped Kyle up, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and Kyle put his helmet back on. We walked out into the sunshine and our HUDs adjusted. I checked my map and saw that we had landed at a temporary disaster-relief site farther north on the planet. Kyle let out a strangled cry as he tried to put weight on his leg and side and passed out again. I took his arm from Henderson and simply carried the small Spartan. Everyone was silent as we walked Kyle to the medic tent. They admitted him immediately and the two teams sat or stood outside as we awaited word. I stood, watching the civilians mill about, looking for family, friends, and food. I wasn''t hungry.


    A medic came out. We all turned towards them and Rogers, who had sat, stood up next to the Medic. "Well we think he''s going to be ok. We have his leg stitched up and wrapped his side as well. His helmet took most of the blow so it''s only a minor concussion, though there could be some lasting damage. We gave him a new undersuit so he''s all ready for combat, but in his current state I would not suggest it. We''ll put the rest of his armor on for now since we are still not entirely safe from the Covenant here, but he''s still unconscious and he''ll need a while to rest before he wakes up. He doesn''t have the same healing ability as you other Spartans." He said. Rogers sighed and they all relaxed. The medic went back in. I tried to be happy for him but the deaths of Strang and Smith still rested heavily on my mind and I simply turned away again.


    The medic came back out and looked around at us, noticing sharply my heat-scarred armor on my legs. In the sunlight you could now see that the colors on the metal had shifted and some was even burnt off. "Sir, please come with me, we need to look at that." he said. The rest of the team looked over to see what he was talking about and saw my legs. I shook my head, "I''m fine." I told the medic. "There are others who need your help more than me. The medic frowned, "Sir, there is no one else who I could be treating right now who''s combat-readiness is more important than yours."


    I sighed and looked over at my team. "Chief, go." Selina said. I nodded and went into the tent with the medic.


    I ducked through the door, passing a closed curtain where I assume Kyle was. They gently took off all of my leg armor and started peeling away my under-suit on my legs. "Well I can''t identify any melting of the skin with the suit so that''s good so far." The medic said. I nodded. They peeled away the rest of the suit and I refrained from making a sound, even when they accidentally touched my blistered skin. "Well it seems you have mild 3rd degree burns on your ankles and feet, and 2nd degree burns from your shins to your knees, the rest are harmless 1st degree burns. We''ll put some cream on them and wrap your feet, but your suit did most of the job already. " the medic said, pulling out the items. I nodded. My legs had still been radiating heat even with the relief from my armor''s healing system, but as soon as he put the salve on, it practically disappeared. They wrapped my ankles after treating them and fixed my under-suit. They re-suited me up in my armor and put away their supplies. "Well you are good to go Senior Chief. Just leave them alone and they should be healed in a few days. Your healing trait does speed the process up a lot though so it could be sooner. Take that wrap off in a day or two."


    I nodded. I couldn''t trust myself to talk without my voice cracking. The time they had taken suiting me up had allowed my mind to think back to their faces, the look they gave me when they realized I couldn''t save them. Each moment was burned crystal clear into my memory. I numbly accepted some cream he gave me and placed it in one of my suit compartments. I stepped out into the sunshine, a bit dazed at the bright light. Selina had been pacing and stopped as I exited. "You good?" she asked carefully. I nodded, and swallowed, "We will leave Kyle here with Smith, but we still have civilians to protect. We need to get them on the larger shuttles as fast as we can and we follow in a Pelican after everyone has been evacuated. There are a few large bases left that can accept them more long-term and most are being evacuated to the Frigate Henderson''s Fireteam arrived in. But only after everyone is gone from this area will we leave." I said. They nodded solemnly.


    I turned and looked around the busy camp, the different ships arriving and leaving constantly. I couldn''t protect Smith and Strang, but I will make sure to honor their memory by getting everyone to safety. I will keep fighting and protect humanity, even to my last breath.

 End of Part 1 - Part II: Prologue

    So you may have noticed I posted the chapter intended for today yesterday, but I am actually glad I did so because I realized that Chapter 28 is the end of Part 1, or the chapter at which I had originally thought I wanted to be the end of Book 1 when I first wrote it.


    I decided after writing the next few chapters after this to simply continue with the first book instead of going onto a second, but this does mean that we have reached the halfway point of the book! I know, it came up so quickly!! It seems like just yesterday I published the first chapter. I appreciate everyone who has engaged and stayed with me so far, and I thank you for the 4,000 reads and 20 followers, 10 favorites, and 3 ratings/4.83 stars! Specifically I also want to thank Draconian Kin and Silent Rain for being active commenters! As for my followers, unfortunately I can''t see your names or I would include them :)


    Also, don''t worry, this isn''t the announcement of a hiatus, I will continue posting chapters regularly and you can expect the next one next week at the normal time. I hope you guys will continue to read along and that I can continue to entertain you all!


    _________________________________


    Part II: Prologue


    The last Pelican left, taking with it the rest of the Civilians off to the same Frigate that had brought Kyle here not so long ago. My team packed up the last extra supplies from the hangar, clipping on ammo and anything they could carry without hindering themselves. I looked out at the Covenant ship coming increasingly closer. My team walked up, weapons on their backs, each nodding that they were ready. "Let''s go." I said, and we ran out of the base, accelerating to our top speed. I led them towards the trees east of where the ship was coming in towards the base. Soon as we passed the first layer of trees we heard a terrible crumbling and burning sound. I looked behind myself and saw what I had expected, the facility was being glassed. I looked away and we continued to run, the ground a blur, darting around obstacles until we were about 15 miles away. I slowed down as we reached the edge of the forest, the others following suit. I paused near a large hill and slowly walked up it to see what had been done. I reached the top and stopped.


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    I stood there silently and watched as yet another evacuated facility become a wasteland of molten rock.


    I ran my thumb over the ridge of the energy sword I was holding, then lowered my hand and placed it on my thigh. I heard footsteps as Selina, Kade, and Scott walked up behind me. I turned my head slightly to signal them that I had heard but kept my eyes on the destruction unfolding in the distance. "We''ll find him Steele. And whoever did this will pay along with the Covenant, you have our word on that." She said, resting a gloved hand on my shoulder in a rare show of comfort, leaving it for a moment before she lowered it. I nodded, clenching my fists.


    "Chief, we have company." Kade said. I turned and looked up to where he was pointing. A covenant ship was lowering through the clouds not too far away as it''s beam charged and fired. They turned to leave, jogging back down. I looked back at the facility for a moment. Then I turned and ran down the hill to join my team. We dodged rocks, jumping over logs and forgotten Covenant, heading towards our next clue. I clenched the dog tags in my left hand, grimacing. Whoever you are, get ready, because we are coming, and we will find you.

 Chapter 28

    Steele''s POV


    I cradled an injured woman in my arms as I ran as carefully and fast as I could to a medic tent. She had gotten her leg caught between some rocks while running from the residual Covenant forces and had been shot multiple times in the back with a needler. Luckily the needles were few and far apart enough to have not exploded, and none had caused any immediately fatal wounds. I held her back up gently with my right hand between two needles, using only my fingertips so I wouldn''t touch or move them and cause her pain or further injury.


    I hurried through the flap of the tent and a medic came up to me upon seeing the patient. "What should I do with her?" I asked. "Place her on her side over on this bed. We don''t want those needles to move anymore than they have already." He instructed me, pointing to an empty cot. I walked over and carefully laid her on her side. She groaned as the movement tugged against the needles a bit, but said, "Thank you." I nodded. Just then a little girl rushed in who was gasping for breath, looked around, looked at the woman, and ran over. "Mom!" She yelled and hugged the front of the woman, being careful of the needles. Tears streamed down both of their faces and the girl buried her face in the woman''s neck, crying. Medics came over to assist the woman and I looked away and walked out, partially for their privacy but also because it reminded me sharply of my failure to save Team Prime''s Spartans. I walked out the flaps into the sunlight, my visor adjusting for the brightness, going back to my section of the surrounding area and continuing to patrol.


    I had brought one last person in and went back out for a bit again before I called in to my team. "White team, report." There was some static and I looked around the vast field, scattered with vehicle remains and Covenant. "Selina reporting, all remaining survivors picked up, area clear." I walked towards the base. "Good, report back to base." There was an acknowledgement light. "Scott reporting in. No more survivors, area clear, all covenant dead. Wait..." There was the sound of a gunshot. "Now all covenant dead." A few more gunshots sounded.


    Selina tuned in, "A little overkill?" There was a short laugh from Scott, "Can''t be too careful right?" There was a humorous tone in his voice. I smiled briefly, "Report back to base." He also flashed his acknowledgement light. "Kade reporting in, no more survivors, area clear." Kade said shortly.


    "Report back to base."


    He flashed his light.


    "Alright, we will meet up and prep for evac. Senior Chief out." I said and jogged out of the clearing through the trees. I jumped over a warthog and practically bounced and the mossy ground. It felt good to run without worrying about carrying someone. I came out of the trees after a few miles into the half empty refugee camp and found the team gathered near the middle, looking around for me. They spotted me as I approached and Selina pointed me out to them. I walked up to everyone and said, "Ok, let''s join up with Fireteam prime, grab Kyle, and go." They nodded. I switched channels to our coms with Henderson''s team. "Fireteam Prime come in, this is Senior Chief of White team. Over." We waited for a moment. When they didn''t reply I repeated, "Fireteam Prime come in, this is Sierra one-one-eight of White team. Over." We waited. Still no response.


    "That''s odd." Selina commented. "Do you think they turned off their coms accidentally?" I shook my head. "Not all of them. Maybe something''s jamming them. Let''s grab Kyle and figure it out after we''ve secured him." I said. They nodded and we walked towards the tent off to the side that he had been recovering in. The medics had said they would keep him until specifically White team arrived to take him to the Pelican. I pushed the tent flap aside and walked in, my team following. I looked for the medic who normally watched the front area and began to say "We are here to pic..." before I trailed off. Something wasn''t right. I walked into the section Kyle had been in and walked straight towards his cot, immediately noticing the torn curtain. The team came in and Selina gasped. The tables near the cot were overturned and one was crumpled against a wall. The cot had tipped to one side and there were scratch marks from armor scraping against the wall and floor. A few stray bullet shots had hit the ground and there was a similarly-sized hole in the fabric ceiling. An empty syringe was broken on the floor, it''s fluids mostly dried. Another empty one lay near the first. There were two deep scratches leading to the back, presumably from someone being dragged.


    I looked around and saw the medic to one side near the entrance. He had presumably been thrown and knocked unconscious. I first felt for a pulse, and, finding one, shook him. When he didn''t wake up I asked Selina, "Grab some smelling salts on that tray over there." I pointed to the other room. She grabbed them and hurried over. I waved the vial underneath the medic''s nose and gave them back as the medic started coughing. I let him cough a bit and when he stopped I helped him sit up. "What happened here? Where''s Kyle?" I asked. He looked up at me, "I don''t know. All I know is that he was resting after we put his armor back on and patched his under-suit. Some Spartans dressed like you, I think three of them, came in. I told them they couldn''t come in because I was ordered to only let you guys in. They insisted and when I said no again, one of them that seemed to be the leader picked me up by my coat and threw me against the wall. I started to reach for the alarm but the girl punched me, and I don''t remember anything after that. Last thing I saw was the other two talking to Kyle and Kyle seemed alarmed. That''s it." He said, shrugging and rubbing the back of his head as he winced. I nodded, "Thank you." I helped him stand up. I walked back to my team who had been listening intently. Selina stepped forward, "Think it was them? Fireteam Prime?" I nodded, "All the clues add up, I don''t know why they would need or have to abduct their own teammate, but I''m guessing they gave him a chance to come quietly and he resisted so they tried to drug him with the syringes on the floor. Then they probably tried to drag him off the bed and there was a bit of a fight including him trying to shoot them but his shots were re-directed. They wouldn''t have been the ones to fire as they wouldn''t have bothered with the sedative if they wanted him dead. Then they probably finally drugged him and dragged him away. Recently too by the state if the liquid on the floor." I shouldered my rifle, "We can find out why later. Let''s see if those tracks lead anywhere." I said.


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    They nodded and we walked out through the back where it had been slit open. Now we could see very faint tracks from the three others. Rogers'' smaller tracks were walking backwards alongside presumably Grey''s. Then the tracks abruptly stopped a slightly deeper dent where he had been lifted up. I sighed and surveyed the area briefly. "Spread out and look for clues." I told them. Kade looked around the large grassy area behind the tent, looking at large indents in the ground. "Senior, over here." Kade called. I walked over. "What?" I asked. "Here," he pointed at the indents, "They took a pelican." I nodded, "and?"


    "Judging from these indents, it was an older model pelican that doesn''t have enough power left to leave the atmosphere, which means they are still on Atrius. And," he pointed to a large stain in the grass, "They are leaking fuel, that means they can''t be far away, they will have to refuel soon. Since it hasn''t been that long and they can''t have gone too far..."


    "They can be tracked. We need to get to a computer hooked up to Atrius'' vehicle database now." I said, "White team, re-group, we need access to a computer." I ordered. Scott and Selina came back to the group and we jogged towards the main facility building.


    I ran up to the building entrance and pulled on the door... It was locked. No one was left to open it. It wasn''t reinforced though. I backed up. The team gave me some space as I ran up to it and kicked it open, barely landing upright. The door flew open and inwards, dented so much it was almost unrecognizable. My team rushed forwards and into the doorway, scouting it just in case. I pulled out my assault rifle and signaled them to move forward. We proceeded in a defensive formation until we reached the control center. I watched their backs as I signaled them to go in. I locked the door behind us and walked over to where Scott was logging in to the computer. Kade told him the Pelican model and Scott typed it in. A map came up with a small red dot on it that marked the Pelican''s location. "It says here it''s at a base called Fort David. They checked in not too long ago, but only Henderson was listed in the roster. It says they''ve almost refueled." Scott said, clicking through the records. "We better be on our way then, we need to get to the ship now." I said. Scott exited out of the database and hopped up. We sped through the hallways, out the same way we came in. The Pelican was still where we left it and I ran up the ramp into the cockpit, handing my assault rifle off to Selina and sitting in the chair that had been modified specifically to fit Spartan armor so that I could strap into the seat securely if I had to take evasive maneuvers. The team sat in the back, strapping in, and I fired up the engine. I closed the ramp and checked all the controls. When I was satisfied I pulled up on the throttle and the pelican rose. I set a course in my helmet for Fort David and turned the Pelican in that direction before slowly rising away from the base, moving forwards and gaining speed until the Pelican reached a comfortable speed. We flew silently and I listened to the varied distress calls over the radio, grimacing as a few disappeared into static.


    We finally got closer to the base and I flew near the tree tops. Then the trees opened up to reveal one of the last of the large military bases combined with a refueling station of Fort David. I checked for clearance to land as we approached and, receiving it, maneuvered to the spacecraft section and lowered the Pelican, slowly entering through the hangar into a slot between two other Pelicans. I extended the landing gear and lightly touched down, a shake throughout the Pelican signifying so. I lowered the hatch and unbuckled, walking out of the cockpit over to where my team was waiting. Selina handed me my assault rifle and I said, "Ok, Let''s go." We walked down the ramp out of the Pelican and near the middle of the hangar. "Spread out and look for their pelican, it should be the oldest model here." I commanded. They spread out, Scott looking down the way we just came in case they appeared from there. I drifted near the back of the hangar where the Pelican''s were doubled up, or parked forwards and backwards interchangeably to save space and scanned down the rows. Then I spotted it. "White team, on me." I commanded through the COMs. They jogged back, Scott last after having gone the farthest. "Where?" Selina asked. I pointed to my right a bit, in the row closest to the right end of the hangar entrance. They looked and Kade nodded, confirming the model. I noticed a few soldiers milling about begin to stare at our fully-armed group and whisper to each other. No one dared to approach, but we had to be quick or they could scatter upon hearing of our arrival.


    "So what''s the plan?" Scott asked. "Me and Selina will approach the Pelican. Scott, I want you in a place where you can see the whole hangar floor with ease. If all goes wrong I give you permission to fire on them, but only to disable or hamper. We don''t want any unnecessary casualties." I said. He nodded. "Kade, you will stay back where you can see the entirety of their Pelican and ours. You will be back up." He nodded as well. "Me and Selina will figure out what is going on, and try to settle it quietly while looking for Kyle. If they start to take off I want all of you back to the pelican, Scott, on top of over watch duty, I want you to try to disable the Pelican before it gets off the ground should they start to run. If worse comes to worst and I am injured or killed, fall back and call for help. They would have the home field advantage so it would be unfair and they could easily evade you, but if the Military personal in the base knew that these killed someone or we confirmed the kidnapping of Kyle, they''d have every ship here on their tail. First priority is to attempt to deescalate though, and we don''t want to put any further strain on Atrius''s forces considering the circumstances so that it our last option."


    They nodded solemnly. I signaled Selina to follow me and I walked between the Pelicans, placing my rifle on my back. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Scott heading towards stacks of fuel tanks on the back and Kade hung back a few hundred feet. I approached the pelican. I hope this goes as planned. I thought. We came up to it and I knocked on the hatch. Kade settled out of sight to one side. There was a grinding sound and then the hatch slowly lowered...

 Chapter 29

    The hatch lowered and revealed Henderson helmet-less in his standard-issue Spartan armor standing at the top with his rifle in hand. We stood our ground and waited patiently as he slowly walked down the ramp, his boots making slow resounding thunks! on the old, dented metal. He stepped off the ramp and I saw the muscles of his arm tense tense between the gaps of his shoulder armor, the slight subconscious squeezing of his rifle''s trigger, a small movement of his upper body as he unconsciously leaned away, a twitch near his eyes and mouth as he grimaced reflexively. I tensed carefully, ready for any sudden moves he might make. He stopped just after the ramp, keeping his distance. He smiled and said in a forcefully relaxed tone, "To what do I owe the pleasure? I was aware we would split up after the evacuation. After all, we would be watching from a distance to make sure you had a safe departure and then our mission would be finished." I took a step forward, trying to close the gap without raising alarm. "Respectively so Sir, but we also agreed that Kyle would come with us to recover on the ship, seeing that our Pelican is the only one capable of leaving the atmosphere." He had lost his smile now, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. I continued at his silence, "But Selina here was concerned that you had misheard, and since we needed a refueling as well we decided to come here before re-checking the facility and picking up Kade and Scott." I finished. His face briefly flashed a relieved look before he suppressed it at the sound of Kade and Scott being left behind. "I assure you that you will not find Kyle here, I was in a completely different area with our Pelican, prepping it for take-off. I''m sure he just wanted some fresh air." He replied, flashing another smile.


    I sighed a bit angrily. If he wasn''t going to be honest I''d just have to force him to admit it. "Well then, if that''s the case why did we find your Pelican tracks in the grass near the back of the med tent? We also found Kyle''s medic unconscious with a testimony of how you and your troops forced your way into the tent and drugged Kyle so he would come with you. We found the sedatives and saw the bullet holes, we know it was you." At my words the expression on his face fell and became panicked. I continued "Now, Where. Is. Kyle?" I demanded loudly. Henderson desperately looked back and forth between us for a moment... Then he opened fire.


    I immediately dropped to the ground, bullets whistling above my head. Selina rolled out of the way and behind a crate, returning fire. I looked up to see him running up the ramp with bullets from Selina draining his shield. I ran past her and up after him, but was met by a helmet-less Grey instead at the middle of the ramp. Grey had a knife in his right hand. I looked at it quickly, him looking at my empty hands. He saw the advantage and darted forward, the knife whistling through the air. I blocked his arm and swung at his side, my punch redirected downwards by his left arm. He slashed the knife at my abdomen, left, right, horizontal slash. I blocked the first two and ducked under the slash. I quickly delivered a punch to his stomach. He folded in the middle, holding his abdomen with his left arm and the knife in the right. I raised my fist but a shake made me stop and steady myself. There was the roar of an engine. The Pelican was taking off! Grey smiled and dived at me. I slipped aside lightning fast to my left and punched him to the ground with my left fist. He quickly got up, wiping his lip where it had hit the ground and started bleeding. There were sounds of ricochet as Scott fired on an engine, a small explosion and smoke billowing from one as it was damaged by the sniper rounds. Selina ran towards the ramp but had to roll behind cover almost immediately as Henderson appeared at entrance to the cockpit and fired at her while waiting for the Pelican to go through the start-up sequences. The Pelican shook again as it warmed up and we spread our feet to stabilize. It slowly began to rise.


    I looked towards Henderson and took a step before being tackled by Grey. I hit the ramp hard and we rolled, exchanging short punches as we moved across the ramp. I used the momentum of our roll to slam his knife hand in the ramp, forcing him to let go. The knife slid off the edge. The Pelican was starting to move forward now. I saw Selina run and try to catch onto the edge but she missed as it moved faster. Grey got up quickly and aimed for my head with a punch. I rolled away just in time as his fist hit the metal where my head just was, creating a dent. Kade was running below us now, trying to find a place to board. I saw him climb on something, coiling so he could jump for the edge and swing himself up. I delivered a hard punch to Grey''s face, causing him to stumble near the edge. He was bleeding from his lip and nose now and was unsteady on his feet. I saw Kade jump, aiming for the left edge of the ramp where Grey was. He caught onto the very corner, nearly slipping off, and swung himself below, up and over. He used the momentum to kick Grey, flinging Grey into the side of the Pelican at the top of the ramp and knocking him out. The momentum caused him to slip off though, and he landed in a crouch on a fuel tank below. He flashed his red acknowledgement light showing he was ok and I nodded.


    I ran up the ramp, watching for Rogers. The Pelican was out of the hangar now, slowly gaining speed as it flew higher. I slowed my run and walked down the back rows of seats as I still hadn''t seen Rogers yet. This Pelican was modified so that the back was smaller and had doors for closed spaces. I had to be careful. I pulled out my gun, unable during the fight because of the speed at which it had initiated. I shined the rifle''s under barrel light around the back of the pelican, wind from the open hatch flowing through. There was a small click to my immediate left and Rogers suddenly appeared out of a side door. I turned quickly, firing and draining her shields. She charged me and we exchanged punches at lightning speed. Everything sped up and slowed down as I went into Spartan Time to counter her augmented agility. I blocked them, left, right, left, and when she punched with her right again I whipped my hand out and grabbed it, twisting it so she crumpled in an attempt to relieve the pain.


    I pulled back my arm with my assault rifle to knock her out, but her eyes darted behind me for a second. Too late did I hear the small footsteps behind me over the sound of the howling wind. Grey wrapped his arm around my throat, pulling me away from Rogers. I fell back, surprised for a moment, and dropped my gun. He squeezed tighter, closing off my air, and my training took over. I turned my head slightly so that the part of my helmet covering my chin was above his elbow, and dug it into his softer under-suit padding. He held on for a moment, but as I dug in deeper and it started to pinch his skin, he lightened a bit. I used this to dig in more and I twisted my body away, driving my elbow into his torso. He crumpled and I slipped out. I was a bit confused for a second at his attempt to make me pass out. He had me in a headlock and with his Spartan strength could have snapped my neck right then and there. I''d have to think about that later though. I turned to deal with him but I was met by a kick to the back as Rogers was free from my hold now.


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    I stumbled forward into the side of the pelican. I rolled away as a fist slammed into the metal where my head had been once again. I backed away near the entrance. Grey was pulling his fist away from the wall and Rogers stood in a fighting stance. Grey had dried blood on his nose and he touched his nose, blood staining his glove. He looked a little worse for wear, and was unsteady on his feet still. Looking behind me I saw that the edge was only a few feet away and the Pelican was extremely high in the air now. We were just about on the edge of Atrius''s inner atmosphere. I saw a Pelican rise in the distance back where the base was. It had only been a few minutes and thankfully we weren''t too far from the base yet. I looked back quickly at Grey and Rogers approaching. My rifle was behind them, forgotten and lying on the ground. I still had my pistol. I pulled it out, aiming at Grey and pulling out one of my knives from a side sheath. "Stand down Fireteam Prime." I commanded. "Just hand over Kyle and you can leave."


    Grey spit, "We have a job to do, you should have left it alone while you could."


    "I''ll give you one chance to hand him over." I said, tightening my right hand on the pistol and raising the knife that I had positioned so it was pointed to my left and the blade faced away from me. "And who''s going to stop us?" A new voice questioned. I looked toward the back to see Henderson approaching from the cockpit, his assault rifle in his hands. I pointed the pistol at him. He laughed. "After all, it''s three on one, and your friends can''t board a moving ship." I heard the other Pelican coming closer behind me, but I suddenly advanced, "Then it is a fair fight."


    I charged, kicking a surprised Rogers into Henderson, and shooting Grey''s shield down. Grey realized his predicament and ran at me unsteadily, swinging his fist for my face. I leaned back and then dropped as Henderson fired at me. I put my leg up and pushed Grey up, over, and behind me, forcing Henderson to cease firing. I rolled and hopped up quickly. Rogers went to kick me. I hooked my pistol on my thigh and blocked it, grabbing her leg and throwing her at Henderson. Henderson was knocked off his feet again and Grey approached as they untangled themselves. I swiped at him with knife, aware Rogers and Henderson would recover quickly. He blocked it and surprisingly caught my hand despite his injured state. He twisted the knife out of it, fracturing a finger in the process, and it slid off the Pelican. I punched him hard into the wall... but then Henderson kicked the back of my knee, hard, and stomped down, forcing me to stumble. I felt my leg twist painfully a bit as his boot dug into my armor with the force of his weight behind it. Rogers delivered a blow to my back and I fell to the ground. I got up onto my knees and looked back at them only to be met with a kick from from Grey that sent me rolling painfully to the edge of the ramp. Henderson made a sound of disapproval.


