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Chapter Text

ONE. Outside

 Planet Reach
July 24, 2552
07:28 Hours

It was too early in her opinion. She had taken off her helmet because the rough foam had been rubbing the skin on the bridge of her nose raw. Though the dust flying back into her face wasn’t exactly amazing either. She huffed a bit out of her nose and coughed loudly. Swatting the dust from her face she choked out a few more loose hacks glancing only briefly at the Driver who chuckled lightly. 

“Put on your helmet dumbass,” he smiled. 

“Over my dead body,” the SPARTAN woman in the passenger’s seat declared. The Driver, Private Jaxon Aarons, had been the woman’s friend for as long as she cared to remember back. He was sent with her almost everywhere- like an underpaid escort.

“Either way, the paint job looks good,” Aarons told her. 

“Beauty is a pain I suppose,”

“Toni, I fail to understand why you hate it so much.” Aarons briefly turned his head towards her before looking back ahead. The SPARTAN woman rolled her eyes in annoyance and snorted loudly-

“It’s hard to breathe in,” She said shortly. “What I fail to understand is why the UNSC insisted on giving me new armor. I was perfectly fine with my old set. Granted, it was an older model- but it was ten times easier to move in than this. Plus my ass wasn’t as defined.”

“You’re a SPARTAN woman Toni, your ass is always going to be defined because the suit is tight,” Aarons told her. A normal man would’ve gotten decked for that- but Aarons had been Antonia-B312’s best friend for years now. He’d been by her side since she was pulled from Beta. Toni knew that she could count on Aarons for just about anything. Comfort, a shoulder to lean on. “Toni?”

“Hm?”

“I ask what you thought of Reach so far.” He chuckled lightly. Toni examined her friend’s dirt dusted shades protecting his eyes. Toni looked out of her side of the warthog as it swept itself over another small hill. She’d been told that Reach was a peaceful colony. A beautiful one. In a way, she kind of figured so. Rolling hills, fields of wheat. The sky earlier that morning had been lighter but as the warthog traveled through the low hills, the weather had cooled down. The wind had picked up making the trees in the far distance sway. Toni had even seen some lightning earlier.

“Bipolar,”

“How so?”

“Not even two hours ago it was warm and sunny. Now it’s cold and windy. Looks like a storm is coming in even,” Toni focused her eyes on the darkly shadowed clouds in the distance. She furrowed her brows slightly and shook her head, looking back to her helmet. 

“It’s just a bit of rain I’m sure,” Aarons assured her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m being forced to go into a team of people I’ve never met.”

“You read their whole file.”

“That’s different than speaking to them in person, Jax,” Toni argued slowly. She settled her helmet between her legs and used one hand to push back pieces of hair that strayed from her ponytail. She had in fact read up on the team. From the Commander to the Chief Warrant Officer all the way to their past Noble Six. The position she would be taking up. Going by Six gave her some relief, the concept seemed to assure her. Having people call her by her real name would distract her. 

She wasn’t going to Noble Team to make friends. She was going to get a job done. 

“I don’t think they want a Noble Six.”

“Why do you say that?” Aarons inquired.

“Because of the connections he apparently had with the rest of the team,” Toni took a breath, sitting back in her seat. “I dunno. Call me paranoid,”

“You’re paranoid,” Aarons said. “If it was really going to end up being problematic- well I think Colonel Holland would’ve let you know ahead of time.” Toni wished she could be as certain as Aarons. She turned her head to the side slightly, glazing over the hills that they passed. She sighed softly and looked back ahead.

“How long till we’re there?”

“About three minutes,” Aarons confirmed. “Think you can hold out?”

“Maybe,” Toni muttered. “I’ll do my best.”

“What are you not going to do when you get there?” Toni threw him a look. 

“Jaxon-”

“Answer the question, Toni.” The SPARTAN woman heaved a long and deep breath, looking up to the sky. 

“Kill them,”

“No- I mean. Yes but not specifically,” Aarons shook his head. “Please respect the Commander, Antonia. He is a no-bullshit kind of guy. He won’t put up with you sassing back at him. And I would much rather not deal with you getting into a physical altercation with the Lieutenant Commander. It’ll be hard enough to pull you off as is. I’m nearly half your size. I can’t imagine having to push two of you apart.”

“You worry too much,”

“You have a bad habit of disrespecting the chain of command. I think this worry is fairly reasonable.” He pointed out. Toni rolled her eyes and looked up at the falcons that soared ahead of the warthog. She took a breath to stabilize her nerves- looking down at the visor of her helmet. This was it. Noble Team accepting her as a member- whether they had any say in it or not...well that was up to her own interpretation. Antonia twirled her helmet in her hands, her eyes scaling the rigid back of the helmet. She swallowed- huffed a breath and then pulled it on. She adjusted her breathing to slow and steady, allowing her eyes to focus through the visor. She glanced at her bullet count, grenade count, motion tracker, and her name at the top left corner.

Her SPARTAN number that is. 

B-312.

Toni didn’t bother to think further on the subject because her eyes locked onto the tall chain-link fence that surrounded a box-like base. Aarons slowed the vehicle as they began their approach to the base. The falcons flew overhead of them, setting down on the far side of the base. The gates of the base were slowly opened. Toni clenched her jaw and watched as the vehicle slowly passed by a small group of troopers being yelled at by their Sergeant. Toni smiled a bit behind her helmet and then looked back ahead as Aarons slowed the vehicle a few feet away from a freshly landed Pelican. She went to stand up when Aarons caught her arm-

“Good luck.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she snorted. “I’ll talk to you later.” Toni stepped out of the vehicle and dropped onto the soft dirt. She shook out her legs slightly as she walked. Her eyes skimmed across a bald man in one of the Falcons. He paused and stared back at Toni- shifting sniper bullets into a magazine. Toni didn’t linger long and started walking towards the open base. Stepping up the stairs she entered into a small tin box-like base filled with four other SPARTANS. At the far front, a tall man in blue armor. Off to her right, a buffer and older man in an array of orange, red, and green armor. Toni’s eyes specifically stared down the man with the skull helmet. 

He was sharpening his large kukri knife against his armor plating when he looked up. Toni quickly looked away swiftly. 

“And now you’re sending us.” the man at the front said.

“ONI believes that deployment of a SPARTAN team is a misallocation of valuable resources,” Colonel Holland’s voice said sternly. “I disagree.”

“Typical ONI. Bunch of sketchy bastards anyway,” the skull-helmeted man sneered. Toni nodded her head to the side in agreement. She went to step forward and gain the man’s attention when a robotic arm flew out in front of her.

“Hey-” she snapped.

“Commander.” a woman’s voice commented. Toni looked into the woman’s face and lifted a brow. She was about the same height as Toni, maybe a little taller. Thin and yet seemingly well built. She seemed like the type of woman who would threaten someone to hit her- only to strike back just as hard.

“So that’s our new Noble Six…” he said slowly. “Didn’t think anyone survived Pegasi sir.”

“Spartans never die, Jorge, they’re just missing in action.” the man in front of the COM terminal said simply. 

“Kat. You read her file?” the knife-man asked the woman beside Toni.

“Only the parts that weren’t covered in black ink.” the woman let her hand fall from in front of Toni, looking the other SPARTAN up and down as though to assess her. Toni remembered Aarons warning to not start a fight with her- though she made it very tempting.

“Which was how much?” the man ‘Jorge’ asked.

“Everything except her first name,”

“I’m surprised they gave you even that much,” Toni spoke up. 

“So she does speak.” the knife-man chuckled, leaning forward onto a knee.

“Yeah. It’s pretty nice. I have a voice.” she nodded. Looking back ahead to the man who she could only assume was Commander Carter, she watched him turn his back to her.

“He’s usually more approachable,” Jorge told her with a firm nod.

“He’s busy.” Toni countered. There was a light chuckle from the man with a skull helmet. 

“You’ll see a lot of that around here,”

“I like the art. You do it yourself?” Toni asked him,

“Yes. I’m very proud of it. You like the color red?” He gestured to her. Toni glanced down to her armor and nodded.

“Touche.” she glanced back up to the Commander who kept his eyes on the console in front of him. Toni didn’t dare try to interrupt and tried to listen in on what was being said, just to get a grasp on the situation at hand. Her eyes flickered to the big man, eyeing her with a careful look. He said nothing and eventually turned his attention to the Commander once again. 

“Is there a problem Noble One?” Colonel Holland asked.

“No sir,” the Commander said. “Our new recruit just arrived.”

“I see…” there were a few seconds of silence, “Give Noble Six my regards.” Toni was taken aback by the entire room wincing, besides the Commander. She blinked a few times and squinted at the floor, not bothering to ask any more questions. 

“Has anyone claimed responsibility, sir?” he asked the Colonel. 

“ONI thinks it might be the local insurrection. Which by all hands is possible in my opinion. Five months ago they pulled a similar job on Harmony. They hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears then stole two freighters from dry-dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important.” the Colonel faded out for a few moments then spoke up again, “I want that Relay back online Noble One.” 

“Sir. Consider it done.”

“Then I’ll see you on the other side. Holland out.” The Commander turned around, the man with the EVA skull scratched helmet and the taller man both standing in unison, following the woman out of the base.

“Commander sir-”

“Lieutenant,” both Toni and her new Commander spoke up. Toni cleared her throat as the Commander gestured for her to speak.

“Commander, sir. Antonia-B312, ready for service. I’d be preferred to be called Six.”

“Annie not suffice enough, Red?” the skull helmeted man chuckled.

“No. I usually go by Toni, thanks for the suggestion though.” Toni rolled her eyes.

“Why SIx?” the Commander asked.

“It’s comforting,” she responded simply. The Commander glanced at the big man who simply chuckled and nodded.

“If that’s what works for you, Six.” he nodded to her. He gestured to himself, “I’m Carter. Noble Team’s leader. Though I’m told you know that already.”

“I like to do my homework, Commander. It pays off to know who you’re working for.” Six informed him. Carter chuckled slightly and shook his head. 

“You won’t hear me arguing,” he said. “That’s Kat, Noble Two. Emile and Jorge- four and five. You saw Jun out in the falcon I’m sure.”

“I did.”

“Good,” Carter said, walking ahead of her. “Can you handle a shotgun Noble Six?” he asked, pulling one off the rack at the edge of the base. 

“Yes sir,” she caught it as Carter slid on his helmet. 

“Even better. You’re riding with me Six,” he said. Six quickly walked up behind the Commander and managed to keep up with his long paced strides. “I’m not gonna lie to you Lieutenant, you’re stepping into some shoes that the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled. Me, I’m just happy to have Noble back up to full strength. Few things. I read your file. Even the parts the ONI sensors didn’t want me to. Glad to have your skill set, but we’re a team.”

Carter helped the Lieutenant into the falcon. She hunched down slightly and took a seat next to Noble Three. Jun nodded to her as Carter leaned out of the Falcon and swung his hand, signaling for them to take off. 

“That lone wolf stuff stays behind. Clear?”

“Got it, sir.”

“So this is our new Six?” Jun leaned back.

“Yeah,” Carter sat down completely in his seat and readjusted the DMR in his right hand to sit comfortably on his leg. 

“You picked one hell of a day to join up, I’ll tell you that much.” Jun chuckled. “Welcome to Reach,”

“Happy to be here. Though, I do wish the clouds weren’t so thick. I’ve been told that on a good day, the sky is stunning.”

“It is,” Jun assured her. “There have been storms coming in and out of the area. Lucky for you, they usually clear up by night time.” Six nodded at his response and sat back in her seat, watching the ground drift away as the falcons soared away from Noble’s headquarters. Six listened in on the small conversations that occurred throughout the fly towards Visegrad. Mainly all about some card game that Jorge had won the night before, Emile accusing him of cheating all while Jun laughed at Emile trying to find solid evidence. The team seemed very well put together despite the silence of the Commander and his Lieutenant Commander. 

Six didn’t know where to input any comments and figured that it may just be best to keep to herself. That is until Emile piped in-

“You played before Red?” he asked. 

“Oh,” Six looked across the way at the opposite falcon. “No. I never really had the time to learn or understand how to play Poker…” she told him. “I’m pretty good at solitaire though.”

“She doesn’t know how to play Poker…” Emile echoed. “Jorge, you’ll have to teach her.” Emile turned his skull-faced helmet towards Jorge and hit him shoulder with one hand.

“If she wants. I won’t force her into anything just so you can have a reason to beat someone.” Jorge chuckled. Six smiled a little but it fell as soon as it appeared when she looked back to the ground below. It was a long way down...she took a breath and shook her head a bit. 

“Scared of heights Six?” Carter spoke up.

“No.” Six countered. “Not fond of them, but not scared. Looking down and being shocked at how far down you can fall is a pretty average reaction actually.”

“You must not fly often,” Kat snorted.

“I actually made a habit of not.” Six nodded. “It’s loud and noisy. Moving on foot is far more efficient. Though sometimes there isn’t much of a choice. An example being right now, yeah?” 

“Valid,” Jun piped in. Six nodded her head to the side and watched the sky once again. The clouds seemed to be getting darker. It made her gut twist in a way she didn’t particularly like. 

“I know it’s not my place to ask these kinds of questions Commander, I just got here but…”

“But?” Carter looked at Six. 

“Sir, are we sure this is Insurrection?” she questioned, tilting her head. There was silence between the team- even Emile and Jorge’s nagging had ceased.

“Why?”

“It just seems so off-putting. I thought the Visegrad area was farming land.” Six pointed out. 

“It is.” Carter nodded. “But it’s also a military outpost.”

“But why would they want to cut Reach off from the rest of the Colonies? Wouldn’t that prevent them from resurfacing on other worlds too?” Jorge questioned. 

“I don’t know Jorge. You get a chance, you can ask them.” Carter told him. Six sat back again and shifted her feet so that her ankles were crossed. The Commander seemed rather fidgety. He better not be one of those leaders who always left the questions she had up for interpretation. It annoyed the hell out of her. Six’s eyes rolled over the hills that they began to pass.

“ Listen up, Noble Team. We're looking at a downed relay outpost, fifty klicks from Visegrad. We're going to introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, then Kat's going to get it back online."

“Get me under the hood Commander,” Kat spoke up. 

“I’m beginning to see Six and Jorge’s perspective,” Jun spoke up. “It does seem odd that the Rebels would do that…”

“They’re psychos Jun, does anything they do make sense in twenty-twenty hindsight?” Emile sighed deeply.  

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Carter started.

“Commander, we just lost our signal to HQ.” Six looked over at Kat’s falcon and then turned her head back towards Carter.

“Any backups?” he asked her.

“Searching...nada. Can’t say what’s jamming us.”

“Alright team, you heard her. Dead zone confirmed. Command will not be keeping us Company this trip.” Carter told the team.

“I’m lonely already.” Emile sighed deeply. Six leaned off to the side slightly, her eyes examining the large twirling turbines they approached. The scenery was beautiful. Very beautiful actually. A part of Six’s logic though, told her that something darker was hiding behind the rolling, grass-covered hills. She just knew it.

Chapter Text

TWO. New Blood

Planet Reach
July 24, 2552
08:15 Hours

The dirt under her boots was soft when Six finally hauled her armored body off of the Falcon. She walked up next to the Commander and glanced briefly at him, choosing to remain silent. 

“Alright Noble spread out. Watch the approach.” Carter ordered, swinging his hand in a forward motion.

“Distress beacon is coming from just south of here, commander, we’re close.” Kat piped in.

“Roger that, keep your eyes peeled,” Carter said aloud.

“Care to follow up, Red?” Emile called to Six as he raced ahead.

“I’m on your six,” she assured him. She looked to the Commander who gave her a nod. Six took the opportunity to make several jumps down the bluff. She caught up in long strides next to Emile. Taking a knee on the edge of an oversized bolder. She looked up at Noble Four who perched at the very top.

“Structure point 3-4, looks clear from this angle,” Jun spoke up. Six looked up and watched the Sniper’s falcon circle overhead. She took the opportunity to slide down the rock and roll onto the cabbage below. She felt bad for ruining the food but if the Insurrection had their way- it may not be there by tomorrow anyway.

“You think they could be planning to blow the place? I could see it,” Emile spoke up.

“Why do you say that?” Jorge asked over the COM.

“Think about it. We’ve been pestering them for a while now. You can’t tell me you don’t think they wouldn’t get fed up with us. Pull us out to a small relay in the middle of nowhere. Blow it up.” Emile suggested. 

“That’s not morbid,” Six cued in sarcastically.

“I’m just saying that it’s a 100% plausible explanation.” Emile rationalized.

“Doesn’t feel like that though. They wouldn’t go through all this work of keeping their workspace clean. Most we have down here is a burning car and some broken boxes,” Six responded as she slid down onto the flat ground below the bluff. She wandered around the side of the burning vehicle. “I can look for bodies but I don’t think that we’ll find any.”

“Do it, Six.” Carter said, “We’ll look around for the beacon.” Six nodded to the Commander’s order and walked onto the pavement. She frowned at the darkened blood that was slowly being washed onto the dirt by the sprinkling rain above them.

“Hm…” she hummed. “Checking the barrels, watch my back,” she said quietly. Slowly approaching the storage sheds, she swung them open. Inside were barrels on top of barrels. She glanced over them and looked around the ground. She pushed back some of the barrels and shook her head.

“Empty?”

“Yeah,” Six turned to Emile. “I was expecting something. Plus if there was a body here, you’d think we’d smell it.” she said with a nod. “There’d be flies at the very least.”

“You’ve seen a lot of this stuff, Six?”

“Unfortunately.” She nodded in confirmation. “Trust me, it’s not because I want to.” she walked over to the edge of the pavement with Emile. She watched the Warrant Officer duck down next to some broken up box boards and start tossing them aside. Six noted the very faint beeping that had been occurring nearby- her attention being grabbed by the Commander and Kat who jumped down onto the ground from the edge of the bluff. Kat walked over as Emile stood with a red beacon in his hand. 

“Found the beacon.” he didn’t look at Kat when he tossed it to her over his shoulder. 

“Make out any ID?” Carter questioned Kat.

“No, but it’s military.” Kat tossed it to the ground. 

“So that pretty much goes to say...it’s probably the missing trooper’s.” Six added in, looking at Carter.

“Which seemed to have fallen off the face of the planet. Odd,” Jorge spoke up over the COMs. 

Carter took a deep breath, and Six tried to place the feeling. Seems like he was used to seeing something by now. Clearly, this wasn’t the case. She walked a little ways ahead.

“Why are we not seeing any explosives residue?” she asked, kneeling down and feeling around the grass for anything. Shrapnel, bullets, pellets- something. But it seemed like the troopers didn’t give much of a fight.

“Good question…” Carter affirmed. “Noble Three, can you confirm any ‘E-X’ residue in the area?” 

“Hmm...negative sir. I’m not seeing anything out of the ordinary.” Jun said.

“That’s not worrying,” Kat took a breath. “Anything Six?”

“No. Usually, bullet casings range inches apart. But…” she stood up and looked to the Commander. “Nothing.”

“Plasma maybe,” Emile offered. Six lifted a brow at that comment.

“You really think-” She started.

“Can’t be. Not on Reach.” Jorge interrupted.

“There’s a lot of blood on the ground,” Emile responded. “I’m simply throwing down suggestions big man, I’m not looking for a fight.” 

“Alright, Noble looks like there's nothing here. Let’s move on.” 

“Smoke at the next structure boss.” Kat pointed out over the stone gate that was barred between Noble team and a house on the other side. 

“Circle west and check it out. Noble Team: you have permission to engage, but be selective. We don't need to telegraph our presence." Carter took a few paces and then looked at Six. “Six, hang back for a second.” Six did as she was told, thinking back on every statement to come out of her mouth from the time she had gotten there until that exact moment. She took a short breath and stood next to the Commander as they walked. “Any idea of what we’re getting ourselves into here?”

“No,” she said quietly. “Just a really...really bad gut feeling,” she said quietly. “Though you can’t necessarily take off running with my gut accusation, you know?” Six looked up ahead. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Alright,” he nodded. “I wasn’t sure if you’d seen it before.” Six glanced over the Commander’s visor. 

“Can’t say I have. It’s like there wasn’t even a fight put up here. Maybe they were caught off guard after their car slammed into the wall but we can only assume.” Six offered out to the Commander. He nodded to her,

“Alright.” he gestured ahead. “Stay close. I want to see your abilities for myself if we do get into a line of fire.”

“Yes sir,” Six said. She clenched her jaw and wasted no time getting away from the Commander. She jogged a little ways ahead of Emile with a deep breath. She wasn’t quite sure why her chest got so tight whenever the other members made an effort to talk to her. She wanted to keep her distance without having to be a bitch. 

The quieter the better.

She wasn’t nervous. Six didn’t get nervous. Rather she was searching for a reason to avoid conversations and conflict with the team. Right off the bat, there were several things that irked her nerves about the team. The main thing being how Carter seemed to be so level headed. For some reason, it felt like dirt sticking on the underside of her nails. Uncomfortable. 

Six failed to place why, and it seemed like such a childish reason to be annoyed. At least she was willing to admit it to herself, not that she necessarily wanted to. Six gasped a bit in shock when Moa ran out in front of her, catching her off guard. She growled slightly under her breath when she heard Emile laugh and had half the mind to turn around and clock him in the arm. Continuing on her way, she kept close to the other members, so to follow the Commander’s orders. She was certain something would eventually come of her suspicions but decided not to speak out her concerns. As she walked across the stone pathway, she glanced over the railing.

“Long fall,” she spoke up.

"You sure youre not 'fraid of heights, Six?” Emile questioned walking up next to her. Six spared him a very brief look before shrugging her shoulders and continuing her walk up a flight of steps. 

“I usually work on flat ground. Not exactly scared of heights, however, the fear of dying from a fall...it does weigh on my mind.” Six said simply. Emile laughed out,

“In that case, don’t ever get in a car with Kat driving,” Emile laughed. “She has zero regards for gaps.”

“Emile, shut up.” Kat snipped. There was light chuckling over the COMs as Six approached the doorway to a house. She froze and lifted her gun. She furrowed her brows when Carter came on over the COM,

“Move into the house Noble Six, go in quiet, I’m right behind you,” he assured her. Six glanced over her shoulder at the Commander who, sure enough, was close behind. Six clenched her jaw and turned swiftly into the building. It was empty with the exception of chaotically flipped chairs, burned up tables, bullet shot walls. Six glanced over the ground and furrowed her brows.

“Well that’s...not right…” she muttered. Looking at Carter who moved up next to her while Kat and Emile took point ahead. 

“Elaborate Lieutenant,”

“Still no bullet casings.” Six gestured to the floor. “But we have blood splatters on the wall and clear holes,” Six nodded for the Commander to walk up to a nearby wall with her. “I spent some time with a forensic team a little while back actually, and sir...there should be casings here.” She gestured to the blood splatter, “See because a blood splatter can help determine a murder weapon. This splatter,” She traced the shape in the air, “was created because whatever killed or injured this person, had a pretty intense velocity. It’s too small to be anything except a bullet.” she gestured below the splatter. “No body,”

“Good eye Six,” Carter seemed to look over the blood splatter before nodding for her to follow him up the ramp. Six stayed close behind and tried not to be at least a little proud of her observation. She never got complimented for knowing something as detailed as that- it was simply expected of her. She pushed the pride from her brain and kept up with Carter, nodding to Jorge who jumped from the falcon that hovered little ways about the ground. He landed with a small lean of his machine gun but managed to reset himself to a standing position. It was at that moment, Six realized how tall he was. She blinked a few times and bowed her head with a shocked face behind her helmet. 

Glancing down she shifted from foot to foot. She took a breath and glanced up to the doors of the farmhouse that were slammed back by Emile. The SPARTAN-III backed up and pointed his shotgun at a man who spilled out of the house.

“On your knees! Now!” Emile shouted angrily. 

“Emile,” Six warned carefully, putting her hand over the barrel of Emile’s shotgun. The skull-faced SPARTAN looked at her quickly as Jorge butted in,

“They’re not rebels. They’re farmers, look at them.” Six glanced down at the man who looked horrified. He was shaking violently and his eyes were locked on the ground as if it was his only form of saving grace. Six bit the inside of her cheek and looked back to Carter. The Commander gave the man a once over and gently gestured for Emile to take a step back. Six followed the Warrant Officer back a few brief steps and watched the scene play out. 

“Ask them what they’re doing here,” Carter ordered. Jorge looked down at the man and questioned him in Hungarian. A primary language on Reach, though there were plenty.. A few of the Marines that Six had encountered had taught her a few words. Her daze was snapped when the man began to babble in the language back to Jorge.

“Hiding sir,” Jorge translated. “Neighbors were attacked last night. He heard screams, gunfire. It stopped around sunrise. Something in the fields...killed his son.”

“Some thing?” Carter repeated back. Six glanced back to the disaster that was the house behind her. 

“Explains the house,” She said aloud.

“He sure it wasn’t a person?” Emile asked. Jorge looked back to the man and translated Emile’s question. The man’s hands flew wildly in circles, he was animated as he spoke. There was a sob that caught Six’s attention. She turned to the house slightly and examined it over. She tilted to the side and saw a little girl curled up in the arms of a woman, crying. 

“ Apa ,” she sobbed loudly. Six walked forward slightly and kneeled down, clipping her gun to her back. She held out her hand and beckoned the girl with a hand. The woman seemed to clutch the girl tighter while the girl’s watery eyes focused on the SPARTAN woman in front of her.

“Six,” Emile hissed.

“The girl wants to know that her father is okay.” Six replied dully, turning slightly to look at Emile. “You pointed a giant gun to his head and told him to get on the ground,” she looked back at the little girl. She had a hard time forming her broken Hungarian but managed to speak out, “ Gyere ide ,” The woman sniffled and let the little girl go hesitantly. Six held out her hand further and gently took the little girl's smaller hand in her large gloved one. She helped the little girl step down from the doorway and kneeled down, pointing at her Father who Jorge was helping to his feet. 

The little girl yelled his name again and ran to her Father’s aid. Six stood up fully and watched the two reunite. Jorge looked to Six briefly and nodded slowly. Six didn’t know how to take that and simply bowed her head towards the ground. 

“Commander, be advised. I’m reading heat sigs at the structure directly east of your position. Over.” Jun spoke up over the COMs. 

“Copy that. Get them back inside.” Carter ordered. Jorge shouted something in Hungarian that resulted in the little girl and the man rushing back inside. Six walked over and slammed the door shut behind them.

“Careful Red,” Emile said simply walking past her. Six watched him walk away and waited for the rest of Noble to move on ahead. All except Jorge. 

“That was impressive Six,” Jorge said. “I didn’t realize you were so good with kids. Most SPARTANs aren’t.” 

“The bulky armor tends to scare them,” Six finished his likely thought. Jorge nodded carefully. “I’ve worked with enough of them to know that being soft appeals to their nature,” she said, walking alongside him.

“You’ve worked with kids?”

“I’ve had to separate them from watching me slit someone's throat open,” Six said.”So yes, Jorge, I have worked with kids.” Jorge seemed to pause a few steps behind her before following her quickly. 

“Alright Noble, double-time it,” Carter ordered. Six took off in a sprint, making sure she was close to Jorge. She preferred him out of the bunch. He was approachable and had a kind voice. Unlike Emile who had a giant skull carved into his helmet and Carter who sounded like every monotone commanding officer she’d ever had, Jorge had a soft and truly human voice. He reminded her of a Marine, which was shocking. Being a SPARTAN-II, Six thought that he’d be the most stoic and grueling out of the ground. Clearly, she had been mistaken. 

Noble team slowly pulled themselves up the hill, Six stopped to wait for the giant man lugging his machine gun with him to completely catch up. Carter whistled for Six and she fell into step behind him. They walked into a shed-like mini-warehouse and by her first two steps in- the smell hit her. The smell of death. Dead bodies. The smell made Six’s stomach churn, she grabbed her stomach instinctively as her vision seemed to jump. She had the unfortunate fate of being met with the scent of death on several occasions but she never truly did get used to it.

Her eyes scanned the back of the building until they adjusted to the darkness. Halting her steps, her breathing hitched. Carter stopped when he saw the same thing she did. 

Several dead bodies laid against crates. Two trooper bodies were the main subject though. One was wrapped tightly up against a barrel with barbed wire and lashes to his face that rendered him nearly unrecognizable. The second one was hung up on a sharp coat hanger. His body was limp and the metal hook came straight out of his chest. Six swallowed and walked up next to Carter who shook his head, 

“Damn,” he muttered. 

“Fill me in Commander, what have you seen? Over.” Jun piped in.

“We’ve got both military and civilian casualties. Two of the missing troopers,” Carter said lowly. “They were interrogated from the looks of it. It’s messy…” Carter gently pulled the man on the hook off of it. He set the trooper onto the ground and shook his head with a deep sigh. Six nodded for Emile to help her with the Trooper who was tied to the barrel. He pulled his knife and began to cut away at the wire. Six laid the man next to his teammate and gently dug under his vest until she found the metal of his dog tag.

‘Ordulng, Jessie’

Six’s eyes flitted over the metal tag before she stood to her feet and looked at Carter who began to move into the hallway of the small warehouse. Kat was at his heels, her visor having trailed over Six for a brief moment. Six clenched her jaw and followed in line after them, Jorge at her side. They went in one at a time, going every other direction. Six followed suit after her Commander. 

A bright red dot appeared on her HUD as Carter spoke up,

“Movement, watch your trackers.” They started up the ramp when a loud bang occurred above them. Six went into fight mode, she let her hand armed with her shotgun fall to her side and equipped her Magnum, pointing it at the ceiling. Her eyes watched the ceiling with interest.

“What the hell was that?” Emile snapped. Six looked to Jorge watching him push ahead of Kat and Emile to take any fire. It would give them time to prep themselves for battle. He was smart.

“Jun, see anything?”

“Mm, negative sir. Thermal is clean.” Jun spoke up.

“Contact is gone Commander,” Kat said. Noble Team lingered silently in the hallway for a moment. 

“What do we do sir?” Jorge asked.

“We keep moving, and if we encounter any hostiles, we engage.” 

“I don’t think that Insurrectionists sound like birds sir.” Six spoke up quietly. “That sounded like-”

“Don’t say it Six,” Jorge warned. Six bit back her next statement. She pursed her lips but kept quiet, tilting her head towards the ground a bit. 

“Let’s move,” Carter said. Six followed shortly behind the rest of her team, keeping her eyes glued to the back of Jorge’s armor as he thudded a few feet ahead of her. She stopped slowly outside and waited for her Commander to give her the ‘okay’ to move ahead. 

“Moving into the warehouse,” Six assured the rest of the team.

“Ten-four,” Kat responded quietly. Six moved in slowly, aiming her gun in every direction, switching movements every two or three seconds. She found herself, holding her breath. Glancing over her shoulder she went to speak up when Jun spoke up-

“Boss: I see movement! Outside your structure!”

“Noble Two! Head up west! We’re about to be flanked!” Carter barked at Kat. 

 Six wasted no time sprinting to the nearby window to look out of it. Her eyes widened slightly and she felt her stomach fall to the floor. A loud bird-like screech erupted from a skirmisher on top of a shed roof. 

“ Dammit!” Carter shouted.

“COVENANT!” Six shouted back over her shoulder. 

“Contact, contact! Spartans assist! They’re moving into the lower basement! Move down to the lower levels!” Carter sternly ordered. Six nodded and grouped up with Emile, chasing him down the staircase. She exchanged her shotgun for her magnum, something she could one-hand control. Emile began to lay down heavy cover fire on the skirmishers that screamed back at the two SPARTANs. Six snapped a grenade off her belt.

“Popping a grenade Noble Leader, stand by.” Six said. She pulled the pin and hurled the frag into the midst of a pack of covenant aliens. There was a loud bang that sent blood and flesh everywhere.

“Move out,” Carter confirmed. Six and Emile quickly made their way into the open, engaging the skirmishers that were dumb enough to run at her. As Six pulled herself up onto a ramp, she heard the loud pepper of a machine gun begin to start up. Six turned and looked at Jorge and Carter who began to assist from behind and Kat who ran up to guard Emile’s back. Six clenched her jaw and turned back to the skirmishers from the roof. Reclipping her magnum to her thigh, she whipped out the knife on her shoulder and ran forward. The first alien swung his gun at her, she stepped back and dodged it. Pivoting her foot on the metal rooftop, she spun and stabbed her knife into the back of the alien’s head. She retracted it as soon as she felt the grit of the blade slide through the Skirmishers skull. She took a hit to her side and wheezed out and quickly used her free hand to brush the needler out of her undersuit. 

Six took the opportunity to dive into a roll, dodging three or four more plasma that had been shot at her. The alien holding the needle rifle was her first target. She swiped him off his feet and stepped on his neck, bounding to the third. She used her knife and made a clean swipe over its neck. The skirmisher fell off the roof and Six was quick to jump after it. She stood up from her kneeling position and sheathed her knife away. Pulling her shotgun off her back, she jogged up next to Jorge.

“That was impressive Six, good job,” he praised. Six looked up at him and tried not to overthink the compliment. That was the second time that she had gotten some kind of praise from a team member. It made her fingertips tingle, it was a pleasant sensation.

“Th-thank you,” she stammered out. Jorge nodded briefly and continued ahead of her. Six reached up and rubbed some blood off of her visor before following quickly after the Warrant Officer. They caught up with the res to the team who was a few short steps behind a giant Spirit that slowly descended onto the ground.

“Reinforcements,” Jun called on COMs.

“Oh really?” Emile spoke up. 

“ ENGAGE!” Carter yelled out. Six began firing off round after round, quickly and efficiently. She grunted when she stumbled due to her shield being taken down by several plasma hits to her chest plate. She went to turn and fire on the little grunt bastard that was shooting at her when Jorge quickly threw her behind a rock. 

“We need you alive, Six. Your shield drops, take cover.” Jorge ordered, “Clear?”

“Yes sir,”

“No need for that sir nonsense,” Jorge chuckled. “That’s for Carter,” his voice came off as if he was perfectly used to this action. However, the tension that seemingly radiated off of his armor said otherwise. 

“Yes si-” Six stopped herself and reloaded her gun, “Got it,” she corrected.

“Get back out there,” Jorge nodded. Six hauled her body over the rock and let off a free shot that took out a grunt straight to his face. She turned her barrel to the several grunts who ran up on her. Six fired a round into twos head while Carter and Kat took care of the last two. 

“Thanks,”

“Don’t mention it,” Kat said, not even sparing the Lieutenant a glance. Six muttered, ‘ fine, I won’t’ before following the Commander and Lieutenant-Commander over the bridge where more Covenant forces awaited their arrival. Bullets began flying the second they stepped onto the grass on the opposite side. Six didn’t hesitate, she flew ahead of her teammates. She gained any fire from the forces she could to give the rest of Noble the ability to fire off rounds. She grunted when she felt a round collide with her armor. It knocked her shields down immediately. She grabbed a jackal and pulled it behind the rock with her, snapping its neck.

“WATCH THE FIRE,” she shouted at her team.

“Oops,” Kat called. Six grumbled slightly, doubting that her tiny magnum did that much damage, but hell if she wanted to take the credit for it- why not let her? Six let her shield recharge before poking her head back over the rock and assisting the team with the last few aliens who screamed around the battlefield. 

“Stand down, Noble. Contacts neutralized,” Carter said slowly. Six stood and walked out from behind the rock, letting her shotgun hang at her fingertips. She approached Jorge and looked up at him, watching him shake his head in disbelief.

“Contacts, it’s the damn covenant!” he snapped.

“Cheer up big man, this whole valley just turned into a free-fire zone,” Emile commented. Six watched the other SPARTAN trudge past Jorge while the taller man regarded his attention up to the sky. Six tried to sympathize with Jorge but just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She couldn’t afford it. She took a few steps ahead of him and tried to put the thoughts to the back of her head. 

“Kat, we’ve got to warn Holland,” Carter said. “I need you at that Relay outpost, now.” 

“Boss! We’ve got more activity to the east!” Jun commed. 

“Copy that Jun,” Carter looked over to Six. “Well Lieutenant, you’re up.”

Chapter Text

THREE. Lead the way

Planet Reach
July 24, 2552
08:45 Hours

Six pulled her weight ahead of the team, approaching a riverbank. She felt her heart jump into her throat. She slowly plunged her foot into the water and tried to ignore the vibrations of the water pounding against her upper calves. She clenched her jaw and continued to trudge through the water. 

“You look like you’re shaking lieutenant,” Emile called. 

“I’m fine,” Six assured him quickly. Six was quick to pull her body out of the water at the first chance though. She didn’t hesitate to nearly fall onto her visor scrambling out of the water. “Slippery, be careful.” She warned the team smoothly. She heard Kat’s voice chuckle a bit and decided not to pay it much mind. Her laughter would sidetrack her and Six couldn’t afford that right then. Especially when the Grunts spotted her from afar. “We have Contacts!” she called. Six rolled out of the way of a slug of plasma that came flying straight for her visor. She led the team to some cover and nodded to Jorge who was the first to take on fire.
“Move up!” Carter ordered the rest of the team. Six took a stand from behind her rock and began to fire on the grunts.

“WE GOT ELITES MOVING IN!” Kat shouted. Six quietly whined to herself and jumped over the rock. She popped off a few shots to get the Elites attention, that way Noble would be able to ground an attack on them from behind. Six hopped out of the way of a plasma grenade, the afterbite seering the back of her calves armor. Six stumbled a bit and managed to luckily dodge under an Elite’s heavy fist. Once she got behind it, she swung her body around. Jumping forward, she holstered her legs onto its hip armor and loaded a shotgun round into the back of its neck. The Elite fell forward and Six went with it, she rolled across the grass, rising to a kneeling position. 

Clipping her shotgun to her back, she grabbed a plasma grenade off of the dead elite and took off in a sprint. She ran for the last elite, signaling Kat to stand down. She shook the plasma grenade until it started to steam and slammed it to the back of the Elite before continuing her sprint away.

When it went off the Elite yelled in pain before collapsing. Six slowed her run and turned towards the team who walked forward to regroup. 

“Believe me now?” Emile questioned Jorge who grumbled under his breath. Six shook the remaining plasma remnants from her gloves before pulling her gun off her back once more.

“What’s our plan Commander?” Kat asked Carter, walking with him ahead of everyone. 

“I need to get you to that relay outpost,” Carter muttered.

“Boss, I’m seeing some more hostile activity to the north-east of your sector,” Jun inquired.

“Grand,” Six muttered, walking up next to Jorge and Emile. Emile seemed to chuckle at her comment and Jorge let out an audible snort. Six repressed the smile that tried to form on her lips and focused on Carter and Kat ahead of them.

“Copy that Jun,” Carter sighed. “Emile, I want you heading to that outpost with Kat. Six and I will run ground interference. Jorge, care to join us?” Carter asks.

“That depends,” Jorge spoke up. “Are you driving sir?” There was a light chuckle amongst the team, Six found herself terribly lost in the small chatter.

“No,” Carter scoffed. “Six is,”

“Oh,” Six perked up. “Okay. I like driving,” she said.

“Carter’s driving is worse than mine,” Kat commented. “Probably best that you drive anyways Six, even if you weren’t good at it.”

“Okay, okay. You guys can stop making fun of me in front of the Rookie,” Carter swung his arm. 

“I’m just saying, garages don’t fix themselves.”

“Catherine,”

“Noble Three, request air-lift,” Kat commed while walking backward, seemingly holding visor contact with Carter. Emile patted Six’s arm and walked past her to catch up with Kat. Six glanced at her arm and shifted it a few times to get the feeling away. She wasn’t used to the constant support, much fewer people talking directly to her. Not to say she didn’t like it, she just...knew she couldn’t.

“Let's go,” Carter ordered Jorge and Six. Six walked down the hill to find a truck and suddenly all her worries disappeared. She always liked being behind the wheel. A truck, a jet, a mongoose- she could control it. She controlled it. It gave her some sense of euphoria, a breath of relief. She pulled herself into the driver's seat and started the truck. Jorge got into the back of the flatbed while Carter sat in the passenger's seat. 

“What do you think so far, Six?” Jorge questioned as the truck started. 

“What do you mean?”

“What do you think of Noble?” Jorge questioned. How to answer this question...Six pondered it in her head for a moment or two as she sped around the corner.

“It's different,” she nodded. 

“Good or bad?” Carter spoke up.

“I’ve never worked with a team before Commander so I don’t know.” Six said. “I’ve been told you five are some of the best so early in this war.” she shrugged her shoulders. “Besides Chief and whatever else the UNSC is hiding,”

“Same could be said about you Six,” Carter said simply. Six didn’t want to add onto that statement, though she was curious as to how much he knew. Opening her mouth to ask, she remembered the Warrant Officer sitting behind her and closed it again.

“I see.” was the response she went with. Her eyes focused on the road ahead,

“Contacts,” she informed the two men with her. She pushed the top of her foot down on the gas and the truck quickly ran past the skirmishers that had started shooting at them. Carter went out of his way to stand up, turn around and shoot them down. “You have a good aim Commander,”

“I was trained as a sniper for a little while. Things change,” he responded briefly. Six nodded hesitantly and furrowed her brows as she twisted the truck around another sharp corner. 

“Noble leader, I’m picking up a distress signal,” Jun commed in.

“ Mayday! 3 Charlie Six, does anyone read? We were attacked by Covenant forces. The Covenant is on Reach. I repeat: the Covenant is on Reach.”

“The troopers?” Jorge piped in.

“Seems like it,” Six said under her breath.

“Alright Six, I wanna find the source of that distress call. Think you can hunt it?”

“I should be able to. Just keep driving and listen for the gunfire. Shouldn’t be too hard should it?”

“No disrespect sir, but don’t we have better things to do than round up strays?” Jun asked.

“We don’t leave people behind. You see those troopers Jun, you let me know.” Carter ordered.

“If you say so Boss,” Jun clicked out. Six glanced at the Commander briefly and kept driving. The silence was nice compared to the rapid gunfire that had occurred ten or so minutes earlier. Six frowned when she saw a Spirit stray overhead. 

“Well, I think we’re close to the troopers,” Jorge said.

“You gentlemen may wanna hold onto your seats,” Six said. “When I say bail, bail. ” she nodded.

“Six-” Carter warned.

“Just trust me, Commander,” she nodded. The Spirit unloaded onto a bridge ahead of them. Six inhaled a breath and snatched a grenade off of Carter’s belt. “I’ll fall back with you guys as soon as I’m done,” she told them. Carter looked at her briefly and prepared himself. The truck continued to speed towards the trooper area. 

“BAIL!” Six yelled. Carter threw himself into a tuck and roll out of the truck and Jorge loudly hopped off. Six caught the grenade pin onto a small hook on her belt and pulled. She tossed the grenade to the floorboard of the passenger's seat and jumped out of the truck. She stumbled over the side of the bridge and fell about ten feet into the small stream below it. She pushed herself out of the water with a heave and yelped a bit when the truck exploded. She ducked out of the way of a tire that came crashing down where her head once was and watched as grunts fell face-first into the water one by one. 

“Six?! Six!” Carter snapped.

“I’m here,” Six confirmed.

“Holy shit! ” Jorge swore loudly. Six climbed out of the stream and shook her head a bit, ears still ringing slightly from the explosion that occurred way too close for comfort. She waved a hand to her fellow SPARTANS and ran up the small hill to join them. “You’re insane Six, you know that?”

“Yeah,” Six breathed heavily. “I’ve heard that a few times,” she shook the water out of her boots. She looked at Carter who simply shook his head and turned his attention to the trooper in front of him. She would hear about this as soon as the Commander had the time to harp about it. Great. 

“Noble Three, we’ve found the missing troopers. Request for immediate evac on my coordinates.” Carter said.

“Solid copy Noble Leader,” Jun confirmed. “Recalling Falcon Charlie 2. Hold that position.”

“Copy that,” Carter affirmed. 

“Spartans…” the trooper muttered. “Corporal Travis, 3 Charlie sir...it’s the covenant, sir.”

“We know, Corporal. Let’s get you out of here,” Carter assured him. 

“He’s good with people,” Six said quietly.

“He always has been,” Jorge nodded. “It’s in his file. He’s always been a smooth talker, able to work his way out of problematic situations. Able to calm people down with simple orders. A natural leader,” he nodded. “It’s admirable. A friend of mine is pretty similar to him.” Six glanced up at Jorge and chuckled, turning and watching where the covenant had been just moments earlier.

“You mean the Chief right?” Six asked.

“Mhm,” Jorge hummed. “John was stubborn when we were younger. It took Kelly hitting him a couple of good times to wake up his potential. She was his right hand every time we did something. She and Sam, Fred eventually took up the slack a while after Sam died.” Jorge nodded. “I wonder how they’re doing sometimes,” Six nodded hesitantly and looked down at the ground. “You know of Chief?”

“Briefly. Never met the big man in person,” Six shrugged her shoulders. “No real desire to...I was separated from my company before they all were wiped out and that is that.” Six shrugged her shoulders. “Course, you can ask Kat about that.”

“She was seized from Beta after her augmentations I believe,” Jorge said. 

“Ah…” Six cocked her shotgun. “Lucky her,”

“Noble Leader, be advised: I have a visual on inbound Covie Dropships,” Jun interrupted.

“Evac transport, keep your distance. Five, Six, hold this position.” Carter ordered. Six nodded and moved up with Jorge as Covenant soldiers began dropping from a new Spirit that showed up. She watched a grunt pull out two plasma grenades and began approaching, immediately eliminating it with a shot to the head. A few of its companions suffered from the Grunts dropping the bomb. Six reloaded her shotgun and turned her eyes to the Elite that held Jorge’s steady attention. She started walking forward, firing off round, after round, after round until the Elite fell. She paused at its feet and sighed deeply. Turning slightly to Jorge and Carter she gave a thumbs up. 

“Alright let's get these troopers out of here,” Carter confirmed. The EVAC transports loudly chopped down to the grass and Carter nodded for Jorge and Six to follow up. “Lieutenant,”

“Yes sir?”

“What were you thinking exactly?” He asked with a slow and concerned tone to his voice.

“I…”

“Don’t...pull...stunts like that Six,” he said sternly pointing a finger at her. “You’ll get yourself killed. And you're no use to me dead,” he scolded. Six watched him turn on his heel and walk back towards the Falcon sent to pick them up. She sighed and countered her eyes to the ground, wincing slightly at Jorge’s hand patting her shoulder.

“He’s just being careful,” Jorge assured her. “C’mon,” Six had to force down a snippy comment and simply followed after her Commander and Warrant Officer with a shut mouth. Probably better off that way. She couldn’t read Carter’s face past his helmet. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to. She climbed into the falcon and leaned back in her seat, tightening her jaw and looking at Jorge for any kind of reassurance.

She found none.

Six wasn’t sure why she expected to. Dismissing the concept from her mind, she reminded herself that she was here for work. Nothing more. The idea of humanity seemed so foreign to her, it made her shift a little. These SPARTANs seemed to collaborate well together. They knew each other inside and out. Now they were presented with Six, a walking time bomb. An unknown. They were just as wary of her as she was of them. The only difference between Six and the other team members was that Six knew she wasn’t there for long. Limited amount of time if it could be helped. 

Her past Company liked to hold her on a leash, ready to tug her away from a team at a second’s notice. The UNSC made it clear they wanted her for an extended period of time, but with the way, things were already shaping up? Six gave it till the Christmas Holiday in December before she’d be transferred back. If her last Superior didn’t pull her back, Carter would tell her to leave. Six looked at the burning truck sitting in the stream, surrounded by covenant corpses. She felt nothing except a small victory. Even if the Commander didn’t appreciate the work, they hadn’t lost a single man in that group. If that mob had made it halfway up the bridge, Six guaranteed they would’ve lost two or three. At least, that’s what happened in the past. 

“I’m sorry,” she spoke up finally.

“Could’ve gotten seriously hurt Noble Six,”

“I just figured…” she tapped her free hand against her metal-plated thigh. “It was an instinct. I’ve done it before,”

“You’ve blown up a truck before?” Jorge echoed.

“Yes,” Six lifted her head. “I have blown up multiple trucks. However, most of the time I don’t usually almost drown in my own helmet.” She exhaled and looked at Carter, “I’ll be more careful.”

“I doubt it but okay,” Six clenched her jaw.

“Hey, at least I’m trying,” she snipped back. Carter’s head snapped towards her, “Sir,” she added.

“Pulling overreacted stunts isn’t helping anybody,”

“It was a perfectly reasonable response to a hoard of angry grunts with plasma guns and grenades Commander, but hey, not my place to object.” Six set her gun to her back and crossed her arms.

“Calm down,” Jorge said. Whether he was talking to the Commander or Six was up for debate, so Six chose to ignore it. She looked out the side of the Falcon as it lifted off the ground and watched the ground grow further and further away. Six’s eyes rested onto the hills that skimmed the horizon. She watched the trees begin to blur together as the falcon sped off through the air. She shifted in her seat and let out a shaky breath from already trembling lips. 

It was going to be a very bad day.

Chapter Text

FOUR. The Girl Who Cried Zealot

Planet Reach
July 24, 2552
09:28 Hours

Six didn’t like feeling cornered, which is exactly what she was. Between a bear and a lion, both of which were far more intimidating than she wanted to admit. Jorge, being the tough and intimidating bear who would probably tell her terrible news and somehow keep her calm in the midst of it all. Carter, the lion- someone ready to take her head off for even looking in his direction. She didn’t bother giving him any of her attention. 

“Commander, were you able to evacuate safely, over.” Jun piped in.

“Affirmative.” Carter responded.

“Whoa,” Jun laughed a bit. “Six’s driving skills not what we thought they were?” Jun questioned. “I heard that tension through the radio.”

“Something like that,” the Lion looked at her. Six didn’t dare turn her helmet in his direction. She knew better.

“Thanks for that Noble Three, you’re totally helping.” Six chimed.

“Tis what I’m here for,” 

“You two are going to have to speak eventually,” Jorge said.

“No,” Six responded curtly. 

“I stand by my statement,” Carter leaned an arm onto his knee. “I won’t move from it.”

“I feel...as though you are searching for a reason to target me, Commander. And to be quite frank, I don’t appreciate it. Especially after the whole, ‘happy to have your skillset’ lecture. Really makes you look good, sir.” Six rolled her eyes and somehow kept the sneer out of her voice.

“And in that lecture, I also told you to leave the lone wolf shit at the door, did I not?” Six had no response to it. “And you went and pulled a stunt.”

“Well you can’t hold my hand the entire time.”

“No I can’t, but if you intend on committing a suicidal action, I’d at least like to have notice on it.”

“Well, Christ Commander! If I would’ve known you were gonna get this pissy about it- I would’ve driven the speed limit and consulted you and my therapist about it. Why don’t we call her up right now- see if she can help with our dilemma.” Six challenged at last, she finally turned her face towards him and stared him down through her visor. He didn’t respond, rather he sat back and Jorge cleared his throat. 

“Alright, well,” he mediated. There was a small click and Six glanced to the bottom of her HUD. She muttered ‘accept’ under her breath and Jorge’s voice came into her ears. 

“Is he always like this?” She hissed over the private COM.

“The Commander prefers simple soldiers who are obedient. It’ll just take him some time to adjust to your...open-mindedness.” Jorge assured her. “You’re a good SPARTAN, Six. You also need some time to adjust to the way we operate. It won’t take you long, you seem like a fast learner.”

“I guess,”

“Just...sincerely apologize. He is your superior Six, whether you like it or you don’t. You can’t just talk back to him. He deserves respect and after the things he has gone through, I’d say it’s well earned. We can’t have this kind of tension on the battlefield. It’s like he said earlier, we’re a team. Take a few seconds, calm down and apologize.”

Six thought it over before sighing and nodding her head solemnly. Carter had his visor fixated elsewhere, though she knew he heard the soft mutters of the two talking on the radio. 

“Alright,” she said quietly.

“Thanks Six,” Jorge exhaled, “You’re making all of our lives ten times easier, trust me.” Jorge clicked out.

“Everything alright?” Carter asked.

“I’m...sorry,” Six said. “It won’t happen again sir,” Carter’s visor stared her down.

“I’ll hold you that statement Lieutenant,” Carter leaned back. “I’m sorry as well. How I acted was very inappropriate and unnecessary. I would prefer that you didn’t put yourself into anymore self sacrificing stances though. It’s all too familiar, and I’ve already lost a Six to it. I’m not losing another one.”

Six tried not to feel like an idiot when he mentioned the past Noble Six. How had that gone over her head? Thom had killed himself to save the team. 

“Noble Two, sit rep.” Carter’s voice about the mission at hand sparked Six’s attention. Anything to get her mind off the burning that ran from her neck to her hairline. 

“We’re at the relay outpost, doors locked. Mechanism has been flashfused.” Kat’s voice said clearly. 

“Can you beat it?” Carter asked.

“I dialed up my torch and managed to cut a way through. It might take some time Commander.” Kat warned. “Though I know that’s not much of a concern for you. Never has been.”

“Do what you can. We’re en route to your location.”

“Everybody still alive?”

“Thankfully.” Carter didn’t look at his Lieutenant, rather he turned his attention to his armor’s feet. “We’ll be there soon,”

“How soon is soon if you don’t mind me askin’ sir?” Emile questioned. “It’s getting a bit rowdy out here and while I’m honored you trust me as Kat’s only bodyguard, I can’t take these buggers all by myself.” 

“We are inbound to your position Four,” Carter confirmed. “Hold tight,” Six leaned back in her seat and looked at the two men across from her.

“What are we expecting now that we know it’s not Rebels? Think they’ll relocate us?”

“They’ll likely want us here to help with evacuation of civilians,” Jorge said.

“I’m…” Six looked at Carter. “I can’t do that,” Jorge looked at her.

“Why not?”

“Protocols...regulations...security breaches.” 

“We’ll have to wait and see what UNSC wants us to do. You’re one of us now Six.” Carter told her sternly. The tension on his tone was still thicker than space debris but Six understood why. She would have to give his file a once over again when they got back to Base. At least she knew what her night would be spent doing. Reading and rereading. She assured herself that she would dot every i and cross every t on Thom’s file. She had made the mistake of being insensitive and now she was on her superior’s shitlist. 

Which was somewhere she didn’t want to stay for long if she could help it. Anyway to keep his attention off her, she just had to make his life a bit easier. No sentiment involved, just...do what she could. Six wanted to relax for five seconds. She always did this- stressed about being around a large team of people. It was so stupid. 

Minutes later, the sound of gunfire brought a sickening kind of relief to Six’s head. It was familiar, and she knew what to do. Aim and fire. Pull the trigger and fire. A maneuver that she had grown overly accustomed too, but one that had yet to fail her. Six pulled her gun off of her back and cocked it, letting the shell hit the falcon floor. 

Six looked over the relay outpost where Emile was standing in a doorway, chucking grenades and firing shots from his shotgun. Covenant was swarming the platform and front of the outpost.

“Dammit.” Six swore.

“Drop us in the courtyard.” Carter interrupted.

“Uh...LZs a little hot sir-”

“Set her down Pilot. Alright Six, breaks over.”

“Damn, that was a break?” Six glanced at Jorge who was moving out of the falcon. Six didn’t wait for the falcon to settle and hopped out, crushing a jackal under her feet. The blood stuck to her feet and she didn’t bother to wipe it. She made her way into the small garage and took out an elite with an immediate head shot. Emile’s laugh came over the comm as he appeared at the other end of the garage-

“Glad to have you join the party! I was getting a bit lonely! Kat’s too busy to listen to my commentary.” Emile waved his hand to Six. Six descended down the staircase and narrowly dodged a plasma grenade explosion. She hissed a little at the steam that radiated off of it and turned, firing more shots at a Grunt crouched in the corner. 

It died and Six approached her teammate.

“Happy to have made it before you got your head taken off your shoulders. Wouldn’t that have been a shame?”

“Speaking of heads being taken, I see the Commander didn’t lay into you much?” Emile asked, aiming his gun at some grunts that were screeching at the top of the staircase.

"Gee, what gave it away?" Six asked. "It was a long drive. Remind me to fill you in sometime." she fired off several rounds, nailing her opponents in their gross and nubby faces. “I don’t think he would lay into me unless I shot one of you in the face.” Six rolled her eyes. “No, I crashed a truck to take out a group of Covenants and he called it a Lone Wolf stunt and benched me back with the troopers.” 

“Sounds fun.” Emile commented, killing a suicide grunt which in the process led to the four other suicide grunts behind it blowing up. 

“It was something.”

“So are you just a bad driver or was it intentional?”

“It was intentional! Five, back me up here please.”

“She drives fine. We’ll say she is someone who uses her resources to their fullest.”

“Oh haha Jorge, thats cute. Don’t humor the Commander please.”

“Simply telling the truth Six.” Jorge laughed over the comms. The wrring of the Spartan-II’s machine gun could be heard outside the garage. A tall Elite entered at the far end of the garage and Six aimed her gun, firing off several shots.

“Go help out Five, I’ve got this one.” Six nodded to Emile who nodded and ran out of the garage. She cocked her shotgun and pulled the trigger about four times before she ran out of ammo- she swore under her breath and tossed her gun to the ground. She didn’t have a reload on her, she used it all at the farm. She pulled out her knife and took a stiff stance-”Bring it on.” she nodded to the elite, twirling her large hunter’s knife in her hand and hooked her hand around the handle as she nodded to the Elite.

The alien fired off several shots at her, all of which once or twice she managed to evade. She seethed a breath when she got hit once or twice. She ran at the alien and ducked under its punch. Once behind it, Six jumped onto the Aliens back causing it to tumble down the stairs. 

She felt a liquid spill from her nose- blood. She groaned a little, before she pinned the alien down for sure, and stuck her knife into the back of its neck.

“Support! SIX WE NEED COVER!” Jorge shouted. 

“On my way! Four, hit me up with some shotgun ammo please.” Six sheathed her knife away, grabbing her shotgun and running out of the ground exit. She arrived just as a spirit was landing-

“How are we doing Kat?” Carter asked.

“It's taking a bit longer than I hoped, Commander. I’ve cut about half way through the door.” Kat seethed.

“Halfway- HALF WAY?! You guys have been here for nearly an hour and she isn’t even a third of the way done?!” Six looked at Emile who tossed her some ammo.

“We got a bit caught up Little Red!” Emile laughed a little. 

“Contacts!” Jorge called.

“I need more time Commander.” Kat urged.

“Hold them off until Kat can get the door operational.” Carter ordered. Six took a few needles to the chest that resulted in her stumbling back into the Commander. She was content with the fact that it hit the metal of her armor. The taller man pushed her behind him and fired off a few shots. She narrowed her eyes as she broke the covenant ammo out of her armor.

“Thanks for the Shield.” she commented before popping out from behind him. Her chest burned, feeling shards of needle fall between her armor and undersuit. It was mostly just on her upper chest, above her breasts, but hurt nonetheless. She pushed through it though even if the uncomfortable pricking feeling got worse and worse by the second.

The only thing she really knew how to compare it to was fiberglass insulation. It hurt in a way that wasn’t excruciating unless it was in large amounts. Either way, she prayed to God that this battle would end quickly so she could get it off of her. She winced a little as she took a needle to her side, just skimming her undersuit. Enough to feel it break slightly.

“GODDAMMIT.” She shouted before firing off her gun finally. In a matter of about twenty seconds, her vision seemed to have darkened around the edges, her targets being highlighted in lighter colors. She fired at what was firing at her- which was pretty much everything. Her hand flew to her side. She heaved a breath and leaned against Jorge’s back as. Her skin around the hit was slightly burning, her heart increasing in speed. "Shit-" she said.

"You alright Six?" he called to her.

"I'll manage but I swear to God if I get hit with another one of those blazing purple spikes I might lose it." she sighed. Jorge chuckled lightly before focusing on the new covies landing ahead of her.

“Stay behind me, watch my back and kill anything that gets past me.” he ordered. Six nodded when Carter spoke up-

“Kat!” 

“Almost...got it! There! We’re in!” Kat assured quickly. 

“Good now- everybody inside! Go, go!” Carter ordered. Six watched Emile take refuge by backing away. Jorge slipped Six’s arm around his neck and quickly dragged her into the base. As the door closed slowly, Carter stepped inside. Jorge tried to help Six stand completely but the second her arm retreated from his neck, she collapsed. 

"Shit," Jorge dropped down to a knee. The rest of the team turned to attention when the clatter of Jorge's machine gun occurred. "Get your helmet off Six, fresh air will do you good. Kat, toss me the medkit, would you?" 

"With pleasure..." Six pulled her helmet off and pushed her dark hair off her forehead to keep it from sticking to her face. She kept her head bowed slightly to keep her giant scars hidden. She ran a hand over her face before heaving a breath and looking up again. She leaned back against the wall looking at Kat toss Jorge a medkit. "Just need some bandages, cooling gel and maybe some pain killers when we get back to base?" she looked at Carter who remained silent for a moment.

"We'll get you checked out formally when we get back." he assured her. "Think you can hold out?" he asked. 

"Ask me when I get the shards out of the area between my chest and chestplate," She responded. Carter didn't add onto that and looked at his team-

"How the hell is all of this happening at once?" Emile asked. "Covenant on Reach, now we know why they'd disconnect it from the other colonies."

"They intend on taking over it," Kat added on.

"Or worse." Jorge spoke up, helping Six unclip her chest plate before standing and taking a step back. He nodded for Kat to take over where he backed out. Six laughed a little at his politeness and shook her head as she brushed off the small shards from her chest that sparked and vanished as they hit the ground. Kat helped Six turn her back to the men, readjust her undersuit to just below her shoulders. She knelt down and put the cooling gel on Six's previous wound.  Six seethed a bit before Kat looked up.

"We need to get to the control room. From there, Kat can get the station back up and running." Carter told everyone. He turned his attention to Kat and Six for a moment before walking to a gun rack, taking some ammo from one of the DMR's to reload his own.

"Better?" she questioned. Six grunted and shifted a bit in her seat. 

"Much. Thank you," Six confirmed before, pulling her suits back over her shoulder, hooking her chestplate back together with the help from Kat. Noble Two helped her up to her feet-

“No problem.”

“She alright?” Carter asked.

“Ask her,” Kat scoffed, walking past him. Carter looked at Six who nodded her head. 

"Good to hear it, let's move on. Try and keep yourself from getting hit by more Needles, Six. Think you can handle that?" the Commander asked quaintly. Six wanted to politely respond, 'yes sir, I can', but the urge to make a taunt that was eating at her brain didn't allow that.  

"If you'll be my human shield sir, I'm sure I can." Six brushed past the Commander, joining up next to Jorge. Kat laughed a little at the comment but Carter certainly didn't seem as entertained. He walked past Six and the doors beyond them pushed open. He gestured for Emile to stay put at the entrance while the rest of them moved into the darkened area. 

"Can't see a thing..." Carter mumbled. "Noble, activate your night vision. Don't stub your toes." he warned. Six loosened her grip on her shotgun, her fingers fitting just under her helmet's latch. They twitched around in search of a small button, and when she found it- her visor lit up with a soft green glow. Walking through the dark area was like searching for the exit to a labyrinth. Inevitably, Six bumped into a few boxes. She found comfort in knowing Jorge did too- what with his giant machine gun and bulky armor. The scolding from Carter would be scattered between them. 

She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Six turned a corner and saw the control room. She also saw a dead body on the floor. Not disturbing, she had seen plenty of them before- she had made plenty before. But it was odd. Out of place. 

"There is so much wrong with this picture," she admitted quietly. She saw Jorge nod in agreement, then Kat pushed past. 

"Six, search that body." Kat ordered, stepping over the deadman. Six wasn't entirely sure how she felt about invading a dead man's personal space- she had never done it before. Just killed and moved on. Now she had to check his pockets? Lovely. She knelt down next to the man and begun her search of his back and jacket pockets. Her head turned towards her right when she heard Carter talking to someone. A trooper, bleeding profusely, leaned against the wall. She hadn't even noticed he was there. 

“Where's the rest of your Unit?” Carter asked in a gentle tone.

“We got split. I don’t think....” breath “It sounded bad on the comms.” The Corporal said with a grunt.

“Alright Corporal, stay put. We’ll get you a combat surgeon.” Carter patted his arm. Six pursed her lips and shook her head a little before going back to searching the dead body. She lifted the body slightly when a rectangular data crystal fell from the man’s pocket. 

“Dammit, plasma damage!” Kat snapped. Six picked up the crystal triumphantly and held it up-

“Found something.” She called. Kat turned around and snatched the data crystal from Six’s hands-"Hey- no need to snatch!" 

"I'll take it anyways Six, it's not your domain." Kat challenged, looking back at the Lieutenant. Six bit her tongue and grunted in response, she stood and looked at Jorge-

"Got a live one over here!" Jorge called, he pulled a woman who was screaming for her life. Slamming a free fist against Jorge's armor, very violent at that. She kicked and flailed, though  Six could understand why. Jorge was seven foot something, holding a giant-ass machine gun, giant armor and a helmet. Any normal civilian who had just been attacked prior would likely freak out too. "Relax! We aren't gonna hurt you!" Jorge insisted.

"Jorge," Carter spoke up. 

"I've got her," Jorge snipped back. Six chuckled a bit and looked at Carter who shook his head and walked up between Kat and Six. Six shifted her gun between her hands and watched the woman for a moment- "Keep calm and I'll release you."

“ Még Itt vannak….” the girl groaned. Six felt chills go down her spine as Jorge looked taken aback. Those were words that Six knew well-

“What?” Six snapped. She stood stiff and aimed at the walls, stepping in front of Carter and Kat. 

“What?! What did she say?” Carter demanded, gently pushing Six to the side. Six looked at Carter as he looked between her and Jorge-

"There's more," Jorge and Six translated. Carter sucked in a breath and all was quiet for a second- as he went to speak, a large elite dropped out of the ceiling, swinging its energy sword. Two more dropped behind it. Jorge ducked and took the girl down with him, using his body to shield her from any attacks. If those elites wanted her, they'd have to go through him first. Six looked ahead and started firing-

"WHAT'S YOUR STATUS, OVER?!" Emile yelled, certainly having heard the constant gunshots.

"WE'VE BEEN ENGAGED!" Carter yelled back. Six and Carter both backstepped a bit, the largest lumbering towards them fast and threateningly. Six narrowed her eyes and her eyes widened when it went to swing at Kat. Carter flung himself against his Lieutenant Commander- tackling her against the control panels. If he hadn't her head would've easily been taken off. Six backpedaled more into the hallway, nearly tripping over the old man's dead body. She kept firing until things started to become clear. Very, very slowly.

She couldn't hide the unsuspecting hitch in her breath, the fear that ran cold in her blood when she realized that this wasn't just some Elite. No.

This was a Zealot class Field Marshall.

The Zealot Class type that slaughtered her family in cold blood. The zealot class that took out her entire unsuspecting neighborhood. Six went to fire one more time but found herself in a deadly stance with the Elite. She yelled out when the Elite grabbed her by her throat and threw her into a wall. Six's head slammed off of the wall, her gun clattered to the ground and she kicked back at it. The Alien caught her leg and pulled it, dropping her to the floor Six's helmet yet again, smacked off the surface it hit. Her eyes were going crossed and by the time she reset her vision the Elite was on top of her, pinning her to the floor. 

She raised a fist and slammed it into the side of the Elite's head, knocking it off of her. She rolled onto her side and took a breath, looking to Carter and Kat who started to come to her aid. But it all happened at once. One of the other elites began firing at them, and the Marshall grabbed Six's leg, dragging her back down the hallway.

"HELL NO!" she yelled, forcing her body to flip onto her back. "THIS IS NOT HOW I'M GOING OUT YOU SON OF A BITCH!" she shouted, not caring too much about who heard it. She used her free leg to kick the lower body of the elite who pinned her yet again. But this time it was a tighter hold on her throat. She swung rapid punches- landing only two. The Elite dropped a hand against her temple harshly. She swore again- but this time it was because she was face to face with a glowing energy dagger and a very pissed off Field Marshall. She swung her body violently rolling it off of her. She went to stand only to be slammed back by the field marshal's arm. 

"SIX!" She heard Jorge yell, before she was met with another Elite. Six kicked her leg, nailing the large Alien in the stomach. It roared out and rushed forward, tackling her to the ground. It pulled its energy dagger out and brought it down on her head. Six moved her head out of the way just in time- she stared at the energy dagger that stuck out of the floor. She could feel the searing heat through her helmet- her eyes were wide and her lips were hanging open. There was no way she could fight her way out of this one.

She was strong, she was deadly, hell! She could make entire militias vanish into thin air. But those were people with guns - and she was cornered by an alien that was six times her size and holding something that could kill her with a single blow. An energy dagger driven through her armor would slice through like hot butter. It wasn't like bullets. They wouldn't just bounce off her shields. She kicked and flailed- no way was Six going down without a fight. This was her first mission for God's sake. She punched again- landing it once more. Delaying her demise. 

"HEY GUYS, I WOULD NOT ARGUE IF SOMEONE COULD GET THIS DAMN THING OFF ME!" she yelled to her team. The alien roared in her face before shots started getting fired. The Elite hurled backwards and off of Six with the swift kick of Carter. He continued to fire at it. The Elite scrambled down the hallway- it's shield getting taken down but nothing more. Six took a few deep breaths and pushed to her feet when Carter firmly grabbed her arm and yanked her to him. "’Bout time! What were you waiting for? An invitation?"

"We had our own to hold out on, since you decided to hand delivered the other bastard to us," Carter retaliated, pulling her shotgun from his back and shoving it into her hands.

Six immediately took aim at the two elites who made it past- one of them holding the Marine- he was screaming. Struggling as best he could to get away, crying out - begging. Six clenched her teeth and went to shoot when the girl continued screaming hysterically. She couldn't focus- it was all too familiar. Too loud. The elites tugged 

"That tango blew past me!" Emile informed, "Permission to pursue-" 

"Negative Four!" Carter snapped. "Stay on the entrance! Two handle her! Five and Six, clear the hole!" Carter gestured ahead with a flat hand.

“But sir, what if you need backup?”

“Don’t question my orders Six. I think I can handle one Zealot.” Carter nodded. “Go.” 

Six didn’t stand there another second before she whipped around and ran into the large separating building from Kat, Carter and the girl. She looked at Kat once more who was trying to calm down the screaming girl who had huddled into her previous hiding spot. Six took a quick breath and looked at Jorge who slammed the door behind them. Six looked at DMRs on a rack on the wall. She walked over quickly and pulled one off the rack, grabbing the grenades with them.

She looked at Jorge who tossed a flare into the area in front of them. Six slowly walked her way out and gripped her gun in her hands. She stooped behind a large box, holding her DMR’s barrel to the ceiling. She double checked the shotgun fastened on her back. It was still there thankfully. 

The single screaming of a Grunt made Six lunge out from behind her box cover and take aim. There was more silence which made Six uncomfortable. She knew there was more out there...were they hiding?

“Seems like they like to play.” Jorge snapped.

“Looks that way,” Six confirmed walking forward. An Elite jumped out abruptly and Six gasped in surprise. Grunts and jackals flooded the stairs when the elite roared. Six glared- it wasn’t one of the Zealots. “Cover me.”

“Got you.” Jorge responded back. Six’s only focus was taking out the Elite beyond her. She was nicked by plasma shots. She saw a needle flying at her and she quickly ducked underneath it.. She watched it stick into Jorge’s chestplate, making him stumble only slightly. He kept good posture and kept bullets flying at his opponents. Six aimed and fired at the Grunts to keep her mind on the fight. Take out the smaller ones first, aim for the big guy later.

She slowly developed tunnel vision on her targets as the rhythm of the guns firing became familiar to her. Six reloaded her DMR, slamming the butt of the weapon down onto a Grunts head as she passed it by. A jackal confronted her, and with Jorge’s constant stream of bullets killing off his buddies, the alien was ducked behind his glowing shield. Six almost thought she saw fear- but if she did, she didn’t care. She swung her leg and knocked the shield and the Jackal to the side, making it scramble. 

The Spartan woman worked around the Jackal and fired three bullets into its back. The elite’s roar attracted her attention as she missed a purple ball of plasma, narrowly. She whipped around and sneered a little before she unclipped her shotgun from her back, trading the DMR for it and took aim.

Shot one. Damaged shield.

Shot two. Shield down.

Shot three. Injured.

Shot four. Dead.

“Elites dead Five, let's finish off these bastards and we can move up.”

“Got it.” Six could’ve sworn she heard a smile in the man’s voice. She repressed her own and cocked her shotgun again, letting the last shell clatter to the ground. She traded guns again and used her scope to focus headshots on the remaining minions.

She had to get up close and personal with jackals and took down their shields. She swung her elbow down on a Jackal’s head quickly and heard it screech out before the snap of its neck. Six watched the Jackal fall to the ground and looked to Jorge who walked up next to her.

“Shall we?” he gestured before he began walking ahead of her. Six smiled a little and followed him quickly. They rounded a corner into a dark corridor.

“You know those old horror movies…?” Six asked.

“If you’re talking about the ones from the 2000’s then, yes. I do. Why?” Jorge asked.

“I am getting serious zombie apocalypse moods off this.” She uses the flashlight on her gun to flash around the empty corridor. 

“If you are implying that gut of yours is telling you undead humans are getting ready to jump out at us, I will insist that you’re a psychic and that you should be doing more than working on a military team.”

“No, nothing like that.” Six repressed a laugh as she poked her head into an empty room. It was strewn apart. She glanced at Jorge who had stopped and was waiting for her in the hallway. 

“Good because the second zombies show up, is the second I’ll be hauling all five of your asses off of Reach.” Jorge snorted as he continued walking.

“You’d have to take Carter kicking and screaming.” Six pointed out, having the feeling that Carter wouldn’t leave without a solid reason.

“Just taking caution,”

“Well, no. I don’t think zombies will show up, Jorge.” Six laughed a little and walked up next to him. “I think we just have to drive the Covies out.”

“Take it one step at a time I suppose.” Jorge nodded before looking at her. A roar down a ramp at the end of the corridor made Six stop in her tracks. She lifted her gun and slowly started down it while Jorge followed at the ready. Six gripped her gun, her palms sweating under her suit. She looked around and saw several grunts over on the other side. They screamed upon seeing her and Jorge before they started firing.

Jorge’s gun revved to a start and Six fired on the Grunts as well, Six drew their bullets as she ran to the side of Jorge giving the Spartan Man time to cut all the ugly aliens down. When he finished an Elite roared from the inside of a small room on the other side of the bunker area. Six looked at Jorge who patted her arm-

“Flush em’ out. I’ll cover you.” he assured her. Six requipped her shotgun and took a breath. “You’ll be fine Six.” Jorge encouraged her.

“Yeah...I know.” She nodded before running down the side stairs, cocking her shotgun. She took a breath and slowly approached the room. She knew this thing had an energy sword. She knew it did- she could take it on. But, could she? She stooped around an adjusting pillar that slowly was sinking into the ground. She leaped over it and kept walking slowly towards the doorway. When she got there, there were two Elites huddled over a computer. She aimed and fired several shots into the elite on the left praying to God it was the one with the sword.

The right elite didn’t even look at Six and the energy sword formed and hissed. Six’s heart sped up. She tried to fire again, but she was out of ammo and didn’t even have time to think before the Elite roared and charged at her. The large alien swung his sword, nearly cutting her down if she hadn’t ducked. Six rolled to the side, dropping her shotgun before she scrambled onto her feet sprinting away. The Elite jumped into the spot where Six was just standing. 

It sprinted after her.

Jorge’s gun revved to life and began to fire on the Elite. Six pumped her arms at her sides to give her momentum as she swung into a hallway. She glanced over her shoulder before pulling her DMR off her back. She slid into Jorge’s view.

“DUCK!” he yelled. Six crouched low as he fired on the Elite that was hot on her heels. She moved out of the way of her partner’s fire as the Elite ate the bullets and got to her feet. She turned around and also began firing on the Elite. The alien collapsed down the staircase. “I-” Jorge started. Six held up her hand and unsheathed her knife.

She walked to the hallway and looked at the Elite who was just barely alive. A field marshall. She looked at her knife and then at the sword on the ground. She had never held an energy sword before. She took a second, watching the alien crawl towards the sword slowly. Six scoffed a little and sheathed her knife again before jogging over to the sword and picking it up. 

She looked back at the Elite and held up the energy sword. The Field Marshall’s head went limp, she watched him. Six swung the sword down quickly, killing the alien. Blood sprayed onto her armor and a little on her visor. She took a breath and looked at the sword again before she turned it off and threw it against a wall as hard as she could. 

The handle sparked and it fell with a clatter. She picked it up again and examined it when it didn’t turn on.

Good.

“What’s our move?” Six questioned as she wiped the blood off her visor, leaving a bothersome smear. 

“This is Noble Five reporting, all contacts neutralized.” Jorge reported.

“Good work. Kat needs you to reset a junction while you two are down there. Reset it and get back here.” Carter spoke his voice slightly staticy over comms, Six walked out on the other side of the room, looking at Jorge who nodded. 

“I’ll get it.” Six nodded. She walked into the room where the Elites had been seconds earlier. She approached the computer and looked at the Corporal’s dead body off to the side of the room. Six licked her lips becoming aware of how dry they were now. Would they be like that when she was dead…? She entered Kat’s spartan number before she pressed down on the large orange button.

“Spartan Catherine-B320 acknowledged.” a robotic voice said.

“Junctions reset.” Six informed.

“Good to hear it.” Carter responded. Six reclipped her gun to her back before she walked back out. Jorge waited for her at the door and nodded to her casually.

“Good work Six.” he complimented.

“Please, if you weren’t there I probably would be dead. You and your heavy machine gun.” Six laughed. Jorge simply chuckled and patted her shoulder.

"Let's go. If Carter is one thing, it isn't patient." And with that, Six followed Jorge back into the dark hallway. She couldn't help but glance back at the dead Field Marshal on the ground...why did she feel like that was going to come back to haunt her someday?

Chapter Text

FIVE. Throwing Words

Planet Reach
July 24, 2552
10:07 Hours

“So, you speak Hungarian yeah?” Jorge questioned. Six looked at him as they walked and then thought back. 

“What?” Six halted her steps before recognizing the question and catching back up, “Oh...no. Not fluently. I’ve only picked up on a few things. Like what the girl said earlier was something a trooper friend of mine told me about. And that if I heard it; to haul ass in the other direction because it means there's more. I watched some vids on the language so I could understand a few things when I came. Though it seems like many know how to speak English,”

“English is a required language to know in case Military Personnel show up at your door. But it's a very hard language to learn.” Jorge nodded slowly. 

“Yeah. I mean...I’ve always spoken English.”

“Where ya from?” Jorge asked curiously. “Or, I’m sorry, is that classified too?” he chuckled. 

“It is but..." Six stared ahead as they walked down the hallway. “Some Covie squad came through, taken out quickly of course, and slaughtered my whole neighborhood. Nobody ever talks about it cause the planet is supposed to be super peaceful, being run by the Unified Earthen Government and what not…” she stopped herself and pointed at him with a smile under her helmet. “That's all you get Mister.”

“Got it. I’ll take it.” Jorge chuckled. He patted Six on the back as they got back to the large closed door. He grabbed the handle and swung it open. Six saw the girl jump a little, with a gasp- Emile looked up and Carter leaned over Kat’s shoulder while she was crouched in front of the computers that were still sparking.

"Damn Six, need to clean up dontcha think?" 

"Emile, how about you get dragged and made into a volleyball between two Elites, then come talk to me." Six responded back. Emile laughed a bit as Six leaned against the wall across from him with a roll of her eyes. She turned her head to Carter and Kat who were muttering things-

"Secrets hurt people Commander," Emile called upon noticing Six's sudden interest. Six smiled a bit but didn't add onto the statement. She practically heard Carter's glare from under his helmet and bowed her head.

"How long?" he continued speaking to Kat.

“Question of my life.” Kat scoffed, taking the front of the panel off. “If the question is when will the station be back online? Two weeks. Earliest. This is plasma damage Carter, all major uplinks are fried.” Kat looked at Carter briefly.

“Two minutes is too long.” He shook his head.

“Which is why I’m splicing through the main overland bundle to get you a direct line to Colonel Holland.” She turned back for a moment before looking at Carter again. “You’re in my light Commander.” She had an edge to her voice and Six cocked a brow at Emile who shook his head. What happened when Six and Jorge left? Maybe nothing, but she hadn't sounded that pissed off this entire time, except whenever she spoke to Six. Though, she couldn't help but be curious.

"Find out what she knows," Carter pointed at the girl, nodded to Jorge and turned his attention back to the plasma damaged computers. Jorge nodded carefully and glanced at Six who shrugged her shoulders.

 He took off his helmet and kneeled down in front of the girl nudging her shoulder in which she responded with a rough shove of his hand. Six heard a brief chuckle from Emile who crossed his arms, watching. 

“What's your name? Do you live around here?” Jorge asked in a gentle tone. “ A nevem Jorge.” he pointed to his chest.

“Sara.” the girl spoke quietly. 

“Sara, szép határozott név …” his voice trailed off. “Your accent sounds familiar...Sopron?”

“Tengeri.” Sara hugged her knees. She looked at the body and bit down on her lip, her body trembling. Jorge looked over too, Six’s eyes examined the dead man.

“Friend of yours?”

“Father.”

“ Sajnálom... I’m sorry-”

“Why would you be?” Sara snapped. Jorge swallowed and kept his head down.

“Big man forgets what he is sometimes.” Emile said to Six. Jorge stood to his feet and leaned over to Emile with narrowed eyes. Emile leaned back a little, watching Jorge warily.

“She just lost her father.” he snapped before walking to Carter. “She needs a full psychiatric workup.”

“She's not the only one.” Emile pipes in. Jorge whipped around to respond when Carter butted in-

“Lock it down. Both of you.” The Commander speaks up. “Get her on her feet….the body stays.” Carter nodded.

“Thank you sir.” Jorge nodded. He turned away from Carter and lunged at Emile who raised his hands and pretended to be scared. Jorge picked up his helmet and offered the girl his hand. Sara took it and rose to her feet. Jorge grabbed his gun and led her out of the room. 

“Got a signal Commander. It's patchy but it's there.” Kat stands, brushing her hands together as if she completed the most handy of work. Which, in a way, she kind of did. Six glanced between Kat and the Commander who nodded.

“I’ll take it.”

“Best not touch anything. Wouldn’t wanna ground this place.” Kat walked out with Emile close behind. Six stopped in her tracks for a second, watching Carter take his helmet off. The Commander briefly looked at her, his head snapping back to the console when Colonel Holland spoke up-

“-I-arely getting you No- what's the situa-on over?”

“Colonel, this is Noble One. There are no rebels. The covenant is on Reach. Acknowledge?” She stayed around the corner to listen in on the conversation for a second. It was just a debrief...“Come again Noble One? Did you say the Covenant?”

“Yes sir. It’s the Winter Contingency.”

“Then God help us all-” Six decided that in that five seconds, she'd heard everything she needed to.

Translation: They were fucked.

Six walked out of the base, happy to see the light finally shining through the clouds above them. It was pleasant actually. Six considered pulling off her helmet but decided against it. She approached her team who were all standing at Falcon's surrounded by dead covenant soldiers. Her eyes skimmed over to Jorge who was speaking to a Field Medic with Sara.

"Think she'll be okay?" Six asked.

"Probably not, lost her father, witnessed an onslaught and hid from three giant Elites?" Kat admitted a few steps ahead of her.

“Well, aren’t you just a ray of sunshine…” Six watched Kat walk ahead and take a seat in the falcon.

"Hell of a day, that's for sure." Emile told the team. "First mission for the Rookie and we're already knee deep into the seven circles of Hell." He commented.

"I will have you know that I'm not as Rookie as you think I am, Noble Four."

"Is that so Lieutenant? I'll believe it when I see it." He responded.

"Get in a sparring ring with me and I'll prove it." Six challenges. Emile look taken aback by her boldness but instead laughed out-

"We are definitely going to get along," Six sighed quietly when he said that. She failed to keep herself from liking these people. They were an interesting group to say the least. She wasn't going to judge though. They were a good team. No wonder the UNSC favored them so highly.

"I would advise against Six's challenge," Jorge warned Emile as he walked up next to Six.

"Why is that?" Jun butted in. 

"She's a force of nature, that's why." Jorge commented. "I saw her in a fight the entire time we were in the field, what's your excuse?" Jorge asked Emile, getting into the falcon and sitting back. 

"That'd be Boss assigning me to the entrance and being Kat's buddy for the day," Emile responded. "No offense Kat, but being your bodyguard is something I refuse to ever do again,"

"Understandable, though if you hadn't been there today- I would probably have been killed. I'm grateful Emile,"

"Wow. That's the closest you'll ever get to a thank you. Better cherish that." Jun chuckled. Six knew Emile's eyes rolled under that skull decorated helmet but her attention was caught when she watched a few troopers carry the dead Corporal out of the base. Six felt guilt twinge in her stomach. She couldn't save him. By the time she had gotten to the room he was...Six took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She looked at Carter who walked out next to a man who was talking low. 

Six turned back around, remembering that she was supposed to have a 'chat' with the Commander. Probably a mini therapy session. She tried to think of any excuse to get out of it but found none that would suffice the situation she had already gotten herself into. Six scolded herself mentally for letting herself get tied. She'd have to make some calls tonight. Figure things out. Maybe…

No.

She rubbed her hands together as she quickly boarded the falcon with Emile and Jorge, taking her place next to Noble Five. Six screamed at herself for even considering sticking around. She'd love to. These spartans seemed more welcoming than past ones she had worked with but...she wouldn't get her hopes up. 

Six yawned and readjusted to a more comfortable position, looking at Carter who jogged up the steps to the falcon that held Jun and Kat. 

"Colonel has given us orders to redirect to base and wait for orders to move, he said that calls were beginning to flood in from other outposts as soon as Kat got the system semi stable. We’ll make stops where they need us to. May not be home till later tonight," the Commander announced. "Suppose we owe it to Noble Five and Six for taking out those Elites." The Falcons lifted off the ground and propelled into the air.

"Yeah, well I think Six and I make a fairly good team." Jorge piped in, resting his machine gun upright between his knees. "Wouldn't you agree, Lieutenant?"

"I'd like to think we do," Six chuckled quietly. She turned her attention out towards the mountains as the comms placed quiet talking. Then Emile asked the question they all had probably been pondering on-

"Why does the Colonel want us to wait?" Emile shook his head, leaning forward on his knees. "Doesn't make much sense. We can do our usual patrols, more covies to take out."

"They will only return with more patrols." Kat responded. "The Covenant are funny like that. They've done it before. They'll do it again."

"Residential Covenant Expert." Jun muttered.

"Well someone needs to be. It might as well be the one who got her arm blown off by them," Kat retorted. Six listened in but kept her eyes on the mountains they passed by. 

"We all need to be educated. We don't need a similar...accident occurring. We need to have more strategy when we deal with these bastards."

"Yeah, because the last thing we need is another replacement." Kat snapped. Six swallowed as the entire falcon pair seemed to fall silent. Six wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“Is there a problem?” she asked lowly.

“Why would there be?” Kat questioned.

"How about stop talking like I'm not here." She cracked out."I don't give a damn whether you want me here or not, Lieutenant Commander- you're stuck with me. That’s not your decision to make ma’am. And with all due respect, I don’t appreciate you treating me as though I’m dirt below your feet just because of shit that happened before I got here. That’s not on me. Last I recall, I was the one dragged here. If I had the option, I wouldn’t have set foot into this Unit.”

"Six-" Carter started.

"Don't bother Commander," Six interrupted. "We'll talk about it later." 

Noble Base, Planet Reach

July 24, 2552

20:09 HOURS

The team had been forced onto a detour. Drop in and secure a few locations, it had taken away but the rest of the ride back to the base had been silent. When they got to the base, Jorge tried to stop Six from storming out but she took it upon herself to find the showers. She desperately wanted one. Hot water was the only way she was going to blow off her growing temper. If she saw Kat outside of the falcons in that moment- she very well may have been tried for injuring a Commanding Officer.

Though, normal Military Rules tend to be waveredd when it comes to spartans. Jorge had prominent facial hair, Jun had a tattoo on the side of his face, and they never bothered to order Six to cut her fluffy, long dark brown locks. She glanced at her own tattoo sleeve that twirled down her right arm. Dark ink roses surrounded by geometric designs. Sharp edges and points, she liked it. Gave her fond memories of her mother’s rose garden in her backyard...Six shook the thought from her head.

She combed her fingers through her wet, dark hair, braiding it before she sat down at the comm terminal. She crossed her legs at her ankles, adjusting her t-shirt a little. Six proceeded to dial in an ONI Contact she knew- when Eka Halee, an ONI assistant, showed up on the screenface- Six frowned slightly.

"Mind passing me on?" she asked her old Boss' assistant. 

"Will do B-312. Good to see you got to the Base safely." the screen went dim and the ONI symbol appeared, spinning slowly. Six leaned her chin into her helmet and waited quietly. The familiar man appeared on the comm screen- Six sat up, her back straight. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and tapped a paper stack against his desk.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the lady of the hour, three-twelve. How are you?"

"Could be better," Six responded. "I have a hard time figuring out who on this team tolerates me. Sir, will I be returning to the Agency?" she asked.

"Why do you ask that?"

"I..." Six looked off to the wall, leaning back in her chair. "I want to know,"

"Wanting and needing are very different, Miss Antonia. You know this." Six nodded after a second, her eyes scanning the screen. "I will tell you to be prepared to return here at any point in time. I will pull what strings I need to, if I need to. However, for the moment- you are needed on Reach. Don't play too nicely. Remember, that's not what you're there to do."

"Yes sir I know that but-"

"But what Antonia?" The older man responded, peering over his glasses at Six. Even through a screen, the look gave her a feeling of short discomfort. She stared back and pursed her lips. "What could you possibly come to debate with?" Six didn't exactly know how to respond to that. "You are there to fight, kill and assist where you are needed. Not make friends."

"What am I supposed to do? Noble Five has grown attached in a sense. Says we make a good team-"

"Then work with him. But do not- I repeat, do not , get settled. We remember what happened the last time you got friendly with a team. They all-"

"Died. Yes sir, I know." 

"Then this conversation is over. Colonel Holland has been keeping me in the loop of your team's reports. I read yours. Good work on taking out those Elites. Especially the Field Marshal. I expect nothing less from my Grim Reaper, yes?" the man fell silent. Six didn't say anything, she simply focused on the wall behind the man. "I wish you luck Noble Six, if you have nothing else to add, I will take my leave."

"Yes sir..." Six said clearly, keeping a tone of annoyance from her voice. The screen went blank, and Six slumped back in her chair. She drew a hand over her face and closed her eyes tightly. Grim Reaper...she hated that stupid nickname. Made her out to be some kind of monster with a primal instinct. An apex predator. 

Which...in a sense she was.

"That was quite the conversation you had there, Antonia ." Six turned around and lifted a brow at her Commander. He stood with his arms crossed at the doorway. 

"Just...wrapping up a few loose ends," she muttered.

"I think it was a bit more than that from the look on your face."

"How did you even know I was here, sir?" She asked, looking over his face. He lifted a brow.

"I went to the medical wing to see if you had stopped there like I told you to at the outpost, and they said you never did. I asked around. It's amazing what type of information a high enough rank can get you around the base. " he adjusted his helmet under his arm. Six rolled her neck side to side but didn't speak a word. "You need to get that checked out,"

"I've already discussed with the armor engineers that I need dual-plating in my undersuit. They told me it was an easy fee, they could have it done in a few hours." She stood to her feet. "Anything else you would like to point out Commander?" she pushed past him. Carter seemed slightly taken aback from this action and simply fell into step next to her.

"We need to have a discussion."

"Right, almost forgot about that. Will Lieutenant Commander Catherine be joining us? I couldn't help but notice that she found a deep interest in insulting me before."

"Kat has an attitude Lieutenant. It's something you two have in common." Carter kept his eyes ahead, keeping up with her fast pace walking. "I understand you're pissed at her but you can't let it get to-"

"Sir, you clearly don't understand." she stopped turning to him. He looked down at her and narrowed his eyes.

"Then please Six, enlighten me." he responded back, an edge to his voice. "What was the conversation about? ONI really has you on manipulated strings?"

"That is quite frankly none of your concern Commander"

"You may wanna think about that statement before making calls to the bastard who makes you out to be some sorta android in a base where one of the highest ranking officers is me." He said sternly. "Is that why you prefer being called 'Six' rather than Antonia? Because it dehumanizes you? Makes your psyche work better? As your Commander, I reserve the right to at least understand what your mental state is." he told her. 

"Yes. It is. And he's right. I'm not here to make friends. I'm not here to be buddy-buddy with a Spartan-II or some pet to my Second-In-Command, and certainly not a good deed to a Commander." Six said. "Stop trying to...understand problems that don't necessarily concern you. Stop pretending you care when you don't know a damn thing about me. It’s nothing personal Commander, but this is the way of the world at the moment. Everyone has their secrets. I just happen to have a lot more than most." Six started walking away, her hands in her sweatpants pockets when Carter called to her,

"Your entire team died because of you?"

"It's more complicated than that." she turned to walk away. "You read my file, Carter. You got past the sensors," she stopped to look back at him. "You tell me." Carter’s face was riddled with concern but he didn’t say anything further. Six nodded, “Have a good night sir,” she told him before continuing her way down the hall. Guilt rose in her chest, she was all too familiar with the concept. She clenched her teeth and ignored the eyes zoning in on her back as she walked. At the end of the day, her Advisor was right. She wasn't here to make friends, she was here to win a war. Liabilities would be liabilities and she understood there was no way she could possibly change that. She wasn't sure she even wanted to. To protect them it was probably best that was all she remembered this as. This was a game...and she was nothing but a pawn.

Finally, she found her room. Six was staying alone, in an empty room. Six walked in and allowed her eyes to scan over the room, two beds. One on each side of the room- the left one having sheets a singular pillow and a heavy blanket while the right one was bare. Six looked over the room once more before she dropped onto the bed. Laying on her back, she concentrated on the ceiling. 

There was some slight murmuring outside in the hallway, but she didn’t bother trying to figure out who it was. Her body was exhausted, the pillow felt like the most comfortable thing that she had ever laid on. She sighed deeply and pulled the blanket over her body and closed her eyes letting it weigh down on her body. She silently wondered if a weighted vest would do anything for her. She’d never admit that physical contact was something she wanted. A hug would probably do her some good. Six flushed the thought from her head and closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall into a deep and dreamless sleep. 

Chapter Text

SIX. The Art of Dancing in A Jail Cell

Planet Reach
July 24, 2552
24:56 Hours

The seemingly endless void behind Six’s eyes, unfortunately, did have an end. She opened her eyes to a mildly dark room with the exception of the window a few feet away from the head of her bed on the opposite wall of the door. She rolled over and watched a warthog pull into the base, lights flaring over silhouettes of Troopers wandering the base to help keep watch. Six sat up and rubbed her eyes, tossing her blanket off of her body. She hugged her arms and slowly approached the window, her eyes etching over every detail of the outside. 

What caught her eye was two men at the edge of the dimly lit garage on the far side of the base. She could see them well enough to recognize that it was Aarons and Carter. Aarons was cleaning his hands with a rag while Carter held his datapad tightly in one hand. He stood a good foot or so over Aarons even without his armor on. Six wished she could at least mildly relate. She had a couple inches on her friend but certainly nothing to brag over. Six watched Aarons give a salute to the Commander who nodded and walked away. 