    "No!" I heard Selina shout through the radio. I shook my head, the darkness that had formed at the edges of my vision wavering. I slowly got up, favoring where I had been kicked by Henderson and stood unsteadily for moment before collapsing to one knee again. I saw Henderson approach me and I slowly looked up at him, the scene flashing back to the day I injured my knee during training. I shook my head to clear it. I lashed out, punching him in the stomach. He fell back a few feet onto the ground and Rogers punched my head in response so that I had to steady myself and put my head down to increase blood flow to my head as I fought to stay conscious. I looked up to see a slightly angry Henderson approach again. He had his rifle in the rest position and when Grey raised his arm to punch me again Henderson held him back. "It''s a shame really, no one else has skills like you. You should have left it alone when you could. Goodbye Chief." He said haughtily, doing a mock salute before raising his rifle. Roger stood grimly next to him. I couldn''t react. I was barely conscious as it was. My armor couldn''t protect myself enough.


    Rely on your head, not your armor, my subconscious reminded me as reality slowed a bit. I quickly went through all potential possibilities as fast as I could. Realistically my team''s Pelican was my best choice for getting out of this mess. If only they could somehow catch me. I knew they were back there, but it was likely they wouldn''t be able to catch up in time. I would have to rely on armor-lock to survive the fall. Time sped back up.


    Henderson brought his rifle down and I braced myself as he hit me with the end of the rifle at full force. I grabbed onto Roger''s leg, pulling her off balance in a last ditch effort to try to stay on, but I felt my hand slip as I flew into the open air and everything went dark.


    __________________


    My vision faded in, I saw the Pelican I had just been on high above, another starting to dive after me. The rear hatch of the first was closing. The wind whistled around me as I fell partially headfirst on my back. It faded out.


    It faded in again. I was still on my back. The second Pelican was still diving and the other had disappeared. The other Pelican diving was too slow though, I was too far away. Fighting unconsciousness as I fell, I managed to roll myself into a spread eagle position. I saw my helmet was partially malfunctioning and the stats at the edges were flickering and staticky. I forced my foggy and jumbled mind to think, taking in my situation. My less than optimal physical condition would need to wait for a moment if I was going to survive. The trees were not the far away. I faded out a bit and then, as the trees got closer, fought harder to stay conscious. I would have to slow down if I was going to make it. I turned my self upright with a struggle and engaged my thrusters. The initial engagement jerked my leg and I gritted my teeth as my vision faded a bit. The trees came up on me fast and at an angle. The sound of the second Pelican slowly got louder as it began to catch up to me, but it still wouldn¡¯t make it in time. I left my thrusters on as much as possible with the limited fuel they had, but I still approached the tree tops faster than I would have like. They would help me slow down as they had some give, but it would hurt nonetheless. I curled into a ball and pressurized my hydrostatics to almost the maximum amount, a cushioning layer in my suit so it would protect my organs, and engaged armor lock to immobilize my body. I myself crash through the trunk of the first tree with the force of a missile. The impact was too much for my already fading consciousness. I heard Selina yell something over our coms I didn''t hear as I crashed through the second tree. Everything went black.

 Chapter 30

    My subconsciousness faintly heard the sound of muffled voices as my head was moved slightly and I began to slowly awaken. As my thoughts became a bit clearer, I mentally encouraged myself to wake up and managed to convince my eyes to open. However, when I did my vision was still obscured by a complete lack of light. I was a bit confused but then concluded, my suit must be offline. I twitched a finger to bring my suit online, but nothing happened. Then specs of white slowly entered my view. I shook my head as they began to piece together into larger dots that were mottled with bits of color and realized it wasn''t my suit that was malfunctioning, I was.


    The voices slowly got louder. "chief... Chief... Steele!"


    The white fully took over my vision, my system diagnostics the first thing my eyes were greeted with. My visor then focused on the helmet of Selina standing over me, and further behind her the helmets of Kade and Scott. "Come on, we need to go, I know you''re hurt but we can''t let them escape with Kyle, we''ll lose the signal soon." She said, assuming I was still out and shaking me.


    I put up my hand to let her know that I was awake and nodded at her remark, groaning. My system showed my suit had a blown pressure seal, inevitable with my high velocity impact and the pressurization of my suit. However, with the blown seal I was now unable to go back into a compromised atmosphere without getting it replaced. No space travel for the time being.


    I turned on my side, my muscles and back screaming in pain. I made a muffled grunt, getting into all fours. I put one knee up, pausing for a moment to keep the pain from crippling me. I put my hand on my knee and Selina helped me stand. I almost collapsed but I wouldn''t let myself and I finally stood up. My leg was most likely fractured, my knee had a torn tendon, and I couldn''t even think about what happened to the rest of my body. Pain would have to wait for the moment until we could get moving again. My filters were oozing hydrostatic gel to release some of the pressure, mixed with specs of blood.


    "Are you ok?" Selina said in a voice tinged with worry. I looked at the silent and emotionless visors of Kade and Scott. They were probably shaken after my seemingly fatal fall from near-atmosphere despite their calm fa?ade.


    "I''m fine for now, we need to get moving." I said, taking a few steps unsteadily before getting used to the feeling of walking again and making my way over to where I could see the Pelican.


    They exchanged a few small finger signals and twitches nearly out of sight of my view, and then, with a silent agreement, followed. They had been asking each other about my condition, and felt that I was resilient and If I could walk, I was good enough. I stepped into the clearing where the Pelican was waiting with it''s ramp down. It had security measures built in to prevent theft by anyone other than our squad.


    With a slight limp I boarded, immediately taking a seat on the seat nearest the ramp. I slumped over a bit as I rested against the backing and was breathing heavily as my lungs had taken some damage too. Scott climbed on afterwards and took his seat in the cockpit. Kade and Selina took seats across and beside me. The ramp raised and the Pelican rose, following the faint signal of Fireteam Prime. I opened the two teams rosters, a full list of names coming up. I paused at marking Smith and Strang KIA. Would the MIA rule extend to non-Spartan IIs? I marked them KIA. I doubt there was anyone left to care. They had died honorably and I couldn''t stand the rule anyway. I marked Kyle as POW.


    "Selina, grab me a new pressure seal from the equipment compartment. Kade, track the route Prime has taken so far and try to find where they are headed." I said. They nodded and got on it, Selina nearing the front of the pelican and Kade using his helmet.


    She came back with the seal in her hand and gave it to me. I grabbed a small mechanic kit and twisted around, taking off the old seal. I put the new seal on and made sure it was tight. Selina took the old seal and disposed of it. Now, where was Fireteam Prime? If I could even call them that anymore. "Kade, what do you have?" I asked. He looked over at me and said, "Still looking, but I''m pretty sure a faint signal near Fort Cause is them." Selina looked towards him sharply, "What would they want with Fort Cause? That place is glassed, nothing would be left that they could break through to anyway."


    He shrugged, an extremely hard motion in such complex circuitry and heavy armor as MJOLNIR. This meant he was showing me he was still capable of immediate combat, and that he was requesting to go on a mission to help investigate. Without me.


    I thought for a moment. I didn''t want him to go, it would mean splitting up and last time that happened... But IF they did land, they would bring Kyle with them, and we probably would need to go ground side. Though I couldn''t stand the thought of sitting back while my team saved the person who had come to protect me. They waited for me to respond expectantly. "On one condition. I''m going." They immediately started to protest but stopped mid-word and sat back, remembering that I was the commanding officer.


    I said nothing but instead opened a channel with Scott. "What''s our status?" There was a crackling before he replied. "Closing in, the ship has landed at another facility close to Fort cause, reason unknown." He replied. Why would they land again, it seemed un-strategic. Unless they were trying to get a ship into atmosphere. "Scott, don''t let them land. Fire on their Pelican and aim for their fuel tanks. If we can cripple their reserves then they will have to leave the base but won''t have enough fuel to make it to another. Maybe then we can refuel and keep from drawing this out any further."


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    "Affirmative. And then we can get You fixed up. I''ve looked at your vitals and you will need medical attention before you are ready for combat again." He said. I frowned but said, "Noted." He wasn''t wrong, and ultimately when considering my condition I would indeed need to get fixed up before we battled them in individual combat again, but I didn''t want him to worry about me in the dogfight ahead because I agreed with him.


    There was an exhale of disapproval and he closed the channel. I looked back at Kade and Selina, both of whom had been cleaning their weapons, something I should have done during the down time. "Get ready for a rough flight team, engaging the enemy with ship to ship combat." I said. Selina looked up and nodded, re-assembling her gun lightning fast, Kade followed suit. I quickly disassembled my assault rifle and wiped off the big pieces, re-assembling quickly as well.


    "Target spotted." Scott called back. They pulled the bars down and held on, just in case.


    "Target engaged."


    Then there was the muffled sound of the guns on the sides of our Pelican firing in a steady beat. I risked getting up and walking across the vibrating floor. I opened the door to the cockpit and stood next to Scott, the door closing behind me. I saw the slightly banged-up Pelican ahead some hundred feet below. Currently it was flying erratically, swinging to the left and then back at random intervals.


    The stream of bullets from our Pelican followed, scraping the hull every once in awhile. Scott growled and followed it, trying to get as close to the fuel tank on the back half of the pelican. The landscape flashed below, a base with 2 scout towers and a frigate dock coming into view on the horizon. Scott then fired the chain gun as well, pointing both to opposite sides of the Pelican and then dragging them inwards. No dodging could keep them from getting hit this time.


    The Pelican flew straight for a moment, the bullets closing in on the fuel tanks. However, then it slowed and suddenly flew straight up. Scott dragged the controls upwards after it. I sat down in the co-pilot seat as well and buckled in as I could or would be thrown backwards as we followed. Scott yanked back on the forward thrust lever, stopping our forward path nearly instantaneously.


    I was yanked forward against the harness.


    The Pelican shot straight up. I then was forced backwards and my head banged against the inside of my helmet, my helmet hitting the back of the seat. The ground disappeared and my view was switched to the back hatch of Henderson''s dilapidated Pelican. A piece of damaged rear panel fell from the shaky ship and whipped past our window.


    "Their Pelican can''t leave the atmosphere!" I shouted over the rumbling of the engines and the chain and machine gun. Scott nodded and slowed, his fire still aimed at the fuel tank as Fireteam Prime''s Pelican rolled and rocked back and forth. Then it''s engines cut off. It hovered for a moment with the momentum, and then gravity pulled it back. The falling Pelican came straight for us, turning around and aiming for the ground. Scott swerved as it shot past us, Henderson''s triumphant face flashing by for a moment.


    Scott pulled the throttle again and our own Pelican came to an abrupt halt, metal groaning and the G-forces making me feel dizzy. Then he pushed it forward as we tilted and we flew in a curved path down after them. Scott sped up, pressing us against the chairs so hard that I couldn''t have lifted my head if I wanted to. I felt nauseous but kept my eyes open. The guns had stopped and Scott now had a missile lock on their engine. He fired and it spiraled downwards. The ground was coming up fast. Their flares took it out. He fired again immediately and this time it was a hit.


    Their Pelican shook heavily at the impact, gas and metal flying up at us. They curved into a horizontal line, away from the base. Scott slowed and marked their path, heading towards the base. "Now we can get repairs, we practically lost a flap in that chase. Heading in." Scott said, our descent becoming more vertical and turning towards the closer one. He pinged the base, requesting to land. Soon we landed and disembarked.


    My team walked next to me, making it clear I needed to go to the medical bay by blocking me from turning. I let out an exasperated breath and let them take me. We walked into a hallway at the back of the hangar and two medics with a stretcher approached us. They indicated I get on. I shook my head and said, "I can walk"


    They shrugged and led us to the medical room. My team stopped at the door. I looked back and the door closed, blocking my view. A doctor came up to me. "Now, lay down here and we will see the extent of your injuries."


    I nodded and lay back, my armor pressing against me in a slightly uncomfortable manner. Now that the adrenaline had worn off I could feel pain in my sides, legs, and back. I exhaled as the machine turned on and they scanned me. Once the buzzing had stopped they looked at each other with panicked and worried faces.


    I began to sit up but one, noticing me, hurriedly ran over and pushed me back down. Pushed is a strong word, it was more like, she put her hand on my chest plate and I knew to lay back down, I doubt she would have been able to push me.


    I laid flat and she looked at her data pad. "Well, um, let me just say you have severe wounds. You have torn two ligaments in your knee, fractured your fibula, and have suffered a.. Mild concussion." She said. I looked at her as she paused. "That''s it?"


    "No, I just wanted to give you the short news first. Thanks to your spine protector that is mostly ok but you have broken 4 ribs, suffered moderate to severe contusions, or internal and external bruises, throughout your midsection, and have a surprisingly moderate compression fracture in your lower spine. You also have some kidney damage that is not too severe and a partially collapsed lung. We will have to fix that compression fracture and widen the vertebrae, and fix your knee. Casts and your armor should help with stabilizing. Otherwise you should be able to walk normally after about 2-5 days depending in the success of each."


    I sat there kind of surprised. I didn''t think it was that bad, not with how little pain I felt now compared to everything else, it was probably my suit, lingering adrenaline, and my high pain tolerance that helped it. "When will the procedure begin?" I asked. She looked up from her pad, doctors now milling about and retrieving tools.


    "Oh, right now, we have wounded still coming in from across the planet so we wanted to get you fixed up ASAP." She replied.


    "Ok, just tell my team to track the.. Relatives and make sure they are ok." I hope you guys get the message.


    "I will, Don''t worry, you won''t feel a thing and we have calculated for your fast healing so the sedative won''t wear off until well after we are done." She said, taking a tool from the table. "Now let''s begin."

 Chapter 31

    Scott sat on the edge of the Pelican bouncing his foot, head in hand, waiting for Senior Chief to come back. After a moment he got up abruptly and started pacing, then he growled and sat down again. "When is he going to be back, it''s been two days already!" He said angrily, bouncing his foot again.


    Selina looked up from her work on one of the delicate tablets the people at the station had given them. "Relax Scott, the doctors said he''d be waking up today. He may have better augmentations than we do, but even he needs his rest and time to heal, especially considering he''s still only 16 while we are all 4 years older than him. We aren''t that much different you know." she replied calmly. He grunted and leaned his head on his hand again, staring out at the marines milling around the hangar.


    She watched him for a moment, thinking, and then said, "Hey..."


    He looked over, not moving his head from his hand.


    "why don''t you do something productive if you can''t sit still. You could go see if the Pelican has moved, or try and get an update from the doctors on the status of Senior Chief''s recovery. It''s not good for you to sit around doing nothing when everyone else is busy. Even Kade is doing something." she said.


    Kade had been checking on the status of the ship and modifying a few things, periodically checking in with Selina. Right now he was stocking the ship with weapons and ammo, carrying a large crate up the ramp past Scott.


    He sat for a moment, frowning at how he hadn''t thought of that. Then he grunted and got up, walking towards the desk where two other identical tablets had been placed for the Spartans'' use. He tapped the reinforced glass screen and it slowly lit up to show a 3D image of the UNSC. The logo faded back out disappeared and 5 finger print marks appeared. He placed his hand on them, and after a moment the tablet screen said, Welcome Spartan 283, and opened to the home screen.


    Scott selected a few applications and brought up a map for the area. Then he put in the ID for the tracking function, available only because he was a Spartan and held the rank of Petty Officer.


    A coordinate came up, as well as changes from the past few days. He zoomed in on the area... and squinted at the tablet with a confused look. That wasn''t right. He backed out of the application and reinput the information for the area again only to be met with the same results. That doesn''t make any sense. The Pelican was still there all right, but the inventory had disappeared, meaning they had unloaded for some reason. It also had moved... Into a tree? He zoomed in on the area from the drone view to get a closer look. Oh wow.


    In a small open area near the Pelican in the tree, much of the foliage around it had been ripped out or pushed over, one tree was even thrown to the side and the area was a mess except for a small circle of dirt with grass in the center. It was hard to believe, but there was no doubt that the area and subsequently the old dilapidated Pelican had somehow been hit by a tornado.


    That''s just bad luck. He thought incredulously shook his head until he abruptly froze mid-shake. Crap! Kyle could have still been in there. He frantically pulled up the feed from the drone that watched that area, originally surveying that area to warn of Covenant activity. The area was off to one side of the drone''s feed, so the trees covered the left side of the Pelican in the playback video, but it was enough. He played the video from the beginning of the motion activity warning timestamp.


    The Pelican had just landed, a puddle of remaining fuel forming quickly before stopping as the tank ran dry. The back hatch opened and was watched as Henderson walked down the ramp. Rogers followed and the shadow and parts of Grey''s left arm and helmet could be seen. Henderson had his helmet off and was talking to Rogers, slightly agitated.


    After a few minutes, Henderson and Rogers pointed inside the Pelican and then to the forest, talking lengthily until finally re-entering the Pelican. Then they began emptying the Pelican, often the crates being covered by the trees because of the bad camera angle, but the ones he could see without covers had an interesting variety of items.


    He sped up the video slightly and paused the feed periodically as he tried to identify the contents of the crates. A few of them had ordinary items like ammo, extra assault rifles, hand-guns, etc., but the others carried odd things. One had a crate full of glowing orange rifles, and a few had similar versions of UNSC weapons, but different and glowing orange.


    Scott had heard about these in vague reports of the conflicts that had occurred near the inner colonies, but these must have been shipped out as soon as they were discovered. After all, it had only been a year since those events and even with fluctuations in slipspace it would have taken about that long to get here. Who supplied them this stuff?


    He continued watching. The next few crates were closed, one even had a hazard sign. Total there couldn''t have been more than 12 crates, but he had a bad feeling about what their contents meant for White team''s mission. Then he saw the shadow of a stretcher pass over the ramp from behind the trees, the shadow of two Spartans accompanying it and just barely the outline of an object with a Spartan helmet on the stretcher.


    Scott had no doubt it was Kyle.


    The stretcher was moved off the ramp and Grey came out from behind the trees to the other side of the Pelican with a tablet. He paused for a moment, and then looked up quickly, rushing over to where Henderson was checking the crates. He told something to Henderson and pointed to the sky, now dark gray. Henderson looked up quickly, put his helmet on, and told Grey something, pointing to the forest. They quickly moved the crates into the blind spot covered by the forest, taking a while to come back for the next crate.


    Scott skipped ahead and then played it normally at the timestamp for another major motion event. All crates were somewhere in the left covered part of the forest and the clouds were swirling now, getting darker. Then a portion of the clouds began lowering, slowly twisting. Henderson looked up and pointed to Grey and Rogers. The vortex was getting faster and almost touched the ground. They nodded and the three ran.


    The end of the funnel touched the ground and swirled, quickly picking up debris from the ground. Rogers fell and began slipping towards it, but stabbed a dagger into the ground. Grey came back and helped her up, making it to the safety of the forest.


    The tornado swirled angrily, slowly moving towards the pelican. Scott saw the pelican start to slide, slowly at first, and then faster. After about 5 feet of sliding, the supports left the ground and the Pelican disappeared into the tornado. He saw a Pelican wing poking out of the twister fly around once before the Pelican was unexpectedly flung out of one side of it. The Pelican crashed through several trees before hitting a thick oak tree and becoming stuck. The tornado seemed to become unstable after this, the middle twisting around and swaying before it dissipated and the clouds rose back up. The clouds still moved threateningly but no other tornado appeared and there were no more timestamps for the area. The drone feed was now at the present time.


    He typed in a few codes and then placed his hands on both sides like a steering wheel. He tilted it forward and the drone moved over to reveal the whole clearing. He angled it to look at the direction the team had moved in, and, seeing a small trail, flew over the trees at a distance high enough not to be seen. After a minute he spotted the first crates. He flew a little closer, scanning them.


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    The one crate marked with a hazard sign contained a Havoc Nuke, one of the deadliest and largest affecting land explosives used by the UNSC. There were two of them, in the same crate but separate containers. What they could have planned for such massive ordinance could only be something terrible.


    Another carried something the drone couldn''t identify. It was similar to a Spartan laser but barely any of the features matched. It seemed that it had been modeled after one but instead of the singlura barrel they typically had, it had 4 barrels, curving out from the back of the gun and angling back inwards to create 1 beam. The main ammunition seemed to be some kind of electricity not unlike lightning. There were also extra energy reserves that held different types of energy, similar to stun and disintegration ammo only found in classified prototype weapons. That''s not good.


    That weapon could probably take down a Spartan easier than a Spartan laser, Scott realized, his bad feeling from earlier intensifying.


    There was another experimental weapon in the same crate, this time it was a small device, circular in shape, with 3 rings to the center. There were two of these as well. He recorded the scans of the crate contents and then moved on from the crates, immediately spotting Kyle on a stretcher that was resting on the ground. There were two new dents in his armor and a ton of scratches, one of the dents being on his helmet. He was laying on his back with straps restraining his arms, legs, and chest. All of his weapons had been removed except for a knife in a sheath on his lower leg. His camo was still on or his armor had been repainted a dark green to cover up the dark orange before he left.


    Scott thought about trying to help him for a moment, but it would be useless. The drone was only for observation. It had no weapons or other functions that could help Kyle right now.


    He moved the drone over the trees a bit farther and saw the rest of Fireteam Prime crouching around a flat spot in the clearing on which a map and plans were laid down.


    Scott moved the drone closer, zooming in on the map to take a picture, but the drone was only able to see something that said Steele and a part of the map around the area Fort Cause was in. Then Henderson leaned over it, pointing to something and covering it. Scott maneuvered the drone, trying to get a glimpse. Then Henderson seemed to notice something and looked around for a bit before looking upwards.


    Scott saw him start to look up and moved the drone behind a group of leaves on one of the trees. Then there were footsteps behind Scott. He looked up from the tablet and behind himself, spotting Senior Chief walking towards them. "You''re awake." He said gratefully, rising to greet their Team Captain.


    Selina had already walked up to Senior Chief, swiping two fingers across where her mouth would be, the signal they had been taught for a smile and the most outward sign of expression the Spartans had. Scott did it as well, the gesture being returned by their leader. Then he turned his eyes back to the screen. Henderson seemed to not have seen the drone and had gone back to talking with the group over the map. Scott looked up again, "Senior Chief, you might want to see this." He said, returning his attention to the screen and maneuvering the drone higher again, looking over the site where Fireteam Prime was camped out.


    ____________________________________________


    Steele''s POV


    After returning the smile expression to Kade, I walked over to where Scott was using a drone on a tablet.


    I had taken a bit longer to wake up because they had injected me with a needle full of sedative so I wouldn''t be awake during my 0-Gravity surgery. The surgery ended a few days ago but apparently since they didn''t want to risk me being awake during the surgery they had given me an extra dose of sedative. Then after I woke up a few hours ago they subjected me to several different tests in order to make sure I was fully recovered and the surgery had gone smoothly.


    I looked over Scott''s shoulder at the screen. Fireteam prime was packing up equipment in a large clearing, but as I watched I saw Henderson walk over to a stretcher on the ground. There was a Spartan laying on it, covered in scratches and dents. It was Kyle!


    Subconsciously curling my hand into a fist, I moved closer to get a better look. I could see the physical dents and scrapes all over his armor and body, some were more recent by the more clear metallic look.


    Scott moved the drone down farther, hiding partially behind a tree. Henderson knelt down by Kyle. Kyle laid still for a moment before finally moving, slowly turning his head from laying on one side to look up at Henderson. Scott turned on the audio and angled the mic to their location. Kade and Selina stopped what they were doing for a moment and came over to watch as well.


    "Hello Spartan 324. Had enough?" Henderson asked in an infuriatingly cocky voice.


    Kyle waited a moment, and then said in a tired and scratchy voice, "Why am I here, what do you want from me?" He then clenched his fists, straining at the restraints for a moment, shaking at the effort, and then letting his hands fall to the stretcher again.


    Henderson seemed amused. "Oh you know very well why, don''t you think there was a reason you were let out early, why they sent you on this mission? You must have thought something was strange about them sending a 16-year-old on such an important mission so far from the Inner Colonies. You also carry something important on top of that. You were told some information that we need, information they gave to no one else."


    He moved into a squat, rubbing his hands a little and looking around at Grey and Rogers getting ready. He looked back down. "There are also people who have a list of demands that we need to deliver on, including a specific someone, but we have to keep you until they get their target."


    Kyle turned his head back over, "Why are you doing this?"


    Henderson shifted his weight, "Well see, I was on your side, dedicated to the mission, protecting 118. But then, I was given an offer. Not only will we be paid money and weaponry, but we will get to see the UNSC fall from it''s blood-soaked throne, and we get to be the ones to start it all." He said a bit maniacally before getting up and moving over to a small crate nearby, grabbing a baton-like electric device.


    "You see, they were using us, and they are still using you. They don''t care about our lives and they definitely don''t see us as humans beings. Even if we die protecting the "greater good" they don''t care. Because of them, my family died in the war despite being no where near the front lines and not being soldiers. The UNSC is too old, too stuck in their outdated and callous ways. The Navy needs a new face, a new chain of command. No more missions, no more financial problems, no UNSC to say I can''t go back." He paused, turning around. "I won''t die for them. Too many have. They don''t get my death to use for their ''cause''. Anyway, a good payday is better, and with this opportunity I can finally retire and have a normal life."


    He bent down. Kyle looked back, warily inspecting the device in Henderson''s hand. "You signed a contract, you knew the risks and enlisted willingly. They told you that if you made it to the end of your career you could go back. You chose this life!"


    "I don''t care. Besides, as long as I get paid I''m happy, I have no one left to hold me back anymore anyway." Henderson said a bit sadly, turning on the device. Electricity crackled up the sides menacingly. "Now, what did they tell you?" He demanded, holding the device close to Kyle threateningly. Kyle put his head back, leaning away. In a strained voice he said, "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "You do know what I''m talking about, and I will get it out of you." He said, hitting a button that turned on the extra electric restraints, probably to ensure Kyle couldn''t break out. Then he jabbed Kyle in his side with the device, arcs of electricity spreading over Kyle''s suit.


    Kyle yelled in pain, arching his back as much as he could and pulling at the restraints, convulsing as the electricity scrambled his nerves. He''s barely 18, he doesn''t deserve this! I thought as I watched in horror.