‘What were those two talking about…?’ she couldn’t help but wonder. Six grabbed her boots and pulled them on swiftly. She opened her door and glanced up and down the hallway for any sign of someone coming. She made her way down the hall and noted the Commander would probably be going to his room. She mentally cursed herself. For being one of the most prized beings in the galaxy to the human race? She found herself not having the most simplistic of thoughts. Like recognizing what time was night. Six stiffened her legs and continued to walk with her head down. When she got into the cafeteria, a column was her safety. She quickly stepped behind it when the doors hushed open. 

“Sir,” a trooper's voice signaled a salute. Carter’s hum let her know that it was now or never. Six took a few steps and then a few more, trying to keep them quiet before she just threw herself at the doors. She half stumbled, forgetting that steps were something that existed for a brief moment. She recovered and started her way to the garage. It was cold, no doubt about it. For being July, it was fucking cold. Six huddled her arms together as she walked, approaching the garage.

“Didn’t realize you and the Commander were buddy-buddy,” Six said as she walked into the garage. Aarons turned slightly and laughed a little.

“He said you’d clocked out,”

“I tried,” Six mumbled. “It...didn’t exactly work as well I was hoping it would.” she picked up a wrench and looked it over for a moment before letting it dangle back onto it’s original desk. “What were you talking about?”

“You,” Aarons said upfront. Six watched her friend drop down and slide under a warthog. “He had some questions about your behavior. Nothing bad, why?”

“Nothin’...negative?”

“Toni, what did you do?” Six slumped into a chair and watched her friend’s legs with no response. “Toni!” he scolded.

“I got into a bit of an argument with the Commander today,” Six told him. “But...we’re fine now. I guess?”

“You guess ?” Aarons echoed. “That’s not very reassuring.”

“We got into a bit of a tizzy a couple hours ago,” Six explained. “He was asking me about stuff I didn’t want to talk about,”

“So you bitched off to your superior.” Aarons affirmed.

“No!” Six objected, she paused and sunk back in the chair. “Kind of,”

“When will you learn?” Aarons questioned.

“Never,” Six admitted with a small smile. 

“I told him that you are naturally a very independent person. You have rarely worked with a team and if the team deserves time to warm up to you, you deserve time to warm up to the idea of a team. You’re probably gonna be here for a while. Especially if the Covies have anything to say about it. Might as well start making yourself comfortable,”

“Can’t,”

“Why not?”

“You know why Jax,” Six shook her head. “I’m a walking case of bad luck. Not to mention the…” she trailed off and checked around her. “The rating,”

“You are too paranoid about them finding out about that,” Jax sat up. “Six, it’s not even confirmed-”

“It doesn’t have to be confirmed. It’s a made up rating. You know about that...stupid Operation…” Six rubbed her arm. Jax looked his friend up and down before sighing. He stood and leaned against the vehicle, swinging his hands faintly, while opening his mouth to say something. The trooper paused before sighing and closing his mouth.

“Crimson Infinity is a rumor,”

“That I have evidence backing,” Six argued. “They trained me this way on purpose,” she said lowly. “Because they wanted a lapdog, which is something I don’t want to be.”

“Then why do you humor them?” Jaxon laughed. “You want to feel like a normal woman, let yourself loose. Talk to the team, get to know them. And for the love of God, smile a bit more. Carter says that your RBF scares Jun.” Jaxon laughed weakly, but Six personally didn’t find the situation very funny. Operation Crimson Infinity had been an underground project directed by Six’s past ONI Agency. It distanced itself from the Office of Naval Intelligence, and only used the income that the Agency itself had.  It was sickening...a concept that made her want to curl up into a ball and isolate herself. 

It was the Project that turned her into a living breathing weapon, more so than other typical SPARTANS. She hated it. She had emotions but had yet to master them. She didn’t know how to react to someone she was attracted to, she didn’t know how to properly keep a stable friendship. Aarons was proof that she could, or maybe it was just because Jaxon Aarons was a stubborn fuck. He understood her and she saw him as a brother. Maybe he thought of her as a sister and that’s why he agreed to follow her around. The files of Six’s reports tucked away into hidden ONI files made her want to vomit, but...she couldn’t. She couldn’t feel any remorse.

Wincing to herself, she turned and looked at the tall SPARTAN-II standing in the garage doorway.

“Well look who's up,” Jorge chuckled.

“Carter told you I was here?”

“No,” Jorge nodded to Aarons as a greeting, “Emile and I just got off our shift.”

“Rookies lucky,” Emile called as he walked past. “Your first shift isn’t until tomorrow night,” Jorge chuckled and shook his head. 

“Why’d you get a pass?” Aarons chuckled, looking at Six.

“It’s supposed to be a sort of welcoming gift,” Jorge said with a light laugh. “A full night of sleep,” he looked at Six. “And you’re not taking advantage of it?”

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” Six sighed standing up.

“Edgy,” Emile commented, walking up behind Jorge. It processed to Six that she hadn’t seen Emile’s face until then. He was a few inches shorter than Jorge, dark skin, a face littered with scars. Buzzed down hair, his most prominent scar being the one that crossed his lips. He was good looking for sure if Six had to guess- he had Trooper women nervous if he walked into a room.

No doubt most of Noble Team did. 

Six looked back to Aarons who walked over and patted her back. Six turned towards him and looked down slightly,

“Go sleep Toni,” he assured her. “Everything will be fine,” he gently held her arms. Six patted the side of his head and nodded before looking at Jorge and Emile. She waved goodnight to her friend and found herself between the two SPARTAN men as they walked. She kept a slight scuff to her walk, not daring to look at either of them.

“How was the shift? Anything interesting?” she asked them. Emile snorted and nodded.

“Yeah, interesting,”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We have Insurrection activity pretty close by.” Jorge explained, “Commander said he’s gonna wanna investigate tomorrow,” 

“Oh, fun.” Six muttered in a fake cheerful tone. She sighed deeply and kept in line with the men. “What time should I be hoping to pop out of bed,”

“0400 if I had to give a solid guess,” Emile shrugged. “Which is in…” he clicked his tongue, “seven hours. Might wanna take advantage of that sleep that Carter offered up.” Six rubbed her arm and nodded carefully.

“Sleep…” she repeated.

“When was the last time you got a solid shuteye, Six?” Jorge questioned. Six narrowed her eyes at the ground and dipped her head side to side as she thought about it. A single night without waking up or endearing some kind of disturbance? She heaved a sigh through her teeth and respond:

“Way too long,” The two men both chuckled lightly as she nodded with a small smile. They walked up to the door and Emile ducked under Jorge’s arm to walk in while Six paused and turned slightly. She noted Aarons waving Six inside as he closed his side of the garage. She sighed and nodded.

‘I’ll talk to him tomorrow,’ she told herself. Six crossed her arms and ducked under Jorge’s arm with a simple nod in thanks. 

“Hey, Jorge,”

“Yeah?”

“Whenever you guys um…” Six pulled on a dark strand of hair. How did she do this again? She groaned and brushed her hand over her face. “When you guys play cards again, I’d like to learn…” she said. Jorge seemed to perk up slightly at that and he nodded, patting her shoulder.

“Sounds good,” he assured her. “You can count on it. Maybe you can beat Emile, just to show him how horrible he is at poker,” Jorge chuckled. “His poker face is the worst. It’s all in the eyes,”

“Well, good thing I’m pretty much tranquil in my eyes,”

“Mm, I wouldn’t say that.” Jorge chuckled walking a few steps ahead of her. Six didn’t bother asking but she took a mental note of that remark. “Nonetheless, I’ll see you in the morning. Yeah?” he offered her. Six laughed weakly and met his hand with a fistbump. 

“Um...yeah, okay.” she shifted before taking a few steps backward. It felt weird, allowing herself to warm up to these people and she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it. Kat would be difficult, Carter even more so...but how hard could it be?

Noble Base, Planet Reach

July 25, 2552

03:45 HOURS

The answer to that was very difficult. 

“Up and at em’ Six,” Carter’s voice called. A light flashed into her face and she groaned, raising and letting her arm fall over her eyes. She sunk deeper into her mattress, seeking refuge in the warmth of the heavy blanket that covered her body and the softness of the pillow under her head. As soft as pillows at a military base could get. It felt better than the metal helmet that she pulled over her head for nearly twelve hours a day.

God, she hated that thing.

“What time is it…” she muttered, sitting up with a yawn. She heard the Commander chuckle as he walked to the doorway, patting it.

“Early,” he told her. “Go get your armor on and head to the cafeteria for a debriefing. I wanna make sure we do this right,”

“Yes sir,” Six was sure her words slurred. She squinted her eyes against the light, cursing whoever invented it for giving her a headache. When she tossed her legs from under the covers, she was shocked at how cold the room was. “ Fuck! Do we not have heaters here?” she called after Carter who had already left. His mild-mannered scoff from halfway down the hall let her know his answer. She stood to her feet and rubbed her arms. She walked over to her body mirror and raised her shirt slightly, examining the bruise on her side that had begun to form. There were smallish scrapes littering her chest. Six sighed and left her hair down for the moment.

It curled out in front of her face and waved over her shoulders. Thick, heavy, and long. She’d put it up before she got her armor on. The next twenty minutes passed by like years, yawning and shielding her eyes from light that scolded into the backs of her eyes. Her armor was heavy on her hips for the first time in a while and she looked at her helmet in disgust when she picked it up. She glanced over her face in the visor. She’d put her hair into a bun to the best of her ability but there were some straying strands she’d have to readjust. 

Or maybe not. Six found that the more she thought about the idea, the less she cared to do it. Maybe it was because she was tired or maybe it was blatant laziness. Hell if she knew. Six hugged her helmet under one arm, thanked the staff for their help, and started down the hallway. Breakfast sounded good...she wondered if she’d have time. She should have a few minutes to swallow down a carrot stick if she hurried. Pushing her body into a jog she stepped into the cafeteria, noting the Team suited up a few tables towards the center. 

‘Great,’ she thought to herself. She walked over and slumped into the empty spot next to Jorge.

“Sleep well?” he asked her. Six gave him an unenthused look which made him laugh. She shook her head and looked to Carter who nodded.

“I appreciate the appearance Noble Six,” he told her. 

“Yes well, I aim to please.” she scratched her temple. “Can I have food or…?” 

“Emile and Kat are bringing back food, don’t worry Lieutenant. We won’t send you on a mission with an empty stomach,” Jun chuckled. “You should hear the time where Kat passed out-”

“Could you not?” Kat’s voice scolded. A white bowl of oatmeal was set in front of Six thanks to Emile. She muttered a quiet ‘thanks’ to him. He responded with a pat on her back. Six began to shovel food into her mouth, not being able to recall the last time she’d eaten a proper meal. She took the water Kat gave her and chewed slowly on the soft and hot oats as the Commander began speaking,

“Jorge and Emile tracked some odd Insurrectionist Activity just outside the Epsom District,” Carter explained. “They were wheeling something into a warehouse. Large crates.”

“Isn’t Epsom an abandoned city area?” Kat questioned.

“No it’s not. It’s actually supposed to be under UNSC protection,” he nodded. “So it’s unsurprising that these Innies want to get settled,” Carter sat down finally and placed his helmet on his right side. “Clearly they’re up to something. And with the Insurrection, it’s never anything good. We wanna make these moves right. I want to check the old village, see what’s set up there. Maybe there will be a few people there that can tell us what’s going on.”

“Could be a trap,” Jun pointed out.

“Emile said it yesterday but allow me to reiterate,” Kat sighed, “We have been mingling in their business for a little too long. Would it be a shock to anyone if they finally decided that they wanted to be rid of us? Blow us to hell before we even know what’s happening,”

“If it’s us, that’s better than dozens of children, spouses, and families,” Six pointed out. “We don’t check it out and a new group of people move in there...they could be dead before they know someone is plotting to kill them. Doesn’t matter how you look at it.”

“Six is right,” Carter acknowledged. “The main difference between us and the civilians though, is that we have the power to stop it. We can take this out before anything comes of it.”

“I think this is completely ridiculous,” Kat admitted. “We have the Covenant on Reach and we’re worried about the Insurrection?”

“Both are equal threats,” Emile muttered.

“Insurrection is a bunch of underpaid farmers who are rioting and committing arson,” Jorge said, “The Covenant have ships that could glass entire planets in a matter of months. They are not the same.”

“You know what I mean,” Emile rolled his eyes. “The Insurrection blew up buildings to send a message. The Covenant blow up buildings for the same reason.”

“The sad fact of the matter is that we have to be prepared for things to get worse,” Jun said. “I doubt that it’ll get any better from here on in.” he tapped his fingers on the table. “What’s the plan Boss?”

“Split into teams and scout the area,” Carter explained. “Kat, you’re with me. Jun and Emile, Jorge and Six,” he said. Six nodded and looked to Jorge who had his eyes fixed on the Commander,

“And if we find Innies?”

“Simple,” Carter stood, picking up his helmet. “Kill them. I’m going to go give Holland a briefing of our mission. We’re leaving in ten, don’t be late to the falcons.” 

“Yes sir,” the Team chimed unanimously. Six tipped back her water and swallowed what she had in her mouth.

“So,” Six looked to the rest of the team. “Any idea what we’re encountering out there?”

“A whole lot of guns,” Emile chuckled.

“We’ll be fine,” Kat insisted. “We aren’t helpless. I have some faith in your abilities Emile,”

“That some doesn’t reassure me, but thank you for tryin’,” he chuckled, shaking his head as he shoveled the remainder of his food in his mouth. Six focused on finishing her own food before she stood,

“Where are you off to Lieutenant?” Kat asked her.

“I wanted to go check on a Trooper before we took off,” Six looked back at her. “Problem, ma’am?”

“None,” Kat sat forward. “Just making sure you weren’t going to go too far,” Six felt that she shouldn’t have taken it as an insult, but she did anyway.

“Hm,” was her only response for a moment. “I’ll see you all outside,” Six walked outside and noted that it was still dark out. There were a few people walking to their posts and a few people walking inside to sleep. She imagined Jaxon was asleep. She’d leave a note. Six poked her head into the garage and looked around the empty stalls. She stepped further in and walked over to the desk, her helmet hanging at her fingers. She looked around for a few minutes and clicked into a datapad. She smiled at the picture at the front of it. Jaxon and his fiancee, Zoe. 

Zoe was another one of Six’s friends on the sidelines. She was an ODST, and Six was uncertain of where she actually was at that moment. Six always thought that Zoe should’ve been a model instead of an ODST- but Zoe always scolded her every time she made the joke. She was tall with dark hair that had been braided to her head, dark jewel brown skin. She was just...gorgeous. Six envied her in some ways- specifically the lacking of scars. Six swiped and typed in his password.

‘Jokesaside022’ 

Tapping into the notes, she left her name and pressed the record button.

“Hey Jax,” Six said. “Noble Team is heading to Epsom. We’re going to investigate some Insurrection Activity out that way. Could be the Covenant but whose to say. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious but I figured you may want to know where I’m going since you're supposed to kinda know that information,” Six cleared her throat. “I wanna talk to you when we get back. Just something brief, probably a little more than brief actually. Either way, that’s all. See you later.” She tapped the stop button and set the reminder for the time the Troopers were woken by their Sargeants. She walked out of the garage and pulled on her helmet, her eyes adjusting to the HUD as it lit up brightly. 

She tossed her head side to side in an attempt to get used to the way her helmet slightly bobbled on her head. Six walked towards the Falcons and looked over her shotgun and magnum that was already set carefully in a seat. She glanced over to the other falcon and saw Emile’s, it had faint red paint around the barrel and some scratch marks on the metal from what she could see. She looked to the falcon she was going to be in and noticed Jorge’s giant machine gun on the ground next to where Six’s feet would be. It came with a giant shoulder pack which was filled with what Six could only assume was a lot of bullets. 

He called it Etilka .

It was a female name...it meant Noble in Hungarian origin. He’d told her that yesterday in the falcon ride, he probably thought she hadn’t been listening. But she picked up everything he said. Etilka was a modified M247H- instead of having a square blast shield, it actually had a heat shield over the barrel. There were also decorative yellow stripers which he said Emile insisted on adding. Etilka looked like a powerful gun, and she was one. Six climbed into her seat and looked over her own shotgun. Maybe she could add something…

She pulled her knife off her shoulder and looked over it’s handle. A wing and a scythe. She gritted her teeth and sheathed her knife again, sitting back, looking up at the ceiling of the falcon. Her eyes flitted over the monitors as if something interesting would show up and grab her interest. Nothing did, they were just monitors that beeped on occasion. Six closed her eyes for a brief moment and exhaled a breath. This was just another mission, she was ready for it. Ready to get out there and get her blood pumping. She desperately needed something to wake her up. Gunfire, running, walking- something. Six was pretty desperate at this point. 

Six counted the seconds until the team walked out. 

“You’re early,” Jorge said.

“I thought the cold would wake me up.”

“Did it?”

“No,” Six laughed weakly, looking at Jorge who sat next to her. He pulled on his helmet and looked at Kat who climbed into the seat in front of them. She holstered her magnum to her hip and held her assault rifle steadily pointed at the ground. She’d hardly use it is what Six guessed. 

“Well, at least you tried.” Jorge affirmed. 

“Ready for your second mission, Noble Six?” Kat asked her.

“Yes ma’am,”

“Good.” Kat leaned back. “I look forward to seeing what you find while were out,”

“With any luck, nothing.” Six insisted. 

“I’m sure we’ll be alright,” Kat said. “You’ve got Jorge, and his...oversized gun.”

“Be nice Kat, she’s fragile.” Jorge teased as he leaned back and nodded. Six readjusted her position in her seat and turned her eyes briefly to the other men boarding the opposite falcon. The loud propellers started to spin and the falcons lifted off of the ground. She watched the grass grow further and further away. “You seem stiff Six,”

“I managed to go back to sleep, it just wasn’t restful..” she told him.

“Are you going to be alright to function?” Kat asked.

“Yes ma’am,” Six nodded assuringly. Kat stayed quiet and nodded her helmet. The falcon ride was long, and Six nearly fell asleep, half leaned onto Jorge’s arm. She sat up when Carter’s voice belted through her radio. Jorge grabbed her arm to keep her from falling out of the other side of the falcon. She took a breath and nodded to Jorge,

“Here’s the idea,” Carter said. “We’re gonna drop into the center of the village. Jorge, I want you and Six to explore through the village. Kat and I are gonna head south, Emile and Jun walk west and look into the caves. That’s a good place to hide stuff. Tread lightly, watch for traps. You know how these people work.”

“You got it Boss,” Emile confirmed. The falcons set on the ground and Six hopped out, she looked at Jorge as he rounded the Falcon to join up with her. Carter walked over to Kat and looked at Six.

“You two be careful,”

“Yes sir,” Six nodded to Carter. The Commander held her visor with his for a moment before he nodded to Kat and went south. Six watch Jun and Emile race off down a side path. Six entered the private COM radio with Jorge and walked alongside him. “Place is quiet,” she muttered.

“Agreed,” Jorge said quietly. “Too quiet,”

“It’s an uncomfortable silence,” she muttered, “Something is wrong. I thought you two said that you saw people here,”

“We did,” Jorge walked up to a door and knocked loudly. “UNSC, PLEASE OPEN UP!” he ordered. Six watched Jorge and stood at the side of the door. He knocked again, “LAST TIME! OPEN UP!” There was more silence, he stepped aside and let Six walk in front of the door. She tilted her head side to side, before she raised her foot and slammed it into the door. The door flew off the hinges and Six moved in with her gun raised. She darted it into the first room, her eyes worriedly scanning the area.

“Clear,” she heard Jorge walk through the hallway ahead and glanced into both rooms.

“Empty,” he confirmed. “Literally empty,”

“Odd,” Six jogged towards the back of the hallway to look in on the room that Jorge seemed so fascinated with. He was right, both of the rooms were completely empty. Six’s brows furrowed, “Wow- they completely...this room…” she walked in and looked at the floor. She knelt down in a corner and picked up a blood covered teddy bear. She inwardly cringed and looked around the corners of the rooms. Dried blood was all around the edges, just at the crease between the floor and wall. She shook her head in disapproval before standing. “No...they slaughtered people in here.”

Jorge stared down at the crease and shook his head with a mutter of hungarian.

“This is horrible…” he whispered.

“Probably put most of the village into rooms together and mowed them down if I had to guess,” Six shook her head. “Though it doesn’t seem like an Insurrection move. I’d wager this is actually a branch of the Insurrection. Probably a group of people who lost sight of what they were supposed to be doing.” 

“Makes sense to me,” Jorge nodded. “We should search for any survivors-”

“There won’t be any,” Six brushed past Jorge. “Not likely anyways,” she told him. Jorge didn’t respond and instead followed quietly behind her. Six looked at her glove, some of the blood had gotten onto it from the teddy bear. Six looked up at the other houses. “We’d better start looking anyways,” The next ten minutes consisted of the two SPARTANs walking swiftly through houses and rooms only to find absolutely nothing. It was visibly frustrating Jorge to silence.

Six wished that they’d found people too but she knew that the chances, though there, were highly unlikely. She’d given up five houses in. More blood but no bodies. Probably thrown into the nearby lake- she’d hate to be there when they washed ashore.

Or started floating. 

Six walked up to another house which was cracked open. 

“Jorge,” she called. Jorge turned slightly, his heavy steps approaching her. “Hello?” she called in. Maybe her voice wasn’t best suited for this job. She looked to Jorge and stepped to the side so that he could do the talking. The two fell silent and could hear a very faint weeping. Six furrowed her brows and looked back at her partner who knocked on the door,

“Excuse me!” he called, before speaking in loud Hungarian. There was a quiet call back in stuttering English-

“C-Come in…” someone wept. Six took a slow breath and walked inside slowly. 

“We’re coming back okay?’ Jorge called, nodding for Six to lead. Six took a few heavy steps inside and noticed the smell immediately. It wreaked of death, and the answer to it was the dead bodies lying in the living room. Six stared at it for a moment before she continued to walk back towards the back room at the end of the hallway. She kept her gun up and maneuvered past a desk in the hall, poking her head into the room. She stopped and clenched her gun.

“Six? What is it? Who is in there?” Jorge asked.

“Gun on the ground Spartan or I swear to God, I’ll kill her.” a man inside the room demanded. Six stared at him- covered in a chest full of explosives as she slowly knelt down and set her shotgun on the floor. “And I know there is someone behind you. Make him leave.” 

“Jorge…” Six said.

“Six I’m not leaving you by yourself,”

“An-and tell him to leave his helmet! I don’t want you contacting your team.” the man stammered, holding the young girl tightly to his chest, using the blade of his knife to press just under her chin.

“He doesn’t leave without his helmet,” Six snapped. The man was shaking his eyes searching her helmet. They looked to her knife and he stopped for a breath. 

“I...I know that symbol-” he whispered. “If you want your friend to live- tell him to get out! ” he shouted. 

“Jorge,”

“I told you already Lieutenant, I am not going anywhere.” 

“Please- please help me,” the girl sobbed out. “Please-”

“SHUT UP!” the girl cried louder when the man screamed at her. Six looked back at Jorge,

“JORGE.” she snapped. “Please. I can handle this.” The taller SPARTAN-II seemed to glare at her through his helmet. She took a breath,

“Tell him he isn’t allowed to contact your team-” he turned on the radio nearby using the hand that wasn’t holding the knife.

“-either of you checked in with Five and Six?” Carter’s voice asked.

“No sir, but it probably means they haven’t found anything.” Emile piped in. 

“We’ll head back that way soon,” Jun assured them. 

“Alright. We’ve found some bodies floating in the water. Maybe the others will have some answers on that,” Kat’s voice insisted.

“Let’s hope so, Carter out.” 

“Noble 4, out,”

“I will know,” the man said. “NOW LEAVE!”

“Jorge leaves with the girl,” Six said. “Let her go, and this is between me and you. Just...let.them.go,” she ordered. 

“You don’t tell me what to do monster, ” he growled.

“With all due respect sir, I’m not the one holding an innocent girl hostage after killing an entire village,” Six snipped. “I also don’t have bombs strapped to my chest. So I have that going for me.” the man stared at her. He growled and let the girl go. Six stumbled forward to catch her and ushered her out of the room. The girl, sobbing, gripped Six’s arms as she passed her along to Jorge.

“Go,” Six hissed to her partner.

“You better be behind me in three minutes or else I’m coming back to get you.” Six stared up at the SPARTAN man who hauled the young girl out gently. Six watched him until he was out of her sight. She turned and looked at the man who was sifting through drawers.

“I always expected you to be a man in black,” he hissed. “That’s what the Grim Reaper is right? Yet here you are,” he turned and looked at her. “A woman in red. You’re new to this team right?” When Six didn’t answer he pointed his knife at her. “ANSWER ME WHEN I TALK TO YOU, BITCH!”

“Yes,” Six snapped. “I arrived yesterday,”

“Good, then your death shouldn’t be too hard on them.” 

“My what?” Six scoffed. “Who said I was dying?”

“Me.” 

“You’re not in control here,”

“Yes, I am.” Six leaned against the doorway, eyeing her gun on the floor. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m supposed to kill one of you,” He snapped. “To send a message to your stupid team of Spartans- to the UNSC that we aren’t going to be denied.”

“You aren’t even a real part of the Insurrection anymore. You’re a bunch of suicidal nuts!” Six argued.

“No we aren’t!” he lashed back. “We are fighting for our freedoms,”

“By massacring entire villages,”

“And where were you guys when we were killing them?” the man laughed out, “This village was supposed to be under UNSC protection, and yet we still managed to kill every single person here with the exception of one. Every man, woman, child, and person- dead.” Six didn’t say anything for a moment,

“Depends, when did you do it?”

“Yesterday morning,”

“We were dealing with the Covenant from 0800 till night yesterday,” Six snapped. “So that point you were trying to send? Completely missed its mark,” the man’s face faltered. 

“Heh...Covenant...You’re making that up.” Six remained silent as the man snorted out loud. 

“No,” she said, “I’m not. How about we get that off you…and you walk out of here alive.” she knew she couldn’t let him do that. Not since he recognized the emblem on her knife’s handle. She couldn’t afford to let any Insurrectionist know who she was. It would defeat the entire purpose of staying a secret. Six’s eyes scanned the man's dirty-tan face. He was someone who had been out in the sun, but his blue eyes were bloodshot and he looked as though he’d been mildly drugged. He wasn’t going down without a fight and the bombs strapped to his chest made Six real nervous.

“I can’t...I can’t!” he shouted angrily. “I took an oath! You have to die!”

"Noble Two to Noble Five and Six, come in." Six watched him rummage through the drawers once more. He pulled out a pill bottle and dumped some into his hand. Small white tablets, she furrowed her brows.

"What was that?"

"Pain meds," he said.

"I repeat, Noble Five or Six, this is Noble Two, please respond." Six didn't respond and watched him press a button on the side of his vest. She loudly gasped, jumping forward and grabbing her shotgun. She scrambled to the wall as the man raced after her. “BURN IN HELL!” he yelled. Six hardly had time to process the notion before she was thrown through the living room window. She didn’t remember hitting the ground, but she did remember feeling the heat. 

And how much it hurt. 

Chapter Text

SEVEN. Angel of Death

Epsom Valley, Planet Reach
July 25, 2552
08:23 Hours

“WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO SLOW DOWN?!” The Sergeant screamed at Toni. She exhaled a breath and stumbled a bit to keep up her fast sprint even though her chest was burning. Even though her legs and hips ached. She was brimming with tears but she somehow managed to keep them back as she raced around the track. She had one more lap, one singular lap. She could finish this strong, then maybe he would stop yelling.

No, Sergeant Class never stopped yelling. Toni grew up faster than most kids her age, though she wouldn’t necessarily call being void of all emotions ‘growing up’.  Twelves years old, thirteen years old, fourteen years old, fifteen. The years seemed to blow past so quickly she herself could hardly keep up. Her eyes skimmed the room as she approached the man trembling in his chair so violently it might’ve been mistaken for a seizure. She brandished the knife in her hand, twirling its blade a couple of times. She made a quick movement and swung her body over the desk, shoving the blade straight into his throat. 

Blood poured from his mouth and his neck onto her hand and he fell over onto the ground. Toni sat on the edge of the desk for a moment, staring down at the man. She knew she should feel fear. Complete and utter disgust and horror with the monstrous sin she had committed before her own eyes. But she couldn’t. She simply felt nothing. She slumped off the desk, leaned down, and felt the man’s pulse, her hand being covered with his blood. She turned her palm face up to examine the crimson liquid that covered her tan hand. She hardly batted an eye before wiping it on the red dress she wore. 

She killed her first man at fifteen years old, and she wiped his blood on her dress like it was spilled water. She lacked that much emotion at fifteen years old. That was what screaming and countless hours of soldiers drills had done to her. They’d made her into a monster...no...a weapon. A weapon to be wielded and every time she closed her eyes, they made sure she’d remember that. All she was, was a scythe in the hand of a Reaper. But as she grew older, she became both the scythe and the reaper. Toni had broken so badly, that she could maintain killing with no remorse, while also grasping to that last bit of humanity she had left. 

She was hanging by a string now….

Was she asleep? Was she dead? The explosion...Jorge...the girl...were they okay? She hoped so...Toni, for the first time felt something. Relief? Was that what it was? A cold wave over the heat that had consumed her body…Human...human...feeling...What happened? She could barely remember. Her head was swarming...explosion- burning- pain- pain- so MUCH PAIN-

“ANTONIA!” her eyes opened and she gasped loudly. Leaning over her was Carter with a concern ridden face, his hand pressed to her forehead. He looked like he had gotten paler, his eyes wide and he let out a loud breath. 

“Holy shit,” she wheezed. “My back-” she groaned.

“You’re scorched,” Carter told her. “Stay on your back, we’ve got medics en route,” he told her. 

“Jorge,” she croaked out.

“He’s alright. He and Kat went to hold off some Insurrectionists who tried to come in and finish you guys off.” Carter explained. 

“Areas clear Commander,” Emile’s voice called. “I see that sleeping beauty has awoken. How you feelin’ little red?”

“Everything hurts,” Six seethed out. “Someone knock me back out…”

“Not sure that’s the best idea,” Carter told her. “You were muttering some pretty concerning things under your breath,” he said calmly. 

“What? Did I give away my plans to brutally kill you all in your sleep?” Six asked with a heavy breath, “Dammit, you weren’t supposed to find that out until we got the Covenant off Reach.” she noted the small smile that tried to pull at the crook of his mouth. He pretended as though he hadn’t given in to the joke that Six had tossed. She laughed out a small breath painfully. “Oh come on, that was pretty horrible, how did I manage to make you smile by saying that?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Carter shook his head and sat up looking at Emile who walked over. “What’s Kat and Jorge’s status?”

“They’re on their way back. Jun is still with the girl, she’s calmed down. Could probably explain what happened…”

“We know what happened.” Six grunted, in an attempt to sit up. She swatted at Carter’s hand urging her to lay back down. “They slaughtered an entire village save for one singular girl who was used to lure one of us into a trap. Now my suit is melted against my skin and my knees feel like they’re going to explode. No clue where they dumped the bodies.”

“In the lake,” Carter said. He physically seemed to grimace at the image that likely appeared in his mind. “Men, women, children- people- floating in the lake like...driftwood. We couldn’t recover all the bodies, but we managed to get a few. Anyone else I think…”

“Sunk,” Jun interrupted, walking over. “Man, you look like hell.”

“I feel like I just got a visit from the Devil himself,” Six grunted. She tried to sit up once more but gasped, feeling the skin on her back seeming to pull apart. She repressed a scream, letting out a low groan and a couple of breaths. With the help of Carter, she laid back down. “Fucking-shit-dammit-...” she swore loudly placing a hand over one of her eyes. She looked at the Commander who gave her an unamused look. “Don’t look at me like that,” she told him.

“I told you not to sit up,”

“With all due respect sir, please shut up.” Carter lifted a brow, “Sir.” he nodded at the final add on before he stood. 

“Emile, stay with her,” Carter ordered. Emile walked over and slumped onto the ground next to Six who was looking around for her helmet. 

“Easy there,” Emile chuckled looking at Jun who sat down next to them.

“I want to sit up, but I also don’t want my skin to break open,” Six grumbled. “So I’m gonna cover my face and cry about it.”

“Go ahead,” Jun chuckled. “We won’t look,” Six had half the mind to give him the finger but decided against it with a small chuckle. “What happened in there Six?” She inhaled through her nose and focused her eyes on the dark clouds moving over them and the smoke billowing up to join them.

“We walked in...and we walked to the back of the hallway…” Six was trying to remember all the details. “There was a crying girl and a man, I turned my attention to the man. He started yelling for Jorge to leave so I bargained and had Jorge and the girl leave…” She looked over to the other two. “I was going to let him live...maybe make amends behind bars…” lie. “But clearly he didn’t like that idea and ran at me with a bomb after taking a painkiller,”

“Oh, I bet that really helped him out in the grand scheme of things,” Jun commented.

“I know right?” Six sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “When will Jorge be back?”

“Few minutes if I had to guess,” Emile said, “He’s gonna be happy to see you’re awake and still as fiery as yesterday.”

“Something like that…” Six sighed. The wait for the medics to arrive was a long one and once Jorge had returned he was immediately at Six’s side, hovering like a helicopter with worry. It made her laugh a bit. Kat gave Six a genuinely concerned face but didn’t say anything. Not that she had expected the Lieutenant Commander to have anything to comment on the subject. Kat seemed like the type who wasn’t inherently fond of people in general and if Six were a normal marine woman, she’d probably be horrified of the SPARTAN. But unfortunately for Kat, Six wasn’t intimidated by her hard-ass attitude any more than she was of Six’s. Carter took the job of sticking with Six in one of the medical pelicans while Jorge stubbornly accompanied the girl.

“I’ll see you as soon as we get back to the base,” Jorge had assured her.

“Well, the worst that will happen is I’ll die from blood loss in the Pelican,” she chuckled. “That’d be a damn shame,”

“Yeah,” Jorge rolled his eyes. “It would.” Thinking back on it, he had smiled a little. Six was glad that she had succeeded in making these people’s days a bit easier with her simple comments. She hissed a breath through her teeth as her armor was removed from her body. Carter had seated himself in front of Six and was helping the medics hold her still as the Pelican slowly began to start up again. 

“Hurts?” Carter asked, Six looked at him with an unamused expression. “Right…” he was trying to make conversation. 

“This wasn’t how I expected our real first one on one time to go, Commander- shit ow!” she wheezed and leaned forward out of instinct when the Medic pulled a bit of debris out of her skin. “How’s my tattoo look…?” she asked.

“Red and scorched but you can still see the ink,” The medic assured her. Six nodded with a sigh.

“You have more than one?” Carter laughed.

“I have my sleeve and then I have the wings on my upper back and shoulders, a scythe between them.”

“I guess it goes to your nickname?” Carter raised his eyes to examine her face. “The Grim Reaper?” Six raised her eyebrows in response but didn’t respond. She leaned forward more as the Medic gently pushed her forwards toward the ground. 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “But I like it. I think it’s flattering,” she looked up at Carter. “They walk into a room expecting to see a man, tall- dark, brooding...angry. Instead, they find a woman. Shorter than most SPARTANS with a tattooed sleeve, delicate features matching up a few scars, and probably wearing a dress. It catches them off guard every time.” Six nodded.

“You’ve surprised a lot of people?”

“Mhm,” Six nodded. She looked back at him, “You also seem surprised.”

“I just didn’t expect you to raise your flag so easily and admit that was what your Agency called you.”

“Can’t really keep that out of the records. You were bound to find out about that part at least,”

“Is there something else?”

“Oh Commander Dear,” she tilted her head and looked at Carter with a taunting grin. “There’s always something else.” Carter’s face grew more confused yet interested as he nodded and glanced to the side. 

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,”

“You should.” Six gasped out and clenched her fist, “What did you just pull out of my back?!”

“A piece of wood,” the Medic responded.

“Never exploded before Lieutenant?”

“Can’t say I have sir,” Six told him tilting her head side to side to try and not concentrate on the stinging that seared her burning skin as the Medic used a wipe to go over some parts of her back. “I’ve done some crazy shit before but nearly being blown up was a first,”

“You got up and put up a good fight.” Six stared at Carter,

“I what?”

“You grabbed my pistol and you laid on the ground firing at people,” Carter narrowed his eyes. “You don’t...remember?” Six shook her head slowly and Carter raised his brows. “I see…well. That’s not good. Did you get that?” he asked the medic.

“Great, now I have memory loss.” Six muttered.

“I was trying to figure out why you wouldn’t say anything when we found you two,” Carter said quietly. Six lifted a brow as he turned his head to the other side of the Pelican.

“What...happened exactly?”

“Emile will tell you what happened so I might as well go ahead and give you the story so he doesn’t make me look like a fool,” Carter leaned on her leg as the Pelican took off. 

Two hours earlier

Carter gently set the little girl’s body onto the bank. He sighed and looked back into the lake as the small waves lapped over his metal feet.

“No way we can get the rest of them out of here…” he said quietly, looking to Kat who shook her head.

“Of course we can’t. I don’t want to even think about who all was drowned beneath the surface.” Kat took a few steps to the side to examine the four dozen bodies they had lined up on the shore. “Carter, this isn’t your fault.”

“Maybe if we had gone last night,”

“We couldn’t just call up a black ops mission in the middle of the night Commander,” Kat warned. “You’re capable of a lot, but running on six hours of sleep in three days is not one of them. It shouldn’t be anyway. We all need naps every now and again,”

“Yeah, I suppose.” Carter rubbed his visor and then looked up. “Check in with Six and Jorge,” there was silence over the radio and Carter frowned. “Kat?”

“I’m trying.” Kat snipped. “Noble Two to Noble Five and Six, come in.” Silence. Carter nervously found himself chewing away at the inside of his cheek. He stayed silent in hopes to get a response out of the other two SPARTANS. There was nothing. “I repeat, Noble Five or Six, this is Noble Two, please respond.” Carter took a few steps forward when the ground violently shook and a clap of thunder like noise came from the village area. His eyes widened when he saw smoke drifting above the treeline. 

“Dammit-” he whispered to himself. He had flashbacks, rapid views of Thom’s tarnished helmet marred by scratches and shrapnel. Carter took off in a sprint before Kat could even ask what their plan was. He didn’t know- but if Six or Jorge was dead...he would never be able to live with himself. “Jorge?!” he half-shouted through the radio. 

“COMMANDER- WE NEED BACK UP!” Jorge’s voice commented. “HE WOULD’VE KILLED HER-” Carter took a breath at Jorge’s panicked voice and heard the screaming of someone in the background. It wasn’t audible over the radio...must’ve been someone nearby. “SIX!” Carter’s stomach dropped, not again. 

Not again.

“Movement to the north,” Emile spoke up. “Permission to engage?!”

“Do it! Keep those bastards off them until we see what Six’s status is,” Carter ordered. He broke the treeline and was greeted immediately with a bullet to the tree nearby. He grunted and looked at Kat who drew her gun and ran ahead of him. Carter noted the red body collapsed a few feet from the burning building nearby. Carter groaned under his breath in horror, no...no…"ANTONIA!” he shouted to his Lieutenant. Did he actually just get another soldier killer? He knew he should’ve gone with his gut feeling…

No, because if Kat had been here then she could’ve…-

He didn’t want to think about it. He ran up next to Six and his eyes scoured her marred and torched back. He pulled his DMR off his back and started laying down heavy fire on the Insurrection bastards that fired at them. Putting his shinned leg in front of Six’s helmet he continued to fire. He stiffened when he felt a hand hit his thigh. 

“Gun…” Toni’s voice choked out. Carter grabbed his Magnum off his side and handed it to her, still in mild shock that she was still able to fight. “Move…” Carter didn’t bother questioning her and stepped aside as she rolled onto her stomach. Carter caught a glimpse of her back and tried to extinguish the rapid concern that continued to grow in his head. But after seeing the bloodied, blistered, and shredded parts of her back through the dual plated undersuit, he swore not to leave her side until these fuckers were dead. He turned his gun back towards where the bullets were flying from. He got used to the rapid-fire of the blasting firearm in his hands. 

“Six- are you okay?!” he asked loudly. No responses, he glanced back to the Lieutenant whose head had slumped back against the ground. The magnum she had been holding had flattened itself under her limp palm. Carter swore under his breath, tossing his gun aside: “COVER ME- I’M MOVING HER!” 

“GOT IT! JUN EMILE, MOVE UP!” Kat ordered. Carter dipped down and rolled Six over, using one arm to keep her back elevated and supported before he slumped his arm under her knees and scooped her up to his chest. He set her down behind a large nearby boulder, pulling off his helmet. He set it down and fumbled at the clips of Six’s helmet, pulling it off her head. Leaning down, he listened for her breathing. There was some sign of breath, she was alive. For how long, he wasn’t sure. Carter couldn’t leave his team on their own, they needed him. 

“Hang in there Six,” he ordered. Grabbing his helmet, he pulled it back on, unclipping a grenade and throwing it into the crowd of Insurrectionists. It wiped out a good portion as Carter ran over to pick up his DMR, taking point once again.

“IS SHE OKAY?!” Jorge asked loudly. 

“SHE’S ALIVE.” Carter didn’t dare push the aspect of her being okay. “THREE, NOBODY GETS BEHIND US.”

“YES SIR,” Jun shouted. Carter kept his eyes focused on the people ahead of him. They were relentless, weren’t they? All he could think about was how he refused to lose another Six. She was stubborn, annoying, and excruciatingly close-minded at times but she was a good soldier in the day and a half she had been here. A practical and smart one. Six was not about to be killed in the single day she had been with the Team. She deserved more than that. Not to mention the tongue-lashing Carter knew he’d receive if she died. The drumming of bullets continued for longer than Carter managed to keep up with. His head was swarming with so many thoughts. 

Thom died in an explosion.

Was this Carter’s legacy? To see his people die in the same way over...and over again?

He took aim at the final Innie, making a break for the opposite treeline and he pulled the trigger. He collapsed to the ground as the bullet crammed his skull. Carter caught a visual of more people running further into the woods. 

“Kat, Jorge- go finish them off.” 

“Yes sir,” Kat nodded. Jorge paused a few feet away from Kat,

“She’ll be okay Jorge,” Carter said. “Go.” Jorge and Kat took off in a jog towards the treeline and Carter looked to Emile. “Get medics en route. We need them here soon,”

“Commander,” Jun snapped.

“What?”

“Her face is changing color,” Jun shouted. Carter couldn’t even bring himself to swear, as he swiftly locked his gun back onto his back walking back to Six’s place. Jun had already taken a knee to assess the Lieutenant's status. Her lips were moving very faintly, small mumbles coming out. Carter took his helmet off and handed it to Jun,

“Come on Six,” he muttered. He gently pressed his hand to her neck and noted that slowly her pulse was just seeming to get slower. “Dammit Toni,” he muttered. She wheezed a breath, catching Carter’s attention. 

“ Fucking...get off… ” she muttered, her eyelids fluttering rapidly. 

“Six?” Jun commented with no response. She was in her own dimension, Carter wasn’t about to let her stay there. 

“ I can’t do this...I can’t-”

“Toni.”

“ Help me…” Carter’s stomach twisted at that one. He pressed a hand to her forehead, hoping that this wouldn’t end with him on his back-

“ANTONIA!”

“Huh…” Six examined Carter’s face as he focused his eyes on the opposite side of the Pelican. He stood and took a seat in one of the side seats when the medic told her to lean forward. Six danced her hands out far beyond her to lean towards the ground, “So I was mumbling…”

“Yeah,” Carter nodded. “You said help me...what were you dreaming about?”

“I can’t remember exactly- OW-” Six tensed up when a piece of shrapnel was pulled from her skin once more. “I remember being cold and...thinking about my past...just stuff like that. Usual PTSD,”

“That’s a comfort,” Carter muttered. Six looked up at him and lifted a brow,

“You’re that concerned?”

“I’ve got plenty of reasons to be,” he told her. “Not to mention you’ve been here a singular day and you’ve almost stopped breathing altogether.” 

“But I didn’t,”

“Yeah,” Carter scoffed. “I noticed.” Six bit the inside of her cheek and nodded at his silence. She wasn’t entirely sure what else to say. What else could she say? She had never had someone so concerned for her as Jorge and Carter had been. This was new to her. The entire concept was foreign. 

“What came of my file?” she asked quietly. Carter raised his head and lifted a brow. Six winced as some kind of cool gel was set onto her back, “What did you find in it?”

“Your specialties, some operations you ran.” Six’s eyes flickered down to the pelican floor.

“That all?”

“Something you're looking to get out of me specifically Six?”

“No,” she said that too quickly. “No…” she repeated, shaking her head. “If it’s in the file, that’s all.” Carter shifted in his seat and leaned back, she could feel his eyes boring into her skull. 

“Secrets again Lieutenant?”

“If it’s not in the file, no need to worry about it.” Six smiled weakly back at him. Carter blinked a few times, and Six couldn’t necessarily detect what emotion he took away from it. 

“I’ll keep it in mind,” he said. “You’ve seen your own file I assume?”

“A few times,” Six nodded. “Not recently though,” she said quietly, pulling at her gloved fingers until they pulled off. “Anything interesting?”

“You’re good at what you do,”

“Yeah well they pay me to shoot at things,” Six muttered tilting her head. “Or maybe I don’t get paid...I should.”

“Heh,” Carter bobbed his head side to side, “Doesn't feel like we get paid, does it?”

“No,” Six winced again and shook her head, “It doesn’t,” she confirmed. The Pelican was silent for a little while longer. She couldn’t figure out a proper way to explain her Hyper Lethality to Carter. He deserved to know the more she thought about it. It would change the way they all looked at her though. She would no longer be following the advice Aarons gave her. Letting loose, letting the team in. They would shut her out, wouldn’t they? She could be considered a monster to anyone who didn’t know the true strength behind such a simple status. Perhaps he wouldn’t find out. Perhaps they’d never find out. Maybe she was digging herself a deeper grave by opening her mouth which was not something she wanted to do. Six looked back at Carter once more as he adjusted the side of his helmet to face up. It never hurt to ask the question, and hesitating was always a dangerous game...

“Carter,” he lifted his head up and Six paused, “Commander. Sorry.”

“You’re fine, go on Lieutenant.”

“Have you ever heard of Operation Crimson Infinity?” she asked slowly. Carter examined her face but didn’t say anything for a moment. “If not, it’s nothing I was just wondering.”

“I can’t say I have,” he said. “Should I have?”

“No…” Six shook her head and clenched her jaw. “No, it’s nothing. Nevermind it.”

“You sure?”

“Yes sir,”

“Okay.” he didn’t pry and Six was thankful as the heat flushed her face in the dark lighting of the pelican. It wasn’t in her file. Would he do more digging? Did he take a mental note of the name? She sighed. No, it was likely he wouldn’t. He had bigger things to worry about than her. She felt self-absorbed for even thinking about it but, she couldn’t exactly help it. Reminding herself to distance herself from the Commander she didn’t bother instigating the conversations anymore. Rather, she even ignored some of his questions on the way back to the base. 

“How do you feel?”

Ten minutes of silence.

“How was your night?”

Five minutes of silence.

“Do you think you’ll be able to perform your duties in a patrol tonight?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good to hear.”

Six felt guilty for the sudden avoidance of questions, even though he had gone through hell worrying about the well being of a woman he had only known for a day and a half. 

“Are you alright?” he asked after a few moments. Six sighed and looked at him with a simple nod.

“Yes sir,”

“You went from ten to zero in a matter of twenty seconds,” Carter commented.

“Yeah,” Six tried to bundle up an excuse for her sudden behavior. “Just have a wave of tiredness,” she smiled weakly. “Maybe I’ll feel better after the medics take me in for a proper look.”

“Probably should give you psych eval just to be careful,” Carter told her. “You alright with that?”

“Oh yeah, I just love people sorting around my thoughts,” Six gave the Commander an unamused look. She noted the small smile that pulled at the corner of his mouth, the same one from her joke earlier. Six had to repress any emotions that gave her, she didn’t quite know what to make of them. Her eyes fell to the ground of the Pelican and she ran her hand over her face, squinting at the dirt that they'd tracked into the jet. 

“Don’t worry Six,” Carter sighed. “I’ll make sure they go easy on you. Whatever you’re keeping locked away in that head of yours, I’m sure there is a good reason for it.”

Chapter Text

EIGHT. His Pokerface

Noble Base, Planet Reach
July 25, 2552
17:30 HOURS

Six struggled to open her eyes to the bright light above her. She knew Jorge was asleep in the chair next to her and didn’t dare move too much, so not to disturb him. She sat up and took a breath in relief from the relaxing burn of her back muscles set into place. Could she move? Twisting her body side to side, she pumped her fists to herself and nodded. Six looked at Jorge who lifted his head,

“Oh good…” he yawned. “You’re up,”

“Yeah…” She squinted her eyes back to him and tried to repress the contagious yawn that built up in her cheek muscles. “Everyone okay?”

“The girl was taken to a refugee camp, the Commander gave a report to Holland. We leave for SWORD Base first thing in the morning,” Jorge said. “They cleared you to work. Your back got torched but it was nothing that couldn’t be easily fixed by your companion medics here,”

“They paid a lot of money to keep me alive the past ten or so years,” Six told him, “ONI would hate for their toy doll to take such a grand hit. Would be a total waste,”

“I suppose so,” Jorge stood up and stretched. Six still couldn’t quite comprehend his height out of armor compared to herself. Why the hell was he so tall? She almost didn’t wanna get out of the bed for the sake of no being looked down on. She came up to his shoulder. She wasn’t necessarily scared of Jorge- rather what he could do . 

‘Only God could see the top of this man's head,’ Six thought to herself as she stood up slowly. She looked around the room for a change of clothes and whined when she didn’t see any.

“God Dammit,” She huffed. Looking into the medical dress they had fit over her body, she glanced over the bandages that bound around her chest and back. She felt over her shoulder and found that it went across both of them too. She looked at her sleeved arm and nodded thankfully to find that the vine patterns had not been disrupted. “Go on ahead, I’ll join you once I get some mother fucking CLOTHES.” she half-shouted. Jorge laughed weakly.

“I’ll go grab some for you,” Jorge assured her. “Don’t strain yourself,”

“Yeah and don’t hit your head on a doorframe,”

“Pfft,” was his only response before walking out of the room, narrowly dodging Aarons who came running in.

“I HEARD YOU YELL-”

“NOBODY BROUGHT ME CLOTHES,”

“OH!” Aarons laughed out. Six smiled weakly, happy to see her friend relieved. “Jorge took my spot about two hours ago. The CO wanted me to help out in the garage,” Aarons said, walking over to her and touching her arm. “How are you feeling?”

“A little sore, but much better than I did earlier,” Six nodded with a small smile. 

“God, that's a relief.” Aarons sighed. “When I saw the Commander carrying you out off the pelican, it took almost three people to hold me back.”

“Yeah, I saw,” Six smiled a bit more. She had looked over Carter’s shoulder to see a desperate and yelling Aarons being held back by a few troopers. She waved her hand to assure him she’d be alright and that managed to calm him down a bit. 

“That was the longest surgery ever,” Aarons sighed. “The Commander was going to stay until you woke up but he and Kat had to report to Colonel Holland about some stuff. Emile and Jun should be back from patrol soon, they’ll be happy to see you’re still kicking.”

“Yeah,” Six nodded. 

“You’ve made quite an impression on these SPARTANs, Toni. Color me shocked,”

“It’s been a day and a half. I think they’re just happy to have a new person to talk to,” Six shrugged her shoulders. “But I won’t complain...I guess it's been a good two days. Despite the times I got injured or nearly killed by an alien. I hope this doesn’t become a regular occurrence.”

“You and I both,” Carter’s voice chimed from the doorway. Six stiffened and raised her fingers to her brow in a salute the same way Aarons did.

“Sir,” Aarons said. “I-I-I just wanted to see how she was doing-”

“Easy there Trooper,” Carter said. “You’re fine. You’re her buddy to and from this base, right? You have every right to be concerned.” Carter looked back to her, “At ease, Lieutenant. How are you feeling?”

“Sore, but I’m ready whenever you need me out there.”

“Good to hear it,” he said, “I like the enthusiasm. Where’s Jorge?”

“He ran to get me clothes.” Six examined Carter’s face as he kept his eyes focused on her. “They didn’t keep any in here for me when I woke up, and I didn’t think many people in the base would find the medical gown flattering,”

“I guess they didn’t expect you to wake up so soon,” Aarons suggested. Six shrugged her shoulders and bobbed her head side to side.

“Maybe,” Six smiled a bit at her friend, “Guess I’m just full of surprises.” there was a mild grunt from the Commander who seemed to agree.

“I see,” Carter gave her an affirming nod. “I’ll talk to the medics about your discharge and we’ll grab something to eat with the rest of the team.” 

“Yes sir,” Six said politely. Carter brushed past her and called out to a medic. Six felt her body ease from the tension of the Commander simply standing there. He was a good five or so inches taller than her, a resting stoic face and ice blue eyes that could freeze a foe on approach. It made her shiver a bit. 

“Are you okay?” Aarons laughed weakly. 

“Something about the Commander puts me on edge,” Six whispered. “Couldn’t tell you what it is though,”

“Maybe you’re attracted to him,” the words took about five seconds to sink in before she whipped her head towards Jaxon with wide eyes,

“I’m sorry, what? ” Six had half the mind to hit Aarons over the back of his head. What a concept. She’d been on the team for two days. The Commander was attractive but there was a very bright red line that drew the difference between attractive and attracted. Six liked to think she stood as far away from that line’s existence as possible. With that subject hot on her mind though, she had her stomach churning and her cheeks burning. “No-no- absolutely not. Don’t even suggest something like that because it’s not even remotely true.” she scolded. 

“Real defensive for someone demanding it’s not true,”

“I will literally kill you,”

“Why?” Carter asked, approaching them. Six gave her friend a threatening glare as he held his hands up in defense with a big smile on his face. Carter raised a brow but didn’t further his comments,

“Just something,” Six excused, keeping her eyes buckled on the ground for a few moments. It took a little bit for Six to clear her head of the thoughts that were clinging to her brain like leeches. She hummed and looked up, “So am I free to leave?”

“You don’t have much of a choice, and I told them that,” Carter explained. “Aarons, you’ll be accompanying the Troopers to SWORD tomorrow. Probably best if Six has a babysitter.”

“Hey,” Six sneered, earning a small smile from Carter. She looked at Aarons who saluted and nodded,

“You can count on me sir,” Aarons assured him with a sly grin at Six who rolled her eyes. Six slumped back down on the bed and ran a hand through her hair while sitting in the awkward silence provided by her CO and the trooper in the room. Aarons was trying not to make eye contact with Six because he’d find himself chuckling while Carter’s mind was clearly somewhere else. His eyes were slightly glossed over and he watched the floor like it was going to come alive and give him the answer to the meaning of life. Six observed him until Jorge cleared his throat in the doorway.

“Bad time?” he chuckled. Six smiled a bit,

“Perfect actually,” She stood and took the clothes from him when he walked over.

“Tensions thick,” he commented. “Are you alright sir?”

“Hm?” Carter lifted his head, “Oh, yeah.” he nodded. “Come on, you two, give her a moment to change,” Carter said. “Just come into the hallway whenever you’re done,” he said to Six. She gave a polite nod to him and watched them leave. She turned her head from side to side and found a bathroom door, slinking into it and locking it. She dropped the gown around her ankles and examined her body in the mirror. Scarred and battle-worn tanned skin that was inked with black designs skirting just around her hips where the wings ended from the back tattoo. Her chest was covered with thick bandaged wraps. It was harder to breathe but she wouldn’t complain. Whatever kept the pain and aching away. If it was the tightly wrapped bandages, then so be it. She tugged and pulled on her hair until she was able to tie it back in the messiest half-ponytail-bun she’d ever created. Tugging her tank top over her torso and her sweatpants up, she walked out of the bathroom with the medical gown over her shoulder whilst tying the strings to her sweats.

No shoes, but she didn’t care too much. She walked out of the infirmary with a simple ‘thanks’ to the medics. She stretched her arms side to side and walked over to Carter, Jorge, and Aarons. 

“Floors cold,” she spoke up to get their attention. The men laughed weakly which made her smile a bit. “But it’s nice not having to have heavy armor and boots weighing my feet to the ground.”

“Lucky you,” Aarons snorted, raising one leg. “You have a completely separate CO from me or else I’d walk everywhere barefoot.” Six looked to Carter who seemed to be trying to contain himself. 

“Never thought I’d see the day where a SPARTAN didn’t care enough to put on shoes,” Six waited a few moments before throwing up her hands with a smile,

“Surprise,” 

Jorge laughed and rested a hand on her head as they started to walk down the hallway. Six let her smile fall a bit when her stomach churned at the touch. She didn’t let it disappear though, she kept it on her face as they walked. Aarons walked a few paces ahead of Jorge and Six next to Carter, babbling to him about the recent missions and patrols. 

“He likes to talk,” Jorge laughed.

“Yeah,” Six nodded. “He’s always been like this,” she nodded. “Talkative, cheerful, optimistic…” she named off. “He’s practically my brother so you know I hear the worst of it. His girl problems and shit.” 

“Oh yeah?”

“I say girl problems in the lightest way possible,” Six shook her head. “He has a fiancee,”

  “Ah,” Jorge chuckled. “She’s a civilian?”

“ODST actually,” 

“Hm,” Six laughed at Jorge’s shocked face. 

“Her name is Zoe Anders, she is a wonderful person. Not sure where she is right now,”

“I imagine she’s probably heading our way.” Jorge admitted, “What with the Covenant deciding to pay us a visit and all.”

“Maybe,” Six sighed. “More people for Jaxon to worry about.”

“Hey,” Jorge looked down at her. “You’re soldiers, and Aarons is smart. He understands pretty deeply the concept of losing people,”

“Doesn’t make it any easier,” Six said quietly. “I mean I wouldn’t really know. I’ve lost people before and felt nothing but, I can’t imagine Jax dying.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll see to it the world burns before that happens.”

“You two are really that close?”

“Yes,” Six nodded. “He’s been with me since he was in boot camp. He made the move to become my friend while I was there training.” Six nodded side to side, “He was kind of annoying now that I think about it. He joined up with me during my morning run every day for almost two months, then would ask how the day before was every time, and every time I would ignore him. One morning I had a breakdown against the fence on the track and Jax saw me, walked over, and offered me a hand to stand up. So I hit him. And he took it. When we finally finished fighting, I screamed something like: ‘why won’t you just leave me alone?!’ and he responded with ‘because you looked lonely!’” Six smiled back on the thought. “I looked over him with a sort of confused and conflicted look and then started crying again. And even though he was bleeding from his nose and mouth, he hugged me and told me that everything would be okay. After that, I answered his questions, I ate with him in the cafeteria and ONI asked for him to be partnered with me. Now he’s my lil escort.” Six smiled forward at him, “He’s my best friend.”

“Ya know,” Jorge said, “It’s nice to see that you’re not a complete stone cold statue without any kind of emotion besides anger,” Six looked up at Jorge. “You scared me a bit, being such an unknown.”

“Jorge, you could punt me into the sun.”

“Well, you know what I mean.” Jorge looked back at her with a grin. Six couldn’t repress the smile that formed on her lips.

“I mean,” she paused for a moment. “Yeah I mean I guess I get it….” she said with a nod. 

“Carter says you haven’t seen much of your own file?”

“Nope,” Six confirmed. “Not recently. I know everything I need to and I don’t ask questions about it.” She said. “I mean...until now.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I got in contact with my old Agency yesterday,” Six explained. “I don’t know- I wanted to see if they’d be pulling me abruptly. They were hesitant to give me away in the first place. I think there was some original replacement for the team- can’t remember her name. I don’t know. Anyways,” Six sighed. “I wanted to see if they’d get scared and pull me after hearing the Covies touched down on Reach.”

“You don’t want to be here?”

“Yes! Wait I mean- no? Wait.” Six took a breath as Jorge raised a brow. “I want to be here.” she cleared her throat. “I want to learn more about all of you. I want to help kick the Covenant off Reach and then stick around to help rebuild afterward. This team just feels more…” what’s the word she was looking for here? She pressed her hand to her forehead, “Ya know?” she smiled weakly. Jorge laughed softly and nodded.

“I think I understand,” he said assuringly. “You’re not too good with speaking your emotions are you?”

“What gave it away?”

“Just a guess,” Jorge patted her shoulder before walking a few more steps ahead of her. She smiled slightly before jogging after the men, patting Aarons shoulder. Jax turned quickly and looked at her, taking the chance to talk to her. There was some collective cheering from Emile and Jun who saw her. Emile was on his feet, rubbing his hands together and walking over. He gently put a hand on her head and pulled her into the side of his armor with a happy explanation of the story Carter had told her earlier. He exaggerated a lot of it, or maybe Carter minimized his own story- Six was informed that the Commander was stressed either way. She shared a small smile with him over dinner when Kat walked over and took her seat next to him. 

“We’re happy to have another person sitting with us,” Jun told Aarons. “Gets kinda boring after awhile, same conversations over and over again.”

“I’m sure you’d have plenty to talk about, what with the Covies deciding that Reach is a good place to house their armies.”

“This is true,” Emile held up his fork. “Which reminds me Boss, I’ll have my report to you before 2700.”

“Good to hear it,” Carter nodded. “Kat why don’t you debrief,”

“I can do that,” Kat took a long swig of her water. “Tomorrow, we’re going to be going to SWORD Base. It’s a good ways across the ocean so prepare for a long fly. It’s going to be cold, I recommend bandanas under your helmets.”

“I don’t have one of those…” Six muttered to Emile.

“I have plenty, don’t worry about it.” Emile assured her. “Got a ton to clean my helmet, only use one of them.”

“Convenient,” Six chuckled.

“I know right?” Emile snorted in return. They both received a scolding look from Jorge to be quiet. Emile 

repressed a laugh while Six got busy shoving more salad into her mouth.

“There will be plenty of ONI reps there, so play nice. Emile I’m looking at you.”

“Kat, you don’t have to call me out. We all know who you’re talking to.”

“What...what part of ONI?” Six asked hesitantly.

“Elaborate Lieutenant,”

“Nevermind ma’am,” Six looked at Aarons who gave her the look to calm down. Six found herself unable to focus on the rest of the meeting. She might be more screwed than she initially thought. She focused on pushing her food around her tray and roamed her tongue over her teeth time and time again. Lifting her head once Kat sat back down, she noted the Lieutenant Commander eyeing her before getting into some heated debate with Jun. Six placed her fork on her tray,

“I think I’m going to go check on my armor repairs,” Six said to Emile. “I’ll see you all in a bit.” 

“Sounds good,” Emile patted her good arm. “We’re meeting in the rec room in about an hour for a rest period. Might be the last chance we get. Jorge can teach you the basics of poker,”

“Noted,” Six smiled weakly.

“I’ll go with Six,” Carter stood. Six looked at the Commander with wide eyes flickering back to Jorge who slowly sunk back down onto the bench with pursed lips.

“It’s fine sir, I-” Carter gave her a look as if to say, ‘I’m going,’. “Alright,” she said simply, not bothering to argue. The walk down the hallway was long and silent. She stepped towards the door, “I still have no shoes so I’m running, feel free to walk after me.”

“I think I can keep up,” Carter said. “Don’t strain yourself Six,”

“My back hurts not my legs, sir.” Six pushed open the door and started into a jog, taking long strides across the dirt. Carter was quick to follow after, she could hear his boots thudding in the dirt. She glanced briefly over her shoulder to see he was closer than she had initially expected. She huffed out a breath of cold air as she met the warehouse doors, shoving on it. Carter’s voice laughed as he helped her push it open. Ducking inside, they found only a few people inside working.

“Sir, ma’am,” a few of the troopers called.

“Hey,” Six sighed under her breath. 

“At ease, we’re here to check on armor fixes,” Carter assured them. Six nodded briefly to the Troopers before walking into the room of the SPARTAN armor. She let her eyes gloss over the dark red armor that was settled on a table. Carter’s arm brushed hers as he walked to his own. 

“Did your armor get damaged…?”

“No,” Carter responded. “I just wanted to have it checked out before SWORD Base tomorrow, better safe than sorry.” he turned and looked at Six. “Which is something else I wanted to ask about.”

“Oh boy,”

“Heh,” Carter seemed to chuckle briefly. “No worries, it’s nothing that will get you into trouble. It’s about that Operation you mentioned. Crimson Infinity?” Six paused as her fingers lingered over her helmet, she took a breath. “I haven’t looked into it, so you don’t have to worry about that. I was actually wondering if you wanted me to. I figured I’d ask before I did any snooping.” Six turned slightly,

“You’re... asking ?” she asked quietly. 

“Yes,” Carter nodded his head hesitantly. “Is that such an outlandish concept?”

“Kind of, yeah,” Six snorted, turning slightly and watching him for a moment pick up his undersuit. He probably was going to get ready for his own Patrol soon...She turned her back to him as he disappeared into the stall hidden closet.

“Not used to it?”

“No sir, I can’t say I am.” She called in return. 

“Drop the sir for ten seconds, Six,” he responded. “I’m coming to you as a fellow SPARTAN. You seemed concerned about it on the Pelican. That’s why I wanted to know if there was anything I should truly know about.” 

“There's...plenty Carter.” Six felt weird saying his real name aloud. Every time she said it, it felt weird. “I just don’t know if there is anything I can really do to soften the landing of the shit storm that is my past.” Six tossed her head side to side. 

“That bad huh?”

“Whatever you find sir- Carter,” she cleared her throat. “I’d prefer you keep it to...to yourself. Aarons and I have talked about the bits and pieces I’m most concerned about you finding out…” she turned slightly and watched him walk out in his undersuit.

“Help me with my arms?” he asked. Six nodded and walked over to his right side, waiting on him to sit down. “Whatever I find, will be kept on the DL. I can assure you of that. If you’re that concerned about it, there's probably a reason for it. Right?” he looked at her from the corner of his eye. Six didn’t respond for a few moments,
“Yeah…” she said quietly with a slow nod. “There's a lot that goes into it if I’m honest. I’d tell you the whole story but ya know...rules. Regulations.” she looked at him briefly as she raised the metal plated shoulder pad to his shoulder. 

“Anything you can tell me?” Six thought it over for a moment. 

“Are you sure you wanna know?” Carter looked up at her comment. For the first time, Six held his eyes and didn’t feel nervous. She just felt...well? Nothing. She looked back to adjusting the piece of metal. “I killed my first man at the age of fifteen.” She saw his shoulder become stiff but continued, “He was some innie leader on an obscure colony. He’d been causing problems for nearby farmers and had been stealing and killing their young animals and children. They sent me in as a sort of...experiment. To see how I would perform under the pressure.”

“And how’d you do?”

“My performance was easily one of the best next to John-117’s apparently. Or so I’ve heard.” She explained. “I walked into the building dressed as an intern for his company. My disguise was that I was fresh out of college, looking for a job. Troopers followed in behind me to secure the lobby. I knew my face wouldn’t last long, I could hardly hold a smile.”

“Could?” Carter scoffed. Six rolled her eyes,

“Anyways, when you’re expecting some great weapon- most Insurrectionists think of a man. Tall, dark, threatening, dark colors. Nobody ever expects a girl in a bright red dress.” Six nodded, “I’ve said it plenty of times- and I’ll continue to say it. I will always have the upper hand for nobody knowing my identity. As I walked into the office, the man seemed cheerful enough. I wasn’t particularly threatened. We sat down and started the interview and soon enough it was over. I walked around the other side of the desk to sign the contract and pulled my knife. I slit his throat without a second thought. He didn’t even have time to react. I watched him fall over in the chair...his blood got on my hands. So...you know what I did?” Six finished his forearm armor and looked at Carter who stared at her expectantly. “I wiped it on my dress. I just…” she wiped her hand on her pant leg. “Like it was just some minor inconvenience.”

Carter’s eyes followed her to his left side.

“Are you serious?”

“Mhm,” Six nodded. “I fell apart at a very young age. I’ve spent the last fourteen years getting my ass together. Newsflash, it hasn’t exactly worked out so well. I mean...I’ve got more feelings in my brain but that doesn’t mean much when you don’t understand them.”

“You’ll get the hang of it,” Carter looked at her as she picked up the latch piece to his shoulder armor. 

“It’s just...complicated.” she tried to explain. “You’ll find the whole mission file if you look into OPIC.” Six told him, avoiding his eyes. “I am trying to...to exploit my humanity on this team sir. You’ll have to be patient with me.”

“I figured…” Carter said quietly. He gently placed a hand on her wrist, “Six you weren’t planning on letting that Insurrectionist live were you?” Six examined his face- she couldn’t read what was happening behind his icy blue eyes. It was a complete unknown. An unknown she’d have to jump into if she planned on surviving what SWORD would bring. She made eye contact with Carter and said,

“He was never going to see the light of day again. With or without my help.” 

Chapter Text

NINE. Don't Fall On Your Sword

Planet Reach
Babd Catha Ice Shelf, Eposz
July 26, 2552
12:04 hours 

Six admitted to the team moments earlier that she had never been fond of flying over water which earned her a seat to herself and an endless amount of teasing from Jun and Emile. She sat in the center between two different seats so she didn’t have to look directly down at the ocean beneath them. Though, the idea of it being below them still haunted her. “So heights are no issue. You have no fear of crashing into the ground, likely dying- but the idea of crashing into water where the chance of death is more unlikely, scares you more?” Emile had asked her.

“Screw off.” had been her response.

Now, they were nearing Sword Base. She could see the building's architecture in the distance.

“Be advised, kilo-three and kilo-three-four, your current LZ is too hot.” a voice says over COM. It didn’t need to be said, Six figured it out that it was Sword Base Control. She looked up at Jorge and Jun, who sat across from her. Jorge nodded to her and looked over at the other Falcon where Carter, Kat and Emile were.

“Roger that. Dot, standby to receive and respond.” Carter stated.

“Sword Base. There's a hundred other Bases that the Covies could’ve gone after. Why this one?” Emile piped up.

“Must be something they want.” Kat stated, clicking the data crystal into a data pad she held and typing something. Six lifted a brow but didn’t say anything. Six had no interest in returning to an ONI base...she had been in enough of them to last her a lifetime.

“Here? Doubtful. Unless it's underground. That's where bases like these usually store their sketchy stuff.” Six mumbled.

“She speaks.” Jun teased.

“Yeah, I’ve been trying not to throw up in my helmet as we cross an ocean that could swallow me whole.” Six rolled her eyes.

“So dramatic.” Emile taunted.

“I’m going to break your neck,” she pointed to Emile who laughed and then to Jun, “and your kneecaps.”

“I’d like to see you try Little Red.” Emile taunted.

“Challenge accepted.”

“Alright, you three. Enough.” Carter warned that resulted in the three Spartans chuckling a little. Six looked back to Carter across from her and shifted slightly. The long talk they’d had yesterday was kind of relieving. More than she cared to admit at least. He was for upfront about his thoughts on her past but he never seemed threatened by her. He said he’d look into it, after SWORD Base but a part of Six felt like she should’ve come clean about her hyper lethality. And...the accident. She was stressing herself senselessly.

“Commander,” Dot spoke, causing Six to jump a little. She had rarely ever worked with an AI so hearing one in her ears every now and  again tended to set off her nerves, especially when she wasn’t particularly zoned into the world around her. “The Coordinates have been received. Initiate immediate course correction. The Office of Naval Intelligence Sword Base is presently under siege from a corvette-class Covenant vessel. Due to the sensitive nature of this facility, use of orbital rounds has been, for the moment, prohibited. Regrettably, my efforts to obtain relevant data on enemy forces have been unsuccessful. However, current defensive forces are insufficient. ONI has requested Team Noble's direct intervention to help secure Sword Base."

“Great.” Kat sighed.

“AA guns are what we’re after though, right?” Six asked.

“Yes. Think you can handle them Noble Six?” Kat questioned.

“I believe I can, yes ma’am.” Six responded shortly. Six peered out of the falcon and her jaw slacked slightly at the sight of the covenant cruiser. The damn thing was huge. “Holy shi…” her voice faded off.

“Alright people, looks like we’re stuck with that ship for the time being.” Carter stated clearly. “Right now, our goal needs to be on the hostile infantry. The troopers in the courtyard are getting slaughtered.” The Falcons made a clean sweep over the courtyard. “Kat, Six. You two are out here. Emile and Jorge, you're up next. Get prepped.” Carter ordered.

“Roger that, we’re your strike team.” Kat commented.

“Affirmative sir.” Six stood to her feet and with the chopper hovering about ten feet above the ground, she jumped off, Kat landing next to her. She looked up at the choppers, watching them fly off.

“Good luck you two.” Carter's voice said over the COMS. Six was just glad they had all made it over the open water. That was her dose of good luck for the day, she would willingly take it.

“Alright Six, shall we?” Kat nodded to her.

“We shall.” Six unclipped her shotgun from her back and looked ahead where Grunts had taken notice of them. Six nodded to Kat- “Flank right. There's an Elite up there, be careful.” Six nodded to the other woman.

“Meet at the far end.”

“Yes ma’am.” Six nodded. She took off in a sprint, cocking her shotgun and head shooting three grunts who were running down the center. She heard the shell clatter against the ground every time she fired and slowly got a rhythm with the weapon in her hand. She saw two marines ahead of her and whistled for their attention.

“Spartan!” one of them gasped.

“Fall behind me, there's a medkit back there. I’ll cover you. Make it quick.” Six confirmed. The troopers fell behind her and she wasted no time firing off at two jackals that screeched and started towards her. She aimed for their hands, causing their shields to drop. She fired rounds into their sides until they dropped dead. Six nodded, pleased with her work.

She shouted a little when a sparkling plasma narrowly missed her head had she not hit the deck. She took a breath and poked her head up slightly, seeing an ultra elite in white armor as well as another one in yellow. She swore under her breath and stood, hunched over. She grabbed her shotgun off the ground and ran, still hunched over to the other side. She slid and fired shots into three skirmishers who had been attacking the troopers below them.

She smirked a little upon seeing a sniper rifle. She tossed her shotgun down and snatched up the rifle and crouched.

“Kat we’ve got two heavily armored Elites ahead of us. I’ve got a rifle.”

“Good. Take them out Six. I’m gonna make my way down the ramp with some troopers to clear a path. Join us when you get the chance.” Kat informed. “Group up on me!”

“Got it.” Six settled in a kneeling position, peering through the scope and stared down the elite whose focus was trained on her Lieutenant Commander. She aimed and fired three shots before ducking down. The Elite roared and obviously, she had gained both of the large alien's attention.

The blast of plasma that seared her undersuit confirmed that she had pissed them off. She laughed a little before chucking a grenade over her head, hearing it explode and the swoosh of shields being taken down.

She jumped to her feet and fired off more rounds from the sniper until she had to reload. By the time she did have to reload, one Elite was down which just left the heavily armed alien left. She gasped, once again, narrowly missing the shot from the Elite’s gun. She clung to the floor for a moment before reorganizing her plan. This wasn’t an Elite she could take on from afar.

Six tossed the sniper rifle to the side and snatched her shotgun off the ground. She reloaded and waited for a few seconds before grabbing the edge of the railing and maneuvering her body over it in a quick and agile fashion. She slid down the closed doors, firing off bullets at the elite. It roared in objection and tried to fire at her.

It couldn’t get a lock, she was too fast for it. She swore under her breath and glared angrily through her visor as if the look would shoot the alien down where it stood. But it kept moving, so did she. She gripped her fists and snatched her knife out of its sheath. She ducked under its swing for her when it roared and went to hit her. She took a breath quickly and held it until she had sunk her knife into the Elite’s side. She took a swift kick and knocked it into a military barrier. The barrier and elite fell backward.

Six stared for a second just to make sure the Elite was dead before she went to retrieve her knife. She got on the COM-

“Sword Control, the courtyard is cleared. Please acknowledge?” Six read to Sword Control.

“SPARTANs, head to the main gate east of your position.” Sword Control responded. Six jogged down the ramp and saw Kat load a skirmisher’s head with lead before waving Six over. Six swung her arms at her sides, breaking into a run.

“Lost three of the troopers, majority of them are okay though.” Kat nodded to Six before leading the red armored Spartan through the gate. Six took this opportunity to reload her shotgun when Kat spoke up-

“Sword Control, I see a target locator. Any artillery in the area?” Kat asked.

“Limited but we can prioritize whatever you need ma’am.” Sword Control bounced back.

“Care to do the honors Six?”

“If you really don’t want to, sure.” Six chucked her pistol to a trooper before walking to the case along the lining of the wall and picked up the target locator. She shifted it between her hands to get a feel of the handle. She lifted her head as the gate began to slowly open in front of the two Spartans. A warthog’s engine hummed a little ways away.

“3 Echo 57 heading back to base, but we’ve got enemy tangos on our six. How copy?”  She watched the vehicle come into view only to be blown to bits as two Wraiths swung into view. Six swore loudly and ran to cover, a large cannon nearly wiping out both her and Kat.

“I need cover in order to line up shots!” Six called over the COM. “The locator will be off if I’m getting shot at!” 

“We’ll create a diversion ma’am, just get these damn things off us!” A trooper informed. Six sprinted to a large cover and ducked a little when a cannon fire hit the rock, shaking the ground. The ground continued to shake violently when a distant AA gun fired off. She poked her head around the side of the rock as a trooper team fired on the Wraiths, ducking in and out behind rock barriers.

Six threw her hand out and held down the trigger of the locator, watching the screen to ensure that the location was surrounding the two large wraiths that were now firing on the troopers.

“Confirm location, lieutenant?” Artillery commed in.

“B312 confirmed. Fire.” Six nodded curtly.

“Hard copy ma’am, target locked...firing.”

“TAKE COVER!” Kat shouted, tackling a trooper behind a rock. Six hunched down, clipping the locator to her thigh and snatching her shotgun off her back. She pressed her back to the rock when the deafening sound of explosions could be heard behind the rock. There was a loud whine from the covenant vehicle, which only made Six smile. She poked her head around the rock and stepped out seeing both Wraiths burning.

“HELL YEAH!” A marine nearby yelled.

“HOW YOU LIKE THAT YOU SONS-A-BITCHES!” another chanted before nodding for some troopers to fall back to the gates.

“Outstanding as usual Noble Six.” Kat walked over, clipping her magnum to her thigh and pulling off her dmr from her back.

“Yeah, well, I try.” Six nodded to Kat. Kat nodded and looked up, Six followed her eyes.

“Pelican inbound with transport.” Six nodded.

“Spartans, the old Farragut Station has its own comms array that should bring you back online with command. Airview Base has an anti-air battery that will help clear the skies.”

“AA gun is to the west. Comms array to the east. Let's roll.” Kat nodded. “Try not to crash the vehicle, yeah?”

“Ugh, don’t even get me started.” Six scoffed. She hopped into the driver's seat. She put the car into gear, waited for Kat to jump in and a trooper to control the gun on the back before saying, “You guys may wanna hold onto something.” She sped off to the west.

“AA gun, good thinking.” Kat nodded. “Watch our front, tangos.”

Six pressed the gas as they sped through a low lake. A ghost pounded their vehicle with pellets and raced after them, the trooper used the gun of the warthog to shoot down the hovering alien craft. When Six heard the successful explosion of the ghost, she swerved into the large open area where two bases sat. She drove into the low lake nearby and hopped out. 

“I’m heading for the Controls! Cover me!” Six pulled her shotgun off her back before swinging out of the warthog. She cocked her gun and ran inside, ducking under the abrupt swing from an Elite. She ran to the doorway and swung out of it, rushing up the steps. She stopped when she saw another Elite in front of the control panels. It hadn’t noticed she was there and was obviously occupied by Kat who was running around on the ground. 

Six ran up  behind it and jumped up, planting her feet on the Elites hip armor and snapping its neck harshly to the side. The alien groaned and fell limp, leaving Six standing over its corpse. She nudged it to the side with her foot and accessed the terminal to bring the gun online. She whipped around when she heard an Elite roar.

“I swear to God, these things have it out for me.” Six mumbled firing off a shot from her gun before turning. She sucked in a breath- the roof was closer to the ground than it looked. She bailed. Six maneuvered her body over the railing and dropped down onto a Grunt who squealed. She looked down at her now blood coated feet and a disgusted look rolled over her face. 

She dropped and rolled out of the way of a needler rifle and ran to the other small base, racing up the stairs. She could see the Skirmisher sniping from where she was now. She cocked her shotgun and aimed- no...the bullets were sporadic. Not meant for long range fighting.

Six set down her shotgun and looked around for something...a rifled weapon. Most bases like these had them laying everywhere. She spotted one and grinned, rolling to it. She snatched the DMR up off of the ground and returned to her spot, aiming.

“Firing on the snipers on the hill. Target in Marine.” Six ordered the trooper who was still attached to the warthog. “Be careful.”

“Yes ma’am.” Six began to pick off the jackals and the skirmishers that were firing Kat who was handling a hoard of grunts and an elite on her own.

“Let me know if you need help Noble Two.” Six commed.

“I’ve got it Six, thank you.” was the response she got. Six shrugged her shoulders and aimed again. By the time the hostiles were dead, so was the marine that had attached to the warthog.

“We’ve got a casualty near the Anti-Air Battery.” Kat commed. “Trooper.”

“Acknowledged. Pelican is sending over some new mobile firepower.” Sword Control confirmed.

“Thanks.” Six nodded, crossing her arms and picking up her shotgun again. She walked up next to Kat who pulled the Marine from the water and set him on the back of the warthog. Six eyed a pelican that swooped over them and slowed a good distance ahead. She smiled a little and nodded to Kat. The two walked to the new warthog with a stronger gun on the back. Six hopped in the driver’s seat and waited for Kat to get in the passenger's seat before she sped off. 

“Next location coordinates are plotted and sent to you Six,” Kat informed. Six glanced at the motion tracker in the far right of her visor. She noted the arrow and followed it. She swerved the warthog to avoid narrow firefights and glanced to the back where the new trooper was taking out hostiles that approached them. 

“So our next goal is getting that Comms Array back up, yeah?” She questioned.

“Yes. It takes priority now.” Kat nodded. “Let's hope it has a generator.”  Six laughed a little and glanced to the side. She turned corners and followed a long trail until they came upon a small valley off the coast with two run-down houses with radio towers sat on the top of each. Six got out of the vehicle carefully and looked around. It was too quiet. She sprinted into the nearby building and looked around the room. 

Medkits, guns, grenades...no Covies though. 

“Take a look for a generator, Six.” Kat said. 

“Okay.” Six glanced around and saw an orange button with ‘generator’ in bold lettering above it. She tilted her head in a sideways nod. “Think I found it.” she spoke up, pressing the button. That's when the plasma grenade hit the ground next to her. “SHIT!” Six yelled making a break for the balcony, feeling only the searing heat from the grenade. She whipped off her gun and cocked it before running back in shooting down Grunts that ran in screaming. 

She heard Kat drive down into the main valley and start having the trooper fire off shots at a red covenant vehicle that looked like a smaller and red version of a wraith. 

“Kat- keep those bastards busy. I’ll find the comms array.” Six ordered as she evacuated the building, heading for the one across the valley.

“Good work. It should be up high. I’ll do what I can.” Kat responded. Six took a short breath before she sprinted across the valley area. She slipped under a needler and took a plasma to the side, taking down her shields. She swore and pumped her arms at her sides to speed up and launch her forward a bit more. 

She took a swift turn into the other abandoned building and looked around. No Covies on the bottom floor but she could hear Skirmishers whining and squawking above her. She cocked her gun again and slowly walked up the stairs. She received almost immediate fire. She gasped, earning a few needles to her chest plate. She ducked out of the way of a fourth shot before she raised her gun and fired off some shots. She aimed for the head and watched the aliens fall.

Six stepped over their bodies and quickly climbed the stairs, just in time to see Kat and the trooper take care of the red covie vehicle. She ran up the stairs and shot down another skirmisher. 

“All contacts neutralized. Did you find that Comms Array Noble Six?” Kat asked.

“Yeah, turning it on right now.” Six pulled up the main menu and pressed in a few notices to reset the array. She looked down at Kat for confirmation when Carter’s voice came over the comm-

“Noble Strike Team, this is Noble Leader. We need you back at Sword Base ASAP. We’ve got a little bit of a problem.”

“Define problem Noble Leader.” Six chimed in.

“Hunters dropped in behind us,” Carter stated.

“On our way Commander. Six let's go.” Kat called. Six raced down to the lower floor and jumped through a broken window as a shortcut. She ran to the side of the warthog and nodded for Kat to get in the passenger seat.

“No offense intended ma’am, I just don’t get to drive often. You can the next time we get stuck together.” Six chuckled.

“I will hold you to that.” Kat scoffed. Six put the warthog into gear before she swerved the vehicle around and drove towards Sword Base again. 

“Good work Spartans, return to sword base. We’ll let your team know when you’re inbound.” Sword Control confirmed.

“Noble, be advised. Covenant Corvette is moving into position. Kat, Six: get here quick. We need you inside.” Carter ordered.

“Commander, the vehicle cannot fly. I’m trying my best. Not to mention we have Hunters to deal with.” Six said. “You’ll have to hold your own for a few minutes.” Six assured him. 

“Yeah, well, I’ll trust you on it.” Carter retorted to Six, making her smile a little. A smile she bit down again the second she realized she was doing it. Six swerved up in front of the gate. She jumped out of the vehicle and ran to the passcode entry of the large grey area. 

“Covering!” Kat confirmed. Six dialed in the code for the gates to reopen for the Spartans. Six turned and fired on any covenant that was slowly moving in on them. She fell back behind the gate, her heart pounding against her ribcage. The gate slammed shut behind them. 

“Hey, ladies- we’re stalled in the tower atrium. Kat, where are you?” Jun called.

“We just came through the gate. We are on our way now.” Kat confirmed.

“Courtyard is reoccupied!” Six informed moving up, shooting down covies that ran at them. Kat walked up beside them, firing over and over again. The two Spartans continued to shoot down their alien opponents until they breached the other side. Six rolled to the side when a large flaming green ball came spiraling at her and Kat. Kat ducked down behind a barrier. “Shit.” Six swore.

“Alright. Here’s how we’ll handle this- aim for the back. Use grenades.” Kat inquired. Six nodded and stumbled into one side of the gate while Kat took the other side. The Lieutenant Commander sprinted ahead of Six to distract the large aliens as Six gathered grenades out of a rack. She clipped them to her belt, taking a few breaths.

‘Have to use these wisely,’ she thought to herself. ‘Only have three of them.’ She rolled behind a barrier while the two Hunters were focused on Kat. They were too much for her to handle- she was ducked behind a wall. Six ran out of her cover and fired a shot at one of the Hunters back. 

“HEY UGLY!” she yelled. “OVER HERE!” She waved her arm. The Hunters both roared and the one Six had fired on, ran at her, ready to throttle her to the side. Six shrieked a little and rolled out of the way just in time. She slid on her feet and held her shotgun barrel up. She ran at the Hunter and continued to fire just under its shell. She took enough shots to where the Hunter’s shell fell off its back, scattering its needles everywhere. Six dodged a large green blast and while the Hunter recovered to see whether it hit her or not, she raced behind it. Six used every bit of strength in her body to jump up and dig her feet into the alien's sides. She hooked a grenade pin on her belt and pulled. Like it was an instinct, she shoved it into the Aliens back and backflipped from her position.

As she landed in a kneeled position, she was sprayed with bright orange blood. She took a breath and looked over her shoulder to see Kat who was walking over.

“You certainly don’t know how to get a job done clean, do you?” Kat asked.

“Can’t say it's in my vocabulary, no.” 

“Well, I guess it's good to know for future reference,” Kat said, Six didn’t have to see her face to know that she rolled her eyes. “Let’s get to the atrium Lieutenant. We have to go through security, from the scale of this place, I assume there's an elevator. Think you can activate it? Seeing as this is a place you likely have heard about?”

“My past with ONI doesn’t define my existence ma’am. So, yes, I am well aware of how to use a damn elevator.” Six scoffed as she clipped her gun to her back and walked up a short flight of stairs into a small office area. She walked over to an elevator and pressed the button. Once the doors opened, the two spartan women stepped inside.

Six leaned back some and observed the doors carefully; Kat clipped her magnum to her thigh when a violent explosion rocked the elevator, sending the two women stumbling. Six grabbed onto a rail of the elevator and caught herself before she hit the ground while Kat leaned against the wall with both hands. 

“Corvettes hitting this place hard,” Emile commented over the comms.

“No shit.” Six said through a high pitched breath. 

“Where is our orbital support?” Kat snapped. “Got to be four platforms that could take that thing out with a single MAC round.”

“It's a bit more complex than that Kat, you know that,” Carter stated.

“I suppose, but my point still stands,” Kat responded. 

“And risk damaging the base beyond it? N-” white static-filled Carter’s end of the comm.

“ASSIST!” Jorge’s voice filled in.

“DAMMIT-COVER ME!” Carter’s voice demanded before falling silent.

“Commander?” Kat asked quickly. When there was only white static. Six narrowed her eyes,

“Sir?” no response. “Carter.” still no response. Six noticed Kat’s metal hand, ball into a fist. As soon as the elevator doors opened, she ran out. Six was quick on her heels.

“Welcome to the Office of Naval Intelligence. An ONI representative will meet you shortly.” The automated system said clearly. Six winced at the voice, it was so familiar that it was kind of eerie. 

“I doubt that very much.” Kat breathed as she walked through the large open hallway. Six walked across the long scanner and felt nostalgia come back. 

“Thank you, Lieutenant, you have been cleared for access.” The automated system confirmed.

“Just how big were you in ONI that even the automated system knows you?”

“That's classified.” Six excused. A grunts scream caught their attention and ran towards them- Six moved to unclip her shotgun but Kat was faster. She whipped out her magnum and shot the Grunt square in the face. 

“Yes...Of course, it is.” Kat responded sharply as she walked ahead. Six followed hesitantly, unclipping her shotgun and holding it between her two hands. Kat walked to a door that swung open to Carter ducking behind a barrier as a tall elite swung its energy sword at him. Kat ran in and began firing. Six was swift to follow and began firing to help get the heat off the Commander. 

“Nice of you to join the party! Thought the Hunters had eaten you!” Jorge called as Six joined her partner, firing off several rounds at some grunts that were flanking him.

“Unfortunately not, however, I probably have some of its stomach acids on my armor. So...ya know. Gross.” 

“Hngh...that definitely sounds less than fortunate,” Jorge confirmed.

“Right?”

“Hold it!” Jorge shouted as Covenant forces slowly retreated to the stairs. “Everybody move up!”

“Six!” Carter jogged up next to Jorge and her with Kat and Jun on either side of him.

“Yes sir?”

“Good to see you’re still alive.” He said.

“Could say the same to you, Commander.” Six smiled a little. 

“Well, we’re at an ONI base- anything I should know before I hunt down your secrets and schemes?” He seemed to have a smirk in his voice. Six laughed a little and shook her head hesitantly. 

“Uh, no sir. I mean...you’ll know everything soon enough.” She thought for a second. Hyper Lethal...hyper lethal...hyper lethal...No. No. He couldn’t possibly find it out. He knew what he needed to...he seemed to be warming up to her. And Six to him. She couldn’t complain- a part of Carter was kind of comforting.

“You sure?” Six bit her lip and seemed to dance her feet to decide, “Antonia?” Six felt a shock through her body when he said her full name. “Are you sure?” Fuck it. 

“Actually sir there is something-”

“As touching as this is, I need some assistance up here!” He shouted. Jorge turned around when a loud screech occurred. The team readied their guns and all pointed up at the Covenant forces that were now crowding the bridges above them. 

“Six. Get upstairs and assist Emile. Jorge, make sure she gets there.”

“Sir this is important,” she grabbed a hold of his wrist. Carter looked down at Six and placed his free hand 

to her shoulder. 

“Whatever it is Six if you’ve kept it locked up for this long? I think it can wait for a bit.”

“Not if it means losing your trust sir, no.”

“You simply saying that goes to show that I have no reason to doubt you.” He told her. “Get up there and help him. We’ll talk afterward. Jorge, get her up there. I don’t care if you have to drag her.”

“Got it, sir.” Jorge patted Six’s shoulder. 

“What about you three?” Six interrupted, shoving Jorge’s handoff. 

“You are relentless Six,” Carter laughed out peppering some Elites with bullets.

“Don’t argue and just go ahead Six. We’ll be fine.” Jun ensured her. Six hesitantly nodded before racing up the ramp with Jorge following quickly. She couldn’t say she didn’t try. Because she did. The number of covenant forces they met contact with was overwhelming for the first few minutes. Six slowly entered an office area that was torn apart. She glanced around it.

“God, this place is confusing.” She mumbled. She walked over and picked up a datapad, examining it. It was clearly broken so she tossed it aside and continued looking for a staircase to the final level. She heard a low growling behind her and by the time Jorge yelled and Six looked at her motion tracker- it was too late. She turned quickly and was met face to face with a tall elite general. The bastard snarled in her face and kicked her into the glass railing. 

Six gasped a breath of air as her body was flipped over the metal rodding of the rail and she grasped the edge of the level just in time. 

“SHITSHITSHIT!” She yelled. She was about five stories up, granted, a fall from this height would probably not do much damage but it would knock the air out of her and probably render her unconscious. She gripped the railing with her life and tried not to swing her legs. Her eyes flitted to the metal rail planted on the level’s edge. If she could just grab it...She shrieked as a rumble shook the base nearly shaking her off. 

“SIX!” Jun yelled.

“DAMMIT! SOMEONE GET HER!” Kat yelled. 

“WE’RE COMING UP-” Carter started to say when the tall Elite general went flying over and crushed some grunts when it hit the ground. Jorge reached over and grabbed Six’s wrists, pulling her up. He used one arm and quickly wrapped it around her waist before rolling her over the railing and setting her down.

“I’ve got her.” Jorge interrupted. “You alright there?” Jorge breathed out, stepping back.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“I see that problem took care of itself,” Carter confirmed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Six took another breath.

“Corvettes gonna rip this base apart! Noble, what's the situation?” Sword Base Control questioned.

“I can’t do this on my own! I need another Spartan up here!” Emile demanded.

“Six, get up to the top floor and help Emile! We’ll come up and aid you from behind. Just focus on getting up there!” Carter ordered. Six didn’t question it and made a bolt to the end of the office where some troopers were waving their arms. Six swung around the corner and ran up the stairs as fast as she could with Jorge right behind her. She stumbled into a dark hallway and scooped up a rocket launcher laying on the ground.

She loaded it quickly and examined it briefly before she ran through two more doors to get to the outside. The Corvette floated over the top of the large lake that sat behind Sword Base. There was more firing and violent shaking causing Six to stumble a little. 

“Commander! This base will not survive another salvo from that Corvette! You need to take out those banshees!”

“Working on it! Six!” Carter drew out her name. 

“It's a work in progress Carter, give me ten to fifteen seconds to get situated!” Six snapped.

“We don’t have ten to fifteen seconds!”

“You want me to do this?!”

“Yes!”

“THEN SHUT UP!” Six shouted as she ran out onto the ripped apart balcony. She turned her attention up to Emile who shot down a banshee.

“Bout time you showed up.” he scolded.

“Yeah well, I got a bit held up.” Six snapped back aiming at a phantom that swooped down and dropped off two elites. Six watched them charge at her and Jorge- she took aim and fired a missile at the phantom before breaking into combat with the elites. Jorge fired off rounds and Six whipped out her knife. 

Then they disappeared.

“Dammit- they’re those cloaker bastards,” Jorge growled.