    Henderson pulled it away and Kyle sank back to the stretcher, his head back, shaking slightly.


    "Now, tell me what they said. I know they told you, we have proof, What did they say!?" He yelled. Kyle was breathing heavily. "I''ll never tell." He said in a hoarse voice, coughing.


    Henderson jabbed him again, the electricity rolling across Kyle''s armor once more. He yelled again, shaking and straining against the restraints. Smoke from his suit began to curl up when he finally passed out, head and back falling to the stretcher. Still, he only stopped shaking when Henderson pulled the device away a few seconds later.


    For one terrible moment I thought he was dead, but I could see his chest still rising and falling. Little sparks of electricity popped all over his body. I turned away from the terrible sight, letting out a breath I hadn''t remembered holding. "That''s enough." I said, walking away a few steps. Scott moved the drone high above and put it in it''s monitoring mode, setting down the tablet.


    The team sat silently as they waited for my command.


    I thought for a moment, pacing. I can''t let him suffer any longer, we have to go after him and fast. We had already planned to rescue Kyle, but with this new information it is clear we need to take down Fireteam prime and the people they work for. They can''t be allowed to destroy the UNSC. Doing so would no doubt end in the extinction of mankind by the Covenant''s hands.


    I stopped pacing, turning around and looked at my faithful team, waiting patiently. I know what we have to do.


    I stepped forward and said determinedly, "Gear up, we leave now."

 Chapter 32

    Steele''s POV


    I grabbed an assault rifle from the rack, loading it and placing it on my back on the magnetic holster. I grabbed a pistol and did the same thing, this time placing it on my right thigh armor''s magnetic holster. One last weapon. I thought and perused the options available down the rows of weapons lined up on the walls of the hangar that were dedicated to quick weapon access. I finally spotted a battle rifle and a sniper rifle next to each other. What to choose... I considered. I already had my assault rifle, and while a battle rifle might give me a bit more range, that was basically what my pistol was for. A sniper rifle would help me with much heavier and farther targets all at once. I decided, walking over and grabbing the sniper rifle. You never know when you might need it later.


    I packed up the rest of my stuff and heard Kade walk up behind me. "You good?" He asked. I paused for a moment, making sure I was physically prepared as much as I could be, then nodded without turning to face him. He stood there for a moment, probably studying my body language to see if I was being honest. Then he made a noise of approval behind me and I hear him walk into the Pelican.


    I stood there for a moment longer as I seriously considered what he meant by that. Am I really okay? Physically yes, but mentally? I looked around at my team preparing to leave as well. They held the most importance to me than almost anything or anyone other than the UNSC and Humanity. I never learned to feel emotions, as I had always suppressed sadness and kept my internal conflicts and thoughts to myself. Probably thanks to that, I was never good at consoling others or comforting them. With my team it was easier but even then I was still just about as useful as a concrete wall when it came to emotional events. We had all been forced to mature quickly. However for Kyle, he was a rookie as far as I had researched about him. He didn''t deserve any of this mess, and neither did his fallen teammates as well as mine, Grayson and Sift.


    I can''t let anyone die needlessly anymore. That fight with those ODSTs and their deaths all those years ago was foolish and wasteful, just like Kyle''s efforts up until now would be if they decided to kill him. No more unnecessary sacrifice and suffering, I can''t let anyone else pay for my mistakes and inadequacy.


    I was snapped out of my thoughts by Selina''s voice, "Senior, we''re ready." I turned around to see Selina with a battle rifle resting on her shoulder and a shotgun on her back. I nodded and put the sniper rifle I had been staring blankly at on my back. We walked up the ramp, me taking the pilot position this time and Scott sitting in as my copilot. After Kade and Selina were secure, I closed the ramp and turned the Pelican on. The engine fired up and I checked all of the controls to see if everything was working correctly, cycling through thrust levels. "Status." I asked Scott. "Everything online and ready to go. Clear for takeoff." He said. I nodded and slowly pulled back on the controls, the Pelican rising as I did so. Then I pushed the stick forward and we flew smoothly out of the hanger, slowly ascending. I didn''t go very high since we didn''t have very far to go.


    The team was silent, the only noise coming from the steady hum of the engines. After what felt like an eternity, Scott finally spoke up, "Geez, someone talk about something, it feels like we''re heading to a funeral with all of this silence. Anyone have any updates or something?" I heard Selina chuckle a little through the coms, "Well, I''m sure Kade will gladly tell you the details of how the war with the Covenant has been going while we were off on missions."


    Kade snorted, "It''s been going terribly, almost 6 bases have been glassed so far, along with 5 civilian cities. Apparently they have a mother ship in space but so far no one has been able to destroy it or find out which one is the real ship because there are six in a cluster with smaller ships guarding them. So far the reinforcements we got have destroyed a large amount of the ships that glassed the cities but the threat of covenant reinforcements still exists ." he continued but I tuned out. We should be up there fighting with our comrades against the Covenant that had so quickly invaded Atrius. As soon as we got Kyle back we would but Scott was right, the atmosphere was heavy and solemn, just like a funeral. I flew to the beacon the drone dropped on the last known location of the team and before we knew it we came up on the site. The equipment was still pretty much where we had last seen it, but there was little to no activity in the area, and Fireteam Prime was sitting on some logs in a circle. From the state of the area it seemed they were about to leave to go somewhere else. But they would need something to carry the crates, I thought but I didn''t have time to worry about the status of their equipment and had to stay focused on the team as we closed in on the area.


    I maneuvered the Pelican over the trees into the open area near Henderson''s team, readying the guns just in case as we were going into this strange situation pretty much blind. Then I opened the back hatch. "Selina, Kade, Scott, ground support, flank them." I commanded. They jumped out and rolled on the ground, pulling out their weapons and circling to opposite edges.


    Rogers had noticed the Pelican as it appeared hovering just above the trees and notified the team. They stood and hoisted their weapons, cautiously looking at Kade, Scott, and Selina. I used an amplifier to address them, "Attention Fireteam Prime, You are under arrest for illegal possession of weaponry, failure to obey orders, treason, torture, and a number of other war crimes. Lay down your weapons with your hands behind your head and get on your knees immediately. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."


    Henderson looked at Kade, Scott, and Selina again and then yelled back above the noise of the engines, "And what if we refuse?"


    "Then we are authorized to use deadly force." I replied. I had asked the commander of the last base for any orders pertaining to the situation before we left and he agreed that the three needed to be taken down. He ordered us to apprehend the team and rescue Kyle as he represented a significant security breach. He authorized any means necessary to take him back and apprehend Fireteam Prime, what was left of it anyway, and would take responsibility should things go awry.


    The team looked at each other and spoke softly to discuss it. They turned back around and Henderson put his hands behind his head after laying his weapon on the ground, the rest of the team following suit. "Alright, you have us." he shouted back, slowly dropping to his knees. I looked suspiciously at the group, but gave White team confirmation to move in. They approached cautiously, closing in from both sides of the clearing. However, as I looked around now that my team had control of the situation, I realized the crates that we had seen before as well as Kyle''s stretcher weren''t anywhere in sight. The big clearing was only filled with one crate, a few logs to sit on, and their weapons they had set on the ground. What the...? Then there was a buzzing sound, growing louder as whatever it was approached the clearing. White team stopped and looked towards the source from the forest.


    There was a small click and a grenade soared through the air from the forest, resting near Kade''s feet. He looked down, shouted, "Get down!", and dived behind a nearby log.


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    Selina who was the next closest flattened to the ground as well, but Fireteam Prime made a run for the trees, grabbing their weapons. The grenade exploded, almost completely shredding the log and scorching it black, and Selina''s shield flickered wildly as shrapnel bounced off of it. I aimed the Pelican towards the fleeing group, firing the guns. The line of bullets tore through the ground and trees in front of them. They skidded to a halt and bolted sideways, running erratically as they broke apart but stayed close together. Scott was close in pursuit, gaining on them fast so I had to be careful with my aim. I fired after them, getting closer to their position as they ran. A bullet hit the shield on Henderson''s leg, significantly reducing it''s charge instantly.


    Then a Warthog tore out of the trees, firing at me with a machine gun mounted on the back. Bullets skidded off the bottom hull as I tilted the Pelican sideways to avoid the stream of fire that was aimed at the cockpit. Scott fired, bullets bouncing off Rogers'' shield as he closed in on her at the back of the pack. Then, throwing the rifle, he dived and tackled her to the ground, the both of them rolling as they struggled against each other.


    The rest of Fireteam Prime looked back as if they wanted to get Rogers but someone in the Warthog yelled at them to get in. They reluctantly hopped in, Grey jumping in next to the person operating the turret. As I closed in on them, I noticed that the people in the Warthog weren''t wearing your typical armor. The driver was wearing a curved helmet with two slits to see out of and various gadgets on the sides and top, not like any known UNSC armor types. The rest of it consisted of a single curved chest plate with linked pieces for the arms, waist, and legs. His legs had several knife and weapon holders and his chest-piece had ammunition clips across the front. The armor wasn''t a single color either. In fact, if I hadn''t known where to look, it would have been hard to spot him. The armor seemed to reflect colors around him softly, without the need for energy to create a camouflage layer. There were lights on raised parts just before his wrists and on his shoulders there were two small outlined compartments for something. His partner on the turret carried similar armor except his helmet had a small, triangular, blue visor and lights on the sides in circles. He also had a vented piece just over where his mouth would be on the helmet.


    A sniper round skidded off the cockpit as I closed in on Fireteam Prime and their rescuers. I turned the Pelican and doused the area the round had come from with suppression fire before turning back towards the Warthog and resuming fire at them.


    I looked around the clearing behind me back at my team as I pursued them, Where was Kyle?


    Selina had gotten up to help Scott and were assisting Kade in securing Rogers. I then saw a second warthog that had the turret removed burst out of the brush near Henderson''s team and follow them. In the back where the turret would be was a person in armor laying down, badly injured. It was Kyle! There was someone sitting next to him holding him into the back. With his addition to the chase, I could no longer fire on Henderson''s Warthog because the Pelican wasn''t accurate to the point where I wouldn''t accidentally hit him if I continued. I paused my pursuit as I was met with the dilemma of chasing them via Pelican and possibly losing them on the ground because I would have to land first or going back to pick up White team. I checked in on my team real quick and saw that Kade was running on foot after the escapees, passing the Pelican as I sat there to think. Selina was finishing securing Rogers with Scott so she couldn''t get away but would take too long to catch up to Kyle to be of any use. I made a quick decision and quickly flew back to the clearing, setting the Pelican close to the ground as I ordered, "Selina, come with me, Scott, stay with the prisoner. Kade, pursue but do not engage, stick to the shadows."


    Selina ran over and hopped on. Not bothering to close the hatch, I flew the pelican high above the fleeing warthog and set it on autopilot to fly down to Scott after 30 seconds. Then I pulled out my Sniper and handed Kade''s to Selina. "Aim for the driver." I said.


    We aimed the snipers at the driver and, since we only had one chance before they caught on to what we were doing, I counted down. "Three...Two...One!" I steadied it as best I could on a moving aircraft, held my breath, and then pulled the trigger. We fired at the exact same time, our bullet trails almost in complete sync.


    The first one ripped through the back of the chair and struck Henderson''s driver in his lower chest, carrying through into the engine. The second tore through the heart of the driver of Kyle''s Warthog and into the steering wheel.


    The Warthogs swerved wildly, one jumping a rock and sliding sideways to a stop while the other slowed and crashed at a reduced speed into a tree. The men jumped out and two quickly grabbed Kyle. They all ran for the more dense section of the forest. I readied myself to jump. "Selina, jump on my mark" She nodded.


    "Mark."


    We jumped out of the Pelican not a moment too soon, for the countdown had ended and autopilot began to descend. We angled our bodies semi-vertically, skydiving through the air to a space just in front of the group as our descent would carry us just behind them with our current trajectory. The wind whistled around us and I tilted a little to adjust our courses, Selina copying. We passed the first tree top and I yelled, "Engage thrusters now!"


    We turned on our thrusters full power and slowed to the equivalent of a normal jump before hitting the ground. Rolling, we immediately got to our feet and began chasing after the group. I aimed my sniper and fired at the leader''s chest, but just before the bullet tore through it they suddenly they disappeared. Me and Selina skidded to a stop. We stood at the top of a dark and deep crevice, on which there was a lift rapidly speeding down the shaft, quickly disappearing into the darkness.


    Selina looked at me as we had just used all of our power for our thrusters, which would take a while to recharge. "What do we do?" She asked.


    I looked down at the metal slits used to hold the wheels of the lift and grabbed a knife from a sheath on my thigh. "Grab two blades you don''t need, We will slide down using the slits. Place the knives at an angle so it can slow your descent." I told her. She nodded and took two daggers from sheaths on her hips. I kept the first knife in my hand while I lowered myself to the maximum length my arms would stretch. Then I grabbed another knife, positioned it sideways in the crack, and let go. I dropped fast and quickly shoved the other knife in the other parallel metal slit. There was a continuous screech of metal on metal, soon joined by an identical screech from Selina high above me.


    My descent slowed just enough that if I hit the ground at this speed I could roll, but I was still traveling as fast as a Spartan could run at full speed which would be suicide for any normal human being. Sparks flew out of the slit as it ground down the metal on my knives. I looked at the knives and saw that they were dangerously close to becoming too small to slow my descent. I adjusted the knife so the part towards the end of the blade was subject to the friction instead of the section closer to the hilt that I had it on initially, buying me more time. I looked down at what would soon be the floor, searching for any signs of it. Too quickly I saw the metal platform and I tried to pull out my blades to jump. The left one was stuck!


    I twisted the handle as hard as I could and it suddenly tore away. I pushed off of the wall not 2 meters from the floor and rolled on my side, dropping the knives so they wouldn''t impale me. I propped myself on one knee and planted my foot to stop myself as I rolled one more time.


    Selina saw me jump and jumped higher than I did, rolling once and stopping.


    I got up and dusted myself off, picking up the sniper and knives from where they had fallen. I held the knives up. Near the handle it was fine but where it was against the metal it had been sheared back almost an inch and a half all the way down the blade. To be honest they had been fatter than average blades for the purpose of sawing things but it had sheared off almost half the blade for both. Selina came over with hers, only about an inch sheared off of her knives, they had been made for cutting larger things. Regardless, they were ruined now. We threw them to the side and brought out our assault rifles. I turned on the flash light, scanning the walls of the entrance to an excavated dirt tunnel. There were tracks in the dirt leading deeper inside.


    Selina looked at me, waiting for my next command.


    "This might be a trap, so stay frosty, but we have no choice but to follow them. Let''s go." I said. She nodded.


    We turned on our helmet lights and walked into the darkness.

 Chapter 33

    We walked forward carefully. My eyes had been augmented along with the rest of my body, so I could see much better than a normal person, but as we moved on it got darker and darker. I looked around as we moved and sweeping my rifle''s light across the sides of the tunnel to make sure there were no traps or doors, keeping an eye on the footprints in the dirt.


    Selina stood behind me, watching our rear and walking backwards as she swept the area, turning around every so often to keep up.


    She turned back from another sweep as the tunnel changed to metal. "What are they doing all the way down here?" she asked, coming up beside me. I looked at the end of the tunnel where it had finally begun to brighten again, "I don''t know, but we will likely find out very soon. I''m going to contact Kade and Scott, we might need a quick escape route if things go south fast." I said. She nodded and I turned on my com, pinging Kade and Scott. "Kade, Scott, status." I ordered.


    There was a short pause before Kade replied, "I found the compound and I''m not too far from your location but I can''t see you or anyone else for that matter." Another voice joined in, "I''m here too, the prisoner is secured and I brought the Pelican just in case you need a little extra firepower!"


    I rolled my eyes, "Or an escape route Scott."


    Scott grumbled "That too..."


    I smiled. "Kade, I''m in an underground tunnel, coming up on a doorway. You two, track our location and be prepared to leave, but wait for us on the surface." I commanded. Their acknowledgement lights flashed.


    I slowed my pace as Selina and I came up on a large sliding metal door. "Be ready for anything but don''t fire unless necessary." I told her. She nodded. I looked at my motion tracker to see that there were three red dots on it just 10 meters from the door, probably waiting for us. Where are the rest? I wondered. Regardless, we had no way of getting more intel and couldn''t waste any more time allowing them to prepare a trap.


    I moved forward, standing in front of the door. I waved my hand to signal Selina to proceed. She moved over to one side and leaned against the wall, using a panel in her arm to disable the lock. There was a click and the lock turned green. I looked down the sights of my assault rifle, prepared to fire.


    The door slid open soundlessly and I rushed in, scanning the area, and then slowly lowered my rifle. Selina began to follow me but I signaled her to stop. She slid back around the door but it remained open. Slowly I put my gun on my back and raised my hands in the air.


    Around me were automated turrets, and all had targeted me as soon as I stepped inside. They charged up but did not fire... yet. The three contacts I saw on my motion tracker were two of the mysterious soldiers. The third was Henderson.


    At the sound of the door opening and the turrets, he turned around, noticing me in the entrance. Behind him was a large spaceship in a silo for takeoff. It looked similar to the shuttles they used to use a long time ago but larger, taller, and more advanced. With my arrival so soon after they probably thought they had shaken us, I could only imagine that beneath Henderson''s helmet he was pleasantly surprised.


    "Well, well, well, what a surprise." Knew it


    He waved the second person off somewhere. "Well, I can''t say it was a complete surprise, but so soon? And alone? How foolishly noble and predictable."


    "Where is Kyle?" I demanded.


    "Wouldn''t you like to know? All in good time. As of right now, unfortunately I have a schedule to keep or I would enjoy this moment a while longer. We''ll be leaving Atrius''s atmosphere shortly... but that information wont be of much use to you. In about five minutes I believe there is going to be a glassing of the nearby city Alkaid. What an ironic name. Named after a Star." he said, testing the word and shrugging. "I guess it won''t be much of a star after the attack. Too bad. You will definitely be ordered to help as well which means you can''t come after us, at least right away...if you can escape the turrets alive that is." He said, walking towards the ship behind him.


    "You have earned my respect though, being so dedicated. Not many would go this far but your file mentioned that you do have that kind of personality don''t you? By the way, I just activate the function that will make those turrets fire if you so much as twitch or make a sound. So you can die of starvation, sleep deprivation, or a hundred rounds to the chest after your shield runs out." He added, holding up a remote with the light on it red. I silently glared at him.


    "Until we meet again... or not." He said and turned away, walking up the loading ramp. It closed behind him and after a few seconds, the countdown to takeoff started.


    My com clicked and Kade''s voice came through my internal speaker, undetected by the turrets. "Chief, we have a problem, the Pelican was overrun by several dozen rogue soldiers and Rogers escaped during the commotion. I assisted Scott and we have taken back control, but Rogers is long gone."


    I internally winced and made a mental note about the fact. It would have to wait until later.


    Without moving my head I looked around me. There were six turrets on each side of me fifty feet away. Selina was still behind me and they would only target the first thing that moved. I couldn''t turn on my Com to talk to her, for that would require a physical response from me and the turrets would fire. I was on my own, at least initially. I thought for a moment about the model they appeared to be, as they were UNSC-issued turrets. From what I remembered of their summary in the weapons manual, they couldn''t go down past a 45 degree angle and up past a 25 degree angle. I could try to get under one of them before my shield ran out, but the others would fire at me whether or not there was a turret in the way. It wouldn''t be cover for long as the defensive shielding was designed to be pretty light compared to other guns to allow for a higher payload and faster tracking.


    Wait, that''s it!


    I may be only 16 and not a fully developed Spartan yet, but I could run at least twenty miles per hour. I could dart around the turrets in one row and get them to fire on each other while Selina engaged the second row. I just hope she understands what I''m about to do.


    I took a small breath, tensed my muscles, and burst into action. The turrets from both sides spun up and fired at me. I ran in a zigzag pattern, turned to the left side, and jumped as I ran straight at one of the turrets. Arcs of bullets flew at lightning speed after me, several hitting my shield. I flew through the air and landed on top of the turret, rolling off and behind it. Bullets pelted the metal of the turret I had taken cover behind, a few skidding off my shield and forcing me to adjust my position so the small turret could cover me better. I got into a running position and pushed off just as the first bullets tore through the now-decimated turret. I ran at the second one in the row, zig-zagging as my shield was already just above half-charge, and slid under it as it tried to follow me. The other turrets disabled it quickly as they had done to the first.


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    I looked around and saw that Selina had come in as soon as the shooting started and was working on the wiring of the second turret in the other row. Unfortunately our assault rifles and pistols weren''t strong enough to pierce their armor plating, no matter how light it had been made. I noted quickly that none of them had been re-tasked to fire at her. Good. As the second turret I had taken cover behind was completely destroyed, the countdown on the spaceship reached zero and it began to lift off, the blast of heat pushed downwards into the vent system.


    I quickly jumped to the next turret. My shields were draining dangerously fast. At this rate I wouldn''t make it to the fifth turret, but I''d just have to jump to each one faster. My leg muscles burned as I pushed off the ground hard enough to bend the metal floor slightly as I sped to the next one and looked over again. Selina was on the fourth turret. Only four left. Bullets hit my shields again and it drained from half to a third. I waited as long as I dared for the fourth turret to be destroyed and ran at the next one. This time I jumped off of the top of the remains of the fourth to make it harder for the other ones to hit me and ran even faster, diving at the fifth.


    I slid on the ground and hooked a hand on one of the three leg bases, swinging myself around behind it. The last two turrets chipped away at the one I had taken refuge behind, decimating it a bit slower as less firepower was available now. Pieces of broken metal tumbled around me and I looked at my shielding. Twenty percent. I looked back up around the side of the crumbling turret to see that Selina was finishing the last turret on the other row. A bullet hit my shield and was deflected, surprising me. I looked back and saw to my horror that the turret was completely destroyed, faster than I had previously calculated, and the remains were slowly leaving me wide open. I immediately grabbed a square piece of the decimated gun and ran towards the active turret. Bullets tore through the metal, but prevented the worst of it from hitting me.


    The piece got smaller and smaller as I ran towards the final one. Finally it broke into two and I threw the pieces at the turret into the oncoming stream. The gunfire pounded my shield and I jumped over the turret. Five percent. A warning light in my helmet went off as my shield began to flicker. I landed behind it and whipped around, grabbing the main wire and pulling with all of my might. The turret started to turn and for a horrifying second I thought I was done for, but at last the wire snapped. I stumbled backwards and the turret leaned forward, ceasing to fire.


    I let out a small breath and dropped the cord as Selina came up to me. "So... that was interesting." I nodded and looked up at the dissipating trail from the ship. Henderson had gotten away. Dang it! "Saving Kyle will have to wait, we need to warn Alkaid." I turned on my com to the other two members of my team. "Kade, Scott, pick us up through the silo on top of my location marker, do not pursue Henderson."


    "Affirmative, I see it, ETA thirty seconds." Kade replied.


    I grimaced and walked to the edge. Selina walked up next to me. "You okay?" I shook my head, "To be honest to you, not really. It''s my fault Kyle is in this mess, and I still haven''t been able to get him back, Twice. I''ve failed." I lowered my head. She awkwardly put a hand on my shoulder, having to raise her arm up to my height. I looked up suddenly at the touch. It was a major sign of comfort, rarely given and never by mistake. "You''ve accomplished more than we ever will and you will always have us, your team, at your back. Without you we wouldn''t be here and we definitely would have lost Kyle''s trail long ago. You are more of a Spartan than any of us despite being so young. It''s to be expected that there will be a few bumps along the way. Cut yourself some slack. Regardless, we couldn''t have asked for a better leader." There was a humming as the Pelican began to lower into the silo and we looked upwards. "Good will always conquer evil. We will get him back, save that city, and make Henderson pay for his crimes no matter what." She finished.


    I nodded. The Pelican came to a hover in front of us and the ramp lowered. Scott was waiting at the top. "Come on, there are already reports all over local channels of a covenant ship being spotted and ground forces entering the city." He said, waving us in.


    We ran up the ramp and Scott gave Kade the signal to go. Selina sat down across from me and Scott stood next to me. He set a device in the middle of the floor and it projected a holographic map of Alkaid. It was a large city, one of the biggest on Atrius. In the middle of the city was the Governor''s building and a fountain centerpiece/news projector, along with 10 other skyscrapers.


    From there the streets stretched out in a boxed design around a river that flowed through the center around the fountain. There were several ten to twenty story buildings surrounding the skyscrapers, and to the east of them were a mass group of apartment complexes. Between the skyscrapers and apartment buildings was the mall and the business district. Dotting the edges of everything were smaller housing blocks and the East side ended at the vast Calid Ocean that stretched to each pole but was almost completely surrounded by land.


    Scott pointed to a section near the water fountain in the city center. "This is where Kade secured us a landing zone. There have been multiple distress calls across the city, including some from the Governor for an escorted evac. The commander of the military base near Alkaid has also ordered all available personal to help with evacuation, which means us too. There are shuttles along the river and the beach that will take civilians to our ships in atmosphere. So far only the buildings directly around the Covenant cruiser have been evacuated, which has been preparing to fire just North-west of the city center. A defense-perimeter has been established at the beach to protect evacuees and the shuttles. There is heavy fighting along the Skyscrapers." He turned to me, "You''re our commander, take it away."


    I nodded and leaned over closer to the map. "Our first objective is to secure the Governor and get him to safety. We will need a shuttle ready and waiting to pick him up for extraction." I looked at Scott, indicating that he would do it.


    "I''ll secure the ship now." He said and put his hand near his ear, presumably on a private channel with one of the shuttle''s pilots.


    I nodded and continued, "Then we will evacuate those in the skyscrapers and the people closest to the Covenant cruiser first. They will head to landing sites along the ocean side. Instead of going door to door, Scott will send out an evacuation call as we go that will emit from any active piece of technology capable of broadcasting it. There are probably already sirens on the street, but knowing Spartans are there will draw out the people who can''t defend themselves and are afraid."