“Watch your motion trackers,” Emile warned. Six noticed a shimmering out of the corner of her eye and lunged, sticking her knife straight into the Elites neck. Blood poured down her hand before she ripped her hand back and then forward again, bringing the blade across its neck and flipping backward. She grabbed the rocket launcher off of the ground again and fell into a kneeled position, firing twice on the Phantom that began to hover above them again.

Two more cloaked elites hopped down and roared before vanishing. 

“That thing is smoking Six!” Emile called.

“I only have one rocket left!” Six responded, dodging a swing from an elite only for Jorge to pump the bastard full of lead. 

“Noted!” Emile said.

“Jorge, cover me! I’m taking the shot!” Six demanded. Jorge nodded curtly to her and ran up behind her to give her cover fire. Six took aim and fired her last rocket at the phantom before it blew to pieces. Debris rained down over them, and Six narrowly dodged a large chunk of purple metal before it crushed her. 

Instead, it crushed an Elite. The last one. 

“Yeah! Clear! That's how we get it done, Little Red!” Emile exclaimed over the comms. Six smiled a little and tossed the rocket launcher to the side. She dipped her head down and took her helmet off before whipping her head back up, her ponytail falling into place. She watched two longswords shoot out over the base.

“Noble Team, Longswords are inbound and ready to push. Orbital defense is standing by to take the shot.” Sword Base confirmed. She watched as the corvette attempted to speed away, failing miserably as the Longswords caught up with ease. They follow it a close distance before breaking off in a separate direction. A MAC round abruptly skewers the corvette which goes up in flames where it was hit and slowly blinks out of power.

It lost altitude rather quickly and crashed into the water below it. Six smiled successfully and rested her helmet under her arm. She was slightly startled when Jorge walked up next to her-

“Beautiful ain’t it?” He commented. “Someone should take a picture.” He pulled off his helmet and looked at her. “Nice work by the way.” He smiled down at Six and clapped her shoulder before looking out over the water again.

“Yeah, well...I aim to please.” Six shrugged with a smile. 

“Five, Six….Get down to the science wing, Doctor Halsey wants a debrief and Command’s saying were all hers.” Carter commed. Six’s heart sped up a little and she stiffened.

“Repeat, sounded like you said, Halsey,” Jorge said.

“I did.” Carter chuckled.

“Copy that, we’re on our way.” Jorge chuckled, turning around with Six and looking at her briefly. “Don’t need Command to tell me...been hers half my life,” Jorge said.

“Yeah, Spartan-II.” Six repeated quietly. 

“You alright Six? You look a bit pale.” Jorge frowned and examined her face.

“I’m...fine.” Six swallowed a lump in her throat. How bad could this possibly go?

Chapter Text

TEN. If She Breaks

Planet Reach, Sword Base
Babd Catha Ice Shelf, Eposz
July 26, 2552
14:29 hours

Six took a few shallow breaths, walking slightly behind Jorge until they got to the Science Wing. Carter was front and center with Kat as his side. Jun and Emile were off to the side of the room. 

“I requested your assistance Commander, and do not need reports on events that occurred on my own doorstep.” Halsey snapped behind a large sheet of glass. Carter had a dull face and despite the way that Halsey was treating him, he remained calm and mature. An admirable skill. Six stood behind Jorge in hopes to not be noticed, earning a confused look from the taller Spartan. “What I do require is a detailed account of your previous engagement-”

Halsey looked up at Jorge and blinked, pausing mid-sentence.

“Jorge. Its been too long.” Halsey said clearly.

“Ma’am.” Jorge swallowed.

“What have you done with my armor?” Halsey chuckled lightly, shaking her head.

“Just some...additions I’ve made.” Jorge shifted.

“Indeed.” Halsey tilted her head to the side. “And the infamous Noble Six.” 

Six stiffened and swore under her breath, and pressed her helmet into her side.

“Um...it's a pleasure to meet you finally ma’am.”

“Yes, the team's new addition. ONI black op?

“I am...very happy to be a part of Noble Team now. They’ve treated me well.” She said quietly.

“I’m sure…” Halsey glanced the SPARTAN over. “I managed to get my hands on your file Noble Six. Having ONI clearance really gave me access to your whole file.”

“That's...interesting ma’am.” Six coughed. “Um...you can-”

“So much black ink.” Halsey crossed her arms and stepped towards the glass to get a better look at Six. Six looked to the ground and narrowed her eyes. “I took notice of a term that had been jotted in the notes, Commander- curious...have you realized that your Lieutenant has made entire militias disappear?”

Carter lifted a brow and cleared his throat.

“I can say I am aware ma’am. Six and I talked it over briefly. I’m going to be looking more into the subject soon.” Carter responded.

“Ma’am the Commander has seen my file I think-”

“Then I assume you’re familiar with the term ‘Hyper Lethal Vector’?” Halsey asked. Carter narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, looking at Six for a moment as if he was confused. He then realized and clenched his jaw before looking away. 

“Carter-” A brief scolding look from the Commander made Six shut her mouth immediately.

“I’m sorry ma’am, did you say ‘hyper lethal?’” Jorge repeated.

“Yes. It was in her Superiors notes, and as you know, there is only one other SPARTAN with that ranking.” Halsey cleared her throat.

“I think that's enough Doctor.” Six snapped finally. 

“Tell me Commander Carter, do you let all of your recruits talk back like this?” Halsey asked.

“Antonia, shut it.” Carter snapped loudly. Six clenched her fists tightly and stood down- he had finally put her in her place. Six bit her tongue and looked at the floor, her heart racing out of her chest. She wanted to leave. She wanted to hide away from all of this. She wasn't entirely sure what emotion filled her soul at the moment- embarrassment? Shame? Guilt?

Six looked up to Jorge who stared at the glass in disbelief. He pursed his lips tightly and didn't return the look to Six. He stepped forward...away from her. Six pulled on her helmet quickly and clenched her jaw tightly. 

“Sir this is what I needed to tell you about…” Carter looked at her once again, his face softened slightly. “Just...give me a chance to explain myself.” His eyes turned from her to Halsey then back to her.

“We’ll talk about it after this Lieutenant,” He cleared his throat.“Let's...return to what we were talking about.” Carter said finally.

“Indeed.” Halsey watched Six for another second before looking at Carter. “Visegrad Relay. Its data center was home to one of my xeno-archelogist, Professor Laszlo Sorvad. Perhaps you could shed some light on his death?”

“If he was a civilian male in his mid-sixties, he died with a Covenant Energy Sword through his abdomen.” Carter said clearly, his voice a bit lower and distressed than before.

“Elites then?”

“They engaged us as well.” Jorge spoke up. “It was just, uh, just after we found your scientists daughter, ma’am. She was hiding in the-” Halsey cut him off and Jorge’s face went a faint pink when she silenced him. He took a few steps back when she said-

“Irrelevant. The Elites, tell me more about them.” Halsey cleared her throat. Six spared Jorge a small smile when he glanced at her. He was such a kind man given his past...he stood up straighter. 

“Three. Zealot class. One got by us. The Leader by the looks of him.” Jorge says.

“Zealots?” Halsey narrowed her eyes. “You're certain?”

“Well, Six got a face full of one. Better her to ask than me but their armor configuration matched.” Jorge said.

“Shield strength too.” Six commented.

“I gave the order not to pursue.” Carter interrupted. “Our primary objective was to get the station’s relay back online.” 

“Your primary objective?” Halsey scoffed. “Commander, are you a puppet or a spartan?” Halsey snapped. Jun and Emile both shook their heads in shock and looked up at Halsey before turning their heads to Carter who had stiffened his body to not respond.

“Ma’am, he isn’t... him .” Jorge snapped back. “He is not a lone Spartan, he is a Commander under a Colonel. He follows orders.” 

Six knew who he meant. 

“Ma’am?” Carter finally spoke up. Halsey gave Jorge a short scolding look and looked back to Carter.

“There are those at ONI who...basically believe that the Covenant dispatch Elite advance teams to hunt down artifacts of value to their religion.” Six interrupted. “Most of them are Zealots.” She glanced at the Commander who watched her carefully, nodding his approval before looking back to Halsey who nodded. 

“How do you know?” Halsey asked, looking at Six as though she distrusted her.

“I worked in a small agency who investigated small Covenant Operations ma’am. I’ve had to take down my fair share.” Six said quietly with a sneer to her voice. “But then again, they didn’t surprise me and I never ended up underneath one.” She said.

“Well, she is correct. All survivor accounts suggest that these teams are small, nimble, and almost always Zealot Class. No doubt they came to that station for the abundance of ONI excavation data stored there...and you let them get away.” Halsey glared.

“Data retrieval was not a direct command. Even if we had known, we had other, more urgent matters to attend to.” Carter lashed back in the most passive tone ever. His glare probably could’ve shattered Six’s helmet visor. He was pissed, but he wasn’t going to let it completely show.

“Like warning the Planet.” Kat spoke up finally. Halsey eyed Kat with a stern glare before speaking again-

“Professor Sorvad’s final entry in his field notes made reference to a ‘latchkey discovery’. Latchkey. Not a term he would use lightly.” Halsey stood up straight. “So let's hope that the data module your Lieutenant Commander stole contains it.” 

Kat leaned back a little and made a popping sound with her mouth, and eyed Halsey with a glare. 

“Kat?” Carter lifted a brow.

“Before you ask, I was alerted the moment that you attempted to access its contents. As I am with any unauthorized tap.” Halsey said. Kat walked over and gave Halsey a disgusted look before dropping the module into a container which Halsey pulled through and snatched the data crystal out of.

“That data is classified on Tier One. I could send you to the brig for interfering with my work.” Halsey snipped.

“Perhaps you’d like to join her.” Carter spoke up. Halsey’s head snapped up-

“...I’m sorry?”

“We’re currently under an emergency planetary directive, Winter Contingency? I’m sure you’re familiar with it. As well as the punishment for civilian interference with Spartan Deployment.” Carter said sternly.

“Are you threatening me Commander?” Halsey chuckled in disbelief. 

“Just making a reading suggestion ma’am.” Carter said.

“Yes well, I’m going to ask you to leave your Lieutenant with me for a moment more Commander, I have a few questions for her.” Halsey said.

“Six.” Carter nodded to her proceeding to lead the rest of the team out. Jorge brushed past the Lieutenant. He didn't say a word, turning his attention to Halsey.

“Ma’am-” Jorge gave Halsey a sympathetic look. Halsey didn’t even bother to glance at him and examined the module.

“That will be all Jorge.” She said. 

“Do you have a problem with me Doctor-”

“You’d do best to hold your tongue Lieutenant.” Halsey snapped. Six raised the side of her lip in a disgusted glare. “You aren’t one of my Spartans. I only recently found out about the Spartan III project- and to be completely honest; I’m not fond of any of you. Especially you.”

“And why is that?”

“You’re a carbon copy of one of my greatest achievements.”

“What? Your damn pet project?” Six scoffed. “You’re wrong.”

“Do not call him that.”

“I dare you to tell me that I’m wrong.” Six challenged. “The Chief seems to be able to pull his ass out of the fire with ease- something I am very incapable of doing. Not even an hour ago I was hanging of fthe ledge of the fifth floor of the building. People tend to get hurt around me, or worse. I am not exactly the luckiest person to exist.”

Halsey examined Six.

“So nobody on your new team knew?”

“No. And I was hoping to keep it that way, seeing as I just got on better terms with my Commander. Your little vent destroyed that. He and I were going to have some time to talk it over. So, thanks for that.”

“Well, you should know that you were sent to Noble to assist them. Not make friends.” Halsey responded. Six looked down at the ground. There was that phrase again. “It doesn’t surprise me that Jorge has taken a liking to you. He had a friend during his Spartan II training that was very similar to you. Or what I’ve read. She was likable though. Her leaders tended to trust her. Though, I can see this is clearly not the case for you.” Halsey said.

"Shut. Up. Carter- the Commander does trust me. It’s not your place to make those kind of declarations. Last I checked, you were the individual that kidnapped children from their beds and threw them into the program that made them into monsters." Six snapped. "You can dislike me all you want to Doctor- quite frankly, I don't give a damn." Six approached the glass. "I am not like your little pet. I'm not ONI's lap dog. I never will be." she sneered. "I am a human being. Not a machine. I don't need programs to function. Not anymore." Halsey didn't respond and instead kept a glowering look on her face.“I think we’re done here.” Six sneered.

"You're right Six. You're unfortunately the epitome of human nature. Chief respects his superiors and knows when to keep his mouth shut. Unlike you. All you are Lieutenant is a bad mouthing, temperamental little girl who never learned when it was time to grow up." Six stopped in her tracks and bit down on her lip. 

“You don't know what you're talking about. I grew up too fast, and it ruined me." Six turned her back and walked out of the room without another word to Halsey. She stepped into the long hallway and saw a trooper gesturing her to come forward. Six walked over, pulling her helmet off.

"You can drop your gear in the far left conference room ma'am," he informed her. Six nodded and pushed through the crowd, walking into the conference room. It was quiet despite the team all being gathered into one area. Emile set his helmet on the table and ran a hand over his face. His dark eyes scanned her when she set her helmet on the table as well. She stuck her knife upright in it, and started unclipping her heavy upper body armor. She set her arms armor onto the table and with a lot of trouble, unclipped the chestplate.

"Six," Jun was the first to speak up. "What she said...what does that even mean?" he asked her.

"It means our Lieutenant is a killer." Kat spoke up, looking at Six. "And a very good one at that." Kat threw her tablet onto the table. Six looked over the screen- it was her file. Unblocked. Uncensored. "No need to read it. I will do it." Kat said. "Since she would rather us find out on our own terms." 

"We're all killers Kat, what's your point."

"It means she is one of the deadliest humans in the galaxy. Thousands of Insurrection's blood are on her hands." Jorge said. "I assume some Covenant too?" he asked without looking at her. 

"I..." Six started but her voice failed her. She looked up at her team. "I'm sorry." she said. "I didn't say anything because I just…” she looked at Carter. “I was going to tell you. I was going to- I just wasn’t sure when the right time was. I’ve never been good at timing-”

“You should’ve said something yesterday, Six.” Carter said lowly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How do you explain something like this?!” Six scoffed, a dreadful laugh seeping through her teeth. 

“You’re right. It’s on me.” Carter snapped. “I should’ve known about this.”

"You make it sound like I'm some damn monster!" Six shouted. The team fell silent and Six's eyes widened. She looked at Jorge who furrowed his brows at Carter but didn't say anything. She slammed her fist on the table before quickly turning on her heel and leaving the room. She shoved through groups of marines and got about halfway when she heard Carter-

“Six.” Carter called. He caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder. Six brushed him off and continued on her walk through the busy crowd of ONI officials and marines. “Lieutenant, stop. That’s an order.” Six wanted her feet to keep moving but they stopped- as though it was instinct. As if it was programmed. So much for what she told Halsey. She went to walk again when he eventually caught up- and she realized that she had missed her chance.

She didn’t bother looking at him. Six had seen the look on his face when they were in the room with Halsey. She knew what he was thinking. How could she not tell him this? He had a right to know. But what really formed the pit in her stomach was the look on Jorge’s face. To him? She was just a bad memory. Something from his childhood that he could never wipe away.

“What?” she raged, when he stopped. She whipped around and found herself face to face with the Commander- closer than she had hoped. His blue eyes were full of some emotion that Six couldn’t quite place.

“Entrance, now.” he pointed to the doors, he clenched his jaw for a moment before hissing in a short whisper- “It wasn’t a request, or a suggestion.” he ensured. Six didn’t move, she watched him walk to the entrance of the plaza, disappearing behind doors, with her helmet. She had never felt herself wanting that stupid face cover more than she wanted it right now. She glanced around at the few people who had witnessed the small argument. 

Her eyes flooded with well deserved humiliation- their thoughts probably translated to: ‘who the hell is she, to talk back to her Commanding Officer?’ Halsey was right. She was just some bad-mouthing temper with no respect for Command or its Orders. Six walked swiftly to the doors, they swished open and she looked to Carter as he threw his helmet onto the coffee table. When the doors hissed shut, she didn’t move from her place. She stood there, watching him pace the floor.

He drew a hand over his face before looking at her with glaring eyes- the way an adult would scold a child.

“Let’s get one thing straight here Lieutenant. I don’t give a damn what your opinion of me is. I don’t quite understand why you’ve suddenly got such a low opinion of me, but it isn’t going to fly. Not here.” he pointed at her. “I am your Commander, whether you like it or you don’t. I’m tired of your nonsense, Noble Six.”

Six swallowed and held his eyes, looking away now would be a sign of weakness. Which was something she couldn’t afford to show right now. 

“Why?” He asked aloud. Six finally drew up the confidence to look away- “HEY. No, here. Look, here!” he snapped his fingers. Six looked back at him with furrowed brows. “Why didn’t you say something? Hm?” he asked harshly. “You had plenty of chances, Noble Six, so why wait so long?”

“What happened to there being a good reason for me keeping it to myself?!”

“That was because I thought it was something personal ! Not a damn ranking to demands you be returned to whatever hell you were tossed from!” he half shouted.

“Permission to speak freely, sir?”

“Oh, so now you’re asking for permission?” he snapped.

“Do I have it or not?” she snapped back.

“Hell- go for it.” Carter leaned against the wall, watching her. 

“I have numerous reasons that I didn’t say anything about my rank. My status.” She took a step forward and threw her arms out by her side. “For starters, Commander Dear, it was none of your concern to begin with- Mister ‘even the parts the ONI sensors didn’t want me to’. If you couldn’t fucking see it, you didn’t need to. It’s classified intel that you had no need- no REASON to know about. It’s not even officially confirmed. It’s a hunch. I just...fall into all of the requirements.” she held up a second finger.

“Did you see the way Jorge looked at me when he heard that statement?” She snapped. “My new partner. To him? Now I’m just something from his past that he can’t wipe away. A stain, a mark.” she raged. “He grew up with a kid in the same rating I am and guess what? Now, that man disappears without giving any informant to his team- to the people who TRUST him. He may turn up dead one of these days, and it’ll be a god-damn mystery as to how he died because he doesn’t tell anyone.”

“Well Six, you are just a permanent stain on Jorge’s brain. But it’s not because of the rating.” Carter argued. “It's a lousy excuse-”

“Let me finish.” Six interrupted. “And I don’t want to go back to ONI.” she said. Carter’s eyes narrowed a bit as if he didn’t understand. But Six knew. She knew well, that he knew. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds-

“Elaborate.”

“Okay, I refuse to go back to ONI.” she corrected. “Commander-”

“Stop. Before we go any further, we need to adjust this conversation.” He told her. He sat down on the arm of the nearby sofa. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and his forefinger- as if this whole issue was giving him a headache. He took a slow breath before he looked back up. “Carter.” he said. “I’m coming to you as a friend,”

“You’re not my friend.”

“I’m trying to be.” Carter said shortly. Six was taken aback by the gesture. She looked down at the floor for a moment and stayed silent. “Call me Carter, drop the formalities. Two people, talking to each other.”

“Carter,” Six said, hating how much she preferred to say his name rather than ‘Commander’ or ‘sir’. “Carter- this is...this is all new to me.” She started, running a hand through her hair. “Si- sorry. Look, this...this is the first time I’ve been respected by a group of people in years. This is the first time people have worked with me and not stood five feet away because they were scared. This is the first time someone has offered to teach me how to play cards, or sat on a watch with me. This is the first time I’ve had more than one friend- people who want to be my friend. I’m not good at the whole…” she rolled her hands over each other. “Fluffy shit.”

“Typical spartans aren’t. But,” Carter nodded slowly. “When you go through enough with people, life or death situations that is. You risk their lives for hundreds of others, or they nearly lose yours...It comes into view that sometimes it’s better to be softer around the edges. Everything comes into perspective when you nearly lose people you care for.” he looked at her. “I know, trust me. I know…” he was talking about Catherine. 

Six tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach and continued-

“You don’t seem to understand. Let me explain, sir- Carter- sorry-”

“Stop apologizing.”

“Right. Carter,” she sighed and settled a hand on her hip. “I was raised...like this. To kill. To...to assassinate. To shoot a gun. To show no mercy.” Six began to pace, her eyes watching the floor. “The...the Operation I mentioned. Operation Crimson Infinity. They made me into a Hyper Lethal Vector intentionally. ONI already had data on a spawning vector, Chief is what? Ten, eleven years older than me? The subject...the subject was male. They needed research on how a female would react to being forced into Hyper Lethal development.” She looked at Carter who had a foot propped up on the arm of the sofa, his lower face in his hand. His eyes were trained on Six, taking in every word she said. 

“And…” she started again, swallowing the air that had built up in her throat. “And I responded exceptionally well during Beta. They pulled me to run more of their tests. Like I was some pet project and didn’t realize it until I was twenty-five. Now I’m thirty in November and still know only so much on this Operation Crimson Infinity.” She clenched her jaw tightly. “Carter…” she looked at him, her voice shaking more than she realized or accounted for. “Carter, the first time I killed someone? I was fifteen years old.” 

Carter lifted his head, staring at her. He kept the stern look on his face and kept his eyes on her. He looked like he wanted to speak, but he stayed silent. The Commander seemed to know she had more to say.

“You mentioned that yesterday...you explained it.”

“My reaction? I cut his throat. I watched him fall onto the ground. I knelt down to check his pulse, and looked at my hand. It was covered in blood. His blood.” she watched her Commander’s face, he examined her expression with concern. “I didn’t cry. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t get sick. I stared at it and then wiped it on my dress.” she said. 

Six slammed her hand on the wall with a loud thump-

“I WIPED A MAN’S BLOOD ON MY DRESS, LIKE IT WAS SPILLED WATER.” she shouted. Carter didn’t flinch. He pursed his lips, leaned back a little to let his leg drop back to the ground and still didn’t speak. “The fact that a fifteen year old kid killed someone with no remorse. No regret? Is sickening. It’s destructive. That has been my life for the past decade and a half. I didn’t feel shit until I walked into that base a few days ago.” she choked out. “Carter, I felt nothing.”

Her eyes burned and she looked down, shaking her head. 

“And now I’m overwhelmed.” She lifted her head again and laughed, stifling a sniffle. “And I’m gonna be honest. I don’t...I don’t hate it! I don’t. For once in my life, I’m horrified, I’m...I’m awake?” she shook her head. Carter stood to his feet and didn’t move from his spot. He crossed his arms and looked at the ground, before looking at her.

“What you’re feeling is emotions Six.”

“I know, it’s unfamiliar. The last time I felt giddy was when I liked this girl back in basic! Then she fucking died!” she laughed out, pulling at a piece of her hair. “The last time I felt fear was when I got into my third fight after Beta! The last time I smiled as much as I did sitting with you, Jorge and Emile at dinner was when I was five and my baby sister was born!” she laughed a little and shook her head as if she was in disbelief. “It doesn’t feel real. Up until this point I was…”

Carter tilted his head and leaned to the side a little to keep her eye contact. 

“Was what…?”

“I was a number,” she nodded. “I wanted to be called Six because it was familiar. It was something to keep me in line.” she said. “I like it better than I like Toni but…” she rubbed the back of her neck. “I was B312, I was...the Angel of Death. I was the Grim Reaper.” she sighed and bit her lip. “That’s all...I’m ever going to be Carter. Because after this war is concluded? I’ll be swept back to ONI. They won’t...they won’t keep me here.”

“This again…” Carter muttered. “Why not? You’re fine here.”

“Because.” Six responded. “Because I’m too valuable. I require too many resources.” She watched her Commander’s face become distorted and confused. “Why...why did so many troopers show up with me? Hm? Two falcons and a car engineer. Three more falcons the next day. You know what those peoples jobs are?” Carter didn’t respond. “No. Of course you don’t. Those marines jobs are to wipe every piece of evidence there is. Every...sign that I ever existed,”

“Cameras?” she pointed to a computer, torn apart and a camera up in the corner shot out. “Destroyed. Computers, ripped apart and the security footage removed. If and when I die out there? Covered in the blood of someone- whether that be myself, a covenant soldier, an insurrectionist, hell! Even another Spartan! I will never get a memorial. My name will not be on anyone’s walls. My identity, when I die, will die with me.” she pointed to her chest. “And all I will be is some shadow in those who have seen me’s memory.” 

“Six…” Carter said quietly. “That...that won’t happen.”

“Yes Carter, it will.” She took a step back from his hand which reached out to touch her arm. To comfort her. She didn’t deserve it. She rendered she didn’t deserve the way her face would heat up, or her stomach get fluttery and her heart racing. The adrenaline she would get off of the single hit of comfort.  “It will only end badly for me.” she whispered. “I get court martialed or I retire from ONI? I have a bounty on my head. I’ll be put down like...like the dog they want me to be. I...am not safe.” she said quietly. She looked at him and shook her head. “Carter, I am a ghost.”

The Commander didn’t say much more. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her head, tilting her head back slightly. 

“You need to tell me everything.” he said. “If you don’t trust any of them, at least trust me. Or Jorge. Or Emile. Put your faith somewhere. You can’t keep holding this all on your own.”

“I don’t want to burden anyone.”

“You’re not.” Carter said. He let his hand fall from her head as he walked past to grab his helmet. “You’re not burdening anyone Antonia,” he looked at her briefly. “We’re just worried.” He turned back to her and Six couldn’t see his utterly shocked face through the amount of blurred tears that streamed from the corners of her eyes.

Chapter Text

ELEVEN. Crushed

Planet Reach, Sword Base
Babd Catha Ice Shelf, Eposz
July 26, 2552
14:45 hours

Carter watched Six like a hawk. She didn't say anything after that, she stood there staring at the ground- remembering back on the moment she killed Anders Tentan. An Insurrection Leader. Her first kill. She felt tears stream from her eyes and she choked out a sighed sob. Her eyes wide as she used her gloved hands to wipe them away. She couldn't let him see her like this. Six pulled her hair down and let it fall in front of her face. 

"I'm sorry Commander, I can't afford to get close to anyone here. No more secrets. Kat has full access to my file, if you have questions- please." she looked at him. "Please don't ask me Carter." she told him lowly. 

"Okay," he responded standing up. Six looked at him and he gave her a serious nod. "You're excused, Lieutenant." Six stood at attention and nodded before she turned- "And Six." She looked at the Commander over the soldier. "You're no monster. You're just...concerning. I trust you."

"Don't." she breathed. Hurt filled Carter's eyes as she turned. Six sniffed and here was one person she cared to make amends with. 

"Jorge," she called to the tall Spartan when he walked up the ramp from the second floor. He turned a bit and waited for Six to jog up next to him. He didn't say anything until she got there. He nodded and started walking slowly, he lumbered up the bridge carefully. She kept up in long strides. "I'm sorry,"

"Why?" 

"I..." Six took a slow breath and shook her head when Jorge spared her a small smile. 

"I just needed time to process it Six, you didn't do anything wrong." he assured her. He draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "Relax,"

"Right..." Six took a slow breath. "So what's our plan?" she asked.

"We are going to be patrolling around the base." he told her as they walked. They fell to silence as they reached the top of the ramp. He glanced at Six who leaned on the glass and metal railing. "Hey," he said comfortingly. "What's the problem?"

"I..." she shook her head. "I don't understand why my chest hurts honestly." she admitted. Jorge laughed a little and nodded. 

"Yeah, I know what that's like," he told her. "Sucks." he said. "Hearts and feelings are like that. You get used to it, don't worry. Especially in our line of work." he looked at her and smiled softly. "Chin up." he nodded. "Don't let Halsey get to you. Carter just needs time to process everything he's learned.

"Jorge, I had to blatantly lie to you. I...apologized to Carter." she took a slow breath and shook her head with a short laugh. "I don't think he believed me." she admitted, looking at him. 

"The Commander is stone cold when it comes to lying Six," Jorge admitted "Give him some time to cool down, he will." He assured her gently. His eyes scanned marines on the ground floor. "The Commander's personality is naturally more calm than an average person. He has never blown up on one of us, not like that anyways."

"How do you know he-"

"We heard him, and saw you two in the plaza," he laughed weakly. Six's face flushed and she scoffed a little- rubbing the back of her neck. She should've figured. She glanced over her shoulder and noted Carter walking out of the room they had previously been in. Six sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. 

"He's stubborn,"

"Hypocrite."

"I know- shut up," she gently shoved Jorge who chuckled softly.

"None of us are upset." he confirmed. Six gave him a look that showed zero amusement. He gave a brief smirk and glanced to the side. "Okay, maybe Kat is a bit uncomfortable about it. But can you blame her?" he asked turning so that he was facing her. Six groaned and looked up at the ceiling exasperated. He made an excellent point, and it irked her nerves. She tossed her head to look at him and made a 'pbbbbt' noise in response.

"I guess not..." She said. "I told Carter no more secrets, but...it's hard telling. I pretty much said that anything he wants to know he should talk to Kat about. I dunno how she got into my agency's network but I don't doubt her skills even a little." she crossed her arms. "No clue how long they'll keep that link open."

"Probably not long," Jorge shook his head. "You know how much ONI loves their secrets." he sighed. 

"Unfortunately." Six watched some Troopers group up and start conversing. They seemed so...content with their lives. Even with the situation at hand.

'That's troopers for ya...' She thought. Six wished she could feel that way. Instead she was stuck in some constant state of dysphoria. Some kind of constant state of discomfort and insecurity about her life. This was going to be her job until she could retire and become some kind of battle strategist for ONI. Heaven only knows what kind of hell would wait for her there.

"Five, Six!" Carter called. Six and Jorge glanced at the Commander. They exchanged their own stares then headed down to group up with the team. When Six walked back in, she got a hard slap on the back from Emile. He draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. 

"Stop bein' secretive." he told her. "It's not gonna get you anywhere, okay?" he informed her briefly. Six was relieved that one of the new friends she had gotten her lucky hands on was Emile. He was blunt, straight to the point. Unlike some people on the team. She nodded to him and patted his back in return. He shoved her gently before returning to his spot on a bench on the far side of the room. 

"Here's what our night is looking like. We are going to be working with some spare fireteams and heading out to the far sides of Sword Base. They want us heading out as far as four or five klicks outside of base. I encourage you all to rest up until then. Sleep light, and I'll see you all at 1900 on the dot. Any later and you get double shifts when we go back to base." Carter warned. He nodded to them, making brief eye contact with Six then turning his attention to Kat. 

Jorge patted Six's head and stepped out to head back to his spot on the ramp. Six -simply looked over her shotgun and helmet for a moment, then headed out. She didn't bother looking to Kat and Carter, knowing it would only fill her with some kind of emotion she knew she wasn't entirely familiar with yet. Then again, Six wasn't entirely sure she wanted to understand the familiarity of the emotion. 

19:00 HOURS

Six hopped onto the back of the truck that Emile was driving and yawned. She had woken up, ten odd minutes ago. The sleep wasn't entirely gone from her eyes. It stuck around. She laced her braided ponytail up into a bun that her helmet could go over. She wasn't entirely fond of the pulling that she received from her hair being up. Jorge sat next to her and the truck started. Six waved her hand in a circular motion so that the truck's would start moving. She adjusted the sights on her dmr's scope, lifting it to her vision and watching the base grow further and further away.

She took a deep breath and looked up to the horizon line. She smiled a little. It looked like a painting from one of the videos she watched as kids. Mixes of pinks, oranges and yellows. Reach really did have the most beautiful sunsets didn't it. Six glanced down at her arm's tactical pad and furrowed her brows. She tapped into it and opened up a link, from the old agency. She quickly closed out of it and looked back up at the sky. Most emotions she felt began to fade away. Six slumped down, her body lifting slightly as the truck hit a sudden bump. 

Grunting, Six turned her attention to the passing trees. Curling one leg up to her chest, she listened to Jun speak up-

"Don't fall asleep back there Six," he chuckled.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Six responded. "Just keep me talking and I should be fine." Six taunted in return. There was a light chuckle from Jorge and Emile.

"Can you play cards, Six?" Jun questioned. Six hummed at the familiar question-

"Not very well. Though, Jorge did kindly offer to teach me, I did...okayish the other night.."

"Course he did. The man's poker face is...insane." Emile noted. Six smiled at Jorge, then realized he wouldn't see it. But she could almost feel the proud grin Jorge wore on his face under his helmet. She chuckled lightly and shook her head. Six sighed-

"Are you sure we can't just sleep?" she asked.

"Ha," Kat retorted. Six grumbled and watched the sky as the trucks roared down the path. She glanced at the truck behind them and chuckled weakly, noting that Carter was driving. She supposed that Kat's driving skills were as bad as she thought they might've been if Carter was driving. Six glanced off to the side and took aim, noting some skirmishers up on the ledges of the valley above them. 

"Contacts," Six called. She took a knee on the back of the truck and aimed- "Waiting for your call Commander. They've seen us and-" she dodged a needle just briefly. 

"Fire," Carter informed her. Six and Jun both took the opportunity to fire off several shots. Jun took his down in meer one hits while it took Six two or three from the distance she was at, but killed them nonetheless. "Anyone know where they were coming from?"

"If I had to make a hunch, I would say it's probably a patrol." Kat noted.

"They may have been staking out. Unfortunately, underestimating our enemy as stupid will on put us at a loss," Jun commented. Six nodded in agreement, she poked her head around the bend of the truck. Ahead there were distant purple and white lights flickering. She leaned up next to Emile.

"Please tell me you see that," she said quietly.

"We aren't even halfway out from sword base." Emile said quietly. 

"You think they're planning something?" Jorge questioned.

"It's the covenant Jorge, you should know." Kat retaliated. Six rolled her eyes at the woman's snappy attitude. Jorge kneeled in the back of the truck as the cars slowed at the edge of the canyon, peering down onto the covenant structures below nearly five minutes later. It helped that Emile was blazing a trail at, at least seventy-five miles per hour.  

"Hm..." Six hummed, getting out of the truck, Jorge following at her heels. She examined the structure through her scope- eventually joined by Jun who seethed a breath in disbelief. The structure was low to the ground, one or two floors max- covenant poured in and out. It was clearly a place of operations-

"Looks almost identical to-" Jorge started.

"Yeah. I know." Carter spoke up. Six glanced at the team but didn't push any further. It was none of her concern anyways. 

"So what's our plan? Do we let it just sit?" she asked. "If we do, they'll aim for the base for sure." she said. 

"We can't do much, last time we did? It didn't end entirely well." Carter said.  

"But they don't know we're here this time. If we can pull a stealth job-" Six started- earning a snap of the helmet from the Commander. She felt his glare through his visor and she fell silent. Thom. Right. They nearly had her die more than once already. She looked at Jorge who was kneeled on the ground- staring at the base.

"Six does have a point."

"We aren't supposed to attack any bases. We report what we find back to Holland." Carter got a helmet turn from everyone on the team. He sighed and nodded- "Let's get a closer look though,"

"That's the spirit," Jun whistled lightly. Six looked for a way down and noted the ledges that fell like stairs. She pointed to them-

"Lock up your armor when you go down." she said. "Make sure to bend your knees." she told the team. Kat followed her suggestion and jumped down, bending her knees as she landed. Six followed close behind, Kat dropped to the next ledge after sinking her body over the edge of the previous one. Six looked back at Jun who dropped next to her, then nodded for her to go ahead. She did. Six got to the bottom of the canyon and looked around, slumping behind a large boulder with Kat for cover. The chatter of grunts far beyond her was rather annoying. 

That and they were blocking Jun's clear view into the base.

"Six, do you think you can take them out without blowing our cover?" Carter asked her. Six clicked her tongue as if to say 'give me a minute'. Her eyes tracked every possible route to the small aliens, cover spots and the darkest parts of the base. Finally, she found one that suited her.

"Yep. Set me at five mikes," she said quietly. "Going radio silent." Six stooped from behind cover, rolling to the far left and ducking behind another shady rock. She clipped her gun to her back and pulled her knife. Disturbing one meant alerting the whole compound. She would have to get the other to turn around while she performed the assassination on the first. Six approached quietly, her body fairly low to the ground. A method that most would compare her to a tiger stalking her prey.

A method that left you wondering if maybe you were her target. She knelt down and examined the ground, she picked up a rock with her free hand and chucked it over the Grunt's head. It hit a bolder on the other side. Both Grunts turned towards the noise- one made a low squeaky conversation. The other shoved it towards the bolder a few feet away to investigate. Six slowly approached and grabbed the Grunt by its shell. It gasped in a squeaky voice, and Six sunk her blade into its neck before it could make another noise. 

It's blood coated her hands as she kicked the body behind her for a moment, keeping it in the dark shade of the base's wall. She pressed her back against the base and waited for the other to walk around the bend- and when it did. It stopped- staring at her for a moment. Six felt the smirk cross her lips when it stuttered out-

"D-Demon-" she tackled it to the ground and slit its throat before it could start screaming. She grabbed the back of it's shell and slung it into the dark shadow. She clicked her radio back on-

"Can you see?" she asked.

"Nice work Spartan, I can see right in," Jun whispered. 

"Good to hear. I'm going to dispose of these bodies- the less they know about us being here the better off..." Six looked up and furrowed her eyes at the top of the canyon. Dark silhouettes around the trucks caught her attention. She sheathed her knife and unclipped her gun. Six lifted her scope and aimed, unable to make out what the hell was going on up there. 

"Six?" Carter repeated. "You gonna finish that statement?"

"Sir, there's something above you. At the trucks!" she gasped. Six noted bright purple sparks occurring at the base of the truck that Emile, herself and Jorge rode in, then the breath taking clatter of rocks. Not bothering to waste anytime, Six stumbled into a sprint. The truck slid, so did gravel, rocks and any other earthly matter. It all fell down on where the team was supposed to be. She bit back a desperate yell- dust clouding up over the area.  

"Noble- Noble! Do you read??!" Six asked desperately.

"This is-" a groan. "Noble Four," Emile spoke up. Kat stumbled out of the dust with Jun's assistance. Jorge had Emile heaved over a shoulder. Six ran over to Jorge whose helmet had come off. He was bleeding at the side of his face. She examined the scar when she heard Kat fearfully muttering. Six's arms got chills when she turned and saw Carter's helmet at her feet and the Commander laying on the ground a few feet away- his waist down covered in rubble. 

Six gasped and ran over with Kat and Jorge. 

"Call for assistance- do it quick! They'll be onto us in minutes!" Six breathed. Jorge and Six both worked to push the rocks off their Commander while Kat frantically tried to get him to say something.

"He's got a pulse-" She confirmed.

"Carter!" Six hissed, "Get up, God please-" she pulled the last rock from on top of him. Her eyes flitted over his bleeding, dirt-covered face. His eyes were closed and it looked...like he was sleeping. Jorge heaved him out of the rubble and Kat took him. She leaned back against a large boulder, patting his face gently. Six stared in disbelief- she picked up Carter's helmet- looking over it. And it hit her- some emotion she was unfamiliar with. But one she understood. 

She heard stifled sobs from Kat and just continued to stare. Jorge's hands grabbed her shoulders from behind- it was at that point, Six realized that she had been shaking.

Chapter Text

TWELVE. Brief Me In Silence

Planet Reach, Sword Base
Babd Catha Ice Shelf, Eposz
July 26, 2552
22:00 HOURS

He was going to live, and honestly, Six felt some kind of relief wash over her body like no other. Aarons had been ordered to Sword and had spent most of the night keeping her from pacing a hole in the floor. Jorge helped too but his constantly jazzing up and down leg only added to her growing anxiety. She looked into the medical room and examined her Commander laying on a cot. It shook her up a bit to the point where she had to look away. 

Six stared at the wall across from her.

"Are you simply going to stand there Lieutenant? Or are you going to join me?" Kat called. Six took a short breath before walking into the medical bay. She looked over the Commander's bruised face and clenched her jaw. He looked mildly peaceful at least...Six had to look away for a moment so to keep her own mind straight.

"How's...How's he holding up?" she asked after a second. 

"Well enough to wake up by tomorrow." Kat responded. "He is going to have my head for not sleeping but...it's far better than leaving him by himself." Kat stated clearly. Six walked around the side of the bed and sat down on the far bed. 

"I'm sure he'll be grateful ma'am," Six commented. "Who wouldn't be?" she laughed quietly. Kat smiled only faintly and released her metal hand from Carter's. She sure was committed...Six examined Carter's face, his eyelids fluttering.

"Quite a dream he's having," Kat sighed. "His eyes have been fluttering like that since they sedated him." Six only briefly saw the Commander become hysterical but she heard his yelling. Yelled for Thom a few times- when he woke up on the way back to Sword he mistook her for Thom. Their armor...it was nearly the same. "They were good friends."

"You read my mind,"

"The look on your face. It was the same as it was when he called you Thom," Six smiled a little and shook her head, looking at the ground. "Carter and Thom got along very well. You and him would get along too. He’d laugh at your attitude and snarky remarks. You would probably punch him for it." Kat leaned back in her chair. "Very alike. Carter was always harder on Thom. He had a more carefree attitude than most of us. He and Jorge were close, him and Emile were like brothers. He and Carter were...as close to family without being blood related as you can get." Kat shook her head.

Six didn't know what to say. She just stayed quiet, her eyes scanning Carter's face. He made a wincing motion that made Kat stiffen. Six stood to her feet and went to leave when a marine came into the room-

"Lieutenant Commander Catherine? You're needed on comm with Colonel Holland." the marine said. Six frowned and looked at Kat who stood to her feet. 

"Do you mind Lieutenant?" she asked, nodding to Carter. "I...need to eat. Then I'll be back maybe, I might catch some shuteye but if he wakes up- you inform me immediately." Kat snipped. "Understand?"

"You got it ma'am." Six nodded, watching Kat leave. Six took Kat's old seat and leaned back in it, watching the Commander for a moment, then turning her attention to the back wall. She leaned her chin into her hand replaying the whole scene in her head. It all happened so fast...Six laid her head on the edge of the medical bed and closed her eyes, clenching her jaw. She wanted to sleep away this nightmare so desperately it was almost impossible to place it. 

She wasn't sure how much time had gone by when she felt a jolt on the medical bed. Her body shot up in a sitting position and there was a hand locked onto her wrist.

"Kat-" Carter's voice choked. 

"No- uh- no sir, it's me." Six assured him. "Kat is..." she looked at the time. 0400 hours. "Kat is sleeping, I took her spot. She'll be back as soon as she can. I will go get her-" she yawned and stood, darting her hand around for the lamp. She hit the button and looked to Carter who winced at the light. 

"No, no it's...fine...she's alright?"

"We all are. You on the other hand-" Six yawned again, blinking a few times. "You sir, you were crushed by rocks- saved by a car..." she smiled a little. Carter grunted in response- his blue eyes were bloodshot. He had a new cut on the side of his face- under a purple and black bruise. "How are you feeling?"

"Like hell," The Commander responded, sitting up a little. He let out a choked gasp, and Six urgently forced him to lay back down. He grabbed her hand frantically and squeezed it. Probably to relieve the pain onto something else. "Ugh- how long will I be here?" he grumbled. 

"Long enough to make sure that you don't falter in front of a bullet." Six tried to pull her hand free but found that he refused to let go. Six examined their hands and looked back at him. "You sure you don't want me to get Kat? It'll take four or five seconds-"

"No Antonia," Carter said. He blinked his eyes a few times and sighed, sinking against the cot. "Stay," he told her. Six bit the inside of her cheek and nodded.

"Kat told me to get her as soon as you woke up,"

"Since when did you start taking orders from her?"

"Since she scares me more than you do," Six smiled a little. Carter gave her tired glare, accompanied with a smile. 

"Does she really?"

"Yes,"

"You could take her," Carter confirmed quietly. 

"Yeah well, I could take all of you except for Jorge to be quite frank." Six told him with a small chuckle. Carter nodded in agreement. 

"How long was Kat here?" 

"Since we got you back to base. Seven hours?"

"Dammit..." Carter groaned. "I hate it when she does that."

"Worried?"

"Yes."

"She cares about you Carter, you expect her to just sit back and do nothing?" Six scolded him. He mumbled and looked at Six. "What?"

"You're here," he said. Six rolled her eyes and glared at him-

"Because she asked me to stick around. Don't get any ideas." Carter lifted their hands. His grip had loosened at some point. 

"You could've gotten away at almost any point in time. And yet you're still here." Six pulled her hand away almost immediately. 

"I care because you're my Commander," she excused. "Nothing more. Don't look at me like that-" Carter smiled slightly at her and rested his hand on his stomach with a sigh.

"If you say so Noble Six," he closed his eyes for a moment. Six rested her head in her chin again and yawned, her eyes fluttering shut yet again "Go to bed Toni, I'll be fine."

"You're calling me by my real name now?"

"You aren't some number." he looked at her. "You said you want your humanity?"

"Well yes-"

"Then this is a good place to start," he mumbled. 

"Well, I'm not leaving unless it's to go get Kat. So I'll let you make the choice." she told him. Carter let out a struggled laugh and looked at her with a shaking head.

"Fine, fine." he settled, "I won't argue." he offered his hand again. Six stared him down and laughed a little- shaking her head. 

"What is this?"

"Attention." he responded. "Of which Kat is not here to give me, so I guess I'll have to settle." he smirked a little resulting in Six scoffing out.

"Permission to speak freely sir?"

"Go ahead-"

"You're an asshole." she confirmed. Carter shrugged his shoulders with a wince, and smiled a little when Six took his hand. "Only because I'm Kat's replacement for the time being. Sorry that the comfort of metal isn't exactly present." Carter laced his fingers with her and settled their hands on his lower chest. 

"No, it's fine." he yawned. 

"Go back to sleep." she told him. "I'll be here when you wake up." she assured him. Carter smiled a little and nodded, closing his eyes again. He was out in seconds. The silence was deafening but the rhythm of his heartbeat made up for it. An unfortunate circumstance he would have to wake up in the morning is that she would no longer be there. Even though she said she would be. 

Chapter Text

THIRTEEN. Death Doesn't Hear Mourners

Planet Reach, Sword Base
Babd Catha Ice Shelf, Eposz
July 29, 2552
18:48 hours

Operating right out of Sword Base wasn't how Six planned on spending the rest of her week. Certainly not what she had wanted to do. It had actually been Carter's bright idea. Now he was up, walking around, taking comms, and redirecting. She was happy to see him back to his former commanding respect self. It seemed they both tried to avoid even thinking about what happened that night only a few days earlier. He made every effort in his power to avoid seeing her. And Six...Six tried her best. Not that it necessarily got her anywhere.

She turned her attention onto her partner instead. The tall grizzly bear of a man who now carried her like a sack of potatoes thrown over his shoulder. Six had gotten herself into a small stir with a trooper who tried to pick a fight. Now here she was being hauled back to where Aarons was chuckling with his troop. Jorge set her down and rested a hand on her head.

"Jax, she nearly killed someone." Jorge chuckled. "She hasn't even been here a full month and she's ready to cut a throat." 

"He thought he was being threatening- he wasn't." Six scoffed, looking up at Jorge who shook his head scoldingly. She grumbled and rolled her eyes, deciding that responding was probably not her best bet. Aarons gave his friend a scolding look and sighed.

"I'll take it from here Jorge," he assured him. Jorge ruffled Six's hair and smiled a little before walking away. "You two have gotten close," the young man laughed out. Six looked at him quickly and jogged after him. "You didn't strike me as someone who liked older men Toni," 

"Aarons, I will slit your throat. And I can get away with it-" Six threatened, walking up next to him as they slowly climbed the ramp. Aarons pressed a toothpick between his teeth- one he must've brought along. "Ugh, you're gonna ruin your teeth." she winced. Aarons rolled his eyes.

"I think ruined teeth is the last thing I have to worry about," he commented. 

"Until Zoe sees what you've done," Aarons face flushed lightly. 

"Shut up," Aarons commented. "She asked how things were going here. Hated having to break the news," he shook his head.

"I almost forgot she was born here," Six crossed her arms. "How'd she take it?"

"As well as anyone can take being told their home is being pillaged and burned by an alien alliance." he turned his head to her for a moment.

"Noted," Six sighed. She patted Aaron's shoulder and shook him a little bit. "Should've taken the promotion offer. Could be with her right now,"

"And leave behind my best friend? I love Zo- but you're like my sister." Aarons reasoned, "Besides. Being an ODST so much...pressure. I prefer the simplicity of the Troopers." Aarons nodded. "I'll see her again,"

"Course'." Six laughed. "I better be the best woman at your wedding-" that comment earned her a genuine shove from Jaxon.

"Why is that such an ambiguous concept for you- of course, you will be. We’ll get you a suit and everything.” 

"HA! I encourage that." she offered out wryly. Aarons furrowed his green eyes at her before rubbing a hand over his stubble and scoffing. 

"You're an asshole,"

"Ya know, I've been saying that to a lot of people recently," she commented. "Alright, so what are the plans for tonight?"

"Commander wants us to check perimeters. I have been assigned to the second to last shift." he chuckled lightly. "Joy, get to sleep, wake up for a few hours and take a nice long walk in the frigid air around Sword Base. Can't imagine how else I would wanna spend a Saturday." he smiled. Six gave him an unamused look accompanied by a small smile.

"It'll pass by in a flash, don't worry," she assured him. "That Covie base was taken care of by some falcon bombers. Much obliged to them for ripping that place apart." Six noted. 

"If they didn't, those damn alien bastards would've tore ass after the base." Aarons closed her lips over the toothpick and then pulled it from his mouth. He shook his head and looked down at his troopers who were beginning to file into a spare conference room to get their gear. "There's my cue. I'll see you in a bit. You guys are gonna round the base and meet us?" he asked. 

"It'll be Kat, Jun, Emile, Jorge, and I, yeah,"  she said. "Commander is sticking it back on the Doc's orders. Kat will be running any ops until about August 1st." she shrugged her shoulders. 

"God, bet Commander threw a fit about that." Aarons scoffed. Six nodded in confirmation and then laughed a little.

"I saw him shouting about it but hell if I know. He's been avoiding me like the plague." Six told Aarons who whistled a bit.

"Bet it's cause of that moment you two had-"

"It wasn't a moment." Six shoved him gently, her helmet butting into his stomach. Aarons made mocking motions with his hand and tossed his toothpick at her. Six swatted at it and yelped a little. "YOU ASS!"

"Love you too!" he called to her as he ran down the ramp of the bridge. Six rolled her eyes as he hit the floor. "What, you not gonna say it back?!"

"No way!"

"Never skip an I love you, Toni! You're basically my sister, so it's not weird." He pointed up at her. "My heart belongs to another- my sincerest apologies."

"Love you too you idiot, happy? Now go!" she swatted for her best friend to go join his team. Aarons was quite the one for theatrics. He always had been- but maybe that's what Six did love about him. A brother from another mother- a team for years. She started down the ramp on the opposite side and joined Jorge who was putting on his helmet.

"How is he?"

"Tired," Six laughed a little. "But still as optimistic as ever. I swear to God, the universe could be falling apart and he would still find something to smile about." she took her shotgun from Jun.

"Well, that makes the few of us.'' The sniper loaded his rifle and held it steady to check its scope. Six clipped her shotgun to her back and double-checked her knife. She examined it over a few times before tucking it back into its sheath. "At least someone has a bit of hope around here."

"He seems like a good man to have around," Jorge complimented.

"He is." Six confirmed. "One of the best." she smiled a little. 

"Family?" Emile piped in.

"No, not blood anyways. He's been around with me for about seven years now though. Helps keep me in check." Six shrugged her shoulders. "He's....a brother." Six completed the thought by putting her helmet on and clipping it into place. Jorge hauled his gun into his hands when Kat put her helmet on. 

"Alright, let's head out. Don't want the Troopers to beat us." Kat confirmed. She led the way to the elevator and down through the garage. They all walked into the courtyard, Six and Emile mutually taking point at the head of the pack. 

"How much of a fight to the Commander put up?" Jun asked.

"As expected. He's frustrated he can't help," Kat responded. 

"Expected. He never could just sit still." Emile chuckled lightly. Six smiled a little and continued her way forward, stopping when she heard light scuffing against the ground. Her eyes scanned the cemented patio in front of her and she cleared her throat. Six's eyes darted quickly to her motion tracker. 

"Contacts," she said quietly. She took a step forward when a plasma grenade rolled in front of her. "GRENADE!"

Emile and Six unanimously jumped back- stumbling a bit from the blow of the grenade. Their shields got knocked out to which Kat and Jorge both stepped up to the plate. Jorge rained a layer of bullets into the darkened area in front of them. Jun stood in the far back scanning the area. 

"We got skirmishers on the towers ahead," he announced. "Aiming,"

"Start firing," Kat commanded. Six nodded to Jorge who dropped back so that she could run forward. Six leaped over the cement stops, landing on a grunt that was hiding. Probably the one who threw the grenade. She forced her foot down on the bastard's neck until she heard the satisfying crack of its neck. She aimed her shotgun yet again and ran ahead, Emile close on her heels. She fired down every grunt she saw- but there were no elites. Suspicious.

Six sidestepped a skirmisher's body as it fell to the ground and landed next to her. Six looked down at it before turning her attention up and around the compound. 

"They didn't just send Grunts and Skirmishers, did they?" She asked, looking at Kat who walked up next to her. Kat shook her head and then looked at Six's helmet. Six looked over her HUD once more and shook her head. "Nothing on the radar," she said quietly. 

"Yes, well." Kat looked ahead at the opened gates. "This is mildly concerning."

"You think they're planning something, ma'am?" Six asked as Kat began her venture down the ramp towards the gates. 

"It's very possible," Kat said. "They may grunt and snarl like animals but they are smart. Well..." she turned her eyes to a skirmisher on the ground. "Most are anyhow." This earned a snort from Emile as the team continued forward. The silence was almost eerie. It made Six curious as to the nature of the Covenant. What were they up to? Six tried to push the nerves from her mind and cocked her gun yet again, listening to an empty shell clatter to the ground. 

Without a vehicle, the team walked for at least thirty minutes. Six preferred it if she was being honest.  It was nice being able to see things outside of the blur that would be a fast-moving car. Easier to spot things too. The path was comfortable to walk with Jorge and Emile on either side of her. At least she knew she had two men who were far larger than her to use as shields if she needed to. Maybe more so Emile than Jorge...Emile cheated during cards. Six watched the icy waters collide with the rocks on the side of the path and shook her head.

"God, I hate water," she muttered. Emile gently nudged her into Jorge closer to the water to which she slammed the butt of her shotgun onto his arm. He laughed a little and Six felt Jorge grab the back of her armor, tugging her away from strangling Emile. Kat held up a fist and Six stopped, she held her barrel towards the sky. Jorge and Emile both fell up behind Jun and Kat, they all peered around the corner and noted a vehicle.

"Kat...is that one that we left here?" Six asked in a low whisper.

"No...No it's not." Kat frowned.

"Still running," Jun commented. "Troopers may have taken one." Kat and Six both began to tread forward, keeping low to the ground. There was the gurgling of Elites in the far distance towards where the generator was. Six noted the jackals that were at the entrances of the smaller bases. 

"What's our move boss?" Emile asked quietly. 

"What are they doing Jun?" Kat asked. "I'm getting a friendly signature over there."

"It's a trooper. He isn't moving though." Six moved around the side of the vehicle and looked inside. She noted the marine with a large stab wound to his gut sitting in the passenger seat. She pressed a hand to his neck- no pulse but the blood was fresh and his body still retained its color. This was recent.

"Aarons..." she breathed out. Jorge turned his head towards her-

"We keep looking Six. There should be two cars. This vehicle seems to only have had two of them in it. There were five marines. We are missing three." Jun told her. Six looked over at the dead marine and took Jun's rifle for a moment. She scoped onto the marine that's body was leaned against a wooden panel- dark hair. Not Jaxon Aarons dirty blonde hair. A fresh sigh of relief went through her. 

She handed the rifle back to Jun and looked at Kat.

"Clear them out." She ordered the team. Six nodded and darted out from behind the car just as Jun took a shot at the elite. Six watched it topple off the balcony above- she stormed the jackals. They threw up their shields- which could prove to be a chore for Six's bullets. So she took her boot to the right one's shield- clattering its defenses. She shot it in the face. The other alien squawked loudly and angrily- it started firing needles at her. 

"Ha, piece of shit. I'm reinforced," Six smirked. The worst that a needle would do to her now was take down her shields. Granted, the undersuit made her look more like a man but hell, most people thought she was anyways. If they hadn't seen her in person, much less gotten through her file? They'd have no idea. Gender wasn't particularly important but Six liked her femininity more than she cared to admit. Besides, it was what she was built off of in that damn Project they decided to use her in.

Female hyper lethal soldier. 

But it was far easier for someone to believe that a man could do all that damage. They expect a lot, get a 6'4" woman- let down their guard. Then she proceeds to beat their asses. Seemed logical to her. Six continued with her work- punching the jackal so hard in the face its neck snapped. It fell down and she looked at the other Spartans. Jorge waited for her to jog over and take her spot next to him. Kat, Emile, and Jun were already paving a way ahead. 

"Just glad that there weren't too many here." Six watched the tire tracks on the ground. "They probably went back to the base?"

"If they had been wounded? Yeah, more than likely." Jorge confirmed. The team took another twenty to twenty-five minutes to circle around the other side of the base. Six got caught up on some damage on the automated gun that she had reset only days earlier. 

"Damn, they really did a number on this thing didn't they?" She muttered. "Hey Jorge, c'mere!" she called. Jorge lumbered over and dropped his gun at his feet, leaning down slightly to examine some of the wiring damage. 

"They targeted it more than likely." He said clearly. 

"Five. Here, now, Four. Go look over the gun with Six," Kat ordered. Six glanced over at Kat who waved her hand from behind a rock. Emile came jogging over while Jorge took his place. 

"So, what do we have here?" Emile asked.

"The gun that I had reset last time Kat and I made a round here." Six said with a shrug. "Think it's fixable?"

"More than likely, I'm sure Kat could figure it out at least," Emile commented, clipping his gun to his back. Six examined Emile's posture- he was rigid. Something was off.

"Are you alright?" she asked him. Emile hummed and looked up at her from his knee next to the gun. 

"Oh yeah, I'm...fine." Emile glanced over his shoulder. Six frowned and lifted a brow. 

"Should I go and check the remote on the top of the base? Maybe we can get its targeting system back on. It'll alert the base of any nearby issues at least," Six said with a shrug. 

"No...no we should wait for someone who knows how to do this stuff." Emile stood back up. 

"We've got Kat-"

"Noble Six," Kat announced over comms. Both Emile and Six turned. "Come. Both of you," she ordered. Her voice was tight. Something was definitely wrong- her suspicion was confirmed when she saw Jorge and Jun with their helmets off. Jun had a hand on his head and his eyes closed. Jorge nodded to Emile and stepped in front of Six. 

"I need you to breathe," he told her.

"I'm sorry?"

"Breathe, Toni," Jorge told her. Six frowned deeply.

"Okay, I'm breathing?" she said. "Jorge what's going on-" she glanced over and saw a warthog. Still running, its nose was dipped into the front of the lake. Dead elites laid under it. She heard small chokes and cries from men. Six looked at her partner, her heart sinking. Pushing the tall man aside violently she moved up next to Kat. What she saw next made her jaw fall slack.

Blood...a lot of blood. Face lashings so damn violent the face was hardly recognizable. Barbed fence torn from one side of the building held him to the tree by his neck and wrists. His uniform was in tatters, his helmet on the ground, blood pouring from every pore on his body. Her heart sped up. Chills ran up and down her body as she approached the body. Pulling off her helmet she let out something like a strangled cry-

"J...Jax..." she choked out. Six was in such shock she couldn't cry out again. She couldn't yell. She couldn't cry for someone. His head moved slightly and he choked out a breath. Six immediately went for her knife, tearing at the barbed wire. Cutting him away from the tree, she gathered Aarons in her arms and sunk to her knees. "Hey look at me..."

Jax’s green eyes slowly flitted to her and he tried to form a smile on her lacerated lips. He leaned his head into her shoulder and mumbled something inaudible. Six cupped his face gently, her fingers resting at the upper part of his neck.

“Come on Jax- stay with me buddy- stay!” she begged.

“Hey...Toni...” he choked out with that smile. "Love...you..." Six’s mouth hung open slightly as she watched his face go cold with death. She shook her head and gently patted his face.

“No-” she whispered, “NO! JAXON GOD- NO!” she screamed hysterically, gently placing him on the ground and cupping his face with both hands. She couldn’t cry- why couldn’t she cry. She wanted to scream, she wanted to yell. She wanted to let out the frustration of watching her best friend’s life leave his body. She kept his face tight in her hands and pressed her forehead to his seething a breath through her teeth for a moment. “Come back- please come back. Don’t...don’t make me do this alone, Jax. Please don’t make me do this by myself- I need you here…” she begged. 

But Six knew one thing very well.

Death did not hear mourners. It never had, it never would. It would simply look down at her pathetic mortal body and walk away with its prize. The life of a good man who deserved so much more than the world gave him. Six lifted her head and shook her head as she looked out over the drop off of the nearby cliff. She shook her head and clenched her jaw.

‘I love you too Jaxon.’

Chapter Text

FOURTEEN. Safe and Sound

Planet Reach, Sword Base
Babd Catha Ice Shelf, Eposz
July 30, 2552
03:00 hours

Six sat by herself on the top floor for hours. Kat had given Carter the report, she also informed him that Six had drawn her blade on her. She made sure to emphasize it was out of emotion though. Jorge was the only one able to get through to her- she kept to herself. Didn't say a thing. Carter had seen Private Aarons' body when he was brought in on a gurney. They covered him with a blanket as soon as they could. His comrades paid with the screaming wrath of Antonia B312 down by where Aarons died. 

Emile and Jorge had a hard time holding her back apparently. Carter believed it. Antonia was already immensely strong as a spartan. He made a mental note to try and stay on her good side, though with the tension between them now? It would be hard. 

"Commander, Colonel Holland would like a word with you, sir." A quiet Trooper, Private Lucky from the Noble Team base, beckoned. Carter adjusted his t-shirt into his cargo pants, trying to look at least semi-professional. As professional as he could get outside of his armor anyways. He hated it- not being able to do anything for Aarons. But he had been strung up for at least ten minutes. His death was inevitable. Carter made his way quickly into the comm room where Colonel Holland holographically stood with his hands tightly behind his back. He turned his eyes to Carter when he walked up.

"Sir." Carter stood stiff at attention and gave a salute. 

"How is she?" Holland questioned. 

"You've heard already. Word travels fast," Carter breathed. "I'm not sure sir. I tried to talk to her but things have been..." he paused. "Tense for a while," he finished. "Jorge is with her now sir."

"Good. Someone needs to be." Holland made a pacing line, his eyes scanning the ground beyond him. "Aarons was sent with Noble Six to keep her in line Commander. I can't guarantee how she will react now that he is dead. We shouldn't have taken the chances."

"With all due respect sir, Jaxon Aarons was a Trooper. He knew the risks when he entered the Corps." Carter felt wrong for saying that but he wasn't about to let the poor man's name die in sympathy smothered regret. "It's just unfortunate he had to go out in such a way. I would also like to add that while the Lieutenant has her ups and downs, she is a capable individual. She'll be just fine. Maybe a bit paranoid. If not a bit more angry than normal- but she wouldn't hurt us sir."

"Good to hear you're so confident in her Commander," Holland said. "Unfortunately, her previous Agency doesn't have such faith as you do."

"If they think they can simply take her from our team sir, I'm sorry but that's not something I'm going to allow to happen. She has become a very valuable soldier. She does the job she came to do. Grief or no grief. Her behavior may change but I have complete faith that she will be able to perform her job well. Pass that to her agency. They can't have her." he said simply.

Holland nodded slowly.

"I like that answer Commander. Send our Lieutenant my regards, and should she need anything- to contact me directly. I will do what I can, though resources are sparing in this war unfortunately." 

"I appreciate the gratitude Colonel Holland," Six's voice said slowly. Carter turned and looked at Jorge who was just behind a clean faced Six. Carter had to admit, he was a bit out of sorts to see her without his darkened upper eyelid. She looked like a wreck- no signs of crying though. More like the equivalent of being told that your whole past was a lie. Everything she knew was just...a lie. Her brown hair was tied in some kind of braided knot limp on the back of her head. She was still in her armor. 

Carter could understand why...it was more comforting. He stepped away from the terminal so that Six could speak to Holland.

"But that won't be necessary sir. I will be able to perform my job as necessary," she informed him, her voice thick and slow. Mechanical almost. The life that was once behind her eyes was...gone. Carter gestured for Jorge to follow him out of the room for a moment. 

"Colonel, I'm going to speak with Noble Five. I'll be back," he told the Colonel who nodded briefly and turned his attention back onto the grieving woman who stood in front of him. Carter led Jorge out of the room and crossed his arms. "Well?" he sighed.

"She's never grieved like this before Commander. She has had teams die in the past apparently but...Aarons wasn't a team member to her." Jorge ran a hand across his hair. "He was like her family. The last bit she had...it's hard seeing someone like this Carter. It is." he shook his head. "And I was with you after Thom." Thom's death was hard on Carter.

He understood what Six was going through. To the fullest of the emotion. Thom's death was like losing a brother that he had never had as a kid. It was strange. Weeks went by when he was gone, then Antonia showed up. He still wasn't comfortable with Thom no longer being around. He had even mistaken Toni for him because of their armor. The pain was dull but it was there- in the pit of his stomach.

"She looks like life has been drained from her." Jorge said, "Sounds like it too. I've never seen someone so machine-like Commander. Not like she is now."

"Six talked about how she wanted her humanity. She forgot about the reality of that humanity. Pain. Serious, aching, stabbing pain." Carter brushed a hand against his forehead and sighed, shaking his head. "It...it is horrible timing really," he whispered. 

"Yeah, I know." Jorge looked into the comm room. "I'll keep an eye on her Commander, Emile volunteered to help. She'll talk to us. Jun offered to help her with sniping...help get her mind off of it. I think...if there's one thing that will take her mind off of everything, it's holding a gun. Shooting at things. She never shed a single tear, Carter. Not one. After screaming at the other troopers...she just stared at the lake, mentioned how beautiful Reach night skies were. Talked about how Aarons and his significant other, Zoe, had planned on building a house on a beach here. She still didn't cry. She spoke with no emotion. It's like...everything that had been there was gone." 

Carter clenched his jaw and turned to look at the Colonel. 

"We'll finish this conversation in a moment," he said. 

"Sir, Six wants to contact Zoe. We already put up a word that it's an ASAP." Jorge said. In a different scenario, Carter would've scolded the man for making that call without his permission. But right now? That was the last thing that was necessary. 

"Alright," Carter said dryly. He turned and walked back into the comm room as Six finished with the Colonel.

"Noble One, be prepared for direct orders tomorrow. I want you back on your feet. Tomorrow will be a trial run to see if you can handle it. We'll perform these until you're back up to speed." Holland informed him. Carter nodded.

"Thank you, sir, Carter out." the comm hologram went dark. "Toni-"

"Six." she corrected. Carter looked at her and frowned. She really did have no life behind her eyes. They were empty, blank. Silent. It was almost disturbing how they had gotten darker. 

"Lieutenant," Carter added on. "We'll patch you through to Zoe...but I-"

"Commander, I don't need your sympathy. You're obligated to make the weapon of the team feel more human because you think it'll help me, right? But to be quite frank, I don't give a damn. I don't want some half baked apology. You may understand what it's like from your perspective and in no way am I meaning to invalidate yourself and Thom's friendship, you had other people." Six said clearly. "Up until now? I've had Jaxon. That's it. He was not a brother, he was not a friend or a boyfriend- he was so much more than that. And now he's dead. So if you would please, just...don’t." she held up her hands and pursed her lips. Carter fell silent, looking down at her with a concerned face, a new person appearing on the comm terminal. A woman in ODST armor- her hair was shaved on one side of her head and flipped to the left in bundles of curls.

Carter stepped out of view and crossed his arms, walking back out of the room. He stood close enough to listen though, Jorge did too. 

"Toni! Hey darling! G-god, I'm glad t- see you're okay-" the ODST said quickly. "So-sorry, we managed to ge-get a link, they're st-iii-ll working on it." Zoe flickered in and out. "How are things on Reach? Worse than what they're telling me I assume."

"Yeah." Six nodded with a small, sad laugh. "It's not looking too good."

"Where are you? Only places I know with the type of terminals on Reach are-"

"ONI facility. I'm at Sword Base with the team right now." Six responded. She grasped the rails of the terminal's edge and rocked forward and back.

"I see..." Zoe frowned. "Wh-what's the problem?"

"Everything, Zo. Everything is the problem...there is something wrong that..." Six vented, shaking her head and pushing a hand into her hair. "I wish I knew where to start."

"How about have Jax catch me up tomorrow. I don't have much ti-time." Zoe looked over her shoulder.

"He can't." Six blurted out. Carter took a deep breath, closing his eyes as Zoe inquired why. 

"What do you mean he can't? Is it really that bad there?" the ODST woman gave a concerned look. "He's been lying to me to keep me from panicking knowing him-"

"Zoe I don't know...how to tell you this. So I'm just going to say it." Six looked up and took a step back. "Jaxon is dead." Zoe stiffened. "He's gone Zo. He isn't...he isn't coming...back." Six choked out. Carter looked at Jorge who crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway with a tired, yet disappointed look on his face. Carter looked back to Zoe who covered her mouth and shook her head. 

There was a loud clatter of her helmet.

"No, no, no-no. No." Zoe said frantically. "No, this..." she whispered, her voice breaking. There were a few rapid voices around the other side of the line as Zoe sobbed out. "Jaxon is...how?" she asked.

"Covenant. Interrogation more than likely...that's what the scene looked like anyways. The...the lashings were so bad it was...almost impossible to identify him but I knew-"

"His eyes." Zoe finished. "You were always good with people's eyes." Six nodded. Zoe covered her face again, processing the information before choking out a sob. "Dammit Jax...god fucking dammit-" she cried out. Six looked down and away, her eyes scanning the ground from Carter's perspective. "Thank you...Antonia...for telling me. I..."

"I'm sorry Zoe...I wish...If I had gotten there earlier-"

"No," Zoe interrupted. "Don't you dare put this on yourself, Toni. This is not your fault."

"It was only ten minutes," Six shook her head. "I could've saved him."

"No Toni," the other woman whispered. "No, you couldn't have. I..." Zoe cried out again. "I need to go." the line went dark. Six didn't move for a second, she just stood there. Carter wanted to move to say something, touch her arm. Tell her it was going to be okay. But that was dangerous...she would break more. She was fragile.

Six walked directly to Jorge and hugged him. Jorge didn't say anything, he just stared at the far wall. Carter looked at Six whose eyes were focused on something just over her Commander's shoulder. Carter turned and noted Aarons' helmet being placed on some cargo boxes. Troopers gathered around it. He turned completely to look at it and when he turned back around- Six was gone. Jorge was left standing with a hand on his armor belt. His eyes followed Six across the bridge, she was running. 

Carter swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. She was hurting. She would be okay soon...she just needed time. Which was something they didn't have much of.

Chapter Text

FIFTEEN. Friendly Fire

PLANET REACH, NOBLE BASE
AUGUST 4, 2552
12:06 HOURS

Six hadn't felt any better. She was glad to be out of Sword Base though. It didn't help cure the empty spots at the tables though. It didn't fix the untouched locker with his name on it. It didn't change anything. He was still gone. And yet, Six hadn't shed one tear. In fact, to say she felt anything was being kind. She had felt nothing since Jaxon was confirmed deceased. Jorge had attempted to help as much as he could but...there wasn't much one could do to cure grief.

She had gone mute against her team's wishes- only speaking when spoken to. She heard the things that they said- but she didn't hold it against them. They said she had become robotic. In which she had. Very, very robotic. If that is what humanity felt like- who would want anything to do with it? That kind of soul ripping pain. It made Six angry. But then again- so did a pen dropping on the ground. Everyone seemed to tread lightly around her, everyone except Jorge. He continued to treat her as he did before, with lighter tones and less personal conversations. 

He kept Six engaged in reality. It was pleasant at times. Though, there were moments she wished he just would sit there and not say a word. All she had to do was tell him to be quiet and he would do it. And hold her hand throughout the silence. He knew somehow that she hated it. Six pushed her food around on her plate and dropped her fork onto the plate.

"Not gonna eat Six?" Jun asked quietly.

"Not hungry," Six responded quietly. 

"You didn't eat lunch or breakfast today, Six. You didn't eat dinner yesterday. You have to eat something." Jorge responded shortly, taking a bite of his own food. Six swallowed and looked back at the food on her plate. It has simple rations, basic greens and rice. She couldn't force down anything else. "Six." she looked at Jorge who gave her a scolding look. "You don't want me shoving it down your throat," he firmly pushed her plate towards her again. "Eat. Before you pass out." Six looked at Carter who nodded, looking at his own plate.

"Don't make me turn it into a direct order Lieutenant." Six grumbled when he said that and began to eat. She shifted in her seat, zoning out, her eyes hyper-focused on the table. 

"So what are the plans, Commander?" Kat spoke up. 

"I'm still undergoing physical therapy. Patrols will continue as usual. We need to stay on top of our comm systems and keep the covenant under our thumb. The last thing we need is them getting a step ahead of us." Carter explained sternly. "We gotta keep our head above the water."

“I hadn’t realized we had let it get from under us,” Emile said with a mild worry touching his tone. 

“You’d be surprised how many patrols have gone missing,” Kat said. “Not just here but all over the planet. SPARTANs have even gone missing, shown up in lakes.”

“Overwhelmed,” Jorge said quietly.

“We won’t let that happen to us,” Carter nodded affirmingly.

“How do you know that though?” Six inquired quietly. All heads turned towards her in slight shock. Six lifted her own, only looking at Carter. “How do you know?” He held eye contact with her for a moment.

“I don’t,” he said quietly.

“Exactly.” Six clenched her jaw. “We can be prepared all we want but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re probably going to be overwhelmed at some point.”

“The pessimism isn’t going to help the situation Six,” Kat cut in.

“Let me finish,” Six poked at her food. “We’ll know when we’re losing, it’ll just be a matter of knowing when we’ve lost. When it’s time to retreat...that’s the only way we’ll keep our heads above water Commander, by staying alive.” She quoted. “Because at this point, our heads are already under it, and we’re drowning.” there was silence for a bit after that little spiel. 

“It’s hard to be optimistic about a situation like this,” Carter excused. “And unfortunately, she’s right. We’re drowning right now. It’s hard to tell if we can come back.”

“We can.” Six nodded. “We’ve got the resources, we’ve got the people to back up. We’ve got it all. I’m not scared if you guys aren’t.”

“I was unaware you were even capable of feeling fear, Six.” Jun scoffed quietly. Six shrugged her shoulders,

“Yeah well when you see your best friend strung up like a piece of meat it tends to do something to you,” she stared at her food for another moment. She had finished a good portion. Now her stomach was churning. She wasn’t hungry anymore...in fact, her head was swaying. She grunted slightly and closed her eyes, remembering back to it.

“Six…” Jorge’s voice comforted. She looked up at him, “You alright?”

“No…” She laughed quietly, shaking her head. A hand touched her shoulder and she sighed heavily noting it was Carter. “I’m alright, sir. I can do my job. I’ll be fine.”

“Losing someone isn’t an easy fee, Six.” Emile piped in. “Nobody is tryna undermine that fact. You’ve been here for about two weeks now but you’re one of us. We like you being here.” Six’s heart dropped a bit as her eyes focused on the table once more. They were so good to her...She bit the inside of her cheek and nodded in response. 

“Six,” Kat’s voice spoke up, “Look up Lieutenant,” She did. “We are here for you to lean on. It’s an unfamiliar concept for you I’m sure. But we are in the middle of a war unfortunately, you have to grieve while you run. We’re right next to you.” she told her with the smallest of smiles. Six choked out a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth. There was stinging in her eye and her nose was burning. The new feeling in her chest was swelling like a balloon about to pop. Six was quick on her feet and kept her head down so not to let anyone see the tears that had begun to stream down her face. She kept her hand over her mouth and ducked for the hallway, ignoring the cries for her to return. 

She found herself in Jaxon’s bunk. The boxes were packed and ready to ship back to his family. Six rubbed her face to wipe away tears that were replaced by more seconds afterward. The door shut behind her automatically. It was convenient...She walked forward and gently pulled open one of the boxes. She paused when she saw what was inside. She squinted at it as more tears pooled against her lashes. Six hadn’t cried like this in...quite a while the more she thought about it. Slowly, she pulled out his tablet and sunk onto the bed. She typed in the passcode and stared at the screen. Zoe’s reaction still made her heart, ache . Six gripped the thing tighter and resisted the urge to angrily throw it at a wall. So instead, she hugged it to her chest as tight as she could. 

Tears streamed from her cheeks as she hiccuped sobs into the air. She wanted to form words to the emptiness in front of her, in prayers that he heard her. Maybe he would...maybe he wasn’t anywhere near her. Would he listen…? Six looked down at the tablet once again and scrolled through the endless blueprints and old pictures stored into the drive. There was one of her and him before they left for Noble Base. There were a few after that on some simple blueprints and instructions. A few screenshots of articles, some com transcripts...She turned off the tablet and slipped it back into the box. The door swished open and Six stiffened. She stared at the box, hoping that whoever was behind her wouldn’t see the teardrops on the tiled floor. 

“Six?” Emile’s voice inquired. She turned slightly and saw Emile standing in the doorway. “Jorge gave me a few minutes to talk you down...I figured if anyone could help, it might be me.” he walked over slowly, his hands in his sweatpants pockets. Six didn’t want to say anything at that moment. If anything, she wanted to yell and scream and be angry. The tears wouldn’t stop cascading from her eyes. 

“He’s gone Emile,” She whispered through a hoarse voice. “For real this time, he-he’s not...coming back.” She gripped her fists. “How many more people that I care about will have to die before this is all over.”

“Hopefully none,” Emile interrupted her. He placed a hand on her back, “It’s hard Toni, I know. Trust me, I get it. All of us here do.”

“You make it sound like this is something easy for me,” Six slapped his arm away before slumping back onto the bed. “Emile it’s not. It’s so much more complicated than you think. I’ve been conditioned to think a certain way, to feel a certain way, this kind of shit shouldn’t bother me! Yet here I am--HOW THE FUCK AM I STILL CRYING GODDAMMIT?!” Six was quick to wipe away her tears again, failing miserably. She hiccuped another sob again and shook her head, “I hate this Emile- I hate this. I can’t decide anymore. I wanted to be able to feel emotion, but this hurts so damn much.” she looked up at him through blurred vision. 

“It doesn’t stop,” he told her. “I’m not going to sit here and lie to you by saying it does. Unfortunately, that’s not my style. What I can do is tell you this,” he kneeled in front of her. “Nobody here is gonna leave you high and dry. Nobody here is gonna leave you without a way out. Nobody here is going to just disappear. We are with you until life says we can’t be anymore. And we expect the same from you. So no matter the consequences, on God Toni, I’ve got your back.” he promised her. “So does Jorge, and Kat and Jun...and Carter.” Six thought back on the night in the infirmary, closing her eyes. She nodded,

“Okay…”

“Give us a chance to be there for you, and I promise,” Emile stood up once again, “You won’t be disappointed.” Six looked up at him and nodded again. 

“Hope we can come in now,” a voice interrupted. Six looked up and over to Carter who was leaned in the doorway while Kat, Jun, and Jorge patiently waited behind him. Six sniffled and looked at the ground,

“Just forget you guys ever saw me like this,” she whispered. “Please,”

“Of course, you’ve got quite the reputation to uphold,” Carter offered her a small smile as Jorge gently pushed back to give Six a hug. She was slightly surprised by the gesture but accepted it anyway. She kept her eyes on Carter who didn’t look away from her except for a moment. She looked back to the boxes for a moment...Jaxon...Six slipped out of Jorge’s arms and closed the box tight. “You died that night Toni...I saw your face. I understand this is a hard time but we need you focused. Can you do that for us?”

“You guys can count on me,” she whispered with a nod. “I promise, I won’t let you down.” she croaked out, looking back to Carter who nodded briefly.

“Good.” he responded.

Chapter Text

SIXTEEN. Tension

PLANET REACH, NOBLE BASE
AUGUST 6, 2552
25:24 HOURS

The silence was truly deafening. 

It was the last thing Six needed then, but poor Carter couldn’t hold a conversation with her to save his life. It was like he was trying to tiptoe around certain topics and terms for whatever reason. They had been patrolling for only thirty minutes. She sighed as she sat down on the tree stump nearby, pulling her knife out of its sheath and pushing it into the wood. She watched the Commander walk up and down the river edge.

“That water isn’t gonna talk back to you, ya know.” She spoke up. Carter looked back at her, his visor glinting from the light reflecting from her own. 

“Yeah, I know,” he said after a second or two. Six nodded and looked to the water rushing over rocks and splashing onto the edge of the riverbed. “How’s your back?” he asked her, “I’m sure the past few days have been straining it?”

“Yeah,” Six felt like the explosion had only occurred a few days ago. She had a hard time believing it happened nearly two weeks ago. She sighed heavily, before tilting her head side to side. So much had happened and she hadn’t even been with the team for a whole month. The explosion haunted her behind her eyes, and then there was Jaxon...Her stomach flipped every time she thought about him. It rolled up into a knot and she had to physically walk to unfurl it. She got to her feet immediately, putting her knife away and tightening her grip on her shotgun as she walked. Carter nodded in response to her getting up and started ahead. 

“How are you doing mentally?” he asked as though he had read her mind. Six remained quiet for some time trying to decipher how she would phrase her answer,

“I’m...making it. It’s weird not seeing him in the garage anymore. His sister is an ODST, I believe that's how he met Zoe…” she chimed off. “I know his dog tags are probably on their way to her. I wish I had a little more than a bloodied helmet,”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” he said quietly. “So was he ever offered an ODST position?”

“Yes,” She smiled weakly. “He would’ve led a team too, but he turned it down to stick it out with me…” Guilt swelled up in Six’s stomach. “If he’d gone with the team maybe he could’ve made it to his damn wedding,”

“Don’t.” Carter stopped in his tracks and turned to her again. “Don’t do that to yourself,” he ordered her. “Am I clear?’

“Yes sir,” 

More silence before he continued walking and spoke up again,

“You can’t make his choices for him, Six.” Carter told her, “Ultimately, other people's choices and decisions are not something we can control. It’s unfortunate but it’s true. If he stuck it out with you, then there's a reason for it. He obviously cared about you enough to believe that it was worth it. I’d think he thought that to the very end,” Carter stepped over a large log. “But sitting there, criticizing yourself for every minuscule detail that couldn’t have been helped in the first place? Will only make things harder for both you and his family in the long run. I think the last thing any of us need right now is more pressure. I need you sharp,” She didn’t want to admit that Carter was right.

Except he was.

In every aspect. And if anyone on Noble Team understood her feelings, it’d be him. How convenient. 

“Enough of this,” Carter sighed eventually. “Why don’t you ask me some questions, yeah? It seems like we haven’t had time to just...talk. Without being at each other’s throats, that is.” Six nodded and sifted through a couple of questions.

“When’s your birthday?”

“Generic…”

“Hey, you said to ask!” Carter chuckled a bit and Six couldn’t stop a small smile from spreading across her face. 

“That I did,” he shook his head, holding up some tree branches for her to pass under as they continued walking, side by side now. “August 27th, 2520.” he nodded.

“Wow, so that’s soon,”

“Yeah.” Carter didn’t seem too excited about it. “It’s nice to hope I can spend it with the team off Reach, but honestly I’m not getting my hopes up. Next question,”

“Right, um…” Six drew out the ‘m’ before popping her lips. “Okay, where are you from?”

“Biko,” Carter answered simply. Six’s skin went cold under her armor, she swore under her breath. Biko had been glassed by the Covenant in 2526...She immediately regretted asking.

“My bad,”

“It’s fine,” Carter told her. “I miss my parents, no doubt about that. But I also have to think that I would’ve never joined the SPARTAN-III program if it hadn't happened. Never would’ve met some of my closest friends. Wouldn’t have saved countless lives. Wouldn’t be having this conversation. Everything happens for a reason,”

“You’re certainly the wise guy tonight. You’ve been spending time with Jorge.”

“That obvious?” Six chuckled at his light-hearted comment. 

“What about you?” he asked her. Six lifted her head in a questioning hum. “Where are you from? Or am I not allowed to know?”

“I’m certain you already do,”

“Okay but maybe I want to hear it from you lieutenant,” Carter once again took the lead a few paces ahead of her. Six tried to ignore the burning in her upper cheeks before heavily sighing.

“I’m from Jericho VII,” She told him quietly. “Damask. Nothing significant.”

“Family still there?”

“Dead,” She told him. “Slashed by Zealots.” she shrugged her shoulders. “Missing little sister. Step-father has been MIA since I was four and my Mother was killed right in front of me. Fun times,” Six shook her head carefully. “And before you offer your condolences, don’t. I’ve heard enough meaningless apologies the past week than I care to hear for the rest of my life.” That came off harsher than she meant to. When she opened her mouth to make a meaningless apology of her own, she was cut off. 

“Fair.” Carter fell silent for another second. “When’s your birthday?” Six smiled a bit more. 

“November 10th, 2523.” She nodded.

“Young,”

“I’m three years younger than you!” Six demanded, “What? Should I start calling you grandpa now?”

“You give me enough grey hair and you might have to,” Carter scoffed in a scolding tone, though it was obvious it was a joke. “Alright, ask me another question.” Six sighed and tried to understand why he was doing this, she passed through at least five reasons before she spouted her next question,

“Any favorite movies?”

“Iron Man from the 2000s,” Six’s eyes widened slightly. Action movies huh? Six recalled back to the movies that Jaxon forced her to watch when she had time off. The old Marvel movies were some of her favorites, though she found herself relating to Natasha a bit too personally and would always turn them off if she attempted to watch them alone. They made her feel sick. Then again, it seemed like anything for normal people seemed to make her sick. 

“You seem more like the Captain America type, Commander.”

“Hm,” he laughed under his breath. “Funny, Kat said the same thing.” 

“What about your favorite time of day?”

“I like nighttime,” he told her. “Especially while we’re at the base. Something about the lights there just gives it a very nostalgic feeling.”

“Favorite holiday?”

“Tricky…” he bobbed his head for a moment. “I like Christmas,” he declared. “You?”

“I…” Six examined her gun. “I have no idea, ONI never really did stuff for the holidays.” she shrugged, “As a kid, it was probably my birthday, which isn’t necessarily a holiday but Mom treated it like one.”

“You have a favorite memory from home?”

“Mhm,” Six managed to catch up to Carter’s pace quickly. “My Mom had these big ol’ rose bushes outside the house. I like helping her clip them.”

“Rose bushes...does that have anything to do with your favorite color now?” Six blinked a few times, she never thought about it that way.

“I mean maybe, it’s so cliche for a woman to say that her favorite flower is a rose. But I guess mine is so, subconsciously, yeah that might be it.” She babbled slightly. Carter didn’t respond for a moment,

“That’s a nice memory to keep,” he told her. “I remember my family pretty vaguely. My Mom and Dad were both pretty peaceful people.” he ended that discussion with silence as they walked. It was a pretty awkward end to a talk. 

“Commander,”

“Yes?”

“Thank you,”

“For?”

“Everything really,” Six admitted. “I know I haven't exactly been the easiest to work with. You’ve been patient,” Carter hummed a noise.

“It hasn’t been easy,” Six glanced at him as they broke through the treeline into a more, slightly mountainous terrain. “You always find some way to get under my skin, like a really small splinter. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s a little more inconvenient.” he teased with a light joke to his tone. “You irritate me Antonia, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” Somehow Six doubted that. 

“Well, either way, thanks.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Lieutenant, it’s my job to be there for my people. You’re no exception,” he told her. Six halted her steps as her stomach jumped to her throat at that statement. No exception- he saw her as a part of his team...She sighed to herself and flitted her eyes up to Reach’s moons. She didn’t necessarily understand what she felt for Carter, all she knew was it was something that could get them both in trouble, and that simple comment, that very statement made all the difference to her feelings. Or it should’ve anyways. Carter angered her, he did. He was bossy and stern, and strict and he rarely ever would listen. But, those were a lot of attributes of the bitch that scorned back at her in the mirror. “Six,” Carter called, snapping her from her thoughts. She looked up at him a few paces ahead, “You coming? Extraction area is up ahead. We should probably call in.” 

“Right, yeah I’m coming,” she jogged after him as they slowly approached an area. She frowned as she noted some lights over the edge of the slight cliff. Six’s eyes widened when she saw a familiar spotlight coming from above them. She grabbed ahold of Carter’s arm instinctively and pulled them behind a rock. The two SPARTANs crouched with their backs to the larger boulder. Six gripped her gun, ready to jump out and start battle.

“We might need a new extraction plan,” he whispered to her.

“Yeah no shit, sir.” Six poked her head around the edge as the Phantom landed slowly onto the platform where the falcon to get Carter and Six would’ve been. “Shouldn’t we investigate this though?” she asked him, glancing up. Carter nodded to her.

“We should, yeah.” he paused. “The time though,” he muttered.

“Commander, with all due respect sir, this is far more important than a schedule.” She told him. Carter’s visor turned to her slightly and he nodded.

“Oh, I know.” He told her, “It’s just a matter of informing the team while being so close to Covies. What? Do you think I’m stupid Six? Don’t underestimate me,” her face grew red not only from her own assumption but the simple smirk in his tone had put her slightly on edge. She quietly cleared her throat,

“Right, if they try to fly in here-”

“They’ll be shot right out of the sky.” Carter finished. “Alright, so here's the deal, okay? Listening?” he asked her.

“Yes sir,” 

“You’re gonna be a distraction,” Carter adjusted the scope on his DMR. “And I’m going to pick them off.”

“Sir, permission to speak freely?”

“Go ahead,”

“That’s a shit plan,” Six hissed. “You’re gonna use me as bait?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Carter nodded in response. The two SPARTANs looked over the top of the rock carefully. Six watched a few Elites get off the Phantom, followed by waddling grunts. 

“I wonder where they’re going…” she said quietly. 

“Me too,” Carter inquired. “Come on, Dot turn off our armor’s main systems,”

“Commander, that could be dangerous. It will shut down your shields and-”

“Just do it, Dot,” 

“Yes sir,” Six repressed a grunt when her armor got significantly heavier. She watched Carter latch his gun

to his back and move quietly into the dark crevice of the mountains, so as to keep out of sight. Six did the same and followed close behind him, stumbling slightly at the newfound weight added to her body. 

“We’re gonna suffocate Carter,” COMS were down, he couldn’t hear her. She inhaled slowly, trying to conserve the rest of the oxygen left in her helmet. She needed to get his attention, her head was spinning, her heart was racing and she was panicking. They were still in the dark crevice of the mountain and its rocks when she lunged forward and grabbed his wrist. He turned slightly and looked down at her. “I can’t breathe,” she hissed in a low voice. Did he hear her? His helmet nodded as he held a finger up to where his mouth would be through the metal, his other hand slipping to her own glove. She exhaled her breath and followed at his heels swiftly but quietly. 

The Elites nearby gurgled loudly and watched the Phantom rise. Carter and Six ducked down behind another rock to keep out of sight of the rising Covenant ship. Six watched it fly up and hover in the sky. It just swung there in the air, its spotlight guiding the covenant aliens that trampled across the grass heavily. Meanwhile, Six’s helmet was growing hotter as the seconds went on. She could feel the sweat beading on her skin. She inhaled and looked at Carter whose voice was slightly muffled behind his helmet. She shook her head, unable to make out what he was saying. He stopped and looked back to the Aliens, watching them disappear over the edge of the hill. Six turned her eyes to the sky and watched the Phantom disappear as well. Carter kept a tightened grip on Six’s hand- he was probably scared she’d run out if he let her go, at least that’s what Six assumed. He tore his hand away and ripped off his helmet, looking down at her. 

“We need to figure out where they’re going. At least find the settling area. It’ll be our priority one to watch for the next few days. We need to get any civilians here evacuated while we’re at it.” Six carefully unclipped her helmet and pulled it off, inhaling the fresh air. The breeze was cool against her face which was beginning to sweat. She looked up at Carter,

“If ONI gets pissy about me helping with evacuation, that’s on your head.”

“Noted,” Carter heaved a breath and turned his attention away. A few seconds of silence passed.

“Still gonna use me as bait?”

“Of course, I am,” he patted her shoulder. Six blinked a few times as their HUDS lit back up, illuminating their faces indirectly. Six swallowed watching Carter’s eyes squint off over the rock, beads of sweat decorating his temples as his eyes flitted back and forth. She swore mentally and followed his gaze.

“Well, are we just gonna stand here or…?” 

“We need to make sure the coast is clear, patience Lieutenant,” Six huffed and looked back at the horizon. 

“I’m sleeping in tomorrow.”

“Like hell,” Carter scoffed, pulling his helmet back on with ease, quickly moving out of their hiding place. Six on the other hand was more hesitant. She slowly pulled her own helmet over her head and followed after him, fumbling with the helmet’s clasp as she walked, attempting to keep her footsteps quiet. “I wanna avoid any kind of firing if possible. The less they know about us being here, the better.” Six nodded in agreement and jogged to keep up with him. They paused at a turn in the mountainous trail. There was loud yelling and alien arguing. “Can you make out what they’re saying?” Six switched places with him.

The woman’s voice was screaming in Hungarian while Covenant babble rattled off in response to her yelling.

“She’s screaming for her children to get through the back window,” Six whispered. She looked at Carter, “I’m starting to think direct action may be necessary.”

“Agreed, but if we march in there we’ll have no idea where they’ll run off to.”

“Leave a grunt alive,” she said quietly, shrugging her shoulders. Carter stared at her through his visor,

“Use your knife. Only use your gun if you have to.”

“Understood,” Six nodded before moving ahead, she quickly drew her knife and threw it with a perfect spin. She hummed in response when it embedded itself right into the side of the Elite’s head. The house the Covies were investigating was the only one in the area as far as Six could see. She hurried to the Elite, drawing the fire from the woman at the door and onto her own armor’s shield. She took a breath and snatched the knife right out of the Elite.

“Six watch your four-” Carter’s voice rang out. Six dropped down and kicked her leg back- tripping up the Elite that was charging at her. She swung her knife-wielding hand down in one quick motion, straight into the Elite’s neck, killing it immediately. “Get them to higher ground,”

“Fuck that,” Six snarked. “I’m not leaving you here. Last time I left you to your own devices, you got knocked out.” Six said. She waved for the woman to close the door and get her things and family together. Six looked to Carter who grabbed the shell of one of the Grunts and threw the Alien against a nearby rock. Cyan blood coated his fingertips and feet, he looked like a walking threat. Six blinked a few times to get herself together before quickly walking to Carter’s side. “That was a little too easy,” she muttered as she sheathed her knife.

“Agreed, I don’t think it’s safe to go any further, but I still want to.” Carter clicked his tongue staring down at the Grunt that was whining up against the rock. She sighed and shook her head, lifting her gaze before whipping around to a stray Grunt running at them with grenades popped. Six swore loudly and went to jump over the rock, only to awkwardly be tackled by the Commander into the grass. There was a strong gust from the grenades that pushed them both off the side of the hill. They went rolling separately. When they finally stopped, Carter was groaning in pain and Six couldn’t move. 

“Fuck...fuck...fuck,” was all she managed to spout. Her back- oh her back hurt so bad she couldn’t move. She didn’t want to. It was burning from the bottom of her neck all the way down her spine. The skin was scorned and she finally managed to arch her back, repressing a scream from the pained crack that rippled through her vertebrae. She rolled onto her side, wheezing a breath and staring at Carter who was on his hands and knees, one hand against his helmet. Six looked up to the hill to an empty sky backing it. She crawled- crawled - to Carter’s aid. Putting a hand on his helmet and another on his shoulder, pushing him into an upright sitting position. 