    Selina and Scott nodded, and Kade''s Acknowledgment light winked in the corner of my HUD. Kade yelled back, "ETA one minute." I leaned back and looked at the approaching city again as I paused my orders for a moment, inspecting the city center as it came into view. Smith and Strang''s faces appeared suddenly before me again with the look of horror they held when our hands missed, then flashing to Kyle''s unconscious body between them as they dragged him down the street. I leaned back away from the window quickly, trying to get away from the images. Another image passed of the Covenant ship''s plasma beam washing over Scott and Smith, their screams ringing in my ears.


    I shook my head uneasily to clear it and the room returned to my vision. I looked up uneasily to find Scott and Selina staring at me due to my strange behavior. A spartan wouldn''t normally act like that without reason. Disturbed by the flashback and the effect it had on me, I continued speaking "When we touch down I want each of us to stay within 500 feet of a White team member unless I say otherwise."


    They nodded again, but I saw Scott check out the window towards the sky, probably curious as to what had caused such a reaction. I ignored him and continued, "I know Kyle needs to be rescued as soon as possible, but I don''t want a single soul left in that city. It is our duty to protect the innocent and we took an oath to obey the chain of command. Kyle will have to wait, but when we do find up to Henderson, he''ll get what''s coming for him."

 Chapter 34

    The hatch to the Pelican opened and I hopped out, rolling onto the pavement, Selina and Scott following. The hatch closed and Kade flew the Pelican above the skyscrapers to give air support and provide over watch for us on the ground, as the buildings made it hard to see incoming Covenant.


    I looked around as I got up from my roll. We had been set down in the middle of the road that curved around the city center fountain, half destroyed with water leaking onto the pavement. Just past it was the defensive line the UNSC had set up with the river behind them. Three skyscrapers lined the sidewalk with small grassy areas and flowers, now torn up and littered with humans and Covenant alike. Half the windows in each skyscraper were shattered and glass, pieces of metal, and concrete covered the ground.


    In-between the skyscrapers were different roads dissecting off of the half-circle plaza and the one lining the river. Concrete and large chunks of asphalt were missing along each with the occasional plasma or fire-scorched crater. People were stumbling out the front of each building and running randomly, some even sitting in a fetal position and rocking quietly despite the chaos around them.


    I grimaced at the scene. This was way worse than the last city. "All right White team, weapons free but check your fire. Short bursts. Get the civilians on their way to the evac sites as fast as you can, help the hurt and sick but try to get the civilians to help each other so we can do this as quickly as possible and try to stay close to this area. I will get the Governor while Kade watches us, alert us if you spot any major Covenant activity or too many stragglers to manage on your own."


    They nodded and Selina immediately dispersed towards the buildings, yelling at the civilians to head towards the sites. Scott paused for a moment and turned to me, "Senior, I almost forgot, I found these torn off on the ground when I was chasing the warthog." He tucked a hand into his chestplate and brought out a pair of dog tags. I took them and looked at the name, Kyle Mason Ridgewaters, Spartan 324.


    I sighed and nodded gratefully at Scott before tucking it into a pocket. He nodded back and ran to join Selina. Kyle had to wait for now. I turned away and ran towards the tallest building where the I was told the Governor was holed up in. I pushed open the frames of the front doors, sliding them on shattered glass.


    A few civilians in business suits ran out, pushing past me. I turned sideways and watched them go before walking inside. "Kade, what floor is the Governor on?"


    "He''s on the 115th floor. I''m descending to verify now." said Kade. There was a pause. "I see him, he''s trapped under some fallen ceiling tiles with his bodyguard. No sign of injury from here. The elevator seems intact so far but I''d hurry."


    "On it." I said. I looked around the square front office. The stairs were to my left and the elevator was to my right in the back. I walked over and pressed the button. Immediately the one in front of me opened. I stepped forward... and stepped back. The elevator looked all right internally but It was tilted slightly, giving me a clear view of the fraying cables on top. I looked around at the four other doors and spotted a second one open. The lights were flickering and the glass on the back was cracked but otherwise it seemed stable. Fortunately buildings like these had some pretty high weight tolerances too or they would never be able to lift my heavy armor. I stepped inside and inspected the wall panel, tapping on the 115th floor. The doors closed and it slowly began to rise, gaining speed as it went up.


    I turned around and looked out the glass back where a view of the city could be seen as I rose higher. The skyscrapers were to my left, some tall but smaller buildings in front, and the housing developments to my right. The buildings were half destroyed, and only few lucky ones completely intact. Many were missing pieces, some fallen over, and one even missing completely. In the housing area there were many houses on fire from forgotten tools left on.


    People ran on the streets towards the river, some heading the opposite way or walking around in confusion. I didn''t have a view of the City center but I could see other soldiers trying to evacuate the citizens. The covenant cruiser was slowly coming closer to the city, taking its time. Ships were leaving and entering randomly as evacuation efforts continued. The elevator passed an open place in the exterior glass where it had shattered and the elevator shook as it scraped the bent pieces before slowing down. I turned around and spread my feet to steady myself as it shook again and came to a halt. There was a ding and the doors opened. I paused as a tile crashed onto the floor in front of me and then stepped out of the elevator, glad I had made it somehow. There were beams and ceiling lights on the floor, some hanging and wires tangled in with tiles. The floor resembled a large office with a few smaller offices on each side.


    I looked straight ahead and saw the Pelican outside the window, hovering and shining a light on an area near the back right corner office. I looked over a large fallen beam and spotted the two. The guard had his leg trapped under a few ceiling tiles and a fallen office cubicle frame. The guard was currently trying to free the Governor who was on his back horizontal to the guard, the frame of the door and a metal filing cabinet laying on his lower stomach.


    They both pushed at the frame but the debris had trapped the Governor in an awkward position as he was curled up against it and the guard had to reach over the frame and the Governor''s head to get to it. I quickly looked for a way around and walked near the window, stepping around a few ceiling tiles and under a wire. It would take too much time trying to force my way through the wreckage directly between me and them.


    I got closer and they looked up as they heard the sound of my boots. The Governor''s expression melted into one of relief, "Oh thank goodness someone heard, can you help us out of this?" I nodded, "Just hold on, I''m almost there." I replied. Carefully I stepped over a fallen desk and weaved around another pile of ceiling tiles, almost there. Suddenly there was a cracking sound. I looked up just in time to see the ceiling above me and an entire section of the floor above it fall in. The Governor shouted, "Watch out!" as it collapsed on me.


    I shielded my face and it knocked me down backwards, forcing me onto my back. As the debris settled, I felt something topple over above the pile and the pressure increased. My arms were now resting in a crossed position above my helmet. I opened my eyes that had instinctively closed to see a dagger sharp piece of metal resting inches from my visor. Pushing upwards slowly but steadily, my arms moved the ceiling off of me enough to free my head. I pushed myself out from under it and dropped it, the metal tearing into the tile floor. There was still the rubble on top of me but now the heaviest weight was gone. I pushed a hand up out of the rubble, grabbing onto a corner of the metal. I pulled and pushed with my legs, getting my second hand out as well. I twisted and pushed myself up, finally freeing my legs and sliding over the debris onto the clear area of floor.


    The Governor and his bodyguard stared at me with relieved faces. "Are you okay? I almost thought we lost you there for a moment." I walked closer, "I''m still here, now let''s get you both out of here." I said. The Governor nodded and prepared to lift as best he could, as did the bodyguard. I hooked my hands on the edges of the frame between them and lifted it gently, straining a bit. The frame was lifted upwards and small pieces of tile fell through but the rest held. I grunted as I locked position and the bodyguard helped the Governor out. They hurried clear and I slowly let the frame fall.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I dropped it completely and turned to face them, scanning them for injuries. They were a bit scraped up but seemed okay. "Are you injured?" I asked the Governor. He felt his arms and midsection for a moment, "Maybe a broken rib but I can walk." he said. The bodyguard came over and draped the Governor''s arm on his shoulder for support. I nodded at the guard and turned away towards the Pelican outside. "Kade, take the Governor down to the shuttle, I''ll be right behind you, I need to continue the evacuation from here."


    There was a flash from the Pelican and it slowly turned so that the ramp was now facing the open window. It backed up so that the ramp was just barely inside the building and hovered in place. "Get on, both of you, it will take you to the shuttle, Go!" I told them.


    They nodded and limped over, stepping up onto the ramp. The Governor looked back and nodded in thanks. I returned the gesture. The ramp closed and the Pelican turned again, descending lower towards the front of the building. I walked back to the elevator and pressed the button. The doors opened, revealing nothing. I looked out over the edge of the drop and saw that the cable was no longer attached, the elevator a smoldering pile of wreckage at the bottom. I zoomed in my visor optic to see the edge of the cable was not frayed but sliced, slightly melted. Who or what cut it?


    Looking up, I saw who. A covenant dropship was hovering near that side of the building, pausing at each level and sending a small crew to investigate. They must have heard the distress call. I backed away from the elevator shaft and looked across the room to the stairs. A glance down the staircase revealed it to be broken and mostly on fire, debris blocking it further down. I then looked over to the open window. Deciding I had no other choice, I quickly scanned the room for some long cables and stepped over to the left side where some of the electrical wiring had snapped. I tore off the other end of them and wrapped it around one of the standing supports, quickly tying a few longer cables to it that had been torn from long coils that would have spanned the entire building. Then I took the other end and wrapped it around my hand.


    Stepping towards the edge, I pulled the wire so that the length to the window was taut and threw the rest of the coil over the edge. The extra cable swung down, unraveling for a while until it reached close to the 50th floor. Wind blew through the window and another piece of tile fell from the ceiling. Here I go.


    I stepped on the edge and leaned backwards over the drop, testing the weight of the wire. Then I sprung away from the ledge and let the wire slide through my gloves. I swung back to the building and cracked the glass of the next floor, immediately pushing off again to go down farther in a technique called propelling, the wire sliding just fast enough through my hands.


    I was down 20 floors when the wire shook, vibrations echoing down to my hands. I closed my hands and stopped propelling, the glass cracking with the abrupt change of force. There was a pause and it shook again. I looked upwards towards the floor I had started on. After a moment, a head looked over the edge. It was the gold, curved, and sleek helmet of a high-ranked Elite. I flattened to the building in alarm, magnetizing my boots to the building to stop me from swaying. Too late.


    There was a call to the others from above and another Elite''s head poked out, this time the blue light of an energy sword illuminating his face. I demagnetized my boots and began propelling faster, heat starting to seep into fingers of my gloves. There was an angry shout in Sangheili and the heads disappeared. With a large snapping noise, one of the cable strands violently sprung away from the building, falling past me and giving me a glimpse of the sizzling end. Another snap! and a second cord fell. I had four cords left and 40 floors.


    I wasn''t going to make it.


    Two more cords snapped. I took a large leap away from the building and swung back, closing in on the 50th floor. The last two cords snapped. I let go of the cords and smashed into the floor below the target floor. I put my hands out and hit the floor hard, rolling and smashing into a desk before hitting something that propelled me into the air right into a support. My momentum was stopped abruptly as my back hit the support and I fell to my stomach on the floor. My shield flickered wildly. Pieces of plaster crumbled from the dent I had made in the support. My breath had been knocked out of me a bit and I took short breaths, lying there for a moment to catch it again. When it had returned I braced my hands on the floor and slowly pushed myself up. I groaned as pain presented itself along my entire back. It slowly dissipated as I pushed myself onto one knee and stood up.


    You know, you would think with all of this crashing and debris, I would have been stabbed by now. I quickly checked myself just to make sure and let out a relieved sigh. I looked across the relatively stable room and spotted the entrance to the stairs. At least I don''t have too far to go.


    I walked over and pushed the door open to reveal a boxed, twisting staircase that was moderately unscathed unlike before. There was an open center to it as well. I looked over the edge, spotting a fancy fountain at the bottom. I grabbed the rail and hoisted myself over, looking down to judge my fall before letting go. I dropped down one level, bending the rail as I caught ahold of it. The echo of metal twisting out of shape rung throughout the staircase. Then I dropped again, landing at the next floor.


    Forty-nine floors and about 5 minutes later I landed in the fountain. I looked up the path of bent rails, a bit sad I had ruined them but not that sad. No one needs them anymore anyway. People had long since evacuated the building and except for the crashes of debris and the Covenant search team at the top, it was dead silent.


    I walked out of the skyscraper and looked around. There were a few straggling military personnel but this side had been mostly cleared. I saw some traumatized civilians and directed them to the shuttles before I saw Selina and Scott walking towards me, "Where were you? We have been trying to reach you for a while." said Selina. "I guess the Covenant at the top of the tower had a short range jammer with them, I didn''t get anything." I replied.


    "Well Civilians have been evacuated and Kade should be back soon. All that is left is defending the mall and the transports near it. We spotted Covenant heading that way but couldn''t get through to tell you." Scott said. I nodded and signaled for them to follow me, jogging towards the ocean.


    I took out my assault rifle as we got closer and slowed. We were too late. The mall was littered with dead Covenant and civilians. I looked on in regret. "Let''s hurry to those transports." I said as Scott and Selina looked around. We passed through the mall and entered the docking area. There were about a dozen transports and marines had set up a blockade between them and the Covenant.


    There were no vehicles but a large group of Covenant had amassed and boxed them in.


    "Weapons free! Eliminate all hostiles!" I shouted to White team as soon as we were in view. We ran at the line of Covenant and started firing. Kade came in from above and mowed a line of them down. I threw a grenade and took out a group of grunts. The Elite in charge growled as it''s shield was drained to half and yelled at the rest of the forces. I jumped over a grunt Selina killed and tackled the Elite, knifing him in his neck. I pulled my knife out and put it back in it''s sheath. Scott ran in front of me and barreled through a group of jackals and their circular shields, grabbing one''s head and throwing it at a second one. He fired on the other two, killing them instantly, and reloaded.


    Selina and I advanced, ducking behind cover as a plasma grenade was thrown our way. I glanced over at the dock, two ships were lifting off and the others were getting ready. Our interference had thrown a wrench in the Covenant''s formation and they were beginning to run away from the site. I keyed Kade''s com. "Take the Pelican to the forest just past the military facility. The Covenant are retreating in that direction and we need to defend the base over there before we go after Kyle." I said. His acknowledgement light flashed and the Pelican flew East along the oceanside.


    Selina and I jumped out from behind cover and ran after them, glancing back to see the last few civilians board a transport. I fired a few rounds, taking out a retreating grunt who was firing back at us. The Covenant ship had destroyed most of the smaller buildings, skipping the skyscrapers and heading towards the base as well. I happened to know that the base held many prototype weapons that would not be helpful if they got into the wrong hands. We needed to destroy them. Then we would save Kyle.


    Time to bring the fight to them.

 Chapter 35

    I tossed a grenade far ahead of us as we ran, all the way to the front of the group of Covenant in an attempt to slow them down. It exploded, killing a group of grunts and throwing Covenant nearby to the ground. They simply picked themselves up as they disregarded the dead and kept going, the ones in the back more fervently firing at us as we pursued.


    I need to cut them off before they reach the base. The group was large and so they weren''t moving much, more like retreating and ducking behind cover to fire a few shots before running back to another piece of cover. This was the section of the city with scattered houses, but it eventually lead out to open ground. That open ground had on it the main road to the gates of the base, not a mile from our current position.


    I ran faster, signaling Scott and Selina to follow. We passed through large groups of Covenant as they failed to keep ahead of our augmented speed and scattered as we pushed through them. We dodged shots fired at us from every which way, our shields inevitably draining as we pushed through, nearly being stopped by an Elite as he tried and failed to slash at us passing through. The overall group was getting closer to the base, a Banshee even flying overhead directly towards it. Soldiers ahead of the Covenant were running as best they could and shooting backwards every so often. My guess would be that the Covenant were ordered to kill any forces that might have a chance to stop them, including me.


    I looked to my side again where Scott and Selina were running and signaled them to move up to the left. We sprinted faster and quickly passed most of the Covenant, taking out a few faster Elites and dodging a few shots by scattered forces that hid behind barriers or crouched in ditches.


    We passed the rest of them quickly and left the confused group of Covenant behind to chase the marines. Unfortunately we didn''t have time to stop or help the soldiers who happened to be pursued by the Covenant on the way, but I did manage to carry an injured man bridal style to the gate. I skidded to a stop at the gate and quickly scanned my identification to let me in, handing the injured soldier to the guard.


    A guard at the entrance watched me go by curiously as he hesitantly took the injured soldier''s arm, then turned to discover the oncoming Covenant running over the hill, and quickly ran inside his post to sound a warning. Most of the soldiers had helped in the city but so far the fighting had not been at the base and there was no reason to follow eradication protocols. They didn''t want to follow protocol to destroy any essential research or data if it wasn''t necessary.


    The Covenant approached the gates, taking cover from the few turrets on the wall while fighting marines still on the ground who finally reached the barricades outside the gate. I spotted an open turret on the wall and moved to my left. I crouched and jumped, flying high up onto the wall next to the turret. I quickly moved behind the turret, placed my rifle on my back, and grabbed the handles. I fired into the covenant that were approaching. An unlucky group of grunts and an Elite trapping a marine were soon obliterated, leaving the marine unharmed of course.


    I took out the front lines, but they were quickly replaced. Risking a glance to the side of the road, I spotted a few Elites tucking into the forest. I tilted my head in confusion... and then stepped back as a plasma grenade flew up straight towards the turret.


    I quickly tore it off of it''s stand and used my thrusters to push me to one side. The grenade exploded where the turret had just been and my HUD wavered slightly as the electrical charge passed over me. I stood from where I had slid on the ground and turned the now-portable turret to the trees, laying down a stream of fire into the foliage.


    The bark from the trees splintered off, deadly shards flying everywhere, as the heavy ammunition ripped through the forest. There were a few Sangheili growls of pain but they quickly cut short as I swept back over the area they came from. I stopped and turned back to continue attacking the main force, satisfied that the Elites were dead.


    Selina and Scott were on my left on top of the wall as well, Kade on the other side sniping some of the Elites and the few vehicle drivers.


    There were other soldiers on the wall firing now as well. However I looked over to see only about ten or twenty troops beside me. I laid suppression fire on the advancing forces and yelled to a soldier next to me. "Where are the rest of your troops?"


    "They went to help fight off the covenant in the city, the others are inside deleting data or dead."


    "How long will that take?"


    "Should be about ten or twenty minutes."


    I turned back to the covenant. We don''t have that kind of time, We need to take them all out at once. The last tactic I used won''t work here. I paused a moment and looked around. There were almost no tactical options. The only things were abandoned warthogs, covenant, discarded weapons, and of course the Covenant. There were too many and they would definitely see by the empty turrets that there were only a few of us if they hadn''t noticed already.


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    I thought back, way back to some of the first wars on Earth. One of the battles had been won by pulling in fake cannons too make it look like the force was much larger than it really was, causing the surrender and retreat of the opposing force. (Yes this actually happened)


    If I could replicate that here with some of the manned turrets before the Covenant got too close, we could ward them off. I turned back to the soldier. "Tell your men to bring up every turret you have, automatic or not, and set them along the wall."


    He turned to me with a bewildered expression. "What for? We don''t have enough men to man them all." He yelled over.


    "You don''t need enough, they will be fired randomly to give the impression that you have more men than they do." I yelled back.


    His eyes widened in realization and he immediately called half of the soldiers to get them with him. The rest continued firing and I relayed the message to Scott. Soon at least a hundred turrets were set up along the wall. There was a visible hesitation in the Covenant forces.


    I continued firing but crouched behind the turret so they couldn''t see me and I could see them. The other soldiers positioned behind a turret as well, spread out so two or three turrets were in-between them.


    I signaled them with my hand and called on the radio to Scott. "Rotate now." Immediately fire from some of the turrets stopped and previously unmanned turrets fired up. A few of the soldiers had been waiting off-sides to improve the illusion. They randomly approached a turret, making sure the Covenant couldn''t see them.


    I moved over to a second turret, and then at the same rate to the third, alternating between them to make it look like they had cool down times. I quickly risked a look over the wall at the large group of Covenant. It was working! The grunts were now backing up or even running away, frightened by the seemingly massive force of enemies on impenetrable turrets. Even some of the Elites subconsciously stepped backwards. Only the few Hunters left were undisturbed, simply following orders.


    I ducked as a rain of rubble from a Hunter''s plasma shattered the wall next to me. I quickly engaged my invisibility, darting across the destroyed remains of my second turret and firing up the next turret after the "cool down" for the existing and no longer existing turret passed. Scott and Selina had already been doing this in their sections. This deterred them even more, since there could be seen no crossing troops to fire up another turret. As the last Hunter fell, the Elites began calling for a retreat. Grunts stumbled over each other and the Elite''s who had appeared to be commanders were picked off by Kade.


    The men cheered, and I copied and amplified a portion of the sound to make it sound like an army. The hesitantly retreating Covenant were thoroughly convinced now and ran for their lives.


    Finally the last Elite was out of sight, the straggling grunts picked off by the men actually on the turrets. I stood up and looked past the celebrating troops to Scott and Selina. They nodded and hopped off of the wall, walking towards the base. I approached the soldier from before and he turned to greet me. "Have the men destroyed the data?" I asked. He nodded, "Finished a few minutes ago. You''re welcome to take any equipment or supplies, we got word the Covenant ship finished the city and is heading here now. Thanks for your help, we have it covered from here."


    "Thanks for the offer, and no problem."


    He nodded and started shouting orders to take some of the turrets down. I jumped off the wall and walked into the base near the hangers. I walked trough a door into a hanger and saw Selina and Scott standing there. A few Pelicans had been stationed behind the base as precaution to being shot during the fight. I gave a thumbs up to one of the pilots and the first of five Pelicans filled with civilians and base staff slowly took off.


    I watched it go, followed soon after by the second. There was motion from the forest to my right and I looked to see Kade running out of the forest. He slowed as he neared and eventually walked towards me.


    "The Pelican is refueling at a nearby station. We might need it when we leave atmosphere," He said.


    "Grab some extra equipment too. Then we leave, the carrier will be here soon." I replied. He nodded and went over to a crate, stocking his sniper with ammo. I grabbed a few extra cartridges myself and for a brief moment just stood there and watched the Pelicans leave.


    (don''t change after this point)


    The last Pelican left, taking with it the rest of the Civilians off to the same Frigate that had brought Kyle here not so long ago. My team packed up the last extra supplies from the hangar, clipping on ammo and anything they could carry without hindering themselves. I looked out at the Covenant ship coming increasingly closer. My team walked up, weapons on their backs, each nodding that they were ready. "Let''s go." I said, and we ran out of the base, accelerating to our top speed. I led them towards the trees east of where the ship was coming in towards the base. Soon as we passed the first layer of trees we heard a terrible crumbling and burning sound. I looked behind myself and saw what I had expected, the facility was being glassed. I looked away and we continued to run, the ground a blur, darting around obstacles until we were about 15 miles away. I slowed down as we reached the edge of the forest, the others following suit. I paused near a large hill and slowly walked up it to see what had been done. I reached the top and stopped.


    I stood there silently and watched as yet another evacuated facility become a wasteland of molten rock.


    I ran my thumb over the ridge of the energy sword I was holding, then lowered my hand and placed it on my thigh. I heard footsteps as Selina, Kade, and Scott walked up behind me. I turned my head slightly to signal them that I had heard but kept my eyes on the destruction unfolding in the distance. "We''ll find him Steele. And whoever did this will pay along with the Covenant, you have our word on that." She said, resting a gloved hand on my shoulder in a rare show of comfort, leaving it for a moment before she lowered it. I nodded, clenching my fists.


    "Chief, we have company." Kade said. I turned and looked up to where he was pointing. A Covenant ship was lowering through the clouds not too far away as it''s beam charged and fired. They turned to leave, jogging back down. I looked back at the facility for a moment. Then I turned and ran down the hill to join my team. We dodged rocks, jumping over logs and forgotten Covenant, heading towards our next clue. I clenched the dog tags in my left hand, grimacing. Whoever you are, get ready, because we are coming, and we will find you.

 Chapter 36

    I sat in the pilot seat of the Pelican and flipped a few switches on the control panel, prepping it''s shields and engine to leave the atmosphere. The rest of the team strapped themselves securely into the seats the back. I quickly checked the radar for nearby aircraft and visually confirmed that no one was in the nearby airspace and turned on the engine. It roared to life, spinning up to it''s maximum thrust, only the brakes keeping us in place. Satisfied all was well, I pulled back slowly on the throttle down to idle, and then back up to minimum takeoff power.


    I pressed a button to close the hatch and engaged upwards thrust, the engines tilting down to push us off the ground. The pelican rose, slowly at first but gaining speed as I increased throttle, the aircraft automatically converting from upwards thrust to horizontal. I followed a half spiral pattern as we rose above the surface until we were just under the first layer of the atmosphere. I broke pattern and flew in an angled ascent towards the sky, throwing on our afterburners to break us free from Atrius''s gravity.


    I took a moment to look back at the ground just before the cockpit glass turned completely red and saw the base, half melted to nothing. The city was gone, a single skyscraper near the ocean standing above the disfigured ruins of the other three buildings. I could also see a small town milling with refugees and another large city to the East of Fort Cause completely glassed. The heat of leaving atmosphere obscured the ground after a few more seconds.


    How could they do this? Why would they do this? What are they after? I know that before they were hunting for me, like with the incidents in Fort Cause. What if they were still after me? Is this all my fault?


    I shook my head and looked forward at the darkening sky as we approached the outer atmosphere and the air resistance lessened. It''s probably not my fault, I thought. They wouldn''t do a full scale invasion just for me and they would have only destroyed Fort Cause. Unless they didn''t know where you were. If they had knowledge that you would be the next Master Chief, they would feel like an invasion is worth stopping the destruction of entire fleets of covenant. My subconscious whispered.