“Are you alright?” he choked. Six stared at him before taking his helmet off to assess any damage that had been done to it. She wiped her thumb over a new cut that had formed. She took a slow breath and watched more blood gush from the wound near his hairline. 

“No, my back feels like it’ll fall off me. But I’m not the one with brain damage,”

“You were nearly blown up,”

“You were knocked unconscious by falling debris sir, I think you win this game of ‘oh shit, I’m injured',” she told him. Carter’s eyes flickered over her helmet but he pursed his lips and kept silent. She was glad he did, if her face got any warmer she was pretty sure it would explode. “God, Kat is going to kill me.”

“What?”

“She made me promise to bring you back in one piece,” Six stood. “I’m going to investigate further ahead. I trust that you will call evac and get me the hell out of here.” she offered him her hand. Carter grabbed it tightly and pulled himself to his feet. Six hated that part because then they were close again. She immediately pushed off his chest plate with one hand and turned. “We’ll be in contact, sir,”

“I…” Carter’s voice echoed. “Be careful Lieutenant,” he told her. Six mentally scolded herself yet again and hit her helmet with the heel of her hand. This was a mission, not some obscure romance novel. What the hell was she doing? Focus. Quickly jogging ahead she kept to the shadows, something she was used to. “Check in every five minutes,”

“10-4,” Six mumbled into the COMs. Was he really that concerned? She made a mental note to think about that later. As she hurried her steps she caught sight of some lights and stopped, dropping behind a thick tree trunk. It wasn’t large enough to hide her entire body but the only way she’d be spotted is if one of the covies looked over and stared for a really long time. She had confidence in that much. She needed to make this quick, it wouldn’t be long before they realized that they were missing a team. She crouched low into the grass and waded through it, her eyes scanning the area. “Hm…” she hummed softly. It was an interesting sight to behold. The tall lights of the mountain path made space for the aliens to make camp in areas. Scratching at the soil, she stubbornly grumbled under her breath and continued to watch the covenant aliens. She wasn’t stupid enough to move any further up. 

Instead, she sat down and she watched. If one of them left, she’d follow. But she had no idea what she’d be heading into and without back up, it was too risky. She was truly scared of what the Covenant was planning, and every time she thought about it, she grew more concerned. What the hell could the Covenant possibly want with Reach? What would they find on a colony planet? Six sighed and closed her eyes- with the amount of ONI bases it was hard to say. ONI brought the danger with them, no matter where they went. It’s like they had zero regards for the hundreds of lives they took by simply existing. Six tried not to dwell on the idea, instead, she watched the aliens. An Elite finally got up and began trekking down the trail. So, she followed. 

“I’m moving,” she said over COM to Carter.

“Tread lightly,” he warned before falling silent. Six inhaled and exhaled slowly so as not to make too much noise. She kept low to the ground- having flashbacks to basic training days at Beta. Crawling through the dirt and mud underneath wires, in the rain. Oh, how she missed when times were simpler. Six’s eyes kept ahead, she squinted when she saw more light in the distance. Over the hills through the trees, and a shit load of air traffic. She frowned,

“Commander,”

“Yes?”

“There's a lot of air traffic over here. Phantoms and Spirits and Banshees all heading in the same direction, it’s sketchy,” Six whispered as she kept moving. 

“I can see a few spotlights from here,” Carter said. “Come on back, Lieutenant. I won’t risk your neck for an unknown. We’ll see what we can find out in the morning.”

“But sir-”

“Come. Back. Six.” She wanted to argue, she wanted to know what was ahead. Six didn’t answer and kept moving. She would pay for it, she knew she would. Clenching her teeth, she paused at the edge of the tall grass. “Six.”

“Sh…”

“Don’t hush me, Lieutenant, come back right now. That’s an order.”

“Carter we need to-”

“An order.” Six angrily fell silent again. She had just gotten on good terms with him, but this wasn’t something they could simply ignore.

“It might be too late by morning.”

“I’m not arguing this with you Noble Six,” he told her. “Come back now, because if I have to come and get you, you’re benched.”

“You can’t bench me during a war.”

“Like hell I can,” Six clenched her teeth. He would, he would do it. Carter was spiteful enough. Jorge needed her though, she couldn’t afford to be reckless. Six watched the Elite get further and further away until he disappeared. She exhaled and turned around,

“Alright. I’m on my way back,” she told him.

Chapter Text

SEVENTEEN. Shock Factor

PLANET REACH, NOBLE BASE
AUGUST 7, 2552
27:05 HOURS

“Carter,” Six echoed at his office doorway. She paused when she noted Kat sitting on the opposite side of his desk, “My bad sir,” she made brief eye contact with Kat. “Ma’am,”

“Do you need something Lieutenant?” He asked, not looking up from the data tablet on his desk. Six glanced down at the ice pack that made her fingers numb and shifted its weight in her hand, holding it up to show him.

“The medbay said that if you aren’t going to see them, at least bring you this.” Six said, walking over to the desk. Carter finally looked up at her and she ran her eyes over the long, clotted up scar that settled on his brow. “They also told me to ask if you were having any headaches or neck pain,”

“I told you to go to med bay,” Kat scolded.

“This is a little more important than a minor scratch Kat,” Carter looked at his lieutenant commander before taking the ice pack. “I’m fine,”

“That wasn’t a yes or no…” Six pried earning a scolding look from Carter. “Don’t give me that look,” she responded with a slight edge to her tone. “I’m trying to help you.”

“And I told you that I am fine,” he said simply. “Both of you can calm down,”

“He’s stubborn Six, don’t bother trying to force him.” She said standing up, “Jorge is about to leave for his patrol if you’d like to see him off.” Kat stood to her feet, “We’ll finish up here and you two can discuss the details for tonight.”

“Is the family okay?” Six asked hesitantly. 

“They’ve been moved, they’re fine. Go,” Carter said as he flinched when holding the ice pack to his new scar. Six sighed heavily and shook her head before turning on her heel, “Actually,” he stopped her. “How is your back?” Six glanced over her shoulder, before raising the back of her shirt to show off her blistered and scorned skin. The once tanned skin had been peeled up and blistered to a pink. Now it had several clotted up scratches on it. The already major scar hasn’t taken damage too badly thanks to her armor. Granted most things shouldn’t hurt her through that armor, but the armor itself could probably be the equivalent to a heavier bullet proof vest. Which can still cause internal damage. 

It was like the back pieces that caused the scarring.

“I dunno Commander, I’ve been told I look like a cats scratching post. What do you think?” There was silence as Six let her shirt fall again. She turned and look at Kat who had a look of worry on her face and Carter who was staring directly at her.

“Does...that not hurt Six?” Kat asked.

“It does,” Six nodded with a shrug. The pain was minimal compared to the pain she felt from the fall. “It’s just some light burning, like a scratch from a cat hence the scratchpost.” 

“I see,” Kat looked to Carter who sighed. 

“Did they give you any treatment?”

“Yes sir,” she nodded. “They gave me some sort of oil to apply to my back,” She shrugged her shoulders. “It numbed it up a little bit, so I guess I can’t complain.” Carter seemed to nod in approval. Six didn’t say much else before she left the room with her hands in her sweatpants pockets. She walked quietly down the hall only drawing her attention upwards when she heard the heavy clunking of armor ahead of her. She smiled weakly at the familiar strong accent shouting at Emile in the mess hall. Jorge had his helmet under his arm and his machine gun tightly clutched in his other hand while Emile’s voice echoed with laughter further away. The older man looked only slightly amused, though fairly annoyed.

“You’re a menace,” Jorge grunted as Six wandered up to his side, her eyes watching as Emile danced out of the mess hall into the dark outdoors. He sighed and looked down at Six, “Is it too late to ask Kat to take my place?”

“I think so,” Six nodded, looking up at him. Jorge smiled slightly, his eyes scanning her face before he set down his gun and placed his hand on her head. “Tread lightly, yeah?”

“Not a nicer way to say that?” Jorge taunted, using his thumb to brush some of her hair aside before he dropped his hand from her head and reached down for his gun. Six stared at his movements for a moment, thinking over the different ways he could want her to phrase it. She scratched her neck subconsciously with a light laugh,

“Ah,” she mumbled. “Stay safe?”

“Much better,” Jorge nodded, pulling his helmet on with one hand, and adjusting it briefly. “We’ll be back soon, get some rest Six,” he called to her. Six hugged her arms as she watched her partner walk towards the doors. She still couldn’t fathom just how large he was next to her. He was a skyscraper to say the least, a bulky one at that, compared to her. She felt so small next to him. So weak. His near polar opposite in a way. Probably the only one she would have trouble taking down. Ironic that he was her partner. Six blinked a few times at the floor as she continued to ponder on that thought. Rubbing her forehead she sighed, walking to the doors to watch Jorge and Emile board their falcon which would eventually disappear into the night sky. Though she wouldn’t admit it, she missed Jaxon’s endless teasing about the older man.

New subject. She ordered her brain,

Huffing out a stubborn breath Six looked at the garage briefly. She jogged down the steps, her dark combat boots sinking into the muddied ground beneath her. She nodded briefly to a few troopers who stiffened as she passed by. She continued on her way and poked her head into the dark and empty garage. She noted a box of stuff labeled ‘Aarons’ that had yet to be sent out. She wouldn’t humor her emotions by going through it but she did wonder if his visor sunglasses were in it. She tapped her foot, before the curiosity got the better of her. Six shuffled over and opened the box’s loose flaps only to find Jax’s infamous visor glasses at the top. She smiled a bit more and examined them. 

She’d gotten him the glasses for a holiday one year, Christmas she was pretty sure. She settled them on the top of her head before pulling herself onto the hood of the warthog behind her. She slumped onto her back and stared out of the garage’s open sky roof. She ran her tongue over her teeth, concentrating on every groove of the teeth in her mouth, she didn’t have much else to focus on beyond the inevitable travesty that was hurtling towards the Noble Team at a progressively accelerating speed. Six didn’t want to think too much on that. She knew she’d end up asleep on the hood of a warthog, with tear stains on her cheeks. The last thing she needed was Carter worrying more. He did that too much for his own good. 

“I wonder if he bothers Kat that much,” she said under her breath. Six continued to watch the clouds float overhead, dozing her into a dreamlike state of mind that left searching for a solid grip on reality once again.

“Lieutenant?” 

Not that solid.

She sat up slightly and looked at Carter leaned against the doorway of the garage with a cocked brow. She shrugged and pointed to the glasses on her head,

“I bought these,” she testified. 

“Do you wanna head inside?” he chuckled. Six slumped her shoulders slightly, hesitantly raising her shoulders once more in an uncertain gesture.

“Honestly, I like it out here.” she said, “But yeah, inside sounds fine too.” She slid off the hood of the vehicle  before walking up next to Carter.

“Did you see Jorge before he left?”

“Yes sir,”

“Good to hear it,”

“He was calling Emile a menace,”

“For what reason?”

“It’s Jorge and Emile, Carter.” Six glanced up at Carter who smiled a bit at the thought that ran through his head, whatever it was. 

“Touche,”

“So what are the declarations for tonight?” Six asked following Carter up the small flight of stairs to the main base. “Will we escape with our lives or all die gruesome deaths?”

“Why not both,” Carter commented, holding the door for her. Six didn’t like that answer. She gave him a slight scolding look as she filed inside with him at her heels. “No, just a mediocre report so far. Nothing vital, I actually wanted to talk about what you saw,”

“The Covenant troops?” 

“Yes,” Carter nodded. Six whistled and rubbed the back of her neck, 

“I told you everything I saw sir,”

“Let me rephrase,” Carter looked at her, “I want your opinion,” he shook his head. “I can’t quite fit my head around everything just yet. You seem to note patterns well,” 

“Well I can go ahead and say that with just how they’re grouped, it’s probably some big project they’re working on.”

“I can figure that much,” Six glanced at him, trying to figure out why he asked in the first place. “What do you think they’re planning?” he asked quietly. Six stopped in the hallway and watched his back as he halted a few paces ahead of her. His shoulders were tense, no, his entire body was. 

“Commander,” She said quietly, leaning to the side to look in his face. She saw a brief bead of sweat glistening on his temple. Or maybe it was the condensation from the ice pack he had held to his head how ever long earlier. “Are you...scared?” Carter turned his head and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t say anything for a few moments,

“The last time we encountered the covenant, we lost Thom.” he started walking again and Six jogged to catch up with him. “I can’t help but have a knot in my stomach just thinking about it. About something bad happening.”

“I’m sure if it gets too bad, they’ll pull us. Right?”

“We’re last resort, they don’t pull us out of the fight Six.” he sighed. “We're at the front of the final line. We go down, then they bring in the calvary but if it gets to us? It’s fighting a losing battle. Reach’s defenses are supposed to be great, but how could the Covenant get past that without even batting an eye.”

“Carter, we won Sword Base back, I think this is playing in our favor. We just need to get two steps ahead.”

“That’s gonna be a little difficult if they’re a whole mile in front of us,” he stopped at his office door and waited for it to slide open before walking inside. Six sighed at his head headed and morbid comments,

“You’re not listening,”

“Seems like you’re rubbing off on me,”

“Don’t be a-” she stopped when he looked at her with a cocked brow, almost daring her to finish the statement. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes,

“Seems like this all kicked up at once. They’ve been planning this,”

“I just don’t know what specifically could be on Reach that they want...There aren’t any major hotspots here that I can think of. I mean New Alexandria sure but...the city is huge. You’d think they’d have uncovered something while building it.” Six frowned, setting Jaxon’s glasses onto the desk before sitting on the edge, watching Carter walk to the shelf on the other side of the room.

“Who the hell knows,” he mumbled. Six examined his face as he pulled a tablet or two off the white shelf and brought them over, setting them down. “Reports from the past two weeks in both of these data tabs. Take a look.” he gestured to it as he leaned on the edge of the desk, kicking his chair away. Six rolled her eyes at his dramatics before picking one up. She scrolled and scrolled and scrolled through the open reports.

July 25th, 16 injured, 9 dead of a Trooper Platoon off to the west. 42 dead the next day. And that's just in one area. She tried to push down the churning in her stomach before she exhaled and set the tablet down. She looked at Carter who was looking at her for a reaction.

“That’s bad,” she stated obviously.

“Very,” he nodded. “Casualties are not looking good. I would like to say that’s the worst of it,” he laughed morbidly and pushed a hand through his hair while shaking his head and locking his eyes onto his desk, “But casualties for the first two days of the attack rise up to about 200 for the UNSC, that doesn’t count the damn civilian bodies we’re still finding.” he exhaled deeply before looking at Six who was watching his every move. She didn’t say anything for a few minutes and the two of them sat in silence. 

“What are we gonna do Carter?” she asked quietly, glancing over at him. Carter closed his eyes tightly and shook his head with a slight scoff. 

“I’m not sure yet.”

“That’s...not exactly what I was hoping to hear,” she stood up as he walked around the side of his desk. “There has to be...something. Have you talked to Jorge? He came into contact with the Covies when he was younger-”

“I’m thankful for Jorge, I really am Six. But how much is he going to be able to do?” he looked at her. “Offer strategies against an enemy with an unknown objective-”

“Okay well we know what they want but they just probably have the wrong planet,” Six walked over to him, placing a hand on his arm as he kept his back to her. “They want probably some artifact to whatever it is they’re worshipping,” she told him. “But as far as we know, something like that doesn’t exist here.”

“Maybe it does though,” Carter huffed out, staring at the wall. “There are places under Reach’s surfaces that haven’t been touched yet. The Covenant may be a bunch of ugly bastards but appearances don't determine intelligence, if they have something guiding them here, then it probably is here. But if we don’t know where it is, if we don’t know what it is, we’re kind of fucked,” he turned and looked down at Six. Who stubbornly furrowed her brows and looked away, for a moment. 

“We’ll figure it out…?” she looked at Carter. “I’m not dying here.” She snapped, “And neither are you,” she pointed to him and then to the door, “And neither are they,” she seethed through her teeth. “You’re our leader Carter- we-we look to you for hope. So when you tell me that we’re probably all going to die horribly gruesome deaths- um yeah. Count me with the concerned!” 

“Toni,” he grabbed her shoulders, “I’m doing my best, but I can’t make promises right now-”

“At least make one!” she grabbed his forearms, digging her nails into them. He didn’t waiver as they stood in silence for a few more moments.

“...What is it?”

“That you’ll try,” she choked out. “You’ll try really hard to get everyone out of here,” she looked at the ground and shook her head. “I still don’t quite understand everything I’m feeling- but everyone here has taught me a lot. I would hate to lose them now. That’s all I’m asking Carter, is that we just...try.” She looked back up at him. He stared at her in silence for a long moment. Neither of them said anything before Six let go of his arms. “Why...do you call me Toni so often,” she whispered. 

“I don’t know, it seems like it’s what you need to hear sometimes,” he hesitantly dropped his hands from her shoulders. “That and it’s nicer than a number,” he laughed a little. She wanted to demand that it made her uncomfortable. But...it didn’t. She just wasn’t sure how to respond to it. Carter was such an unknown to her. Even now as he grabbed the data tabs off his desk and walked back to the shelf, she tried to figure him out. He had been so close to her so many times, and she still didn’t have a clue what he wanted. She thought back to SWORD Base. The little smile that he gave her while he was on his bed. She wrung her fingers together and clenched her teeth.

“So.” his voice broke through her thoughts. “What do you think we’re going to find?”

“Something big,” Six didn’t look at him when he spoke to her, her eyes were locked on the floor and her mind was on something completely separate. Multi-tasking, though it was clear she was unfocused wasn’t it? She looked at the door, she needed to leave. This was too much, her heart was racing out of her chest and she was shaking. What the hell was wrong with her?
“Six?” Carter asked cautiously. “Are you...okay?” She stopped mid step and nodded. 

“Yeah, I just remembered something…”

“What was it?” 

“Um…” she furled and released her fists. Carter picked up Jaxon’s glasses and walked to her again, offering them to her. She quietly took them, her eyes flickering everywhere except his face. 

“Focus,” he said gently. Six finally looked at him, inhaling suddenly when his hand gently brushed her cheek. He blinked a few times before continuing with his statement, “You said something big, how big? Focus on the things you saw. The patterns Lieutenant,” Six found relief in the names. She looked over Carter’s shoulder and squinted before shaking her head. The way they were walking...the way they were dropped off. That must seem like a normal drop off area. 

“We’re gonna have to get closer to find out,” she said. “But it could be something that might change the tide of this war,” she nodded carefully, finally looking at Carter.

“That’s what I want to hear,” he nodded. “In our favor or theirs?”

“Depends on what we find and whether or not we have the forces to take it down,” she told him, her fingers flicking Jaxon’s glasses open and closed while her free hand drifted to the back of her neck. Carter stood up straight and sighed resting his hands on his hips for a moment. He looked back at Six,

“Thank you.” he told her. “I appreciate the input,”

“Yeah, don’t uh...don’t mention it.” she nodded trying to force a small smile. Carter examined her face for a moment,

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked her. Six stepped back as he stepped towards her. He paused as she turned and nearly ran to the door. He caught her wrist, “Toni-”

“I just came to help, I need to go to bed now,” she choked out. There was more silence, as he gently pulled her back to him. She didn’t try to fight it, she drifted backwards and looked up at him. The Commander had his brows furrowed and his eyes were full of mild amusement, yet shined concern. 

“I’m here, if you need to talk about anything Toni, you know that.”

“Carter,” she exhaled. “I’m fine sir, I promise.” He seemed almost agitated that she pulled rank. He pursed his lips and looked at the back wall, before glancing back to her for a long moment. He still held her wrist, but his grip was gentle now. His thumb rested on the top of her hand, and his fingers curled into her palm. She looked down at their hands and hesitantly rested her fingers around his hand. “I swear, I’m alright,” she looked up at him. 

The man looked over her face before leaning down, his breath hovering between her brows. She closed her eyes and waited for the contact, but it never came. She looked up, her entire body frozen as he drew away, a look of regret coating his face.

“Go get some sleep Antonia,” he said softly, his other hand rising and drawing briefly over her cheek. He let go and turned away from her. Six tried to process what the hell just happened as she quickly left the room, her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. Her stomach might fly out of her body. She rubbed her forehead with her open thumb and middle finger, glancing down at Jax’s glasses. They reflected back at her almost in an amused scoff. He was watching her wasn’t he?

“Shut up.” she muttered to the ghost who obviously was laughing behind her.

Chapter Text

EIGHTEEN. Enemies Underestimated

PLANET REACH, [COORDINATES UNKNOWN]
AUGUST 11, 2552
26:30 HOURS

Jun's hand gently nudged Six's shoulder, "Up and at em' sleeping beauty," he said curtly. Six's head jolted from it's position on the neck rest of her seat and she grumbled quietly. She rubbed her gloved hand over her eye and sucked in a small breath- she was exhausted. She regretted not taking Emile's advice and sleeping during the last few hours of daylight. Sure would make her life a hundred times easier. Standing to her feet, she grabbed her helmet off the partnering seat. As she pulled it on, clipping it into place. A few days earlier Carter and herself had discovered the Covies venturing further into the territory; they'd sent in several squads after that to double and triple check. 

Now Jun and Six were being sent to get past the dark zone that had gone up. They’d been cut off from almost every single radio in the nearby territory. Which meant a jammer of some sort was put up. Six still couldn’t wrap her head around everything. She should’ve debriefed with Carter but she’d been avoiding him like the plague the past few days. She couldn’t think about what had happened without her stomach churning in circles. Jorge had noticed, mainly because she practically clung to his side at this point. To Carter’s very obvious disappointment. 

"We just passed the Covies first defense line. We're entering the quiet zone," Jun called to her and picked up his rifle along with the rifle Six would be using- he tossed it to her.

"We have any idea what we're getting into here, Kat?" Six asked her Lieutenant Commander who clicked in. 

"Not really," Kat responded quietly. "Carter had troop parties out there one more time last night. He and Emile also worked their way into the breaker of the enemy lines. They breached a hole on the cliffside- it's very dark. Most of the groups that pass through this area don't come back. And of course, you have your own thoughts."

"Ah, so put the weight on the Spartans, yeah?" Jun scoffed weakly. "Let us do the heavy lifting," 

"I think you'd be honored." Six said quietly, "Getting to teach a weapon how to play sniper,"

"You're a fast learner Six, you probably taught me things I didn't know. And the rifle has been my primary weapon since I was in basic," Jun muttered. Six smiled a little.

"I hope your nap grants you some sort of energy Six, you'll need it," Kat commented.

"Hm," was the only comeback Six could come up with. She looked at Jun- "What do you think we’ll find?”

"Nothing good," Jun muttered. "Come on." he nodded to her. He stepped off the back of the pelican as it slowly hovered above the ground. Jun landed on his feet with Six a few steps behind. The pelican sped off and Jun commed in "We're on the ground. Empty behind the line."

"Figures. After Commander's team moved through last night they probably moved in to protect more valuable assets." Kat assessed. "Keep moving forward. Once you get to the cliffside, report back. You have permission to engage any covenant forces you encounter but be quiet about it." she fell silent. Jun nodded for Six to follow up behind him. Six stuck to a basic path a few feet behind Jun- glancing over her shoulder a few times. 

"How have you been holding up?" Jun asked her lowly. Six looked back at him and shrugged her arms up, turning her attention to the view beyond them. "You and I don't talk very much, but I would like to ensure my partner for the moment is steady."

"Heh," Six chuckled and shook her head, looking back at the ground. "I'm fine. Still...working through the stages. Nothing I can't handle though. I've got your back, Three." she assured him

"Yeah, I know." there was a smirk to Jun's voice. Six repressed a small smile that irked at the corners of her mouth. They both went radio silent as they walked for nearly five more minutes. She couldn't sort out her thought process. The Covies were planning something- something clearly big enough that they were confident enough to attack a planet all at once. She thought back to the conversation in Halsey's lab. They hunt down things- no- artifacts of value to their religion. What was sat on a civilian planet that made it so valuable to a bunch of overly-religious-genocidal aliens?

Six panned her view to the canyon that the cliff dipped into. 

"Huh...steep drop." She muttered. 

"Yeah, keep your balance. Wait here for a moment." Jun clipped his sniper rifle to his back and grabbed onto the ledges of the cliff. Six looked at him and lifted a brow.

"Where are yo-"

"Going to see if I can gauge what we've got ahead." Jun looked down at her. "Course, if you want to take the risk of slipping and falling into the canyon with a raging river- be my guest." Six rolled her eyes.

"Just go." Six told him. She turned her back to her teammate and shifted her rifle between her hands. Reach skies were beautiful at night- a navy blue sky dappled with white, glowing stars and one of the orbiting natural satellites bright enough to light the area around them. Unfortunate that covenant carriers had to interrupt the atmosphere. Six heard some rustling and glanced at one of the shrubs. There was nothing there but it was rustling. There was a gentle wind from the looks of it- but the searchlight is what got Six's attention. She was quick to duck behind a rock.

"Heads up Noble Three, Phantom is rounding the corner." Six went silent. She heard Jun click his tongue in response. The two went radio silent as the phantom slowly flew past. 

"Let's move," Jun whispered through the comms. 

"Forgive my ignorance but is whispering really necessary?" she inquired quietly. "You don't think they're searching for us, do you?"

"My number one rule- never underestimate your enemy," Jun warned. "Let's go. Try not to fall, would you?" he cautioned before moving ahead. Six scoffed a little and kept close.

"You doubt my abilities?" she asked lowly.

"Me?" Jun stopped and looked back at her. "Never," She rolled her eyes.

"What'd you see up there?" she nodded to the overhang that Jun had positioned himself on moments earlier.

"A lot." Six almost asked for elaboration but she wasn't entirely sure she wanted one. She kept to herself and tried not to focus on the inevitable death that faced her only a few inches from her feet. One wrong step and she was fucked to a massive grade. Six looked back ahead of her- fixing her eyes on Jun's back. 

'That's reassuring,' she thought to herself. They walk along the narrow cliffside for a few moments- reaching a flat, dirt platform-like area. Jun looked around then comming in-

"Recon Team Bravo reporting: Three and Six in position. It's getting a bit crowded up here Kat." Jun chuckled lightly. Six lifted a brow- that wasn't good.

"Then we're closing in," Kat said clearly. "Report any and all Covenant structures or devices. Direct action may be necessary." She clicked out. Six could see the look on her face- a bland and tired expression. The one she gave Six or Emile whenever they got wound up over the small things. She imagined she was also probably busily typing up anything she saw that was even semi out of the ordinary. Yep, that sounded like Kat. 

"Copy that," Jun chuckled. "When Kat runs an op? Direct action is always necessary." Jun handed Six a magazine of sniper rounds. Six flipped them in her hand, examining them for a moment. "Here, you may need these. High-velocity. Armor-piercing. They'll take the hat of an Elite at two-thousand yards. And they ain't cheap." Six clips the mag to her belt and follows him as they walk along the last bit of stretch. The Sniper clips his rifle to his back, he proceeds to grab ahold of the rock edge, glancing over his shoulder.

"We'll be in touch, yes?" Jun commented before climbing up. Six rolled her eyes and looked down a ledge, she slipped a foot down onto it and she slid down the rocky terrain. She performed rolls and landed, kneeling to the ground. She stands up and carefully walks down a path, a small occasional run to her step. She noted the red spot popping up in the corner of her HUD. Slowing her feet, she peers around the edge of the mountainside. 

"Recon bravo, the sector ahead is dark to electronic surveillance," Kat informed. 

"Lovely," Six muttered, keeping her back pressed to the wall of the mountain. 

"Covenant can block our instruments?" Jun questioned.

"It would seem so,"

"And Command wants to know what they're hiding?" Six added in.

"Precisely. Tread lightly," Kat signed off. Six looked around the wall of the mountain once more and noted the Elite that was stiff at a ledge. She clipped her rifle to her back and silently walked out.

"Elite," Jun confirmed. "No back up from this angle, he's yours. Do it quietly, we've got a hoard of grunts just below," he warned. Six nodded and silently crept up behind the Elite. She was swift- the elite probably didn't even feel the blow that ended his life. She gently laid his body to the ground and sheathed her knife.

"Assassinate the grunts?"

"Yes, we don't need them startled. You know how loud they get." Jun said. "I'll wait for you to give the all-clear." Six jumped off the ledge and landed on her feet- sticking the landing. Gym during basic training definitely was worth it. She took a short and quiet breath when she heard one of the grunts deeply inhale. She glanced around sparingly and slowly approached them. Six figured the solid hits to the back of the head to be enough to snap their stubby necks. They wouldn't be able to scream at least.

Six approached one of the sleeping grunts and landed a blow to the back of its neck. It squealed out for help but Six was quick to discourage the cry. She hit it one more time- letting it collapse quietly to the ground. She did the same thing to the other two grunts before clicking into comm channel-

"Cleared," she confirmed quietly. 

"Nice job," Jun commented. "Noble Six, let's move on ahead," Jun muttered quietly. Six followed along the path quietly and glanced up at Jun, eight or nine feet above her. Six stealthily moved, her body low to the ground. She skipped her feet a few times to catch up with Jun who ran to the edge of his path. He jumped off and rolled to his knee. Six stood up and unclipped her sniper rifle off her back. 

"Recon Bravo to Noble Two, stand by for Contact report." Six muttered off.

"Standing by copy, over." Kat responded shortly. 

"We have eyes on multiple hostiles patrolling a settlement...This what we're supposed to be looking for Kat?" he asked Kat who made a short blowing sound. 

"Negative. It's too small. You're not in the dark zone yet."

"Knew it." Six said lowly.

"Engage at your own discretion Three and Six. But keep moving."  Kat said. She clicked silent as Six laid onto the ground, settling on her stomach. She peered an eye into the scope and looked at an elite walking around a balcony quietly. 

"You heard her Six, drop those tangos." Jun confirmed. Six fired- her bullet dragging the elite off the balcony to its death. The grunts on the ground level screamed and ran around frantically. Six noted Jun take out three grunts in about six or seven seconds- it was amazing. Six had never been great with long range weapon fire; she was trained to be used as a weapon. Up close, personal. After Jun's short lessons- she had good handle on the rifle.

Nowhere near as good is Noble Three though.

Six aimed at an jetpacked elite that settled down onto the balcony, beginning to fire in their general direction. She kept her head down- plasma glob-like-bullets flying straight over her head. She fired her rifle- cracking straight through the elite's visor. It crumpled to the ground, Six stood and whistled to Jun-

"We've got more drop ins!" she called.

"Keep on the pressure, Six!" Jun encouraged. Six nodded briefly and aimed to the roof-ledge just under them. She fired at the two elites below- taking some of the plasma bullets. Her shields dropped but not much more damage they could do than that. Six turned her attention to the many grunts that were frantically running about. She struggled to get a proper aim on even one of them. For such stubby legs, they ran generally fast. Six swore loudly-

"GOD DAMMIT!" she snapped- resulting in a laugh from Jun, who was picking off the nubby aliens with ease. "How the hell-"

"They're just moving targets Six, ease your shoulders. You can do it." Jun responded to her. 

"Dammit..." she muttered again. She eased her shoulders back and aimed again. She fired off a singular bullet. It was meant for the Grunts head but instead hit it's shell-like methane tank. It went spiraling into the air- it's small alien laying dead on the ground. Six smiled a bit when Jun 'whooped' in support. But the victory was short lived, a Phantom entered the area. It's search light scanned towards them- both Jun and Six ducked behind the rock.

"Looks like you really pissed them off!" Jun smirked with a scoff. Six nudged him in the side firmly with her elbow-

"I pissed them off? You kidding me? I aim better on my stomach. Let me go down there, I'm better equipped on the ground." she said quietly. 

"Wait for the phantom to leave." Jun whispered back. "Don't tell Carter. You hear me Kat? Six is heading down to the ground level to take care of stowaways. You don't know this."

"Hm..." Kat hummed in acknowledgement that she was listening. "Know what?" Six smiled a little. Maybe Kat wasn't horrible, because both women knew for certain that Carter would have her head for going lone wolf mode. She slipped around the large bolder and sprinted down to the lower level, keeping her back pressed to the wall until she heard the Phantom's purr disappear off into the distance. Six noted a squabbling Grunt inside the lower building and cleared her throat to Jun.

"Tell me when. I need you to keep our new guests busy while I take care of some of my friends in the house." She informed quietly.

"I think..." BANG "I can do that." Jun commented. Six couldn't repress the smile, using the distraction time to move into the house through the wide open side doorway. She snatched her magnum off her belt and fired off short shots before the aliens had time to react about her even being there. She reloaded swiftly. If there was one thing that Six managed to do well, it was think on her feet.

So when the elite roared from the other room, she did just that. Six clipped her magnum back to her thigh and ripped her sniper rifle off her back. When the Elite charged out of the opposite part of the building and swung at her- she ducked. She used the long neck of the rifle, sticking it between the elites legs so that it fell. She jumped back to her feet and emptied the mag of 3 final bullets into the Elite's back. 

Six reloaded the gun, then snapping it to her back again-  proceeding to snatch her knife out of her shoulder's sheath. She stormed out of the building and came face to face with an army of frenzied Grunts, screaming and yelling in different directions.

"DEMON! DEMON!" they cried. 

'Ouch, that...definitely boosts my already skyrocketing ego...' Six thought to herself, driving the knife into the back of an alien's head as she passed. She focused on the jackals across the way, the bastards that were actually calmly focused on her. Running forward, the spartan woman throttled one of her shield bearing opponents into the one next to him. Their shields clashed together, fizzed out, giving Six her in. She jumped forward and sliced one of the Jackal's throats, snapping the others. 

The roar of another Elite coming up behind her made her turn around. Though her shock was cut short by a sniper round to its face. Dark blue blood spurted onto her visor.

"Thank you...for that Jun."

"Eh, you’re covered regardless,"

Six wiped some of the blood off of her visor, stepping on the Elite's neck for good measure and turned her attention back to the grunts. Sheathing her knife quickly, Six was assisting Jun in picking off the smaller- less threatening aliens. Once they were finished, she inspected the terrain.

"Clear," she assured him. "Come on down." Jun hopped down from ledge to ledge before he reached the ground. They met up with each other at the door of the larger building structure. After turning on her night vision, Six peered inside from the doorway and poked her magnum in, shifting it back and forth for a moment. She moved in ahead of her sniper team mate, starting up the stairs.

"They seem to have reinforced this place surprisingly well," Six stated, stopping at the pause of the stairs. She knelt next to a dead civilian and checked his neck for a pulse.

"Yes, well now they know we're here." Jun said. "When we engaged their first group, it must've been some kind of trigger to that Phantom." Jun theorized. "Which ultimately pinpoints-"

"Us." Six finished. "Can't say I'm surprised. They know that we're onto them." she stood to her feet and gave the dead civilian a pitiful look. She couldn't help but think back to Jaxon being pinned to that damn tree. She swallowed a lump in her throat-

"Noble Six," Jun snapped Six back to reality before she went too deep down that rabbit hole. "You gonna stand there, or are you gonna come on?" he questioned, continuing up the stairs. Six nodded, pushing the previous thoughts to the back of her head. The last thing she needed to do right now was think about Jax.  She took a deep breath and continued walking after her teammate. What would he think of her right now?  

Proud probably. She learned how to use the gun of his choice- though she swore she never would. Six shook her head and bopped the side of her helmet with a firm hand. By the time Jun and Six stepped out to the other side of the building they heard covenant wailing. 

"Shit," Jun hissed. Six moved ahead of him and glanced around the inside of the second building over. She poked her gun in carefully and quickly rushed inside. Six shifted her gaze around the room quickly and quietly, leading the way up another flight of stairs. The moment they stepped out onto a bridge- they were being fired out. Jun locked his armor while Six took off in a sprint around the bend. She grabbed her magnum and went to fire it when she stumbled upon another dead civilian. He had his hands tightly around a shotgun.

It was loaded and he had mags...Six felt bad but that was her primary weapon. It would help her. She dropped her magnum, kneeling down next to the civilian man. Her hands grasped the shotgun, she weighed it in her right hand, nodding her head slowly. It was the right weight for an average shotgun- military grade.

' How the hell did they get their hands on this?' Six wondered quietly. She snatched up his magazines quickly and snapped them onto her belt, turning on her heel- racing up the bridge to where Jun was.

"Was wondering where you went- thought you'd left me to fend for myself!" he laughed a little- sniping an Elite.

"I couldn't do that to you Jun- you'd be dead in minutes." Six chuckled. "No, I found a shotgun." she said-

"Then get the hell down there and use it!" Jun ushered. Six looked at him and shrugged nonchalantly.

"If you say so!" she chirped, stepping off the platform, dropping about ten or eleven feet, landing on top of a Grunt. She heard the satisfactory bone cracking under her boots and aimed the shotgun- popping it in a jackal's face. Ground level skirmishers were in for an ugly surprise when the woman chased them down with the firearm. She fired off her last bullet and didn't even have time to reload when an Elite attacked her from behind. She gasped when she was hit in the back of her neck- hard. 

Six noted the floaters in her vision and quickly shook them away. Swiftly turning around, Six slammed the butt of her gun into the Elite's face. It stumbled back with a pained groan and Jun finished it off with a bullet. He jumped down from his nest area, helping her pick off the remaining covenant forces in close range combat. She had never witnessed someone with a sniper rifle move in such an agile manner. For that? She admired Jun. He was clearly good at his job, and he certainly enjoyed every second of it.

"Let's move up," he told her. Six nodded, exchanging her shotgun for her sniper rifle which was still brimming with magazines. Moving close behind Jun, she checked her Heads Up Display and frowned- multiple enemies ahead. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes following the larger of the red dots.

"Um...hey Noble Three-" she started.

"Look at that!" Jun hissed. Six looked up at Jun and ran up next to him, crouching behind some shrubbery. Six's jaw fell open slightly- her eyes widening. Two giant, foreign beasts lumbered under the searchlight of a Phantom, swiping long arms at covenant troops. Grunts and jackals went soaring through the air like birds, killed on impact easily. One of the creatures' hands seemed to be bigger than the other- long claws. Long tusks stuck out of the sides of its mouth and it roared loudly.

Six and Jun moved from their position behind the shrubs.

"How are we supposed to get past those things Jun? One hit and we're dead easily!" Six whispered.

"What? Did they not teach you how to defend yourself against oversized monsters in your fancy assassin training?" Jun questioned, a light chuckle to his voice.

"Must've missed that day. I was never good with catching up on the homework they gave us either."

"You've got a gun, Six." Jun aimed. "Shoot it." Six opened her mouth to retaliate when the Phantom fled from the corner of her eye. She frowned, furrowing her brows as it retreated- then Jun fired an air cracking sniper round. Six whipped back towards the animal- choking a gasp when one speedily ran at them.

"SHITSHITSHIT-" Six yelled.

"GET BACK-" Jun back pedaled with her, they tripped over themselves running backwards. Six un-clipped a plasma grenade she had snatched off a grunt and threw it. It stuck onto the giant creature, and blew up. The beast fell to the ground with a whine, shaking the ground. Six took a few deep breaths and looked at Jun who seemed equally as startled. Six had a lot of things happened to her in the twenty-nine, going on thirty years she had been alive. But being chased by something that looked like a prehistoric-fucking-dinosaur on a foreign planet was not one of them.

"There's another one." Six said.

"Well, hope you have another one of those grenades." Jun muttered. She watched Jun walk forward more. Six adjusted her rifle up and followed after him. He aimed and nailed the second beast in the side of the head. It turned towards them quickly, both Six and Jun laid down heavy fire on it. She took a few deep breaths when it fell a few feet from them. Jun walked forward and knelt down in front of it and nudged it's head. Six looked into the creatures mouth- examining the sharp and jagged teeth that accompanied the giant ass tusks.

"So. Kat, did you pick any of that up?" Jun asked, standing up. 

"Affirmative, Recon Bravo." Kat chuckled lightly. "It's an indigenous creature called Gúta." Kat informed. Six nodded carefully and stepped around it.

"Yeah well lets hope we don't run into anymore of them." Six mumbled.

"I don't know- your reaction was probably the best thing that has happened all night," Emile's distant voice called. Six rolled her eyes. 

"Kat, tell Emile I'm gonna kill him when we get back to base." 

"He can hear you, I'll make sure you hold steadfast to that because if he doesn't get out of my operation room- I'll be the one who kills him." Kat snapped. Emile's voice muttered something and the line clicked quiet. Six sighed and quickly followed after Jun, her rifle's barrel facing towards the ground. Six examined the terrain, and stopped just behind Jun.

"Trail up through the rocks...let's follow it yeah?" There was a smile to Jun's tone. Six started ahead of him and continued on the trail, moving quickly. She dropped down into a dried up ravine, looking up at Jun who kept moving up on the bluff above her. Six ran a few steps behind him up onto the trail once more- picking up distance shots. Someone was fighting the covenant.

"I thought everyone had been evacuated." Six said quickly. 

"Magnum. Sidearms. Standard issues." Jun rolled off. He and Six ran ahead, their feet hitting the soft muddied ground beneath them. Six stopped at the top of the hill while Jun continued towards the complex beyond them. The trail opened to some kind of pump station- a small militia of men were fighting the Covenant and it wasn't looking too good.

"Noble Two, got our eyes on some sort of pump station." Six reported in, "We're also seeing some civilians. I'm thinking more local militia, they've engaged with the hostiles." 

"Move to assist. They may have valuable intel that we need." Kat urged.

"You heard her Six, keep those civilians alive!" Jun snapped. Six nodded and was quick to run down the hill, joining up between two of the men.

"Thanks for givin' us a hand. These bastards just keep comin'." One of the men said quickly. 

"Don't mention it. Though, you will be subjected to a lot of questioning when this is over with." Six chuckled faintly, "Might wanna prepare yourselves. Our Lieutenant Commander enjoys every interrogation session she performs." 

"I can testify to that," Jun commented. "Should've seen what happened when she had to find out who ratted her and someone else to Colonel Holland." Six rolled her eyes and noted that someone in the back of her head. Just another reason to stay ten steps away from that trouble. She focused her fire on the elites. They were the biggest threats to the Civilians at this point in time. She noted one of the tall aliens run into a filter like draining are after one of the younger men. 

"Dammit- Jun! Cover these guys!" she demanded. Six clipped her gun away and sprinted after them. She stopped at the center of the draining area- water swishing just above her ankles. "HEY! WHERE'D YOU-"

"SHIT!" the voice of the young man yelled. Six turned left and bolted down one of the hallways, water making it impossible for her steps to be silent. She noted the Elite starting to fire at the civilian man who was dodging every single one just barely. Snapping her knife from her shoulder, she twirled it. Jumping into the air, she locked her feet onto the Elite's hips, while it flailed around desperately to get her off, she drove the knife into the back of its neck. Six fell with the monstrous alien, slamming its face into the water a good time before standing up. 

Sheathing her knife, she walked to the civilian man who was panting heavily, half laying in the water. Six offered him her hand.

"C'mon, get up." she said. He grabbed her hand firmly, along with his magnum and stood. "You haven't been part of this militia long have you?" she asked.

"No ma'am, just...just a month or two. Thank you."

"Mhm." Six nodded. "Let's get back out to the fight before my teammate thinks I abandoned him." she chuckled lightly, stepping over the Elite body and jogging back towards the exit with the new militia boy on her heels.

Chapter Text

NINETEEN. The Dark Zone

PLANET REACH, [COORDINATES UNKNOWN]
AUGUST 11, 2552
27:02 HOURS

"Little more action than we're used to!" One of the Militia Troopers exclaims. "You spartans are good in a fight."

"Yeah, well it's what we're trained for. If we weren't we wouldn't be much use to anyone, now would we?" Six mocked. 

"What are you doing here?" Jun asked the civilians as he walked up next to Six next to some briefcases that were sat casually against the wall. "The whole area is supposed to be evacuated." The troopers looked between each other, one of them kneeling down and unlatching the briefcases.

"We didn't like leaving it up to someone else to protect our home." the seeming leader of the group said. "So, we came back for these." he nudged one of the cases with his foot. "We have them hidden all over the territory," he said.

Six furrowed her brows and leaned down. Military-grade weapons, all of which belonged to the UNSC. She snatched up one of the shotguns and weighed it in her hand. Pulling the one she had clipped to her back off and showing it to Jun. 

"Same model." she confirmed.

"You know this stuff is stolen," Jun muttered.

"What? you gonna arrest me?" the Leader challenged.

"No," Six chuckled. 

"We're going to steal them back," Jun smirked. The troopers seemed taken aback by the Spartan's nonchalant attitude towards the clearly illegally stolen military weapons. Six opened her mouth to further ask the question of how these civilians even got their hands on this equipment but the hum of a phantom reinforcing the battlefield interrupted her. She turned and barked-

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

"Let's deal with these guys." Jun nodded. "You five stay as far back away from the line of fire as you can, we need you alive." he cautioned. Six cocked her shotgun before racing to the bridge, jumping off it into the river beneath it. Plenty of the Grunts were stumbling around in the waters generally fast-moving pace. They seemed confused and flustered because they couldn't control their movements in it. Six smirked a little because she could. Six aimed her gun and fired off several shots.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

They dropped dead. Six noted the large elite above her that was clearly not happy with this decision. Six rolled out of the way of the fizzing fire like-plasma bullets it shot at her. One simply grazing her back was enough to take her shield down.

"ASSIST!" she yelled to Jun. "GET THE BASTARD ON THE TRAIL- HHHSHIT!" Six jumped over a grunt, letting the bullet hit the grunt instead. Its tank went flying from its back and the tiny alien went with it, squealing the whole time. Six tried to busy herself with shooting any of her opponents that dared to take a flinch towards her. She aimed at a jackal who was frozen. It squawked once and fired a shot at her. Six grabbed the edge of its shield, peeled it back, and shot the jackal in the head. The death was quick and nearly painless.

A large thud synchronized with something hitting her back. She whipped around and came face to face with a blue armored elite. It snarled and Six had the audacity to laugh. 

"These sons a bitches like to come up behind me, and think that they are getting somewhere." One violent hit from her elbow and the elite stumbled back with no shields. One-shot from her gun, it rolled into the river dead.

"I'm starting to think they don't like you," Jun laughed over comm.

"I don't get it, why do they all come after me? Every time!" She shook her head. 

"That's a good question," Jun said. "But I'm not complaining." Six rolled her eyes at her friend's remark and continued picking off any of the unfortunate covenants that dared to challenge her to a fight. The number of times Six got hit was stupid, she didn't take any kind of pity on her opponents though. Sadly for them, she was still pissed off about her best friend. She would be until they won the war and made the covenant pay for what they did. Finishing off the final tango, she turned and waved to Jun who gave a thumbs up.

"There's nothing here but a lake, Six." He said. "You see anything?"

"Nope." Six responded, walking over. "Nothing that would be of interest to us anyways." she reloaded her shotgun and noted that she was low on ammo. Stooping her head into one of the buildings, she smiled a little when she saw a rack of shotguns. Snapping them off the wall she took their ammo, reattaching what she could to her belt. 

"Hm," Jun hummed. Six wandered her way over to the other spartan and then looked at the civilians who were looking between each other.

"You five know something we should?" she questioned. The younger man that Six saved about ten minutes earlier carefully stepped forward and nodded. "You guys can talk, you know, we aren't commanding officers. You guys aren't real military anyways."

"How would you know!" one of the men snapped up. "We could've been." Six pulled off her helmet and got into the man's personal space, glaring down into his face. 

"Am I wrong?" she questioned, sternly. The man was clearly intimidated by her, it took a lot of effort for her to not scoff in his face.

The man shook his head hesitantly. Six smirked a bit with a small hum-laugh.

"The road," the youngest spoke up. "it leads out to a hydroelectric plant." he touched Six's armored shoulder. "The gate doesn't' work." he gestured with his eyes for her to back off the other trooper. She rolled her eyes and courteously backed up, Jun joining at her side. 

"An alternate route?" Jun asked. Six looked down at the man and lifted a brow. He nodded carefully.