    I shook off that thought, thinking like that would only lead to me losing focus on my current mission. Right now any slip-ups could be the difference between rescuing Kyle and losing him, either by death or slipspace. The Pelican rumbled, and for a minute I pushed the thought away to make sure our ascent was steady. It slowly stopped and we passed the final layer of atmosphere.


    Suddenly a call on my com cut through the silence. It was Silas''s voice. "Senior Chief, re-direct to the UNSC frigate you recovered on. There is something urgent you need to see regarding Spartan 201."


    For a moment I didn''t recognize the number, but then a really old memory came back to me sharply of a little girl standing over me, a soft smile on her face. That number was Sift! "What?!" I asked, trying to subdue my excitement and confusion.


    "It''s not safe to say over these channels, especially with you piloting a Pelican. Report ASAP. Silas out." The com abruptly clicked off.


    I sat there a full minute before angling the Pelican towards the nearest Frigate. Was Sift alive? I didn''t want to get my hopes up but the message suggested it. It''s been so long, how will we be a team again? And if she was recently revived then she will only be 12, and without augmentations or training. And we need to hurry to get Kyle, why does it strangely seem like everyone is trying to delay us as long as possible?


    I pushed that thought aside and returned my attention to flying. There were multiple carriers, Covenant and UNSC in the surrounding space. Two of them were linked in a battle far to my right, so far I could only see what was going on thanks to my enhanced sight. Missiles were flying out of each and dealing terrible damage. The UNSC carrier had a shield on but it was weakening with each blow. The others were separated by miles of space and seemed to be unwilling to be the first to engage.


    I flew in a wide arc around all of them to our destined carrier so that we were not caught in the crossfire. "This is Sierra one-one-eight of Fort Cause, requesting permission to dock." I pinged to the carrier.


    There was a pause. "Permission granted. Please direct to hangar nine, space five."


    I adjusted our trajectory down and to the right thirty degrees. I called back as we approached, "We are making a detour, leave unnecessary equipment onboard but stay prepared. Prepare to board UNSC frigate."


    There was a slight pause but acknowledgment lights blinked in my HUD a moment later.


    I flew through the air-shield and landed in the designated space. Silas was standing not too far in front of it. I powered down the Pelican and lowered the hatch. I got up out of my seat and walked into the back where my team was waiting for me. I walked past them without saying a word and they followed me down the ramp.


    Silas came around the side of the hatch, his face unreadable. "Follow me." He said, waving his hand for us to come. I saw Selina look at Kade questioningly. He shrugged and we walked after Silas. After passing a few different entrances and taking several turns we stopped at a door along a hallway.


    Silas turned to us, "Before I show you I have to say some things. During your first training mission you lost two team members, Sift 201 and Grayson 283."


    Selina shifted uncomfortably. Kade and Scott stayed still.


    "Grayson was confirmed KIA, but not Sift. She was placed into cryo for her injuries. Approximately six years ago our doctors came up with a solution to revive her safely. Sift is alive White team." He said.


    We all moved back slightly in shock, looking around at each other to make sure what we were hearing was real. "Sift is Alive? Why didn''t you tell us before?" Scott demanded, stepping closer to Commander Silas.


    Silas sighed, "For a number of reasons. One, you were too young to be told, there was a major risk of you losing focus and potentially letting feelings get in the way. Two, she is now the age Senior Chief Steele is at. She feared that without the same training she would never catch up, especially since she had to recover, and she didn''t want to be a liability. If she was, it was her idea to leave her revival a secret when or if she ever reached proper combat readiness. Three, Halsey was afraid her recovery wouldn''t go well or that you wouldn''t be as motivated by their deaths to train harder and become better as a team if you knew Sift had been revived." He said. "I will add that she has also been augmented with almost complete success and is in prime physical shape. She has worked with several other teams on missions already so, other than getting into the rhythm of the how you guys operate now, she should adapt well to White team." He finished.


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    We stood there for a few moments as we tried to process everything, and he asked, "Any more questions or shall we enter?" I was shaken out of my thoughts and looked at the rest of the team. They nodded their heads. "We''re ready." I replied.


    "Well then White team..." He opened the door and stepped in. "Let me reintroduce your teammate, Spartan Sift 201."


    We walked in after him and I stopped. The rest of the team came in and did the same as they saw the female Spartan standing in the middle of the room, standard rifle on her back.


    Her helmet was off, but she looked a lot different. Her hair was still startling blond but her eyes were now a blue with yellowish-gold around the iris. Her face was thinner and she was taller, but not taller than us. She wore dark red and black armor with white stripes to signify White team. It had a layered chest plate with a central protective layer, a type of armor called Vector. Her helmet was different though and had a smoothed triangle visor with a rounded exterior. There were also red crosses on the sides of her helmet, one in the center of her chest plate, and on her shoulder plates. She was fully equipped and had many different medical kits and supplies around her waist.


    I realized the room was deathly silent and Sift was looking at me with an expectant look. I cleared my throat and said, "Um.. You look well."


    She nodded, "I''m sorry we had to reunite this way." I shook my head slightly, "I understand....There''s so much I want to say, to ask, but we have more pressing matters at hand." I smiled and continued, "However, you look well and I am glad to see you. Are you ready to leave?"


    She nodded. "I am ready to follow any order you give. It will take a bit to get used to but I''ll try to. What''s our mission?"


    I nodded, "Good, we will brief you in the pelican. Permission to be dismissed Commander Silas?" I said, saluting to him.


    He had been watching the exchange from a distance and stepped forwards, returning the salute. "Permission granted. But, along with your mission, I have orders from higher up to destroy one of the covenant carriers. Any help would be appreciated Senior Chief."


    I nodded, "I''ll see what we can do. Thank you sir."


    We turned to leave. "Good luck Spartans." He called from behind. I paused at the door. "We make our own luck." I replied and we walked out.


    I immediately began a light jog towards the hanger and they followed suit, everything quiet for a moment except for the sound of our boots pounding on the metal as we ran through the hallways.


    "So..." Scott said, lingering near Sift. "Have any secrets we should know?"


    I looked over to see Sift tilt her head in a way at him that said, Really? That''s the first thing you ask me after six years?


    "Well, I can bring people back from the dead." She said. "Really?" Scott asked, stopping for a moment in shock.


    "No, just wanted to see your reaction." She laughed. He hmphed angrily as he caught back up to the group. "Seriously though, I can help most injuries and some severe wounds. I only have a slightly extended field kit on me so not really mortal wounds. I have also learned a lot of difficult combat moves that might be useful and discovered that I also have almost photographic memory." She said proudly.


    "We can use that. I''m glad to have you back Sift." I said. We entered the pelican and I started the engine.


    "And I''m glad to be back here Senior Chief." She replied from the back, emphasizing my title. I couldn''t help but smile. They buckled in and I lifted off, turning around smoothly and gliding out into space.


    "So, what''s our mission?" She asked. Kade quickly briefed her on what had been going on and where we were headed now. She let out a sigh and then asked, "Why would his own team kidnap him? Couldn''t they have just tricked him into telling them the information while they worked together before this?"


    I shrugged, and then paused as I realized she couldn''t see me. I responded verbally instead, "I don''t know, that''s what we''re going to find out. But I agree, it seems inefficient and risky." She paused and then asked, "So what if we lose him?"


    "We won''t, but we have to figure out where he is first. He said something about a larger ship. Scan the surrounding areas." I said. There was a sigh, "Yes Sir, might take a bit."


    Even if we did lose him, I hoped it was by slipspace travel. Slipspace can be tracked through, but death is a chasm you can''t come back from. Wait, tracking.. "Hey Selina, when you checked Kyle''s suit, was his tracker working?" I called back. There was a pause, "I believe so... Yeah, it was on." I smiled, finally good news. "You or Scott trace that signal, then send coordinates to my HUD." I commanded. "Affirmative" she replied.


    I returned my attention to the space and spotted multiple carriers, Covenant and UNSC the ones I had seen before. The two of them were linked in a battle to my left still, missiles flying out of each and dealing terrible damage. The UNSC carrier had lost it''s shield during the time we had spent on the frigate and was sustaining damage, but seemed to have the upper hand. The others still seemed to be unwilling to be the first to engage, but had moved ever closer to the two locked in combat.


    There were two Covenant vessels closest to us and I cut off our main engines so that we were only directed by air-bursts. Since there is no friction in space we continued our same speed. Another minute passed as we got closer and Selina called up, "Got it, but... You need to take a look for yourself."


    I pulled up the coordinates she sent me and widened my eyes in surprise. It was close, but it was also... Inside the Covenant carrier? That bastard, he teamed up with them! I curled my fist in rage, bending the metal on the throttle a bit. The sound of metal creaking snapped me out of it and I took a deep breath and released it. "We need a plan." I said calmly.


    "Well there is a damaged landing bay on the east side, most likely from an AA gun or a UNSC carrier. We could land there." said Scott.


    I nodded, "That''s a good idea, from there we will take access tunnels to wherever they are holding Kyle. Gear up, we''re going in." I said. They winked their acknowledgement lights and I angled the Pelican towards the nearest carrier. I did a double-take on the row in my visor as the fourth light blinked. It''s going to take a while to get used to that.


    The sound of ammo sliding into a magazine and then into a weapon could be heard multiple times as the team got ready behind me. I again heard the familiar click of ammo sliding into an assault rifle, mine. Kade came up and took my pistol, reloading it and replacing it. I leaned forward and he placed my previously requested rail gun on my back.


    I sat back and he walked into the back once more. I turned on cloaking as we got closer, set the Pelican on a course for the damaged hanger, and relieved my command to autopilot. The Covenant carrier eclipsed the view of the rest of space out of the front of the Pelican as we drifted closer. I took one last look towards the flaming hangar and stepped into the back.


    Selina looked up from refilling her grenades and quickly turned around to grab my assault rifle. She handed it to me and placed her shotgun on her back, "You ready for this?" I nodded, "We can''t afford not to be ready." She nodded back and I stepped past her. Kade stepped aside so the gravity hammer on his back wouldn''t hit me. Sift got up and grabbed an assault rifle. I paused next to Scott and turned around. "I programmed the autopilot to turn around once we reach the hangar. It will be waiting on the hull of the ship until we leave. Once we are inside we will take the access tunnels to his location. I want this quiet so equip mufflers and stay to the shadows. Got it?" They nodded.


    I turned back to the hatch and rested my hand next to the release. "ETA five seconds. Get ready to jump."


    Five... My breathing quickened slightly.


    Four... I pressed the release, the hatch would be down completely the moment we were close enough.


    Three... Selina flicked off the safety on her battle rifle with a muffled click.


    Two... I held my breath, tension thickening in the air so much I could taste it.


    One.


    We jumped.

 Chapter 37

    I landed on the metal strewn floor with a solid thunk! Four more thunks! followed as the team jumped down from the Pelican. Although the hangar was destroyed, the air and gravity shield was still active which is what was allowing the fire to exist. I immediately raised my rifle, scanning the area for threats. I spotted an enemy and shot it, a Grunt running near the entrance, and waved my team forwards. We weaved through the wreckage and flames, me taking point and Kade watching our escape.


    I stepped over a piece of a Ghost''s small, purple, triangular wing and scanned the wall in front of us for an access tunnel. Selina got my attention and pointed to my left. There was a large purple door with a round top that split in the middle just behind some larger wreckage. I walked up to it and it opened automatically. Quickly scanning the tunnel, I lowered my rifle as I turned around to notify the team. "Clear" I whispered. Kade let out a short burst as another Grunt ran through the main opening into the hangar. I waved my team ahead and scanned the room behind us before walking back up front as they passed through.


    Selina and Scott walked carefully next to me and slightly behind in standard formation. I rounded a corner to my right and checked my map at the intersection. Kyle was on an upper level and there was a lift a few turns down my left. I cleared the three passages before turning to my left. My team did the same and followed closely. Selina shot a Grunt waddling through a separate entrance. She dragged the body against the wall and we continued.


    After a few more turns I paused. There had been little to no enemy movement despite how deep we had progressed into the supposedly active Covenant Carrier. Typically there would be grunts and an Elite or two making rounds as they patrolled the ship for threats like us. There was one more unsuspecting Grunt after the last one but other than that, nothing. I checked my motion tracker for the twentieth time and once again saw no movement in neighboring hallways.


    "Something doesn''t feel right." Kade remarked. I nodded.


    "Do you think it could be a trap?" Sift asked.


    "That''s what we are here to find out. Expect anything." I said. I approached another maintenance door leading to the lift. It opened and I took a few steps, scanning the area. I pulled back quickly. I signaled with my hands commands to my team. Seven, spread out, take down quietly.


    They nodded and we crept inside, sticking to the shadows. I walked behind a pillar that was just behind one of the Elites and a Grunt. The Elite was making the Grunt stand on it''s head and the Grunt grumbled angrily as it begrudgingly complied. I quickly took out a screw from the floor and flicked it past the corner of the entrance to a hallway that was behind me. It pinged off the wall and rolled noisily to a stop just past the door.


    The Elite straightened instantly and took a step before yelling at the Grunt. It got off it''s head and grumpily walked over, dragging it''s arms. The Elite grumbled angrily and turned back around. I took out my knife. It passed me and I snatched it out of sight, stabbing it''s head and muffling it''s mouth. It let out a small squeak before falling limp and I placed it against the pillar.


    The Elite waited a minute and snarled again. When there was no response he stomped angrily past, grumbling in Sangheili. I jumped up onto it''s back, stabbing it''s neck and pulling it backwards. It grabbed at it''s throat and grabbed my arm in a weak attempt to pull me off. It reached to press something, an alert maybe. I stabbed it again and it slumped backwards, weakly pulling again before falling limp on it''s back as I got off.


    I laid it down and risked a peek around the pillar. I saw a grunt disappear across from me and next to that the body of an Elite was dragged out of sight. Sift''s helmet was barely visible around a corner pillar. I signaled her and the team to go towards the lift. I slowly walked out from behind the pillar and approached the halo of glowing purple. Selina and the rest of the team joined me. I put a hand in the light and felt it strongly pulling my hand upwards. The team looked at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and said, "Be prepared for anything." I stepped inside and started rising as it pulled me upwards. My team followed me. As I rose past the next floor, what it revealed was less than encouraging. The room was filled with Elites, Grunts, Jackals, and even a Hunter. All exits were covered. They were waiting for us and paused for a moment at our sudden entrance. In a few precious moments, it was quiet except for the hum of the gravity lift. Then they opened fire.


    I returned it, still in the lift, taking out a few grunts and an Elite. I angled myself in the lift to fly directly in the midst of them and landed on some Scarab shields. I caught a glimpse of my team doing the same close to me.


    Now the Covenant were still shooting but most missed me and hit their own comrades in their frenzy. Shouting and gunfire rang all around us and I felt like I was in the middle of a mob.


    My shield was down a third. I crawled forwards, pushing legs and shields out of the way. The Covenant were overcrowding each other to try and kill us, and most couldn''t even tell who was who in the mess of shoving aliens. I fired a steady stream in front of me to help clear the way. My team was close by and I had to bring out my pistol to shoot an Elite on top of me. As it fell limp on top of me, I didn''t move it, but instead used it as a bloody shield. The Covenant were in chaos and confusion. I saw an energy sword swing so close to my visor, my face heated for a moment with it''s pass.


    I grabbed the owner''s arm and pulled it over the crowd off balance, stepping on a Grunt in the process. The dead Elite fell off and guns jabbed me from all angles. My shield was down two thirds now. I stabbed the Elite and shoved it at the assorted Covenant trying to pile on me. They fell back and I finally broke through to the door. Kade was already there and the rest of the team formed a defensive barrier as soon as they arrived.


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    I worked on the door, using a special kit to hack the access panel that I had programmed myself in my free time. The device scanned the lock and began running through combinations. Gunfire was constantly hammering my shield and I had to cover the device as the Hunter let off a plasma blast, hitting the wall next to me. My team was slowly being pushed backwards by the sheer number of Covenant attacking us, occasionally tossing a grenade to hold them back as they crawled over their dead comrades in an attempt to swarm us again. Selina stumbled just as I unlocked the door and the Elites swarmed over her. I saw a few pull out energy swords.


    I quickly called, "Into the doorway!" and tackled the Elites off of Selina, not able to worry if one sliced me. She stumbled backwards and I struggled to keep their swords off of me. Leaning across one and kicking another, I struggled to hold the sword arm of another as it bared down on me. One had fallen under me but somehow had his sword arm above my head.


    Selena called again and I spotted a plasma grenade on the belt of the one I was leaning across. In my peripheral I saw the sword above my head come down. I used my free hand and primed the grenade. Then I let go of the sword arm suddenly, causing it to slice one of the Elites. The one above me stabbed the one I was leaning across and it cried out in Sangheili.


    I slipped out past the doorway and Scott smashed the lock. It slid closed just as the grenade exploded.


    I let out a sigh and slumped a bit. The team leaned against the walls to catch their breath and refilling ammo. I looked down the long white hallway and checked my map. Kyle was in a room down this hallway, down to the right another hallway, and then a left. There would most likely be guards. No doubt this was a trap, but have they been expecting us since before we arrived or did they somehow notice us when we first flew in? I wondered.


    Sift was checking Selina for injuries, much to her dismay. Sift then moved on to Scott, then Kade, then me. I tried to wave her off but she persisted and I awkwardly submitted myself to a body scan. She walked around me and paused in front of me as she pressed on different areas to check for broken bones. My breath hitched as she pressed on my stomach and I looked down but she held up a hand to keep me from moving.


    She looked closer and reached out a hand, touching an area on the left side of my stomach below my chest plate. I sucked in a breath and flinched away as a needle of pain spiked through my muscles. When she pulled back her gloved hand, it was covered in blood.


    "You have a nasty cut there, just missed your primary armor and cut the under suit open. Energy blade no doubt." She leaned closer. "Went right between your ribs, punctured spleen and stomach. I''m going to need to get some stitches and biofoam in that." She stood up. "Kade, Scott, I''ll need you to hold him down. Selina, watch our exits, I''ll do it fast but just in case."


    I protested, "I don''t need them to hold me down. I can handle the pain."


    She shook her head, "Just taking precautions, I don''t want you flinching and messing up the stitches, especially considering I''m going internal."


    I sighed and laid down. The team came over and grabbed my arms and legs. Sift took off her medical equipment and pulled out stitches, biofoam, a few smaller things, and a black substance. "What is that?" I nodded to it.


    She looked at it and said, "Oh, that''s a little extra something they give us for armor punctures. It seals it as good as new so you can continue to work in a compromised atmosphere, it takes a bit to set so it''s not good for quick fixes but we should have plenty of time before we leave for it to harden. Lie still now, I''m going to seal your organs up." She took off her gloves and put sanitary gloves on.


    Reaching for the stitches and tool, she scooted closer and bent down. I braced myself and she used one hand to widen the opening. I clenched my fists and scrunched up my face, straining at Kade''s hold slightly as she pulled on my skin and brushed multiple damaged nerves. It felt like someone was rubbing glass on and inside my skin.


    She was using metal stitches so she quickly clamped them on, each making a little click! I ground my teeth to distract myself as I tried to hold stock-still. They felt like tiny knives. Kade and Scott watched and kept a firm hold on my arms and legs.


    Finally she finished and filled it with bio foam to be sure it would hold, stitching together my skin. Lastly she coated it with a cooling gel and then smothered the black gel over top, sealing it to the edges of the hole.


    Kade and Scott let go and I sat up, wincing as the motion moved my damaged muscles. Sift packed away her kits and stool up, reaching down a hand. I accepted it and she pulled me up. "Thank you" I said. She nodded and grabbed her gun. No other conversation was necessary. I grabbed my gun from where it was propped up against the wall and reloaded it. "Let''s go, we''ve wasted enough time as it is." I ordered and took a step and winced. Sift saw and offered her shoulder to lean on but I put up a hand. I walked up front, only slightly limping, and turned into the right hallway. The rest of the team knew I would not accept help, and it would only prevent them from doing their jobs properly anyway.


    Everything in the carrier was purple and sleek. Well, there were still circuits and you could see lines where the metal sheets fit against each other, but they were smooth and rounded. Strange lines ran vertical along the wall, surprisingly symmetrical. Even though there were many purple and blue lights lining the walls and ceiling, it was dark. Multiple rounded doors and openings lined it and the wall curved upward.


    I walked very carefully, everything deathly silent, the only sound coming from the thumps of our boots. I swung my rifle back and forth, still limping.


    We had just begun to round the next corner when I heard a thump. I raised a hand to halt and scanned the hallway, staying behind the corner. I checked my motion tracker as a louder thump! echoed down the hallway. Nothing within range.


    Now it became it clear it was a couple pairs of footsteps. I desperately looked down the hallway, trying to catch a glimmer or an outline. The team stepped backwards a few steps and I adjusted my hold on my rifle. Finally I saw an outline. Then two more appeared behind it. I held up three fingers and then waved my hand forward to attack. I rolled out from behind the wall and fired on all three. Scott, Kade, and Selina rolled out as well and fired.


    Their invisibility shields disengaged and I stepped back as I paused my attack, No...

 Chapter 38

    Their invisibility shields disengaged, revealing the ones who started it all. Rogers and Grey turned around at the bullets breaking on their shields, holding the Forerunner glowing orange weapons we had seen in the crates back on Atrius. Momentarily surprised, we hesitated to continue firing for a few seconds. Henderson lowered his hand from covering himself from our barrage and pulled something out from behind him.


    It took a split second for the item to register in my mind as the laser Scott showed me from the crates. Scott realized it too as we shared a glance before he immediately shoved Kade behind the wall. The laser charged, electricity crackling among the four barrels as it began to fire.


    I jumped across the hallway lightning fast and tackled Selina just as what looked to be some kind of electric barrel out of the four fired from Henderson''s shoulder. Lightning bolts scorched the wall above us as I pushed her down out of the line of fire. Static filled my visor and pins and needles made their way up and down my body as the edge of the beam grazed my back. My wound burned. Fighting the muscle spasms and pain, I pushed Selina and myself the rest of the way behind the corner opposite to Sift, Kade, and Scott.


    Kade fired his SAW around the corner and the beam stopped as Fireteam Prime took cover. Selina got up and fired her shotgun at them as well, the spray spreading out on the walls and ceiling. I looked past her to the door Henderson took cover next to, which was about halfway down the hallway. Kyle''s door was at the other end of the hallway, quite a distance still. I pulled myself back behind the safety of the wall and shouted, "Fireteam Prime, stand down and surrender NOW! We have you outnumbered!"


    He called back, "Ha! By only one person! And we have weapons you could never dream of getting your hands on! How about you surrender while you still have most of your team members!"


    I scowled at the unfortunate accuracy of his statement, but then paused. Wait! He said one! Either he has an extra person we don''t know about, which is unlikely considering we didn''t see anyone else, or he doesn''t know about Sift! That could be used to our advantage. I spoke just loud enough over the gunfire to talk to Selina. "Get ready to cover Scott."


    She looked at me but nodded. I spoke over the private com to Sift, Kade, and Scott. "Sift, since they don''t know about you, me, Kade, and you are going to serve as a distraction. I''ll throw a flash grenade and you will take Rogers, Scott gets Grey and I''ll take Henderson. Selina will cover us as we approach. Kade, knock them out once we restrain them."


    They all winked their acknowledgement lights, not pausing the firefight even as they did so. I grabbed a flash grenade off of my belt and threw it into the corridor. There was an ear-ringing explosion and I ran out, Sift in front. I quickly tackled Henderson, catching him off-guard with his hand still up to shield his face from the blast.


    As we rolled backwards I saw Scott race past to tackle Grey, Kade following and Sift attacking on my other side. Selina stayed back but moved into the middle of the hallway, firing short bursts. I leaned sideways on his back and held his right arm. I struggled to hold Henderson down as he fought to get up and get away at the same time, twisting his arm behind his back and placing my knee on his shoulder blade to get more leverage. He struggled to keep me from bending it too far and grabbed a knife from his left thigh. I saw the glint of the blade and twisted out of the way as he blindly stabbed backwards. He managed to flip over as I shifted my weight and I placed my knee of his chest, stepping on his right hand. He brought his left hand up to stab me in the arm but I caught it. He dropped his arm suddenly and stabbed my armor on my thigh. It barely pierced before I caught his other arm too, lifting it off of the knife sticking out of my leg.


    I flinched at the stab however and he slipped his left arm out, pulling the knife out. I grabbed his hands as he tried to shove it upwards into my neck. We struggled back and forth for a moment before I pushed it to one side and slammed his hand into the ground as I fortunately had better leverage. The blade skittered away.


    I quickly crossed his arms in front of him and placed my knee on his wrists for extra assurance, earning a cough from Henderson as they pushed into his chest to keep him from slipping out again. I looked up for Kade and froze in shock. In front of me were four Elites, their invisibility shields just barely disengaging. One was holding Sift up by her neck high above the floor. She was holding the Elite''s hand, trying to pull it off in vain. I looked over to see Kade and Scott backing up, weapons up. Grey was out cold, and Rogers was slowly getting up.


    Suddenly Henderson slipped out as my pressure on his arms momentarily lightened from the surprise and he threw me back. I landed on my back and rolled once, making a skid mark on the floor as I slid on my stomach. I slid to a stop about ten feet away and quickly got up.


    As I did however, I saw Henderson get up as well and throw something at me. I was too close to dodge it but I twisted sideways to try and avoid it anyway. The flat, circular object flew straight towards my chest and I reached for it in Spartan Time. It slipped through my fingers and I chased after it with my hand as it magnetized to the very edge of my chest plate. I reached closer to pull it off, but just as my finger touched it the rings in the middle lifted up and glowed. In the same moment my armor locked up and my whole body froze. I looked up in surprise and tried to move. No avail, I couldn''t move a muscle, everything but my head was completely frozen.


    I looked up again as he threw a second at Kade, but the distance was too far and Kade slipped aside easily, caught it, and instead tossed it on Rogers. She growled as her body froze while she was still on the floor, in a crawling position as she had been trying to get up. She twisted her head, trying to move. Kade and Scott backed away from Henderson more but stayed near Rogers. I was too close to Henderson for them to attempt to help me.


    Henderson looked at Rogers and sighed before looking at Sift in the Elite''s hand as well. "So, thought you would surprise me with a little family reunion. That backfired didn''t it. It is surprising that she''s alive. I was told she died during an accident in training. She does seem a little young, maybe too long in cryo? No matter, you will all be coming with us too. Unfortunately I''d prefer if this whole situation stayed a secret from the UNSC and ONI."


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    I growled and tried my long range coms. Nothing. He noticed my head twitch slightly and said, "Don''t bother trying your coms, we took care of that when we detected your presence. Now if you give us back Rogers and Grey, we promise we won''t harm your team." he haughtily.


    Kade, Scott, and Selina looked towards me as they waited for my command. I thought for a moment. I knew he wasn''t going to hold up on his word entirely, but other than betraying his team member, he was surprisingly pretty trustworthy despite being a deserting bastard. He told us the truth about the ship and the city, why not this? On the other hand, we had two of his team, our only bargaining chips, and possibly the only other thing he cared about.


    "What if we refuse?" I asked. He walked around me. "Well you don''t really have a choice. As for your team, well they will be taken by force and possibly hurt or killed in the process. And to remind you, we have Sift. Your choice... Senior Chief." He said, drawing out my rank a bit longer than the rest of his sentence before turning back around. He gestured to the Elite and it took out an energy blade, bringing it closer to Sift. She squirmed and made choking noises, desperately trying to gasp for air but cut short as he tightened his hold. Her legs kicked helplessly in the air, beginning to become less and less lively. I grimaced and looked back towards my team. They shifted warily. I looked down to where my hand was so close to unlocking my armor. If I... could... just...


    I know! I looked back up towards my team and nodded before whispering in our private local channel. "I''m going to free myself and delay Henderson, you guys free Sift and take out those Elites." They winked their acknowledgement lights. I started to clench my hand, desperately trying to move it a little closer. He turned back. "Make a choice Senior, you don''t have much time." He gestured to the Elite again and it brought the blade closer, slowly closing the distance between it and her chest. She lifted her head more and tried hitting the Elite''s arm to release in vain. She began to struggle harder again as her air was almost completely cut off.


    I clenched my hand even harder. My muscles strained, I could feel the ones in my fingers painfully trying to move against the thousand pound armor I was wearing. It inched closed the tiniest bit and I immediately strained harder. The blade was less than 4 inches away now. Sift was losing her energy, her kicks and hits less and less hard. I could feel muscles beginning to tear. The tips of my fingers inched closer and closer together, the release less than a millimeter away. Two inches away from her chest. Her arms slipped off of trying to bend the Elite''s arm, now only her fingers twitching. Her head began to sag. Henderson tapped his foot impatiently. I inched ever so infuriatingly closer and Henderson started to wave his hand to kill Sift.


    Finally! I clicked the release. The rings disengaged and I dropped from my locked position. I launched myself at Henderson. In Spartan Time I saw Kade fire at the Elite, causing him to drop Sift. She immediately fell to the floor and started coughing.


    I tackled Henderson and brought the device down towards his chest, trying to plant it on him. He grabbed my arm and desperately tried to keep it off of him. "How?" He choked out, grunting with effort. I leaned closer and said, "You underestimated me." and then punched him so hard with my left fist that he rolled from the impact over to my right side. I got up as he rolled and walked after him. He hurriedly pushed himself up but I grabbed him by the neck and slowly raised him above my head. He squirmed and coughed, trying to get air.


    "We will find Kyle, and you will pay for your crimes against the UNSC. Consider this a warning." I dropped him and threw the device onto his chest. He froze on his back, hands on the floor to prop himself up. I have got to get me one of these devices. I thought as I looked over to the team. Kade was just in the process of knocking out the second Elite. Sift was leaning against the wall, and Scott was holding the Elite down. Selina was in a fight with the other Elite, trying to hold his sword arm off and punching it in the face. It stumbled backwards and I ran towards it. I passed a surprised Selina and jumped at the Elite. Twisting in mid-air, I round house kicked it in the face and landed facing it. Immediately I punched it hard in the stomach, pushing it back a few feet. Then running up to it I jumped, kicking it backwards with both feet and pushing off to do a backflip. As I landed one one knee, using my hand to steady me, the Elite slammed into the corner of the doorway and slid down, unconscious.


    Scott walked up to me, "Showoff" he teased. I shook my head and stood up, looking towards Grey. He had begun to move, shaking his head but still unsteady. I walked over and pulled out my rifle, hitting his head with the butt of the gun. He slumped back to the floor. Too bad we don''t have handcuffs, that''ll have to do.


    I walked over and gestured with my head towards the end of the hallway. "We don''t have much time and we can''t take them with us as they''ll slow us down, Let''s go." I said. They nodded and pulled Grey, Rogers, and Henderson to the wall. Rogers now hung her head, barely acknowledging Kade dragging her to the wall. I set off at a fast walk, still wary of the multiple doors lining the hallway. Sift stuck to the middle, with Kade last.


    I was halfway to the end where Kyle was when I heard the sound of footsteps and Kade clicked his tongue to get my attention. Oh no. I turned around and saw Elite''s running towards the group, freeing Rogers and Henderson. I turned around immediately and said, "Run."


    We were totally vulnerable, the hallway had little protection and we needed to get Kyle before they realized we could track him. I ran as fast as I dared with the unknown doors around us. There was shouting and I risked a glance behind to see Henderson grab the laser. Kyle''s door was only a few hundred feet away. I looked back again and saw him charge the electric barrel, firing. I stopped and went into Spartan Time, pushing each of my surprised team-mates just hard enough to the sides. The lightning arced towards me, spinning as it approached.


    I managed to push Kyle aside and see Selina hit the wall out of the line of fire before the lightning struck me. My visor filled with static and I cried out as I was crumpled to my knees, held up only by the electricity paralyzing my body from the beam. Every nerve was electrified and very much in pain, the currents spreading all the way to my fingertips. I curled my fingers and shook with pain as electricity arced from my body to the ground. My wound felt like someone had lit it on fire and knifed me all over again.


    Then the electrical current finally left my body and even though I was still in severe pain, I was no longer helplessly blind to the world. I stayed down on my hands and knees as I breathed heavily, my heart racing alarmingly fast. I looked up to see Henderson and the Elites watching me, surprised to see I wasn''t incapacitated. I put a hand on one knee, and with the assistance of Kade, rose to my feet as we began to run again. Henderson''s mind finally seemed to register that I had not been disabled by it and lowered the beam, spinning the cannon to a different type of energy.


    I widened my eyes as I saw this looking back and ran closely behind my team. They ran behind the the only cover available, the wall corner, and waved me to hurry. I limped and held my side, almost there. But I knew it wouldn''t matter. Ducking would do nothing, from my glance I could tell this barrel''s energy beam was meant to spread out instead of staying contained in a line like the electricity. There was a buzzing noise and I glanced back just before I made it around the corner. The last thing I saw was a purple light and the shadowy forms of my team falling to the ground before it all went black.

 Chapter 39

    Kyle''s POV-1 day after kidnapping, 5 days before present time.


    I woke up slowly, my vision blurry and struggling to adjust to the low-light. I blinked a few times and the room came into focus, although room was a bit strong of a word. As I looked around the small space I figured I was in some kind of small closet with a few travel supplies on the floor around me. The only light seeped in from the crack at the bottom of what appeared to be the door. I was propped up against the wall in a sitting position and lifted my head from laying on my shoulder, cracking my neck as I did so and rubbing away the soreness from sitting like that for presumably at least an hour. I turned on my suit lights to get a better look at the closet and saw it was smaller than I had first assumed, and my body barely fit in it even with my legs bent.


    I continued to look around and managed to stand up, gasping in pain as I did so. I remembered that my team had turned on me and in my fight to get free I had gotten quite a few bruises. I felt dizzy from the sedative they had injected me with, but was careful to be quiet as I continued to take in my surroundings and status. I quickly took off my helmet and felt my neck. There was a puncture on the right side where they had injected me. I had smacked away the first sedative but Rogers caught me off guard when Henderson had me in a headlock. My helmet had been on the table at the med tent and they must have grabbed it for some reason.


    There was a shake and I put my hand against the wall to steady myself. Turbulence? We must be on a Pelican. It shook again and I put my helmet back on as I started feeling around the edges of the door for a way out. Then it shook once more and stopped suddenly. They must be landing. I quickly sat down and let my head loll to one side. There were heavy footsteps coming towards the closet and I slowed my breathing. I heard the door slide open. There was a pause before I heard whoever it was crouch down down, probably Rogers from the pattern of her walking. She lifted up my head and let go. Completely limp, my head swung back down and bounced a bit.


    Satisfied I was still sedated, she called behind her, "He''s still out, I don''t need this sedative."


    There was a pause and more footsteps came towards me, probably Henderson and Grey this time. "Give it to him anyway, as he should wake up soon even if he is still out now. Just make it a small dose, he''s been out so long that it should go a long way." He began to walk away and then paused, "Make it quick, the Pelican will be refueled in a few minutes and we need to be ready to leave ASAP."


    There was a sigh from Rogers and Henderson walked away. After a moment Grey followed him. She leaned forwards and pulled off my helmet. There was the sound of talking outside and then suddenly I heard Steele''s voice. He''s here!! They must have tracked us and come to rescue me!


    Rogers flicked the vile a few times before placing a hand on my head to steady it. There was a burst of gunfire from outside and she paused as she was distracted by it for a moment. I took the chance and lunged forward, punching her in the chin hard. She groaned in surprise as her mouth was forced shut and the vial rolled away. I struggled to maneuver in the small space and pushed her backwards into the opposite wall, pressing my arm into her neck. She gasped for air and tried pulling me off with one hand, the other grasping for the vial on the ground. I pressed harder but then she seemed to find the vial and I felt the needle prick my neck.


    She managed to press half of it in before I could move my arm from her neck to push her other arm away. I ripped out the needle and threw it at the wall, shattering it. She punched me in my distraction and I fell back to where I was before.


    I tried to get my leg between us to kick her off but I felt the sedative slowing me down. As my grip on her arm fell slack, I heard a bang and saw Grey hit the wall, unconscious, out the open door. She looked back and pushed my legs inside before stepping in herself and half closing the door. My vision began fading. Last thing I saw was Steele walking past the door before it all went black.


    _______


    I woke abruptly as my head slammed into the metal behind me. I was confused but remembered I was still in the closet of the Pelican, which must be flying now. I began to get up but suddenly I felt the Pelican falling, fast. I magnetized my boots as my body began to lift from the ground and leaned on the door as best I could to stand up. I was still half sedated but my groggy mind knew I had to do something immediately. What for? I don''t know... something about rescue? The door had been left slightly open and I reached my hand out to press the release. It opened and I fell to the ground hard as the Pelican leveled out, then sliding into a wall as shock waves shook the Pelican. Before I knew what I was doing, I had gotten up and ran up front.


    Henderson was about to press a button, labeled as Flares, when I grabbed his hand and pushed him off the seat before any of them could react. Rogers quickly took control of the Pelican but it was too late. An explosion rocked the Pelican and I slammed into the wall as it tilted heavily to one side. Grey quickly grabbed a vial and ran towards me with the needle. Henderson had gotten up from where he had fallen next to me and grabbed me in a headlock, ripping my helmet off. I was too weak but I struggled anyway. Before I knew it, there was a sharp pain in my neck and everything faded to black.


    ____________


    Next day, 4 days from present.


    My vision slowly returned to me and I saw the gray metal ceiling come into focus, indicating I was still in the Pelican. I went to sit up but felt straps on my arms. Looking down I could see multiple straps on my arm, legs, and chest. I had also given myself a dent and a couple new scratches from the fight earlier.


    I also noticed that we weren''t moving. We landed? I looked around and saw empty seats next to me and that the back hatch was open behind me. I struggled again, looking for a weakness but to no avail.


    There was a thump and I looked up to see an upside-down Henderson walking up the ramp. He took a small breath of surprise and said, "I see you are awake, good, I was just about to wake you up myself." He pulled out a plate of food, a piece of stale bread and prepackaged but heated chicken. "You better eat, we don''t want the cargo dying out of malnutrition." He said


    I nodded to my restraints and set the tray down, only undoing one chest restraint and my arm restraints. I sat up, the leg and last chest restraint making it difficult. He handed me the plate. I noticed there was no fork. I lifted up my helmet and pulled off my gloves, picking up the chicken and downing it in four bites. The bread went the same way. He took the plate and roughly re-strapped me.


    I grumbled a bit but complied. "So, now that that''s out of the way, it''s time for a little talk." He said. I interrupted, "Why did you kidnap me? What do you want from me?" He replied, "Right to the point then. You are here because you were told and given something that is very important to some very interested people. You need to tell us what those things are and give them to me. Then you can leave and act like this never happened."


    I thought for a moment, "What people?" I asked.


    "None of your concern."


    I thought for a moment again. What is he talking about, what do I have and what did they tell me. I can''t think of anything but when... Ohhh! But I can''t tell him, who knows what would happen to it if he gave it to the wrong people. I quickly locked my armor, making it inaccessible to anyone but me. No one could disassemble it unless they destroyed it and what I carried would be lost. That was if they even realized what they wanted was also in my armor.


    I quickly replied, "I don''t know what you are talking about, I don''t receive anything and I don''t know anything out of the ordinary."


    Henderson sighed, getting up and going over to a table. "Then I''ll just have to pry it out of you. He grabbed a few things off of it, some kind of shocking stick, a hammer, and a torch. My heart rate rose to an alarming level and my breath shortened as I saw them. He came back over to me. "You sure you don''t want to tell me? This is your last chance before things get ugly."


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "I''m telling you, I don''t know what you are talking about!" I shouted more desperately.


    He sighed again and in a dark voice said, "Hard way it is."


    He sat the torch and shocker down and, raising the hammer, brought it down on my fingers. That''s when the screaming started.


    ____________


    Two days from present


    My body ached. Seemingly endless hours of torture had made it hard to eat or even move. Burns lined my body, from my ear to my ankles. I was still wearing my armor because of the lock but it wasn''t hard for him to make me suffer with it on. My fingers had barely started to heal and bruises covered all of the exposed areas, even a few places on my chest. My most recent form of torture was dehydration. I had still held to my previous claim of not knowing but he kept up. I had already been fed but it was all dry.


    I licked my chapped lips. Today they seemed to be in a hurry and pushed me out of the Pelican. The clouds were dark and the air was humid, signs of a tornado. My visor adjusted to the light difference for my eyes from being in the dark.


    I was pushed through the trees until I reached a clearing. Rogers put the stretcher on the ground and went back for a crate. I did a mental countdown as they left. I counted to one and pulled at the straps with all of my remaining strength. The stretcher creaked and started to bend. Then my strength left me and I slumped back, exhausted. They came back with more crates, one even had a hazard sign on it. Then, before the last crate came in, there was a loud snapping and crashing noise. A minute passed before a windswept Rogers and Grey came in.


    They quickly made camp and I stared into the sky absentmindedly. After a few minutes they crouched over a map a few yards away. I didn''t have Spartan hearing but I could make out random words. "plan... we have.. get there before...White... Steele."


    He paused for a moment and looked upwards. He couldn''t see it but I saw a little drone quickly move behind the treetops. After that however, he was quieter. I saw the drone move in closer as Fireteam Prime was packing up equipment in a large clearing, but then I heard Henderson walk over to me.


    The drone moved down farther, hiding partially behind a tree.


    Henderson knelt down by me. I laid still for a moment before finally moving, slowly turning my head from it''s position laying on my right side to look at Henderson.


    "Hello Spartan 324. Had enough?" Henderson asked. I waited a moment, and then tiredly spoke, my voice scratchy and hoarse, "Why am I here, what do you want from me?" I clenched my fists, straining at the restraints for a moment, shaking, and then let my hands fall. The restraints didn''t budge an inch this time. I knew why, but after all this time it seemed strange that they were still interrogating me, it''s not like I was going to give anything up or I would have done so a long time ago. They must have another goal.


    Henderson seemed amused at my struggle. Bastard. "Oh you know very well why, don''t you think there was a reason you were let out early, why they sent you on this mission? You must have thought something was strange about them sending a 16-year-old on such an important mission so far from the Inner Colonies. You also carry something important on top of that. You were told some information that we need, information they gave to no one else."


    He moved into a squat, rubbing his hands a little and looking around at where Grey and Rogers were getting ready. He looked back down at me. "There are also people who have a list of demands that we need to deliver on, including a specific someone, but we have to keep you until they get their target."


    I turned my head back over to my left side, I couldn''t care less. "Why are you doing this?" Henderson shifted his weight, "Well see, I was on your side, dedicated to the mission, protecting 118. But then, I was given an offer. Not only will we be paid money and weaponry, but we will get to see the UNSC fall from it''s blood-soaked throne, and we get to be the ones to start it all." He said a bit maniacally before getting up and moving out of my range of vision. I heard a clatter before he started walking back.


    "You see, they were using us, and they are still using you. They don''t care about our lives and they definitely don''t see us as humans beings. Even if we die protecting the "greater good" they don''t care. Because of them, my family died in the war despite being no where near the front lines and not being soldiers. The UNSC is too old, too stuck in their outdated and callous ways. The Navy needs a new face, a new chain of command. No more missions, no more financial problems, no UNSC to say I can''t go back." He paused, turning around. "I won''t die for them. Too many have. They don''t get my death to use for their ''cause''. Anyway, a good payday is better, and with this opportunity I can finally retire and have a normal life."


    I heard his feet shift and I looked back to see him bent down over me again. Leaning away from the device in his hands fearfully but still looking at him I said, "You signed a contract, you knew the risks and enlisted willingly. They told you that if you made it to the end of your career you could go back. You chose this life!"


    "I don''t care. Besides, as long as I get paid I''m happy, I have no one left to hold me back anymore anyway." Henderson said a bit woefully, turning on the device. I couldn''t think about the sadness in his voice just now as empathy was replaced by immediate fear. Electricity crackled up the sides of the device. What the heck is that?! "Now, what did they tell you?" He moved the device close to my head, tiny arms of electricity sporadically jumping out onto my armor. I put my head back, leaning away as far as I could. In a strained voice I said, "I don''t know what you''re talking about." Of course I did, but although I was scared I would never betray the UNSC.


    "You do know what I''m talking about, and I will get it out of you." He said, hitting a button that turned on electric restraints, ones I knew were impossible to break. Then he jabbed me in my side with the device, arcs of electricity spreading over my suit. My visor turned red as my suit''s system diagnostics pulled up with multiple flashing warning signs.


    I yelled in pain, arching my back as much as I could and pulling at the restraints, convulsing as the electricity sent my nerves mixed signals, the strongest being pain. My vision filled with white and my mouth tasted like copper as I screamed.


    Finally after what seemed like minutes but was probably only a few seconds, Henderson pulled it away and I sank back to the stretcher, shaking slightly. The electricity still ran up and down my body, causing uncontrollable spasms in my muscles.


    "Now, tell me what they said! I know they told you, we have proof! What did they say!?" He yelled. I could hear myself breathing heavily in my helmet, my body was on fire and my thoughts were all mixed up. "I''ll never tell." I said defiantly in a hoarse voice, coughing.


    Henderson jabbed me again, the electricity rolling across my body once more. I yelled again, shaking and straining against the restraints. It was too much! My suit''s visor turned red again, flickering slightly, more diagnostics rolling down one side with multiple errors, significantly more than last time, but I couldn¡¯t see them as my every sense, my every nerve and thought was overwhelmed with pain. I desperately tried to escape, bending the stretcher as I fought my own body spasming with the waves of electric current. Smoke began to curl from my suit. One last arc of electricity rolled over my visor before I finally passed out.


    ___________


    One day later, one day before present.


    I woke up again, this time strapped to a slanted table or bed inside somewhere. I looked down, immediately regretting it due to the pain, to see stiff straps holding me down. I was in a small white room with one side covered in one-way glass on my left side there was a door. The room looked weird however, as the other two walls were purple and curved upwards. The door was definitely alien and everything was covered in a soft purple glow.


    The door next to the glass opened and I was disappointed to see Henderson walk out. Of course his armor was perfectly clean and mine was covered in scratches, dents, and melted spots. He walked up to me, one hand behind his back. "So how is our patient? Thirsty?" He asked, chuckling a little.


    "I wouldn''t be laughing if I were you." I said hoarsely. He stopped checking a panel next to me and said, "Why is that?"


    "Because White team is coming, and they won''t stop until they put you three down."


    He smiled, "I''ve prepared for that. But, isn''t it time we start interrogations again? Now tell me what they told you. I know they gave you a pretty important piece of intel, so you can save yourself a lot more pain by spitting it out now."


    I shook my head, "I''ve told you a million times, I don''t know what you are talking about and even if I did, I would never betray the UNSC."


    He sighed, "Well then, we''ll just have to keep trying to force it out of you." And with that he brought out a different device. This was oddly shaped and I couldn''t tell what it was. He also had plugs in his ears. He pressed a button and the most irritating and loud pitch filled my ears. I screamed and turned my head, trying to block it out. He nocked up the pitch after a minute and I felt blood start to trickle out of my ears. Finally he stopped.


    "Want to talk now."


    "Never" I coughed out. My ears still rung, and everything sounded distant, but was still audible.


    He shrugged and set the pitch slightly lower but enough to be painful. Then he said, "Yell if you want to talk," and walked out.


    I whimpered and looked next to me where a machine was moving. It had a vial and quickly jabbed it into the soft underlayer suit of my inner elbow. It injected the maroon substance and after only a few seconds I felt the room beginning to sway. Snakes covered the floor and my worst nightmares became horrifyingly real.

 Chapter 40

    Steele''s POV


    Once again I woke up to darkness greeting me along with a dull nagging pain that was slowly increasing throughout my body. I almost wanted to just stay there in darkness but with some effort I opened my eyes to a blurry haze of a view. I blinked, my visor''s newly rebooted screen coming online and into focus. I blinked a few more times, squinting in the bright light above me and was finally able to clear my view enough to see my surroundings.


    I was laying on something hard and slanted, facing almost straight up at a bright white light. My visor''s location tracker showed we had moved further away from Atrius, not too far but far enough to lose connection. The ceiling was purple despite the obviously human light and I looked down as far as I could without moving my head to see that I had plasma restraints on. My visor showed that my team was close by, but we were no longer close to Kyle''s signal and had been moved quite far from where we had been incapacitated. I pinged my team, waiting for a response.


    A minute passed and I sent another ping. After another long minute finally Scott''s acknowledgement light winked, then Kade''s, and then Sift''s. Only Selina was still out. I looked around again, keeping my body still in case I was being watched, but I could only see the one-way glass in front of me and what might be the top of a door to my left. I lightly brushed the part of my leg where my knife would be. As I expected, it was missing, but I could use that to my advantage.


    I waited a bit more. The pain wasn''t too bad now, though it did seem that that gun had damaged pretty much all of the nerves in my body. I finally decided it would be better if they knew I was awake as they would likely send someone in once I was, so I stiffened and lifted my head up, struggling at the restraints for a second before relaxing and freely looking around. My teammates were in a circle around me on similar slanted hard platforms.


    There was a door to my left, in front of Kade, that opened. It stood in stark contrast against the purple design of the rest of the room. I grimaced as Henderson walked out and strode in front of me. I remained silent. He sighed and spoke, "Hello Senior Chief, are you comfortable?"


    I glared at him and said nothing. He continued, "Well I''d speak up now because you might not be able to later." and stared at me equally quiet. "What do you mean?" I asked. I had hoped to stay silent, but Henderson seemed like the kind of person to give more up if I talked. He tilted his head, "You must not know. Don''t you realize why the Covenant want you so bad? Why You were targeted out of all of your team?"


    Unsure of what he was getting at, I hesitantly replied, "Because I am the next hope for mankind, the one who will replace.."


    "No." He cut in. I stopped, surprised and confused.


    "Not because of that. It may be why they were originally, but now it''s much, much more important than that."


    He paced over to the door, looking out the window, "I went Rogue right around the time the Covenant found out about you and what you can do. Your true capabilities we could say. The Covenant and I came to an agreement, and my objective for them was to capture You specifically. It was never about Kyle. Sure he has something they want and some very valuable information, but he was just the bait and an added bonus. I used him to lure you here and you fell for it. I knew you were watching the drone, and I told you where to look for me." He paused and turned around. "From your reaction, it seems you yourself are even unaware of what makes you so special. Out of courtesy for you, an ONI tool just doing what he''s told, I''ll let you in on the secret. The reason you are so valuable is because you possess extraordinary physical and cellular attributes that is selective to you alone out of the several billion humans out there, a genetic goldmine even considering the abilities of all of the Covenant species. The most significant of these attributes is that your body can adapt and change according to the trauma it has already experienced. Now the human body does this as well, but yours does so at a phenomenal rate, ten, maybe even 20 times faster than normally possible."


    He walked back. "That''s why the electricity didn''t affect you the second time. Since you had already experienced it before, your body strengthened itself to be more immune to it''s effects and allow you to keep moving despite the electrical current being near lethal for normal civilians. If I electrocuted you now, you probably wouldn''t feel a thing. Even better, your augmentations have increased the adaptation process and there are still other anomalies that have not been entirely identified as to how they affect you. Your reflexes could eventually surpass even the fastest of Spartans, and mortal wounds might be entirely healable with your body."


    He walked up to the glass. "As I said before, I''m not telling you this because I want to, but because I think you deserve to know. I may not know your age but I know you are young, possibly as young as Kyle, and you don''t deserve this."


    "Then why are you doing it?!" I demanded. He sighed. "I need the money and I want revenge for my family. The UNSC needs to understand the value of every human life, no matter how seemingly small." Emotion suddenly flooded his voice, "They were the ones that allowed my house to be destroyed in front of me, ignoring my wife and only child on the front lawn! They said it was to save the city, that there was no time. What crap that was! It wouldn''t have taken more than a second to save them. Instead they told the chopper to leave and let my entire life be melted down into molten slag." He paused, getting quieter, "I didn''t even get to say goodbye... I was working too much and hadn''t seen them in months." His voice cracked and he tightened his fist.


    Turning around, he had a new edge to his voice. I slowly pressed the button to return my knife. "That''s where you come in. As soon as they find out what makes you special, they can destroy the UNSC with the help of genetically modified rebels, courtesy of you and the Covenant. Then a fair government will be in charge, one that can and will save everyone."


    He turned around and began to walk back towards the door, "However, since your body only reacts to changes, they''ll need to do some very painful tests on you, without sedatives. I''m sorry you will have to go through that, but it is necessary to get what they need. Besides, I''m confident you can endure it enough to at least retain your sanity." He reached for the button to open the door.


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    I understood his pain, but this was not the solution, "This is wrong and you know it. It''s not too late to do the right thing. I will never let you forget it if you follow through on this." I said sternly.


    He paused, hand outstretched, "At this point, all I want is retribution for my family. As for not letting me forget, you will be broken long before I will ever see you again."


    I shouted at him, "You can hurt me but you can''t break me, True soldiers are never broken! I''ll never stop fighting!" The knife appeared in my hand and I expertly twisted it around, sawing through the restraint like butter. With my freed hand, I cut the others in Spartan Time, moving as quickly as possible to give myself the upper hand. Henderson had stood there, thinking about my words, but turned around at the sound of the whistling. I pushed off of the table, jumping at him, raising my knife hand and twisting my body sideways.


    He raised his arm in surprise and an attempt to block my attack. I pushed his hand away from my arm and grabbed the armor lock device from his thigh. Everything seemed to crawl but speed up at the same time. I swung around his side and stabbed into a place between his spine plates, locking his back as it damaged and jammed the delicate internal connections that let them move together seamlessly. I knew it would only cause slight pain to him and no permanent damage or I wouldn''t have done it, and only those who knew how the suits worked could even use this method of immobilization. Then I placed the device on him in lightning speed. Before he could raise a finger, he was frozen.


    I stepped back, removing my knife from his spinal protector, and turned around, slicing my team''s restraints. He called from behind me, "What good will that do? You''ll never get out of here alive." I cut Scott''s restraints and he pushed himself up from the table, hopping down. "Then you seriously underestimate Spartans, Henderson." I said, cutting a groggy Selina''s restraints. He chuckled a deep, menacing laugh. A small sense of dread trembled through my body before I regained my composure. "No, I don''t underestimate you in the least. In fact, this is the only time I have underestimated you. I have total confidence when I say that you will not leave this ship."


    I helped Selina up and they gathered around me. "You''re wrong. I''m stronger than even you realize, and so are they." I walked towards the door and pressed the button. It slid smoothly to one side, curtesy of Henderson unlocking it. "Not only will we escape, but I''m taking this ship down as well, curtesy of the UNSC." I gave a mock nod of gratitude before I stepped around him. I walked out, closing the door. Henderson managed to say, "Next time I won''t be so kind to..." before it shut.


    I looked around the hallway before turning to my team. "Okay, first we have to get our weapons back. I have my knife and we can pick up weapons along the way, but those can only take us so far." I said.


    They nodded but Selina held up a finger and bent down, patting around the armor on the side of her calf. She found what she was looking for and pressed a hidden button. A secret compartment slid open and she pulled out what looked like a squished pistol. She slid a few things together and it clicked in place, leaving her with a small pistol the size of her hand. She repeated the same thing to the other side and produced an identical pistol. I was surprised, I didn''t know you could do that. I guess it wasn''t standard as it seemed like a pretty complicated mechanism to hide the pistol and retain armor functionality.


    She handed them to Scott and Kade.They each slid a round into their pistols'' respective chambers and did a quick inspection before nodding. "A little something I requested after I lost my weapon during a training match." She said. I nodded approvingly and gestured for everyone to follow me. I had marked the location of my knife before I teleported it in order to get the location of the confiscated weapons stash. Luckily enough it wasn''t too far off from our route to Kyle.


    We quickly but quietly moved through the ship, ducking in and out of maintenance hallways as shortcuts. Finally, before coming out of a maintenance hallway I paused, waiting just before the door.


    I activated my camouflage and slowly looked out beyond the door to my left where the weapons cache was. I spotted a Sangheli guard right next to the weapons cache door. I held up two fingers to signal for a silent takedown. Kade crept up next to me. I let my camo recharge before swapping weapons with him. Kade activated his camouflage and slowly walked out. I followed, activating my newly-recharged camouflage as well. I scanned the hallway while he walked behind the Elite and stabbed him, simultaneously placing a hand over it''s mouth to muffle it''s cries.


    I helped him drag it into the maintenance tunnel before the rest of the team came out, scanning both sides of the hallway. I knelt by the door and plugged a cable link into the lock. After a minute I broke through on my suit console and the door slid smoothly aside. I swiftly stood up and brought up my rifle to clear the room.


    It was a large gray room, Covenant weaponry hanging neatly along the walls. The was a small pile in the back right corner that looked like human weaponry. I walked in and immediately spotted our weapons sitting in a rough pile. I internally winced, no doubt they were damaged or at least scratched. You never set a gun on top of another.


    I carefully picked up the rifles as to not damage the scopes or any other parts further, especially Kade''s. I handed Kade his sniper and gave Scott a gravity hammer and his SAW. Selina got her battle rifle and Sift got her shotgun, including all of their other gear. Finally I picked up my rifle, knives, and any of our smaller pieces of equipment that was left. The pile still had human equipment left, but it was likely just war trophies or from previous prisoners.


    I slid my knives into their places, feeling special gratitude towards Commander Silas for the knife he gave me. I slung my rifle over my shoulder and picked up an extra Covenant rifle off of the wall, one of the orange ones from Henderson''s collection. It had a rectangular barrel and when I loaded the glowing ammo into it, the pieces split apart and hovered in air. I examined this odd phenomenon for a moment before swapping it with my rifle again.


    I turned around and was about to leave the corner when I saw Henderson''s private stash, including the HAVOK Nuke I had spotted from the drone. I picked it up and placed it in the designated spot on my lower back.


    Scott was keeping an eye on the hallway just inside the door while everyone equipped their gear. When we were ready I said, "Ok, when we approach his room there will most likely be guards. Use your camouflage in that hallway. The key is stealth, the later we trigger the alarm the better, and it would be best if we are already gone when that happens. When we reach him we have to take the quickest route out, conveniently placing us on a path through the core of the ship. I''ll set the HAVOK nuke I picked up there and give us one minute. After that we are to report straight to command. Got it?"


    They all nodded. I walked to the door and after a quick look I walked out, a few feet away when I looked around and was surprised to find myself alone. I looked back at my team still waiting in the room and said, "Well what are we waiting for? Let''s get to it!"

 Chapter 41

    <u>Steele''s POV</u>


    We crept through the hallways towards Kyle, needing to abandon the maintenance tunnels because of increased traffic. Henderson hadn''t been discovered yet, it just happened that right now must have been the time that repairs and inspections were done. Whatever the cause, the hallways proved to be faster but more dangerous. There were a couple of close calls where we were almost discovered but our luck held and each time they dismissed their suspicion.


    Finally we got close and I stood with my back to the wall, looking just out past the corner while only letting the tiniest part of my visor be visible. Across the hall and a few doors down was Kyle''s room. There were two Sangheili Elite''s guarding it, one wearing the armor of a high-ranked Elite. Dangit I thought. He was going to be a challenge, as higher-ranked Elites weren''t as stupid as their colleagues.


    I put up two fingers behind me and signaled that one was difficult. My team nodded at the intel and I engaged camo, creeping up to keep the charge from draining too fast. My team followed. I was ten feet away when the High Elite stiffened and looked around. I slowly signaled with my hand for my team to halt. They stopped and I held my breath. He walked forward, pausing right in front of me. I signaled my team to move in on the second. It looked all around the area I was standing in slowly, sniffing the air at the same time. I held my breath and out of the corner of my eye noticed that my camo''s charge bar was dropping dangerously low.


    It seemed to look straight at my face, and I noticed my outline was starting to show as my camo began to fade. It growled and raised its sword. I said a quiet "go" just before my shield fell and I tackled him. My team jumped on the second in the same instant. Scott helped me hold him down and I grabbed his head in both of my hands, twisting it. There was a sickening crack! and the Elite fell limp, his neck twisted at an odd angle. I shuddered slightly at the noise and then steeled myself against the emotion. I could not be hesitant during battle. I picked up the Elite''s hand and placed it on the lock for the door. It turned green and we dragged the Elite''s inside, Sift scouting before us and Selina covering our escape.


    I pushed it aside and stood up, re-shouldering my gun. Sift had been waiting for me to proceed before her. I walked past her and through the short entryway''s doorway. It opened into a room similar to the one we were in except that instead of five platforms, there was one facing away from us. A medical fluids drip was on the right of it and a small metal table with tools to it''s left. I swallowed and cautiously proceeded, dreading what I would see on the table.


    I slowly walked around it and gasped when he came into full view. Kyle''s helmet was lying at his feet, the only neat thing there despite the dents and scratches on it. His head was lolled to one side, his hands, midsection, and feet were strapped to the table with plasma straps. That was an odd touch due to the young nature and lack of augmentations of Kyle. Otherwise, he looked awful.


    There were burns all over his face and scorch marks on his armor where it had been superheated beyond what the armor could withstand. Old blood trailed down the sides of his head from his ears, his face covered in perspiration. I leaned forward and gently opened one of his eyes. His eyes were rolled back. There were also two humiliating red lines on each of his cheekbones from the blade of Henderson''s knife. On the rest of his body, weird tree-branch-like lines ran across his armor from the electricity he had been shocked with burning it''s way across it.


    The team came around the platform as well and Sift gasped, pausing a moment before quickly approaching him. She began to administer first aid on his face and checked for broken bones. I brought out my knife and carefully sliced through the restraints, lifting him off the table and setting him on the ground. Kade shifted nervously at the door, signaling that Henderson likely would have been discovered and gotten free by now.


    I nodded and my gaze returned to Kyle. Sift pulled a small white pill out of her bag and put it in his mouth, stroaking his throat softly to trigger the reflex to swallow. She then grabbed a small tube, wiped his face, and waved it under his nose. After a second he coughed abruptly and his eyes opened wide, fearful. His coughs continued and Sift rolled him on his side. He coughed out a small amount of liquid before the coughs ceased and he could breathe normally, well normally for someone who had been tortured, which sounded like a balloon inflating and deflating.


    He looked around with wide, scared eyes until he saw it was just us. His face relaxed but there was just enough tension to see that he was not ok mentally as well. Sift spoke first. "Do you have any broken bones? Anything that is life-threatening or seriously inhibits you?" He coughed again before speaking in a voice that made me wince, "Maybe a few ribs and some fingers, but other than brain damage it was mainly surface torture." He gave her a broken smile before his eyes landed on me. I looked back with sadness in my eyes, a little disappointed he couldn''t see through my helmet. I looked away after a few moments, ashamed.


    "Help him up," I ordered them. Selina and Scott grabbed him by the shoulders and slowly raised him to his feet. He tried taking a step before almost falling again. "I''m too weak," He said. "The pill I gave him won''t be in effect for a few minutes," Selina told me. "Then we will carry him," I said firmly. I signaled Kade to open the door. Scott put Kyle''s helmet on him and Selina put Kyle''s arms over their shoulders and helped him to the door. Kade looked out before and stepped forward, scanning both sides multiple times before waving us out.


    We took a step before Kyle tripped, falling past Kade and towards me. I caught him and he leaned heavily on me, grabbing onto my armor to hoist himself up. Selina and Scott relieved him from me and we proceeded down the hallway. We passed a hangar area that was vacant and there was a small ledge near one of the doors. Kyle tripped on this too, falling against the door and catching himself on the airlock, creating a banging noise. I kept myself from sighing irritably and we moved on. After that it was quiet though.


    We finally arrived at one of the entrances to the core of the ship, conveniently not too far from the hangar our ship was cloaked in. I was about to move in when I noticed movement at another entrance. I hid and looked back at it slowly. I was very much surprised to see a Venator helmet peering around the corner back at me, or a helmet with two parallel V-shaped visors that looked like they were stacked on top of each other. I tipped my head to the right to get him to go around and he nodded before ducking out of sight.


    I pulled back and made the same motion to my team as I said, "We have company. Friendlies." and walked around to the right side of the circle. The same guy in Venator armor waved to us, leading a team of three other generation IV Spartans. He waited until he was close to introduce himself. "Senior Chief Sir!" He said in the loudest whisper he could, crisply saluting. "First class petty officer Dalton Smith 121 at your service sir! This is my team. We were sent to help with extraction. We have a Pelican waiting in the same hangar as yours and outfitted with medical supplies. I also brought a HAVOK nuke to help out with firepower."


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    He unhooked the large cylinder form his back and offered it to me. I took it, handing it to Kyle, and said, "Thank you, I appreciate the support." He nodded, "Anything we can do to help you, sir?"


    "Yes, I need you and your team to cover us while we plant the nukes at the core. At my signal we have to hightail it out of here. I''m giving it 30 seconds." I told him. He nodded and relayed it to his team quickly before turning back around, "I''ll deploy a bit of my stealth skills to help you with that and mark myself for your visor so you don''t shoot me. Let''s do this!" He said in a light-hearted manner. Before I could contemplate his oddly optimistic behavior, he had cloaked and ran around the corner. I mentally shrugged and signaled my team to move back to our previous entrance.


    I scanned the dome, with its four entrances before slowly walking in. The platforms ran to the center where a large, glowing ball was contained in a metal structure connected to the floor and ceiling. The floor was a few hundred feet below the walkways, but a large platform circled the core. My team and I walked in tight formation, scanning the entrances. We were almost there when a shot, aimed for my head, skimmed off my shield as I stepped forward. I turned and fired at the entrance, where a Jackal sniper had been peering over the edge of the door. It fell and for a second, all was quiet. Then the room filled with utter chaos.


    Grunts, Elite''s, and Jackals began streaming through the entrances, even the one we had just come through. Kade hoisted Kyle over his shoulders and we ran for the core, fending off our two entrances as we did so. I heard human gunshots behind us, the work of Smith''s team. The Covenant were falling off of the walkways like sand in a windstorm, but there were so many of them it seemed like their numbers had barely been scratched. We backed away farther, my feet hit the edge of the core. I waited for the bodies to hinder the walkways nearly impassible before saying, "Cover me."


    My team formed a tight formation and Kyle sat to my left with his back resting against the core, borrowing Scott''s secondary gun. The blockage would not hold for long though, they would get smart and just throw them off the walkways. I quickly pulled the nuke off of my back, placing it on the ledge to the core where is stuck. I did the same with the second and connected them so they were controlled by one. I opened the timer and primed it, setting the counter to thirty seconds.


    Before I hit the activate button, there was a large bang behind me. I looked to see a hunter on one walkway, shield down and impassible. I knew nothing could penetrate that shield, and if no one could bring it down soon, we would be overrun before the bomb could prime. I grabbed two grenades from my belt and told my team, "Focus fire on the second walkway." I got up and ran at the hunter. It saw me coming and moved its shield to fire at me. I saw my opportunity and jumped at it, throwing the grenades into the folds of its armor. I then pushed off of its shield and flipped backward.


    However, the hunter had moved its shield again and my jump was off. I landed on the edge of the walkway and teetered unsteadily. The grenades exploded and I was forced to jump off. I twisted in mid-air and used my thrusters to help me get to the other walkway but it wasn''t enough. I stretched my hand out as far as I could, almost there! I hit the side of the walkway heavily, the metal digging into my abdomen and squeezing the air out of me. The impact jarred me and I began to slip off. I desperately grabbed the walkway with my hands and slid off, managing to hook my hands onto the side.


    I looked up to my left and saw the Covenant advancing on me, despite my team killing them as quickly as humanly possible. They did not shoot at me though, and seemed they were trying to get to me to grab me instead. I tried to pull myself up but another thump on the walkway almost shook me loose again. They were only feet away, I knew I was done for. Then, I heard Kyle''s voice call out, "Get down Senior!" I immediately put my head below the platform and heard something whistle above it. There was an explosion and shrapnel and purple blood showered around me.


    I looked back up to see that the entire portion of the walkway was clear, for now. I hurried and pulled myself up, running back to my team. They shot past me but were careful not to hit me while they shot. I squatted down again and looked at Kyle, he paused and returned my gaze. "Thank you," I said. He nodded and I turned my gaze to the bomb. I was about to press activate when all of a sudden I was shoved to the side. I was surprised to see Kyle jump past me with his arm pushing me and Scott back.


    I was a bit angry until I saw an electric, purple beam headed towards us. It hit Kyle squarely in the chest, smoking and fizzing in a burst of light. He was pushed back onto me and I caught him in horror. There was a moderately sized crater in his chest plate, black scorch marks stretching outwards from it. His eyes were closed.


    Kade fired at Henderson and Rogers who had now joined the fight on one of the exterior platforms, hitting the gun and disabling it. They were forced to hide behind the Covenant as a sniper round broke Henderson''s shield. I set him against the core and shook him. "Wake up Kyle." No response. "Come on, wake up! We can''t lose you now after we''ve come so far!!" I shook him lightly again. Finally, he opened his eyes weakly, "Hey." I smiled and he propped himself up before wincing. "Didn''t think it''d hurt that much." I smiled again, "We''ll get you back soon, just a bit longer."


    I looked behind me at the Covenant. They were advancing even closer and we were running out of time. Smith radioed me, "We need to get out of here now or we will be overrun, hurry!" I thought for a moment. We have to leave but they will disable the bomb before it detonates. Someone has to stay behind. Kyle needs medical attention fast and he has information vital to the UNSC. I also need Kade and Scott to take him. Sift will need to give him medical attention and I would never let Selina stay behind. I know what I have to do.


    I stood up. "White team, take Kyle to the hangar as soon as I give you the signal. I''ll be right behind you." I struggled to say that last bit normally. It felt wrong to lie to them but they would never leave if I told them. At least my secrets would die with me.


    They nodded while I turned back to the timer, finally pressing activate. It began beeping and I turned to them saying, "Go, go, go!" Kade offered a hand to Kyle but he got up on his own and let them go first. I returned my gaze to the walkways and took out both of my weapons, firing down each walkway with cutting precision... Until I was pushed down the opposite walkway that is. I looked up to see Kyle aiming a pistol at me while two grenades cleared the walkways. "What..." he shook his head and interrupted me, "You have to go, I''m already done for, I won''t make it to the Pelican. Even before I stood up I knew I was on my last minutes. You however, can still save the universe. Your team needs you. I knew you might try this. I already set an EMP and HAVOK nuke to go off in space near the mothership." I remembered him tripping. He must have taken them from me and done that at the airlock. The bomb beeped, 15 seconds left.


    He shot my shield and I took a step back. Plasma began to drain his shield. "Go! You don''t have much time! Go!" He threw a grenade at my feet and returned his fire to the walkways. I ran and was thrown forward by the force of the grenade. I rolled as I landed and looked back to see the Covenant start to overrun Kyle. I gave the auto pilot the command to take off and ran towards the hangar. As I ran through the opening I saw the Pelican begin to fly away from the ship. If I jumped, the lack of gravity would carry me with ease towards it.


    I was halfway there when there was a sudden silence behind me, like a breath of air. At that moment I knew I hadn''t been fast enough. I''m too late, and Kyle died for nothing. I thought, a part of me disappointed. There was a roaring sound. I turned to see fire explode through the opening and through the walls. Metal twisted and everything tore apart around me. My shield was instantly overloaded and fire scorched my back painfully. In the split second I had left, I looked at the Pelican in the distance, glad to have at least saved them. Then I cried out one last time before it all disappeared into oblivion.


    _____________________


    Sorry.....


    There is one chapter left.

 Chapter 42

    Smith''s POV


    I steered the Pelican softly through the twisted metal and wreckage of the Covenant fleet. My eyes darted back and forth across the slowly twisting debris in the space in front of me. He could be anywhere in this floating wasteland. Lieutenant Hillyard looked through the back window with three medics sitting next to him on the benches. My two other teammates were on either side of me, also diligently searching for Him out of the side cockpit windows. It had been twenty minutes since the destruction of the Covenant fleet and I had a small but somewhat foolish hope that we could still find him alive.


    My conscious mind was completely submersed in the task of scanning the wreckage but way back in my subconscious I was re-living the moment we lost him. I could see him, running through the doorway as I hovered a little ways off, ready use our Pelican''s shields to protect him from the blast once he boarded White Team''s Pelican. Then I saw him pause. Off to my left I could see the middle of the Covenant ship implode and a shockwave emanated from it shook our Pelican. I directed my attention to the controls for a moment to steady it before looking back up. After a split second, the entire ship began to collapse inwards. I saw him look behind himself and I directed my gaze there to a dim glow that increased in brightness as fire from the explosion hungrily consumed the remaining oxygen onboard. It poured through the opening and burst through the walls in what felt like an instant. It flowed around him and I saw him look back out at us last time before his shield flickered out, his hand reaching out towards me. Then his back arched in pain, and it encircled him before spreading out and extinguishing in the vacuum of space as the ship''s shield failed.


    I lost sight of him at that moment and large pieces of metal hurled towards our Pelicans. Unable to reflect on what had just happened, my emotions switched off as I expertly took off, swerving around pieces of molten metal as I raced for the safety of the nearest UNSC frigate, White Team''s Pelican already ahead of us. Large chunks flew past us as astonishing speed, barely scraping off our shields as I used our scanner to try and avoid the majority of it. A large piece hit our rear shield and I barely managed to avoid a bigger chunk in front of us as I was pushed off-course. Being directly ahead of us, White Team''s Pelican was somewhat protected by us from behind. Considering this, I redirected all power to our rear shields and sent an emergency docking request to the Frigate. Our rear shields were draining fast and it was increasingly more difficult to control our trajectory as we neared the hangar entrance. We were granted access and White Team''s Pelican just barely made it through the docking bay''s shield when a large piece of debris took a chunk off of our left wing. I yelled back for everyone to brace for impact as we were sent into a wild spin just before entering the shield. I ducked down as the Pelican crashed into the hangar, spinning wildly before coming to an abrupt stop against the far wall, scraping two other Pelicans and destroying a transport cart as it traveled. Fortunately no one was hurt. However, as we walked out of the back of the Pelican shortly after, I was informed that Steele''s signal had been lost a few moments after the explosion. Petty Officer Kyle''s had been lost instantly.


    I looked out of the hangar''s shield between the pieces of debris impacting it to see two separate shockwaves destroy the mothership, which consecutively destroyed the rest of the surrounding Covenant ships from the overwhelming force and quantity of the ensuing wreckage. We''ve won, but at what cost?


    I was brought back to the present as I spotted a dark object that was large enough to be him. I accelerated and slowed as we neared it. I leaned forward expectantly... and sat back. It was just a piece of metal. My team sighed and we kept searching. I caught sight of White team''s pelican slowly pull away from us and resume searching. They thought we had found them too.


    I took a moment to pause my scanning of the wreckage to sit back and look around at the enormous stretch of space filled with debris. There had to be millions of scraps that looked like him. Too bad the ship-board AI of the nearby frigate could only scan so far. Even if it could extend farther, there was no guarantee he was still alive, in fact it was almost certain he hadn''t survived. I only hoped that we could find his body so we could give him a proper burial.


    I drifted past yet another clump, unable to see any human resemblance in the spotlight. Then Hillyard shouted from the back, "I think I found him!" I quickly turned the Pelican around and Hillyard ran up to the cockpit. I shined the searchlight straight ahead and he pointed out to our far right. I shined the spotlight on a chunk of metal, or so I thought. As we neared it I saw his helmet''s visor reflect the light, even though it was charred almost beyond reflection. His knife was the brightest reflector by far though, and was seemingly undamaged despite the condition he was in. It was Steele!


    "I saw him because the tail lights reflected off of that knife. It''s the only thing on him not charred black." Hillyard told me. White Team''s Pelican also flew in, their spotlight shining on the figure floating there to provide a better view. It almost looked like he was sitting in a chair that was reclined almost all the way back, except for the holes in his armor plating and the melted metal all around him. The holes had been filled in with the melted metal of his armor, and it gave him a robotic appearance if his armor didn''t do that already. As he slowly rotated I was horrified to see that his leg and the right side of his abdomen had long pointed pieces of metal pierced through them, the openings closed yet again by melted metal and some blood.


    I slowly rotated the Pelican and opened the back hatch. I looked out the back as I slowly brought us closer to him. The medics gently grabbed his shoulder armor as they drifted him into the bay and hovered his body above the stretcher. They finally decided where to grab him that was still mostly in-tact and held him down on the stretcher gently. A glimmer of light through the cockpit of the other Pelican let me see a tear running down Selina''s face, who was the Pilot, before she quickly put her helmet back on her head.


    I closed the hatch and waited for the medics to tell me when to activate the gravity. We all held our breath. One medic placed his fingers on Steele''s neck and waited. I silently pleaded for him to be alive. After a moment the medic exclaimed, "I have a pulse! Faint, but it''s there. He''s alive!" I let go of the breath I had been holding with relief and filled the Pelican with air from our tanks, keeping my hand poised above the button that controlled the gravity. The spikes needed to be cut before he could be laid down. I slowly accelerated towards the Frigate we had taken refuge at before and requested another emergency dock, this time able to explain that we had a critical patient on board. I looked back to see the medics carefully cutting the jagged ends of the metal shards sticking out of his leg, and then his abdomen. He flinched as the cutting pulled at the wound. I hovered just outside the bay while they did it and lowered him to the table.


    They granted the dock and as soon as the medics gave me the go, I landed in the space closest to the entrance of the medical wards. I set it down as gently as possible and opened our rear hatch. The medics wheeled him out and I hurriedly ran to the back as the Pelican powered down. As I rushed out after them I noticed that White Team''s Pelican had to dock in the bay below us. Poor guys.


    I ran inside with the medics. I noticed that even on the smooth floor, the tiniest bumps caused him to flinch involuntarily. He was still unconscious, so I couldn''t imagine the kind of pain he must be in to react to it even while passed out. My team followed as we ran behind the medics through the hallways before we had to stop as they passed through a set of doors with a sign above them that said Restricted Access. I paused as the doors swung shut and watched his burned body go through the door''s small windows. He looked even worse under the bright medical lights and I could see where the metal of his armor had melted into his skin in several places. His helmet seemed like it was sealed shut, but I could see the metal sticking out of almost every inch of his body. Everything was charred black except for the clean knife shining strongly on his leg. I wonder what it''s made of? I couldn''t even imagine the amount of radiation he had been exposed to or the internal injuries he had.


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    They wheeled him into a side room, multiple voices shouting orders, and I lost sight of him. I sighed and visibly slumped. I turned around and went back to where my team was waiting at the doorway. White team jogged up the hallway and looked at us before looking at the door. Even though they didn''t do or say anything, I could tell that they were saddened by the condition of their leader. Maybe it was best they hadn''t been able to see him up close.


    I put on a smile to lighten up the mood. After all, he was alive so that was good. I jokingly said, "Why don''t we get some lunch? After all, running for your life does take a lot of energy." I got a few smiles from my team and the air seemed to clear up a bit from the bad mood, but White Team barely had the heart to pretend to be amused by my joke. We all walked towards the mess hall and I looked back to see Selina still standing near the doors. I walked up to her and hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at me abruptly and I stifled the urge to jump back. I said, "He''s going to be okay. He''s survived this long, there''s no way he would give up now." She nodded and walked down the hallway. I took one last look to where Steele had disappeared into the side room and followed her.


    ________________________


    Steele''s POV


    A terrible burning pain enveloped my mind and I could hear voices shouting around me. Everything hurt. I felt a burning tug on my right side and dimly heard myself cry out before fading back into an uncomfortable darkness.


    -----


    A steady and slow electronic beeping slowly began to get louder as my mind began to wake up. It''s soft rhythm met in sync with the sound of my heartbeat rushing through my ears. More sounds came into focus soon after, the drip of some fluid, a softly ticking clock, wind ruffling sheets, birds tweeting, and then the muffled sound of people talking far away. My eyes slowly opened. Everything blurred together, swirling in white, yellow, and blue. A steady throb of pain began to slowly increase inside my head, like my brain had been shaken up a few times. I blinked a couple times but my vision was in no hurry to clear up. The light over whatever I was lying felt harsh on my eyes and I squinted my already blurry vision. I raised a hand to my head, shielding my eyes and sighing in relief, but the IV connected to my arm pulled against the bed and the action earned a sharp stab of pain.


    I heard the sudden pattering sound of soft and quick footsteps. As they came closer and they abruptly stopped, something metal clattering onto the floor. I closed my eyes quickly as the sound sent a knife of agony through my head. Whoever it was, a woman I think, let out a small scream and her footsteps faded quickly as she ran out of the room.


    I opened my eyes again and looked over the edge of what I could now tell was a white bed and sheets, lifting my head a bit to see that the metal thing was actually a tablet. How it hadn''t shattered when she dropped it was a mystery. I heard footsteps again, when she came in she I saw that she was a nurse about 5 ft tall, sporting a tightly tied pony tail of blond hair. My vision had cleared up, but now I was a bit disoriented. Where was this place, what was this place? She was covering her mouth and pointed to me, squeaking to someone. That someone stepped out from behind the curtain and revealed himself to be a doctor wearing the traditional white coat. His eyes widened but he tried to suppress the reaction as quickly as it had arisen and shooed the nurse out the door before closing it. He cleared his threat and said, "Hello 118, how are you feeling?"


    I tensed all of my muscles, and, seeing they were fine, lifted my hands to tense those. However, I was horrified to see that I had patches of a shiny gray substance all over them and my right hand was completely covered in what I presumed to be some kind of metal. I quickly pulled back the covers, wincing in pain as the action pulled at what I assumed were stitches. Where the hospital clothes ended, the same thing revealed itself to have happened to my legs. They also looked... longer and bigger, but I wasn''t focused on that right now. I looked in horror at the doctor. His face was a bit nervous, visibly trembling, and I looked up to see his eyes held fear. "What happened to me?! Where is my team?" I asked him. My voice cracked and was surprisingly hard to get out, like I hadn''t used it in forever. He shifted nervously. "What is the last thing you remember?"


    I thought for a moment. "I... I remember I was captured. I was on a ship... Henderson was there! And there was Kyle, he had to stay behind. I was almost out of the hanger when the bomb went off. Wait, what happened to Kyle!" I asked. He waited a moment. I could tell he was trying to remember something. How long was I out?!


    Finally he shook his head sadly. I knew it but if I had survived, he could have. "So what happened?" I examined my hands and legs again. He began, "You were in a nuclear explosion. It tore holes in your armor which were immediately filled by the superheated metal from the surface of your armor. It fused with your skin and we couldn''t remove it without causing more damage. You also had two punctures, one in your right leg and your right side, coupled with severe third degree burns all over your body. You''ve been through multiple procedures to also fix the internal injuries, including head trauma. You now have new armor to accommodate your... new composure as well."


    I stayed silent for a moment, taking it in. I looked closer at my hands to see that the metal had fused seamlessly into my skin. My fingerprints had been preserved as well as the creases in my hand. I rubbed them together and realized I could oddly still feel things through the metal. I looked back up, "How long was I out?" He hesitated before telling me, considering just how to word what he was about to say. I began to worry at his hesitation. A month, two months?!


    Before you go on, guess how long it''s been.


    \/


    \/


    He finally replied, "Steele, you''ve been in a coma for almost a year."


    A year? An entire Year? For some that might not seem like a long time, but a lot can happen in a year. I would have missed so many things! The end of the war, my team''s training and missions, activity from the inner colonies. Before I had gone under everyone knew that while we had somewhat defeated the Covenant, things weren''t over and they now knew the location of Earth. My heart monitor spiked and I had trouble breathing. My chest heaved painfully. I heard him saying, "Just relax, breathe, that''s it, breathe." But it sounded like it was muffled. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears as I realized I was close to passing out again and forced myself to take deep breaths. Everything cleared and I could breathe normally. He gave a sigh of relief and said, "I know this must be hard for you. Your team has been notified that you are awake and are waiting outside. Should I send them in?"


    I waited a moment longer to prepare myself and nodded. He nodded back and walked out. Shortly after, I heard the door open and my team stepped in. I widened my eyes in surprise. They wore the same armor as before, but they all had grown. Their helmets were in their hands and even Sift''s face was different. Their jaw lines were sharper and they had gotten taller. Their bodies seemed... bigger... too. How much training have I missed, what''s happened since I was in a coma?


    Their eyes widened as well at seeing me awake and soon I was surrounded by them. Selina rested a hand on my non-metal shoulder and said, "It''s good to have you back. We were afraid you would never wake up." I smiled back at them. "What did I miss in the time I was out? How did the war end? Is the Covenant down for good?" I asked. Their smiles faded and mine did too. "What?"


    Scott spoke up, "Its the colonies, they''ve been attacked." I sat up a bit, ignoring the pain as my worst fears were confirmed. "By who?!" He looked me straight in the eyes. "Master Chief''s AI, Cortana. She''s back, and she''s trying to conquer all of humanity with giant Forerunner structures called Guardians. All the AIs have joined her. The UNSC Infinity is one of the only ships left. And so is ours."


    To Be Continued.....


    _________________


    So how''s that for a good ending?! Sorry I scared you guys, it wasn''t my intention(yes it was).


    Anyway, I am sad to say that this is finally the end of Spartan 118. I would like to thank everyone who has been there for me and supported me, especially from the beginning, and for getting us to an astounding 12k reads and 29 follows! I loved writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading. I do have a somewhat tentative second book that I can start releasing as a second part to this one if you guys want, but it is unfinished unlike this one. The premise is the return of Kyle who has lost all of his memories after the explosion. Let me know in the comments if you would like that. Otherwise, I''ll see you guys perhaps in my other story "I''m Not the Isekai Hero". Lastly, if you enjoyed or perhaps even if you didn''t, I''d super appreciate it if you could give my story a rating to help others find it as well. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN!!!


    -Spartan Steele out!

 Christmas Special Final Chapter Notice!

    Hello Everyone!!


    First I want to thank everyone that has viewed and supported this story so far! We just hit 30,000 views the other day and I couldn''t be more grateful for all of you giving me and my story a chance! But enough with that, now down to business. I want to announce this but also answer a few potential questions you might have about it.


    This might be a surprising update since this story is completed, but I am happy to announce that there is one more chapter I have to share with you all! I haven''t published it yet because I wrote this chapter to be a Christmas Special, and it wasn''t Christmas yet when I published Chapter 42. This chapter is a bit unique since it is intended to take place before the end of the story, when everyone was still together. For those who may be reading this before reading the rest of the book, I won''t spoil it, but it happens when both teams are still together to really instill the Christmas spirit.


    For anyone worried that a Christmas chapter will be a waste of time to read as it probably won''t have any action in it, I am happy to prove you wrong! I nearly guarantee you will not be disappointed by it in terms of action or feel-good content.


    Another question you may have is why didn''t I just post the chapter now instead of announcing it? There''s a few reasons, but mainly because I intend to post this chapter on Christmas Eve in order to make it more appropriately timed. I figured those interested in reading it may be disappointed by possibly missing it as Christmas is a busy day for many people. I also wanted to announce it so you wouldn''t just see the title and think it was written on a whim or lacked the quality of writing I''ve been providing until now because I supposedly prepared it last minute. I''ve been waiting all year to share this chapter and hope people will appreciate such. Lastly, I wanted to thank everyone and give people who read this when it first came out a chance to remember this story exists and that this will in-fact be the final chapter I publish for this book. It would be cruel of me to post it and get everyone''s hopes up about it continuing if I didn''t explain the situation first.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    I want to end with the note that this does not mean I won''t post any more content relating to Spartan Steele''s story. I actually do have a spin off that is incomplete of another character in progress, and plans to continue this story with a second book. The timeline for this is very uncertain as it somewhat depends on Microsoft and Halo continuing the main storyline in a way that I can incorporate. Currently Halo lore is somewhat broken in terms of order of events, and so I am still waiting for another game to explain what happened in the 6 month gap and what will happen after Master Chief returns. Non-Halo fans may be confused by the necessity of me sticking to the official timeline, but I would still like to keep this book mostly canon in the rare chance Microsoft decides to incorporate it. I put a lot of effort into doing so thus far and have no plans on abandoning those efforts now.


    That was a little long but I hope this has explained most of the questions people may have about this book, future plans, and the Christmas Special I will post Christmas Eve! Thank you again for reading my work and I hope you will like the special as much as I did writing it!


    Until next time,


    -Spartan Steele out

 Christmas Special!

    Before Kyle''s kidnapping


    Steele''s POV


    I was sleeping peacefully, my consciousness floating in complete darkness as usual. Next thing I knew, I felt a sharp pressure on my mid-section and loud shouting. I woke up with an oof!


    What the heck was that?!


    I sat up quickly and look around, hands up in fists. Then I sighed and looked the perpetrator in their mischievous face. Selina sat smiling on my lower stomach. "Can you get off now?" I asked irritably. She smiled wider and hops up. It wasn''t just Selina that had decided to interrupt my rest, as it appeared I had an entire audience in my room this morning. I waved to the rest of the team and Team Prime. "What are you guys all doing here anyway? You are up even earlier than we were in training, especially you Smith. You never get up on time." Smith shuffled excitedly and gave a sheepish smile. Selina raised her hands, "Don''t you know? It''s Christmas!!!" I frowned, "So? We don''t get breaks, even on holidays."


    Kyle stepped up. "That''s why we got up early. Selena planned it all out. First breakfast and presents, then we do a bit of a training game. I mean, why not? It''s about time we all relax." They all smiled hopefully at me. Even Henderson was standing at the door. He was pretending to be disinterested but I could see a slight smirk on his gruff face.


    I sighed loudly and wipe my face. "All right, let me get ready." I said reluctantly. Selina walks to the door, "All right, we''ll be waiting in the mess hall kitchen." They leave. I sighed again and hoist my legs over the edge of the bed. This will be an interesting morning.


    ______________________


    Mess hall kitchen


    I yawn and walk through the empty mess hall to the kitchen. As I round one of the stoves, I walk in on what seems to be some kind of red and green extravaganza. Silver strands and red and green glass balls hang from the pot racks. Pieces of evergreen tree branches filled in the spaces on the metal counter where it doesn''t have food. Some wavy red and white strips lay on a plate, bacon I believe. They give off a surprisingly delicious smell. Next to them is a large bowl of cooked eggs, all chopped up. Bottles of milk and orange juice stand randomly in their own little green cocoons. Finally, in the middle stands a large stack of soft golden brown saucers. Taste buds I didn''t even know I had begin to water with the aromas. I try to think of the name of the stack for a moment, the name escaping me for lack of familiarity... That''s right! They are called.. Pancakes...


    All of the sudden I have a strong flashback.


    My nose fills with the delicious smell of a Sunday breakfast. I come into the kitchen to see two plates on the table, along with hash browns, bacon, eggs, and pancakes. "Mom, it looks great! Thank you!" I say sweetly, my voice high pitched and juvenile.


    The figure standing by the stove walks up to me. She''s blurry, like a bad photograph. She hugs me. "Well thanks Steele. Nice to be appreciated." She laughs, her voice as silky as the chocolate we get on rare occasions. I squeeze her as hard as I can, smelling the smoke on her apron. She laughs, "You''re getting strong. Let''s eat before all the food I just made gets cold though." I smile and watch the blurry figure sit down, I can barely see brown hair.


    "Steele?"


    I''m shaken back to reality and close my partially open mouth, relaxing my pained face. Both teams are looking at me curiously. I give a half smile. "Are you alright?" Selina asks. I nod. "Sorry, I just had a small headache from waking up so early." I lie.


    They exchange worried glances. "You might want to get that checked out later, you never get headaches. Anyway, come on, let''s eat! I didn''t have the cooks make all of this food and spend my time doing this just so it could get cold." Scott said with a hint of excitement in his voice. I nod and walk forward, brushing back a few strands of silver to grab a plate. The teams have already gotten their food and now stand around the backside of the table. I heap a bunch of each type onto my plate, pausing for a moment at the pancakes, and walking around.


    "So, what exactly is the training game?" I ask between bites. Selina holds up a finger and swallows. "Well... I was thinking that we could a little bit of a contest. Last team standing wins." She smiles hopefully at me. They all look for confirmation. Once again I realize that I have commanding authority over anything they want to do. I nod and they all cheer. Kyle pats me on the shoulder. I flinch and Selina notices. She opens her mouth to say something to the surprisingly young soldier but I shake my head and let it pass. After all, it is Christmas.


    After that we clean up and head back to my quarters for presents. I am a bit confused, because how are they going to get the presents there if they have been with me this whole time, but allow them to lead. They open the door and Kyle gestures for me to go in, looking mischievious. I slowly round the glass corner and gasp a bit. My entire bed is filled with boxes wrapped in shining paper and ribbon. "What are these?" I ask curiously. Selina frowns, "Christmas presents, haven''t you..." she trails off, realizing how close to home what she was about to say was. She clears her throat and says, "They are Christmas presents. A lot are for you but they are addressed to everyone. Go ahead guys and look through them." She says. We all go for the bed, but Kade, Henderson, and Strang stayed back so everyone would fit.


    I looked over a large red, green, and white striped box to see my name and have a secret bit of exhilaration. No wonder people like Christmas. I saw everyone else had a present and are now looking at me. Selena whispers, "Now you open it."


    I quickly found an edge and pulled it off, revealing part of some kind of box. I quickly tore off the rest and held it up. It was a small holo-projection bubble in it''s box. I look up. They gesture me to open it. I lift the bubble out of the box and set it on my desk. It immediately camd to life, projecting a 3-D picture of the whole team inside. I am standing valiantly in the front of both teams. "Oh wow... Thank you guys." I gave them an awkward smile. I don''t do that often. They respond with varied versions of "No Problem, thought you should have a keepsake."


    Then they opened their presents. There are a few weapons, pictures, and keychains. All are received with joy. After we clean up all of the wrapping paper, Kyle seemed impatient. "Can we go do Last-team standing now?" I looked at Selina. She nodded, "Sure, though we need our armor on. So everyone go do that and we will meet in the outdoor training forest."


    They nodded and dispersed. I held Selina back. "Has there been any covenant activity recently? Scouting groups, things like that?" She shook her head, "No, don''t worry about it, I''ve made sure the game was safe, and no scouting parties have been reported. We will be fine." She said. I sighed and let my hand drop from her shoulder. She nodded at me and walked out.


    I looked back at my holographic picture. That is the first keepsake I have ever owned. I shake myself from staring and walk to the armory. Well, time to get ready.


    I quickly dressed up in my black and grey Helioskrill-class armor and walked down to the weapons section of the armory. As soon as I rounded the corner I saw Selina waiting. I quickly stood next to the door with her and waited for everyone else. "So, I''ve outfitted replicas of our weapons to shoot paintballs, except these have extra weight to them so they will hurt just as much as a bullet." Selina remarked. Henderson joined us with Smith and Rogers. "Good Job Selina. Thank you for setting all of this up." I said with a hint of a smile. She nodded and stood back against the wall.


    Finally, Kyle was the last to arrive. She nodded us into the armory and we filed in after her. We passed many racks of equipment and a few hallways before she pulled us into a side-room. I squeezed in first and she gestured to a small section of the wall. There was my assault rifle and DMR. I lifted them off and inspected. They felt... almost the same. I quickly pulled back the slide and saw a small green pellet with a brass back to it in the small opening where a bullet should be. I released and slid it onto my back. I nodded at her and stepped out of the room so everyone else could have a fair share. I had also grabbed some modified grenades from the wall. I assumed they exploded with the same green paint.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I waited for everyone to come back out. Once everyone was here, Selena gestured for me to assign teams. I looked around for a moment, "Let''s switch things up this time. New teams. Kyle, Henderson, Selina, Smith, you are with me. Rogers, Grey, Scott, Kade, and Strang, you guys are blue team. Got it?" They nodded and simultaneously said, "Affirmative!"


    "Okay! Let''s go then!" I commanded. The other team hurried out to the training forest. I led my team also to the training forest, but at a fork I went left instead of right with them. My team followed and we entered a small armory. We waited near the double doors for the countdown to start.


    After a few moments a speaker high above the course said in a smooth but monotone female voice, "Training game... Team Deathmatch... will begin shortly. There will be no foul play, no outside collaboration, and no moving once shot on the training course. The game will begin in 5..." I brought my rifle up. "4..." Kyle glanced at me quickly and copied me. I smiled to myself. "3... 2... 1" The door slid open smoothly with a whir. We raced out and I had to call them to a stop, remembering that this was a new team and they didn''t know the routine.


    "Hold up." I called to the eager Kyle. Henderson and the others had already stopped. He skidded in the green leaves, throwing up a small flurry, and walked back. "What?" He asked, a hint of annoyance present in his voice. "We need a plan of attack. No doubt they are doing the same." I said calmly. He sighed and set his rifle down, looking expectantly at me. "Since these are new teams, I need to be able to trust you all." They both nodded. I didn''t need a response from Selina and Smith. "So, the best plan of attack would be to stay together but still spread out. We will move out on all sides but must stay in visual contact. The object is stealth, if we can sneak up on them, we can take them out easily. They will most likely be in a small group. Got it?"


    They all nodded. I waved my hand forward and we dispersed into the trees. We moved quickly for a little while but as we reached the middle I waved my hand to Kyle and he passed along the message to slow down. I darted from a moderate sized bush behind a tree. I spotted Kyle copying and was amazed at how well he could do it, even if it wasn''t perfect. I peeked my rifle about and looked over. Still seeing no one in sight, I ran a few feet and ducked behind a thorn bush. I held up my fist to Kyle for him to stop and looked out. That''s odd, we should have seen them by now, we are almost at their base, and spread out the way we are we should have spotted them.


    I stood up next to a trunk and listened closely as I tried to figure out what was wrong. The wind played through the trees, dancing with the leaves. There was some new sound but I could not identify it. The wind quieted and a bird chirped, tweeting softly a few times before falling silent. I could finally hear what my highly trained ears strained to hear, the sound of gunfire, spotted with distant explosions. From the direction it''s coming from, that''s on the far corner of the training forest!


    I quickly relayed through the comm, "Group up, standard formation. We need to move fast."


    The three acknowledgement lights winked and Kyle physically nodded to me. I ran forward and they slid out of the foliage, running in a diamond-like formation. The sound of gunfire neared and I could now hear the distinct humming and burning of plasma rounds from what could only be Covenant weapons.


    I quickly keyed the main comm. It was accepted and a voice said, "S-118, what is your reason for contacting this channel?" I kept my voice steady despite my heavy breathing. "Sir, I have reason to believe Covenant forces have infiltrated the training forest. Requesting reinforcements immediately. Number of hostiles unknown."


    There was a pause. "Reinforces inbound, alarm ini..." I interrupted, "Negative Sir, do not initiate the alarm, the Covenant forces may flee with prisoners. I have reason to believe they do not know of their detection." I said. He paused again. "Affirmative S-117, forces ETA five minutes."


    "Acknowledged." I said, and the feed cut off. The sound of explosions was now almost deafening. I waved my hand and we slowed down. I pointed and Smith and Selina and had them spread out next to me. We came upon a clearing and I hid behind a bush, pushing back a branch to look into a very much paint splattered clearing. There was quite a large Covenant force struggling with the other team. At least ten Elites were struggling to exterminate the band of Spartans. If I was right, it seemed that they had not known we were here and were trying to keep it quiet to get the advantage on Fort Cause. Rogers had speckles of paint on her, bashing a grunt with her rifle. Scott and Kade were darting between a group of elite, slowly draining their shields. A few were drenched in Red paint.


    Strang and Grey were also engaged in smaller battles with grunts, even managing to pick up some plasma pistols. A hunter appeared close to them and they broke apart, darting around it''s large gun and shield.


    I signaled Henderson and Selina to attack the Elites and Smith to help Rogers subdue the main force. I gestured Kyle to follow me. I waited until they were in position and then waved my hand forwards rapidly to allow them to engage. We rushed out of the bushes, terrifying the Grunts closest to us as we took them down quickly on the way to our targets.


    I keyed the other team''s short range comms and said, "Thought you might need some help." There was a short acknowledgement light from Rogers and the others as I moved in on the Hunter.


    I shot my gun into the hunter''s face, unsure if they even saw from that point seeing as they are essentially a hive of worms all joined together inside armor. It roared in anger and threw it''s heavy shield out at a surprising speed. I would have moved swiftly out of the way if Kyle hadn''t darted into my destination as he avoided an Elite and kept me from moving in time. The edge caught me in my chest and I was flung backwards, smashing through a medium sized tree and rolling to a stop several feet behind it before landing on my face. Splinters of wood exploded outward when I hit the tree and fell all around me. The top half of the tree had fallen off to one side. I groaned and wobbly pushed myself up, feeling a few broken ribs grind painfully against each other.


    I looked over the splintered stump of the foot-wide tree to see the Hunter''s large green barrel ready to fire. However, as it was releasing the clamps, Kyle ran up to it with one of the paint grenades and tucked it into the hunter''s neck. It swung out the shield but he jumped back and the gun mounted to it''s arm fired slightly off. I stood up just in time for it to explode to my left, throwing me once more into another tree, but this one held. I got up on one knee and looked back to see a headless hunter covered in green paint fall to the ground, orange pieces and mist of the worms it was made up by, falling to the ground.


    He smiled and I got up. Suddenly an energy sword appeared where his chest should be. I stopped, stunned. Kyle was jerked forwards, stunned as well. Then Kyle seemed to grab the sword''s handle through his chest and twisted it around, stabbing the owner. The Elite fell to the ground and Kyle fell to his knees. I ignored my broken ribs and ran to him. He was just sitting there, looking around him in shock and stabbing a grunt that came close.


    I knelt down next to him, but when I looked over his chest, there was no wound to be seen. I spotted a small melted piece of armor on his arm and realized what had happened.The Elite missed and had stabbed him through the gap between his arm and body. He had been surprised and jerked forwards. I actually almost laughed. Almost. I helped him up and we engaged in the battle again, but the Covenant were retreating. I soon saw why.


    The reinforcements had arrived. They attacked from the direction of the base and ran past us at the Covenant. Terrified Grunts and Elites fled with a cry to fall back in Sangheili. Soon we were left in an empty clearing, only the commander of the allied force remaining. I sat down on the stump of the tree that I had smashed through, sitting up straight to keep my broken ribs from moving too much. Distant battles cries sounded and a minute later a cheer went up. They had driven the Covenant off.


    The commander approached me and I stood slowly, wincing but even with my efforts to conceal, he noticed my injury. I saluted. "Looks like we got here just in time." He said. I nodded. He looked at the two paint-splattered teams gathering up their weapons. "Well I think you''ve earned this victory, go to the med bay and then go to the Sergeant Major for debriefing. I''ll let them know you''re coming." He said. I nodded and he walked off, back towards Fort Cause.


    The two teams gathered around me. I noticed with some humor that it seemed like each team was covered in the other team''s paint despite no actual battle happening between the two of us. "Get cleaned up and ready for the day, I might be a bit longer than usual so don''t wait for me in training. Good job team." I said, wincing as I moved. Kyle noticed and looked down in shame. I paused for a second, and then added, "Thank you all for setting this up. It may not have been perfect but it has been the best holiday I''ve had in a long time." I couldn''t see it but I knew several of them were smiling. They walked off towards the armory and I went my own way, in pain but feeling truly happy for once.