"We used the riverbed to smuggle rations, weapons..." the Leader started.

"Anything the UNSC considers contraband?" Jun finished.

"Basically," Jun looked at Six before they both turned their eyes to the Leader.

"Show us." Jun ordered. Six pulled her helmet back over her head and nodded to the troopers to start walking. The one she had saved earlier stuck close to her side while Jun and herself followed the leading trooper.

"I'm James," he cleared his throat. 

"Mhm?" Six looked at the trooper next to her. "Six."

"Your...name is Six?" he asked.

"It's what I go by, yes," she responded bluntly, working her way up next to her teammate and stopping where he was.

"Here's the Riverbed, Six. Let's see where it goes, yes?" he offered.

"Nowhere good I imagine." She told her teammate, following him into the Riverbed. She let her eyes roll over the nooks and crannies of the mountainous dirt walls that surrounded them. The last time they were in a situation like this, they got fucked over. Carter ended up underneath the rubble of rocks, dirt, and scattered shrubbery. Death certainly was on his to-do list but Six liked to think he docked it down a few notches after that. Her mind raced back to her helping heave large rocks off of the Commander- Kat pulling him to her chest while begging for him to wake up. 

The way his slightly dented helmet fit in Six's hands. She had never seen Kat so scared. She didn't think she'd ever see it again either. The way he was so frantic on the way back to sword base. He had grabbed her hand tightly and called her Thom. Normally she would've been offended, but after seeing what Thom's armor looked like, she couldn't say she was surprised. The look in the Commander's eyes had just added to the effect. 

Shaking the concept from her head when Jun spoke up, she turned her head.

"Where does this riverbed lead specifically?" he asked, turning and looking over his shoulder at the troopers who followed close on their heels.

"Straight to the hydro plant. We dammed this river up forty-five years ago, and the plant powers every settlement in the territory. Shame if it all gets wasted." The Leader said simply with a shrug. 

"We're doing what we can." Six informed him. There was a familiar soft humming of a Phantom occurring nearby. 

"Hold up, Covie Dropship!" Jun hissed. "Take cover," he whispered. Six grabbed the Leader's arm and dragged him into the shadows where she crouched to take cover. Silence filled the air, Six made sure to keep the Leader close. He was the most valuable out of the bunch, unfortunately. When the Phantom passed over-

"We better move. They're heading back to Pump Station, they already know that we're here." Six said. Jun nodded and ran ahead, Six close behind. 

"Yeah, and we'll only make them angrier." Jun chuckled.

"You guys get a kick out of making killer-aliens pissed off?" James question. 

"Are you kidding? We don't just get a kick out of it-" Six started.

"We're getting paid for it." Jun finished. 

"I was gonna say I at least thrive off getting needles shot at me, I best get a paycheck."

“How did you become a SPARTAN in the first place?” James asked.

"That's classified." Six whistled her excuse as they continued their way down the riverbed. She stopped with Jun as they approached the end of the riverbed, "Holy sh..." her voice faded out as the two Spartans examined the giant covenant structure beyond them. 

"Kat, do you see this?" Jun asked a rasp to his voice. "Covenant Structure of sorts,"

"Some kind of pylon..." Six added in. 

"Heavily fortified too," Jun muttered. 

"That would be the source of our dark zone," Kat said clearly.

"Okay." Jun muttered, "Consider it gone."

"Negative Noble Three," Kat interrupted. "Stick a remote det on it. Command's planning something big, they say the pylon dies at dawn." Kat informed.

"Carter is keeping things hush-hush?" Six questioned.

"Doesn't he always?" Six nodded her head to the side at Kat's response. 

"We gonna blow it?" one of the trooper's questioned.

"We're gonna clear the area and stick a remote det to it. If you would like to provide some cover fire, please. Be our guest." Jun walked ahead. Six noted the bridge with an elite patrolling it. Shew nudged, Jun with the barrel of her gun. "Go ahead Six, keep it down," he ordered. 

"Where is she-" James started to ask. 

"Just watch." Jun nodded for the troopers to follow him behind a rock. Six ducked behind a covenant supply case. She clipped her shotgun away to decrease the audio disturbance she would cause by walking. Not that her clunking armor wouldn't do that already. She had to be light. There were already enough Grunts sleeping on this bridge…

'Piece of cake...maybe...something like that.' She poked her head around, this would be a knife job. She pulled her knife from her armor's shoulder and switched it so that the blade was facing behind her. The Elite had its back turned to her now. Six carefully stood and rushed the elite taking minimum steps. She drove her knife into the back of its neck, destroying any way of it speaking. It choked out, Six made low shushing noises. Her eyes glanced at the Grunts up on the Pylon and those that were sleeping against supply carriers.

She gently laid the elite against the ground after it died. She slammed her knife down into a Grunt's head, its blood covering her hands. She swore- forgetting their blood was such a vibrant color and nearly glowed. She had to finish fast. Six ducked to cover when a grunt squealed from the Pylon. She held her breath in hopes it never saw her. When she confirmed that it hadn't- Six immediately got back to work. The Grunts were all dead before the Pylon noticed. 

One of the Pylon Patrolling Grunts yelled in shock- but the dangerous Spartan woman was already behind it. She snapped its neck and kicked it off the balcony. One of the other two grabbed onto a turret and tried shooting at her- it failed miserably. Six kicked it right off of the pylon, turning and throwing her knife into the grunt that was running at her. It hit straight through its forehead and it fell forward. Six kicked the Grunt onto its side and snatched her knife from its head. She took a deep breath. 

They drew attention from inside the building.

"Well, shit." Six sighed.

"Let's make it quick, yeah?" Jun offered. 

"Mhm," Six hopped down from her place on the Pylon and ran for the stairs to help neutralize the aliens that were shooting from there. It was mostly skirmishers-

'I should honestly get achievements for the amount of these bastards ass' I kick...' she pondered quietly. She took off in a run towards the large number of skirmishers nearby and snatched her shotgun off her back. Cocking it- she blasted it at any alien she passed by. The troopers were quick on her heels to back her up and take out any aliens that dared to get back up after she passed by. She reloaded and slammed the butt of her shotgun into an Elite's head. 

"Six, join up with me," Jun ordered. 

"On my way," she promised then heading his way. She sprinted down the stairs and noted Jun approaching one of the pylon's legs. 

"This is gonna take a while. Think you can hold any of our friends off on your own with the civilians?" he questioned, taking a knee. 

"I'll do what I can." Six scoffed a bit. She noticed a Phantom heading in their direction and swore- "Didn't think we would have company so soon..." she muttered stepping into the Pylons center that boosted her to the balcony. The Phantom opened up and while Six whole-heartedly thought there would be jackals, maybe some cloaking elites she was wrong. Very wrong. 

Two giant hunters jumped out.

"Oh, shit- SIX-" Jun shouted. 

"I've got it, I've got it!" Six assured him. The civilians started towards them but she whistled-"STAY!" she ordered. "IF YOU WANT TO LIVE DON'T MOVE!" She aimed down at the Hunters and started firing. Counting off her grenades, she took a deep breath upon realizing that she had four grenades. Two for each Hunter.

She would have to play this carefully-Six picked a plasma grenade off her hip and juggled it between her two hands. She jumped down and yelled loudly to get the large hunter's attention. The Hunter's looked to her, irritation radiating off them that she was moving around so much they had to continuously reevaluate their aim. She made a quick dash behind the Hunters- sticking the plasma grenade to its side, just close enough to the shell that when it popped- the spikes and the shell clattered to the ground.

Six had to focus on the second one now. She pulled the second grenade from her hip and charged at the hunter. It slammed its shielded hand down, just in front of her before throwing her backward. Six went flying and grunted when her back hit a tree. She groaned and collapsed onto the ground- her breath having left her body. 

"Hnghh.." she groaned.

"Noble Six?" Kat commed in. "Jun- she needs help." 

"I'm almost finished," Jun promised. Six took a short breath, her grip tightening on the grenade. She stumbled to her feet and jumped out of the way to avoid being obliterated by a bright flash from the Hunter. Six's heart was racing out of her chest as she tossed the grenade back to the Hunters. The one Hunter collapsed onto the ground while the other only had some spikes fall off it's back. Six shot at it- her bullets bouncing harmlessly off of the Hunter's shield. She lost her breath when she reloaded and the Hunter charged towards her.

Six rolled to the side to dodge it. She unclipped both grenades and slammed them down at the Hunter's feet. They blasted and Six went flying again. She hit the ground, her neck cracking, her ears ringing and floaters clouding her vision. She groaned aloud when she heard thudding vibrations. She turned her head and looked up at Jun who was keeled over her. Her eyes fluttered a few times when he yelled for the civilians to do something.

Pulling off Six's helmet, Jun sat her up a little- using his arm as her back's support. The fresh air was cold and sent chills down her spine. She could see again at least. Though, she was very short of hearing and her head was spinning. Her head flopped to the side and leaned onto Jun's shoulder. She felt a cold plastic on the back of her neck- she heaved a breath and shook a bit at the cold shock.

"-ni? Six- Toni? You in there?" he asked her. Six blinked a few times and nodded. She rubbed her head , shifting up by herself. Her headache was splitting but she would manage. "She's fine Kat."

"For God's sake...don't tell Jorge or the Commander please..." Six whispered.

"Don't relay this incident please." Jun asked curtly, helping Six to her feet. James handed her her helmet and gun. Six fitted her helmet back onto her head-

"-needs to be more careful." Kat ordered.

"It's fine." Six monitored in. "I'm fine, just a bit stunned."

"Yeah, by two grenades. I won't say anything. Just tread lightly Six." Kat ordered. Six stood up straight and nodded, rubbing her neck.

"Neck hurts..."

"Yeah well I heard it crack from the pylon leg, so figures." Jun scoffed. "I thought for sure it had snapped."

"Well, I landed on my head so..." she shuffled her feet. "Lets finish this, yeah?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Jun patted her shoulder. Six took a deep breath and jogged after Jun. "Either way the pylon has been placed."

"Somewhere inconspicuous I hope," 

"Stuck it in the pylon's power supply." Jun responded quietly.

"Alright, keep pushing into the dark zone. Command wants to know what the Covenant are hiding." They approached some gates and Six glanced around.

"Code required," she spoke up, rubbing the back of her neck- feeling where the ice shock had been moments earlier. 

"Copy, uploading the security codes to you now Noble Three. Keep moving." Kat said.

"Okay..." Jun fell silent. "Got em' opening up the gates now."

"Recon Bravo, you're heading into the dark zone now." Kat informed.

"Understood," Jun responded in return. The gate opens wide and the group is engaged with Covenant forces almost immediately. Lucky for them, the Phantom only had grunts to drop off. All of which were dead in seconds of fire from Six, Jun and the militia troopers. "Phantom was a bit too close for comfort." he muttered.

"Tell me about it," Six responded quietly. Jun lead the way down a long winding trail that was sparked with green lanterns in a few occasional places to help light the way. Something was wrong- it was too quiet. Slowly Six took point and tread her way towards the front end of a small mountain terrain. Thats when the bullet-lights started flashing at her. Six sucked in a breath and ducked down.

"Shade!" Jun shouted. "Fire and maneuver! Hit em' from the side Six!" he commanded. Six clipped her sniper rifle from her back and held it steady- she leaned against the rock as Jun took the fire from the Shade Turret. She aimed her barrel at the grunt inside and fired it. The grunt fell out of turret and Six putting her last few bullets on it then proceeding to reload.

"Fire on the turret- blow it to bits before it can get re-boarded Jun. Troopers, keep them off of us." Six demanded, aiming at the base of the turret and laying down heavy and rapid fire- one shot after another. The turret blew minutes later in a cascade of red, blue, purple and orange flames. Six switched her sniper for her shotgun and jumped over the rock, landing a bullet in the face of an Elite that she came in contact with. She rolled to her knee and continued to take out any alien who had the gall to race up on her. They all fell like dominoes. 

'It's almost too easy...' Six glanced around for fair warning. The must've thought they wouldn't get this far. Six whistled over comm-

"All clear!" she called to Jun. Jun hopped down from his nest atop the short bluff that Six had stood on moments earlier, the troopers at his heels. 

"Ma'am! We lost Parker and James!" the Leader called. Six turned a little and saw the two young men being leaned against the bolder. Her heart sank a bit for James but she sighed.

"Dammit, alright. You three need to stay in the back now. Names." she gestured.

"Taylor, Henson and Barnes ma'am." The Leader gestured to himself as Barnes so Six took it as a sign. She looked at Jun who nodded for her to start walking ahead. Six obeyed and followed the trail to another bluff that was illuminated with green lanterns and distant covenant enemies. Six ducked down a bit when she noticed banshees flying over their heads. She frowned deeply and furrowed her brows.

"Lotta air traffic up here. Must be getting close." Jun said. Six nodded and peered over another bolder with a short scoff.

"More shades." she informed. 

"Great. Use the same strategy. We can't go anywhere with those Shades up and running. I've got the one on our nine o'clock." he told her. Six gave  a thumbs up before turning her attention to the Shade on her right. She aimed and fired- listening to the gunshots of the troopers who were preventing new covenant soldiers from gaining too much ground. The Elite inside of the shade fell out as Six reloaded. She aimed at the base of the turret and continued to fire, missing once or twice. 

The Turret blew, Six turned her attention to Jun who had already taken care of his own. Minutes of endless stalemate fighting continued. The covenant weren't gaining any kind of ground of the Spartans and troopers but they still kept coming.

"Where are they all coming from?!" Barnes yelled. 

"No idea, but I think that-" Six pointed up towards a covenant corvette that slowly lowered from the sky like a boat being docked into water, "-should give us a pretty good idea of how close we are to our goal." Six called to Jun.

"We need to get back there!" Jun seethed. "Recon bravo to Noble Two-"

"Go ahead." Kat check in.

"We have eyes on at least one Covenant ship."

"Solid Copy, don't stop now." Kat assured. Jun and Six looked at each other before they both jumped off the bluff and ran through the newly landed covenant soldiers, sniping and picking off any one they saw. By the time they reached an opening in the wall, their armor's boots were stained in different blood shades. The Troopers seemed to be in disbelief of what they had just witnessed. Six rubbed her forefinger and thumb together, examining the brightly illuminated grunt blood on her hand. 

"Holy...shit..." Jun whispered. Six looked at her teammate and frowned when she saw bright lights from just beyond the mountain. Six and Jun's visors meet and he nods his head towards it. Six holds up her hand to inform the troopers to stay put. Dropping to a crawl on their stomach, Six and Jun approached the edge of the cliff. Six's heart leaped into her throat at what she saw.

"Oh my god..." she choked.

Beyond them, they were seeing an entire landing zone- spire after spire after spire all lined up and protected by some large blue bubble shield. 

"Jackpot..." Jun grunted.

"Transmitting visual..." Six informed, tapping the side of her helmet's base. A green light popped up in the corner of her HUD.

"Kat please tell me you can see this," Jun whispered.

"Confirmed. Receiving Noble Three and Noble Six's live transmission of a Covenant Strike Force," Kat assured.

"That's no strike force. More like an invading army. If we're gonna smother this thing, we need to go in hard and fast." Jun hissed.

"You really think we can?" Six asked- her voice stoic from a dry mouth. Jun looked at her, she could feel the concern radiating from under his visor. 

"We'll see. All recon teams disengage and fall back. The sun will be up in a few hours...and it's going to be a very busy day." Kat confirmed. "Come on home Spartans." Six and Jun squirmed their way back from the edge of the cliff. Jun stood and offered a hand to Six, which she took, to stand up. She hopped to her feet and re-clipped both of her weapons.

"This isn't going to be a clean cut," Six said quietly.

"I know, Six." Jun patted her shoulder firmly. "I know."

NOBLE TEAM BASE,

PLANET REACH

AUGUST 12, 2552

02:08 HOURS

Six sat at the cafeteria table staring at her food while icing the back of her neck. She was just informed that she would be aiding Kat tomorrow during the next movement. Something she wasn't particularly looking forward to. She looked up at Emile who was rewatching the transmission for Six and Jun's mission.

"We're fucked," he said.

"Yeah," Six took the data pad from him and looked over it again. "That's what I said on the way back here."

"You all have no faith." Jorge's footsteps came up behind her. Six turned and looked at the fully armored man who set his helmet on the table.

"Where'd you go? We dropped Jun after the mission and they brought me back here. Kat wouldn't answer when I asked." She examined Jorge's face.

"She wouldn't even tell me." Emile scoffed. "And I've been here longer than her." Six picked up a carrot stick off her tray and chucked it at Emile, hitting him in the face. "Hey-"

"Insurrection hostage situation. Group was holding a family hostage, threatening to kill the mother if Carter or I dared to even step forward." 

"Lovely." Six scoffed. "Our Sniper saves the day?"

"He's good like that," Jorge yawned. He looked over Six's shoulder- "He mentioned you found what Command was looking for." he muttered. "I didn't expect that much though."

"They really got their hearts set on taking this place." Emile commented, tossing the carrot stick onto the table. 

"Do you think they'll..." Six's voice faded off. "I-I've never witnessed a glassing in real life." she stammered. 

"It's a very tedious and ugly process. An entire city will be up in flames in hours. Millions dead before they even realize what's happening." Jorge said. He placed a hand on Six's head. "We're gonna stop them before they get that far though."

"God I hope so," Emile mumbled. "If we don't we'll lose more lives than we'll save." Six thought back to what she had said on the way to the Base. 

  “They gotta learn that in war people die. Soldiers die.”

“Saying things like that will have your teeth kicked in Toni.”

“I would like to see them try.” Toni snapped back. “Trust me, I get it. But if you sign up for this, you’re signing up to put your life on the line.”

"Not everybody did though," Aarons looked at her briefly. "Did you?"

Six dreaded the thought of losing anyone on this team now. Jorge must've noticed her face get pale because he said-

"It's going to be okay Six." he assured her. Six took a deep breath and looked at Emile who nodded in agreement. 

"We can't guarantee that we'll have saved the planet- but we'll sure as hell try and stay together." He told her. Six didn't respond; her eyes locked onto Carter walking into the cafeteria. Her heart hammered against her ribcage, she couldn’t tell him that she was right. She didn’t want to explain what she had seen. She knew he’d ask. So instead, she simply stood and set her ice pack on the table. 

"I'm going to bed. It's gonna be a long day. I'll see you in a few hours." She walked her way to the bunks, nodding only briefly to Carter when she passed him by. She tried to keep herself from turning and glancing at him- but failed. He hadn't looked back at her, only up to Jorge and Emile who were watching her walk off. She didn't exactly know what she had been expecting. Six cleared her throat before entering her room and flopping onto her bed.

The second her head hit the pillow, Six was out cold in a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

TWENTY. THOSE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES

  SZURDOK RIDGE, ÜTKÖZET
PLANET REACH
AUGUST 12, 2552
08:00 HOURS

"It appears that Noble Team's discovery last night was not an anomaly. Large Covenant deployments have occurred undetected, and we are now under attack across the Viery territory, including orbital defenses." Dot informed. As per the Winter Contingency, we are countering on every front. Noble's reconnaissance has also identified sophisticated Covenant army hiding canopies, and has been pointed to what appears to be a landing zone for additional Covenant forces, the origin of which is yet to be determined."

Six's head was still focused on last night. She gripped her shotgun firmly in her hand as her body bobbed up and down on her seat. She looked at Kat who was steering the warthog along with a hoard of others. There was a large convoy of them that were heading across a bare plain towards covenant forces that were barreling straight back at them. Six cocked her shotgun before briefly looking up at the falcon that hovered above them. Carter looked down on them for a moment before turning his attention to Jun across from him.

"That landing zone has been targeted by the UNSC as a priority one target." Carter commed in.

"Det-charge link is loud and clear!" Jun confirms. "Time to bake that cake we made last night!" the final comment made Six smile a bit under her helmet.

"Copy that," Kat lifted her hand holding the detonator. "Acquiring signal lock on the pylon. Detonating in three...two..." she pressed down. Six looked over at the Pylon on the cliff that exploded. Pieces went flying straight into the air and as if it was flipped switch- the Covenant began firing. She turned her head towards the multiple warthogs receiving heavy fire in front of them. Six yelled out in surprise when Kat swerved the car to dodge one that flipped backwards flying towards them.

Six noted a bridge that Kat was speeding towards that crossed over a deep chasm. The Spartan woman caught a glimpse of a bright flare heading towards the bridge. Her eyes widened and her whole body tensed up-

"INCOMING!" she yelled, one of her hands flying up to the rail above her, constantly slamming her foot against the invisible break beneath her. A motar round destroyed the bridge as they prepared to cross. Six felt the weight under the car shift underneath them and Kat yelled-

"YOU MIGHT WANNA HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!" her hands gripped the wheel. The car went flying into the air, then crashed violently on the otherside. Six remembered very briefly slamming her helmet off of the dash of the warthog. She hit it so hard, her head was spinning and she had a splitting headache. The gunner screamed in agony, Kat yelled in shock or pain, maybe both. There was comm static and then there was darkness. 

08:05 HOURS

Six opened her eyes lazily to her shotgun laying a few feet away from her. She grunted softly, her eyes crossing a few times. Her vision was very hazy and her body ached all over. She pushed herself up slightly with one arm and looked back to the Chasm. Another warthog attempts to clear the gap- Six throws her arm up in a reflex but the vehicle doesn't make it. It slams its front into the edge of the broken up road and falls. The screams of those inside fell with it until it blew up in the chasm.

"Six- Six can you hear me? Six are you alright? I could use some help!" Kat yelled. Six reached out and grabbed her shotgun from the ground.

"I'm on my way," she breathed out. "Dot,"

"Yes Lieutenant?"

"Make a reminder to never let me, let Kat drive a car with me inside. Ever again."

"Your objection had been noted, Noble Six." She looked up to Kat positioning on her knee and peering around the broken up warthog. Six noted the steaming that came from the engine. It was gonna blow- Six clipped her shotgun to her back and sprinted to her team mate, tackling her out of the way just as the car blew. They both yelled a bit. Six took a breath and heaved herself up off of Kat-

"Thank you very much," Kat coughed. Six tried not to be awkward about standing quickly and offering her a hand to stand up.

"Yeah...don't mention it." Six cleared her throat. "Really, don't."

"Don't have to tell me twice Six," Kat chuckled before they both took cover behind separate trees and rocks. 

"Six, Kat? What's your status." Carter questioned.

"Not dead yet," Six responded quickly.

"The Pylons down, we're pushing up the hill." Kat overlapped Six's objective answer. She turned her helmet towards Six who shrugged her shoulders and started firing on any covenant soldier that ran towards them. Six fired off several shots from her shotgun- blazing a trail to start towards a large turret that had a lock on her and her team mate. Six stumbled a bit to duck behind a rock, she pointed her barrel towards the sky- taking a few deep breaths. 

"Aim for the turret Kat- we can't do shit with that thing targeting us," she reloaded her gun, before pointing her gun over the rock and shooting her gun at the base of the turret. The Grunt inside grew frantic as Kat and Six shot the weapon so many times it began to spark and fiz. Six looked at a nearby Grunt and rolled over to it- grabbing a plasma grenade off of it. She un-clipped it, tossing it onto the turret before running a few feet back. The turret blew- but there was still one more along with a hoard of covenant enemies to take on. "Got any plans, Kat?" Six asked.

"Take the left and the turret, I'll handle the rest. Make it quick. I'd rather not die before we get to the fun part," she scoffed.

"What? Crashing our car across a broken bridge, getting a concussion, and blowing up turrets isn't fun? We need to have an intervention." Six muttered sarcastically. She darted out from her shelter behind a rock to grab the turret's attention. She ran towards it, firing shots- taking countless fire from the nearby enemies. Six rolled a dodge from the turret and inhaled sharply at the singe she earned from it's blast. The base was fizzing and popping now- she just needed to finish it off. Six cocked her gun once more, aimed only her hand- she trusted her gut to take the right aim and fired her gun until the mag was emptied. 

A satisfying blast gave Six permission to turn her attention to the Jackals that were squawking and all but beckoning her to fight them. She knew they were probably the easiest targets. Skinny, easy to throw down. She hardly ever had to use bullets on them. Six ran forward, slamming her boot into a jackals shield. It stumbled back, it's shield fell. Six scoffed a bit at the ease it took. She grabbed it's partner jackal and stepped on it's foot using her already firmly placed leg. The alien let out a cry before she slammed her fist down on top of it's head and threw it into the other jackal. They both went tumbling to which Kat finished them off with several bullets.

"Kat be advised: ONI has identified two hostile anti-aircraft guns southwest of your location," Carter cautioned. Six looked at Kat who stiffened a bit and nodded in response. 

"Copy Commander. Hear that Six? We have a new target. Shut down those AA guns." Six watched as a pelican dropped a warthog up on the hill. "Commandeer that warthog. Get us there in one piece." Kat chuckled.

"I suppose you wouldn't know how to do that, huh?" she laughed under her breath. "I am never letting you drive, ever again." Six jogged up to the driver's side and hopped in. She nodded to the Marine on the back and waited for Kat to hop in next to her. As soon as her teammate got in, she threw the car into drive and pressed down on the gas. The car sped into drive, Six gripped the wheel tightly, swinging it around a corner. 

"I said one piece Lieutenant!" Kat snapped.

"Oh please- this is payback for nearly killing me!" Six seethed. "I'm in complete control. Just...hold onto something just in case," Six smirked. Kat let out an airy laugh noise and her hand flipped up to the railing above her head. She aimed her gun out of the side, firing several rounds at any covenant soldier that trained to gain ground on them. Six noted the ramp was out ahead of them. "Okay, you two may want to really hold on. Marine, be prepared to duck down if we flip. There's no other way around."

"Noted." The Marine on the back of the warthog choked out. Kat leaned back in her chair, stiff and clearly uneasy. She was gripping her seat as Six sped up a bit. The vehicle stretched the gap and landed on all four wheels solid on the ground. Six swerved the corner and took a breath-

"WOO!" she chirped out. She heard the comm click on and Carter say-

"You done, Lieutenant?" 

"I made a jump and managed not to get us killed. Unlike someone I know, so yes sir." she sang back. Six swore she heard the Commander's eyes roll. "How close are we to the AA Gun, sir?"

"Few yards," Carter said. "Make it quick Noble Six," Carter demanded before he fell silent. Six rolled her eyes. Ever since he had gotten his head back into sorts- off of medical caution, he was bossier than before. A bit more demanding and quick to act. Six supposed he had to be to avoid more rocks from crashing on top of him. Turning another corner, Six noted the giant AA gun that awaited them. "It should be in visual range now, Six."

"Two Lima Four to Noble One, those guns are pounding us with high-velocity plasma shells!" a desperate command voice cried over the comms. 

"Which would mean a strike by the Frigate Grafton is also out of the question." Dot piped up. 

"I didn't even realize that Grafton was on the table in the first place," Six scoffed up as they approached the AA gun.

"Noble Six, all our birds are stuck out of range unless you can do something about those guns." Carter interrupted.

The car swept up dust as they approached- Six swerved to a stop. There was a small group of covenant soldiers that crowded the area. Grunts started screaming frantically when Six hopped out of the car and the Marine started taking shots with the turret on the back.

"Going in Commander, stand by." Six said, swinging her shotgun off her back and cocking it. She pointed her barrel towards the ground as she ran up the ramp, sliding on her knees to dodge the swing from an elite. She shot its leg, waited for it to tumble behind her. She leaped to her feet and slammed the butt of her gun into the back of it's head, proceeding to pick off any grunt, jackal or skirmisher who thought they could beat her down. Once inside the gun, she spotted a large glassy area that was collecting plasma electricity in the center. 

Six whistled. 

"This looks important," she murmured. 

"Destroy it." Kat chuckled at it. "I'll watch you from out here." Six reloaded her shotgun to the brim, aimed and fired off several shots against the force field that blocked the inside. She snatched a grenade from off of her belt- removed the clip and tossed it inside. She ducked back against the wall when it blew up. Alarms started wailing and she booked it out of there, nearly running over Kat when they got outside.

"Cleared," Six commed up. 

"Control, 2 Lima 4, permission to commence bombing runs, heading 224.6, over."

"Good work Noble Six. UNSC air support: skies are clear."

"Copy. 2 Lima 4, bombing run, heading 224.6, permission granted - out." Kat grabbed Six's arm when that was radioed. The Marine had already ducked off the warthog. Both women jumped off the edge of the short bluff, ducking behind the ridge. Seconds later, the gun was blown. Large, fiery pieces of metal were sent soaring over their heads. One narrowly missed the warthog. Six stood to her feet with a deep breath, turning to step back and admire her work. The AA Gun was up in flames. It made her smile. 

Kat heaved a short breath, Six looked at her. The Lieutenant Commander was standing a few feet away, staring at the valley. Six walked up next to her and watched as a scarab blew to bits, consuming a falcon with it down in the valley beyond them Six clenched her jaw and looked at Kat. 

"I do hope you're not down in the valley, Commander," Kat said simply turning away sharply.

"I'm fine Kat," Carter assured her. 

"Would you tell us if you weren't?" Six scoffed.

"Concerned for my well-being Noble Six?"

"You're my Commander sir," Six ducked back into the driver's seat as her small team reloaded. "Forgive me for having some kind of gesture. Don’t get any ideas."

"Then to answer your question: no. I wouldn't." and with that, he clicked off the comm leaving Kat to grumble a bit.

"Stubborn bastard," she sighed.

"Is he always like that ma'am?" the Marine on the back asked.

"Yep." Kat and Six say unanimously. Six steered her way into another canyon valley area. She kept her foot pressed on the gas, but hit the breaks when she saw a wraith up on the hill they had rounded moments earlier. Six sucked in her breath and puffed out her cheeks with worry as she whipped the car around to face the wraith. 

"Alright Marine, we're counting on you buddy!" she called to him.

"I'm watching your backs!" he assured her. Six drove forward to dodge a hit from the large tank-like vehicle canon. The marine began to fire on the wraith, Kat assisting from her place in the passenger seat. Six grabbed onto the gear shift and swung it back into reverse, digging the tip of her foot into the gas pedal when the Wraith came flying at them. She threw it into drive and narrowly dodged the vehicle, watching the front of it slam into the tree that their warthog hadn't seen. Six circled around it and had the marine keep firing. She looked at Kat-

"Kat. Grab the grenade off my belt, toss it on my mark." Six ordered. Kat reached over and snatched a grenade off of Six's hip. Six turned her attention to the wraith that was now smoking and broken down. "NOW!" she swerved the warthog to a stop, the tires hushing against the dirt. Kat tossed the grenade- it rolled just under the wraith. Two seconds later, the wraith exploded. Six smirked a little and nodded in success, she turned the car back towards a makeshift bridge that a pelican was setting down. 

"You're good with a car," Kat muttered.

"Yeah well, believe it or not- I don't crash trucks unless I need to." Six scoffed a bit. "I know the Commander got that impression." she turned the car and continued on their way through another canyon. Six noted some skirmishers up ahead, the Marine took care of them though. Six couldn't complain, she hated those damn things. She made sure to run over one for extra measure. This made Kat laugh.

"Kat, Six. There's a mining facility near your location, the Covenant are using it as a Command outpost. Troopers on site have already engaged." Carter radioed. 

"We're in range, sir." Six informed, turning the ridge. The mining facility came into view. It was large and clearly old. 

"Moving in to assist troopers with fire," Kat confirmed. Six drove the car into a park, swinging her body out of it. She cocked her shotgun and nodded to Kat. "I'll hang back, think you can deal with the turret?" she asked as she and Six ducked behind a cement barrier. Six shrugged her shoulders, a smile appearing in her tone.

"We'll see, won't we." 

"Now is not the time for teasing Lieutenant. Can you do it?"

"Course I can do it," Six scoffed. "You doubt me? Don't answer that." Six heaved her body over the barrier and rolled her body over to a deceased grunt. She stole its plasma grenades. Shifting one in her hand, as if to weigh it properly, Six unclipped it and threw it at the turret. The Grunt inside screamed out when the grenade stuck to the metal of the turret. It blew before the alien could get too far. Six cocked her gun quickly and started firing until her mag was empty.

By the time it was, she had cleared a decently sized path for the marines to follow in her footsteps and still take out anything that moved wrong. Six nodded for Kat to move up with them and jogged ahead. She turned her attention to the metal stairs, racing up them quickly. She stopped at the Covenant Supply Carriers, waiting for Kat to catch up to her. 

"New intelligence: friendly forces near the Covenant outpost have spotted a high-value target. An Elite Zealot in fact." Dot declared.

"Looks like there really might be something around here Kat," Six turned and looked at Kat who stopped next to her teammate. "It's rare for a covenant to send just...Zealot troops all because they can. Sure sometimes they do but it doesn't seem likely." Six murmured.

"I agree," Kat said. "We're onto something big here, Commander."

"Eyes on the prize, Noble. Take out that Zealot if you get the chance, but keep movin' towards the spires." Carter sighed. "Don't take any chances. You know how violent those bastards can get. I don't want either of you on the end of one's sword. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," Six drew out the 'r' at the end of the word, following at Kat's heels as she took off ahead of her. "Are we going to hunt the Zealot, Kat?" she asked- storming the rail bridge with her.

"You heard what the Commander said, focus on the task at hand. Take out the Zealot given the chance."

"Psh- in other words, take out the Zealot." Six nodded. 

"Sure, take out the Zealot." Kat sighed. "Just be careful," Kat warned. 

"Aren't I always?" Six questioned. The women turned and came face to face with four or five jackals. Six glanced at Kat who held up a plasma grenade she had picked up. Six switched to her magnum gun and aimed for the bastard alien's hands just behind their shields. She fired- one stumbled back. While the other three were frantically assessing the situation, Kat tossed the grenade. It stuck to the ground just below them and before the Jackals knew it? They were flying like birds.

Six nodded to Kat and moved ahead of her. 

They continued to encounter waves of resistance. Several jackals, multiple grunts- even a couple elites. But as Six climbed the stairs she radioed in-

"No sign of the target." She seethed. Turning a corner she aimed her magnum at a gas tank- popping the cap off. She turned her back to it and waited for the overwhelming clatter and crash of the tank exploding before turning around. Kat came racing up in clear concern-

"What was that?! Was it the-"

"Nope. Did just grill some of our guests though," Six walked ahead. She holstered her gun, stepping over charcoaled jackals and an elite. She put a bullet in the Elite's head for good measure.

"Overkill." Kat snapped."

"Nope, just doing my job." Six responded curtly as she continued to walk her way to the edge of the rail floor. Six squinted her eyes past her heads-up display and clenched her jaw tightly. Shimmering was occurring in the distance, just under the sun. "I think I spotted our target, Kat."

"Did you?" Kat walked up next to her, still a bit of sourness in her voice from Six's 'overkill'. She fell silent for a moment-"The shimmering."

"Yep, that son of a bitch is moving around."Six said. "Let's go get em'." She didn't wait for her teammate's response when she jumped down from the rail floor. Six rolled casually and landed on her knee. Snapping her shotgun off her back, she ran forward- firing at the grunt's who ran at her. Six was halfway up the stairs when a grunt unclipped two grenades. It clenched them tightly in it's hands and ran at her. Backpedaling, Six almost fell down the stairs- swearing loudly as she fired off a shot.

The grunt exploded itself. 

But it's target had been herself. 

"DAMN BASTARDS ARE CRAZY!" a Marine shrieked. The Covenant were willing to kill themselves to kill their opponents. Whatever was on Reach...whatever it was they wanted? Must've been serious. Six looked up at a roar that caught her attention. She spotted the Zealot's cloak drop quickly then fly back up.

"TARGET SPOTTED- I'M GOING IN!" She shouted.

"SIX!" Kat objected, but it was too late. The red armored spartan woman was already charging up the stairs. She ran out in front of the Zealot, the alien was quick to fire a sparkling cap of plasma at her. Six rolled to dodge it, and ran at the large Elite, firing over and over again. She fired until her mag was empty. Finding herself too close to the Zealot to avoid an immediate death if she let her guard down to reload, she tossed her gun to the side, whipped out her knife and flipped it to where the blade was facing behind her. 

The Zealot roared and threw a punch, Six responded to this with a dodge and a fancy jump-spin maneuver, swing her knife down the rough helmet. The Zealot staggered backwards and let out a whine-roar noise. Six didn't have time to react when the Zealot charged her, swinging it's fist down on her helmet. It then took a swift kick to her stomach. She was out of breath, it was like it all left her body. When the Zealot hit her head again-Six yelled a little, going cross-eyed but she knew she had hit her target. The body fell limp against the spartan, Six ripped the knife she had driven into the Zealot's chest- out. She took a deep breath and shook her head to focus.

"Zealot...the Zealot has been dealt with." she stammered while attempting to collect her mind again. "Commander,"

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

"High-value target has been neutralized." Six breathed out. There was silence for a few seconds while Six heaved for breath.

"Are you alright Six?"

"Just lost some air sir," she excused. "I'll make it." 

"Alright, keep at it Noble Six." Carter ordered before falling silent. Six wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Carter's change of personality. One point he's sparing small jokes and offering a smirk that could kill a woman. The next, he is stern. His voice was cold and calculating. 

'Comes with the job I suppose,' Six guessed as she sheathed her knife to her shoulder.

"That was impressive Six," Kat told her. She walked up next to her and patted her shoulder. "Can you go?"

"I'm fine, it wasn't much of a fight. Like I said," Six slammed her hand against the side of her helmet to cause some friction in her brain. "If I'm prepared for them? I usually end up the winner. Not under one." 

"Well, let's keep it that way, hm?" Kat offered before hopping down into the hole in the floor. She landed and began firing on Grunts who dared to oppose her. Six stooped down and picked up her gun, ignoring the headache that was beginning to set in. Quick to follow after Kat, Six jumped down into the hole. She stumbled a bit, swearing under her breath. Six noted Kat going down the stairs, so she followed suit. Reloading her shotgun as she ran up next to her. Shooting a grunt in the face, Six walked out into a large room. A few grunts ran out of the garage-like room. 

Glancing over to the supply carriers, Six smiled a bit. 

"Oh come to mama," she hummed walking over and kneeling down. She lifted a plasma grenade launcher and examined it. "Aren't you a beauty? Yes, yes..." she whispered with a gentle whistle. She heard a soft humming resulting in her attention turning to the outside. Six ran out with Kat at her heels- spotting two ghosts racing away. She blinked and looked at the Revenant that was just...parked there. On the ground. 

"Six," Kat warned.

"Oh stop being a baby, Lieutenant Commander and get in." Six ushered, clipping the plasma grenade launcher to her back before hopping into the driver's seat. As soon as Six sat down the vehicle began to hover. Six was slightly shocked and off-putting but it made her laugh a bit in glee. The sudden pang in her head from her headache dampened her mood though- she groaned a bit. Kat sat down carefully in the Revenant. Once she was sitting down, Six glanced over the controls. She pushed forward on the wheel, shocked when the vehicle zoomed forward abruptly. 

Kat lurched back in her seat but Six just grinned under her helmet. She got adrenaline off of driving new vehicles. Maybe it was something that rubbed off on her from Aarons…

'Damn I miss him,' she thought to herself, her smile faltering as she continued to steer the vehicle. She used her right hand to control the canon on the back of the vehicle. It blasted it's way through a few covenant lines and Six kept chugging ahead. Aarons would be proud, at least she liked to think he would. It was closing in on a month after his death. Six knew that August twenty-ninth would be upon her sooner than she would like it to be. A full month without Jaxon Aarons felt like some unreal dream that she would wake up from at any moment.

Six didn't like the fact that her heart sank whenever she thought about her best friend. She knew she would never quite get over the fact that he was really gone...she also knew that she wasn't the only one.

"Update, Six: scans show another Covenant AA gun ahead of your location. I want you to neutralize that gun, by any means necessary." Carter commed in. Six chuckled a little, sitting back in her seat.

"Careful with the way you word that statement, Commander." Kat coughed out. Six looked at her teammate who was gripping the back of her seat with one hand as Six sped down the trail. She fired the gun before responding to Carter-

"Any means?"

"I draw the line at getting you and or Kat getting killed as well as blowing up the planet." Carter retaliated. 

"You clearly do not know me as well as you think you do Commander," Six snorted. "The planet is wayyyyy too big of an overkill. I was thinking just the valley,"

"Six." he warned.

"Right, right. Covie AA gun. Destroy it. Cause chaos. On it." Six swerved down another pathway, glancing at the navpoint that appeared on her HUD. "Keeping your breakfast in your stomach Kat?"

"No thanks to you, Six."

"Ah, it could be worse. Could be you driving." Six taunted. The Revenant rounded another ridge. Six spotted a Wraith at the far end of the area and sneered a bit. "We've got a canon too. Hold onto something," Six warned. She charged at the Wraith while Kat fumbled with her gun to get it ready to aim and fire at the wraith. Six fired off the Revenant's canon and watched it collide with the Wraith's metal exterior. Clearly, the Covenant troop inside didn't like that because they fired at them. Six swore and zipped out of the way, nearly feeling the heat of the Wraith's firepower. 

She turned the vehicle around and looked to Kat.

"Drive past, don't stop and make a U turn when I say so," she ordered. Six nodded, pressing forward on the wheel to make the vehicle push forward at a faster pace. They went straight past the back of the Wraith, Kat tossed her last plasma grenade onto the back of the Wraith. It exploded- it's shields fell. "NOW! FIRE!" Six whipped the Revenant into a U turn, blasting the hell out of it with the canon until it blew to bits. "Good, now let's get up to that AA gun,"

Six nodded and drove around the side, seeing yet another Wraith.

"Shit." 

Chapter Text

TWENTY-ONE. She didn’t have vertigo, then she jumped off a spire

SZURDOK RIDGE, ÜTKÖZET
PLANET REACH
AUGUST 12, 2552
09:39 HOURS

Six swerved the covenant vehicle to avoid the Wraith's fire and charge. She ran over a few skirmishers as she pushed up a ramp quickly. Kat looked over and called out-

"HUNTERS!"

Six looked up and noted the two large aliens lumbering from inside the gun. Six let out a low whine, groan noise then proceeded to hop out of the vehicle. She had to move fast- or else those Hunters would get to her first.

"Kat- can you keep them busy!?" Six asked quickly, ducking behind a rock when the Hunter's noticed her.

"Let me see what I can do," Kat nodded in confirmation. Six watched her climb into the driver's seat and start firing off canon shells at the Hunters. Six took a sharp breath and quickly rolled her body around the back of the rock. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage. Last time she came face to face with a Hunter, she nearly died. Probably got a solid concussion too. She tried to avoid getting in their sights and managed to when Kat took off in reverse. They chased her a good way down, Six stooped into the AA gun.

"Six- the gun! I need it down, now. " Carter ordered.

"I'm working on it Commander- if I could snap my fingers it'd be done. But unfortunately, made of miracles I am not." Six snapped in return. 

"We have people who can't take anymore hits." Carter snapped in return. if Six could've choked the Commander out right then and there- she would've. She clicked off her comm link and focused her attention on the gun. Aiming her gun, she fired off round after round until the glossy force field fizzed out and vanished. She checked her belt for grenades-

"Shit." she whispered to herself. She reloaded her gun as the plasma built up into a shell in the center before unloading the mag into the center of the gun. The blast that occurred sent Six flying backwards into a wall- dropping her shields. Her shoulder had taken most of the forces bite. Six cried out in pain, her hand flying to her shoulder. She bit back the pain and took a few deep breaths shifting it up and holding it there. Six clicked her comms back on-"It's done." she breathed out.

"Hold that position Lieutenant, you're doing well." Carter confirmed. Six dragged herself out of the gun, holding her shoulder. She used her hand to roll the bone a bit- a satisfying click and release of pain assured her that she did well. But the growling behind her is what startled her. She turned and found herself face to face with a hunter. Six swallowed as it slammed it's shield against the ground. Making a scrambled for her shotgun, Six high tailed it away from the beast. 

"KAT!" she yelled. The Revenant shot up the dirt ramp and slammed into the back of the Hunter.

"Take out that wraith! I'll handle this!" Kat ordered. Six nodded and unhooked the plasma grenade launcher from her back. Six stooped back inside the blown up gun and ran up the tamp. She knelt behind the wall of the ramp and aimed over it after a few moments of hesitation. Six took her aim specifically at the wraith and held a finger down on the trigger. She watched the four dots slowly circle up together on the radar. Once they were all full circles, she released the trigger.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Four plasma grenades shot out of it like a canon. Six stared as the wraith began to fizz up. She hurriedly clamped down on the trigger again, following the wraith as it swarmed to the side. She lost her balance when it fired a shot at the gun- causing it to shake violently. She released the trigger again and watched the wraith blow to bits. Taking a deep breath she dropped the plasma canon, her body slumping over the wall. 

"Area is clear Commander," Kat confirmed. 

"Good work you two," Carter confirmed. "ONI needs up-close recon on those spires, we're gonna fly you the rest of the way."

"Great..." Six muttered. "Who's going?"

"You are Six," Carter told her. Six groaned and leaned against the wall again before dragging herself down to the hill again. Six really just wanted to take a minute and breathe. Wraiths- she hated those damn things...Giant purple tanks that could flatten her without half a thought. Hunters were worse in her opinion. She was happy that Kat dealt with those. She took a few steps when a familiar, raspy-accented voice broke through her thoughts.

"Need a lift Spartan?" Jorge choired. Six looked over at the Falcon and a part of her seemed to lift. She nodded to Kat who gestured for her to go as she holstered her gun. Six jogged to the falcon and took a spot in the turret. 

"Yeah, a lift is exactly what I need."

"Commander, I'm going to set up a forward observation post here." Kat spoke up.

"Copy that, I'm waiting on new intel. See what you can see, Carter out." he fell silent and Kat waved the falcon off. She turned her back and set to work- pointing and ordering new marines on sight around. Six leaned back in her seat a bit.

"So, spires?" Six asked, wheeling the turret around to the front of her body. 

"Spotted some nasty business in the canyon on the way down. Think you can handle it?" He challenged, a smile to his voice. Six snapped her head towards Jorge-

"Ha!" She laughed out.

"I'll call out targets as we go." the Falcon pilot informed. Six nodded and adjusted the turret side to side in order to get a good feel for it. The Falcon swooped off from the ground and took up to the sky. "Top of the canyon, dead ahead." Six turned the turret towards the bridge and began to fire. The bullets knocked down majority of the group- when all forces were the eliminated the falcon flew ahead. Six turned the barrel of the turret down to a bluff below. 

Wraiths, Shades and ground covenant troops had their guns all pointed to the large floating chopper above them. Six whined a bit and just pulled the trigger. She did her best to focus on the shades and wraiths as best she could. She took a slow breath when the falcon shook from a violent hit that was caused by a wraith. She aimed at the wraith that nearly took them out of the sky. She fired until it exploded into brightly colored flames. Six then turned to target the shades.

In minutes- the field was clear.

"Nice shooting Spartan," The Falcon Pilot informed as they moved forward.

"Yeah, well I try." Six chuckled lightly as she leaned back in her seat. 

"Stay sharp, Six. We're not out of the canyon yet." Jorge chuckled. Six rolled her eyes and took a hold of the turret's handles again. She leaned forward slightly and noted the giant spire as it came into view.

 "There's the spire." the Falcon Pilot informed curiously. "You guys weren't kidding when you said these things were huge. What the hell does it do I wonder..." Six frowned deeply, recalling the bright blue bubble that spilled out of the top of the spire. Her heart rate picked up slightly and she tried to swallow the anxiety that was building up in her chest. 

'That might prove to be a problem,' she thought.

"Um...Dot. What is that blue bubble?" Six questioned.

"Latest intel suggests these spires may be projecting electro-magnetic cloaking shields." The AI answered as if this wasn't something they needed to know forty seconds prior to hovering above the shield.

"I'm sorry- what?" Six asked.

"Solid copy Dot, tread careful Noble." Carter informed.

"We're going to fucking die," Six snapped. "We won't make it!" she looked at Jorge.

"You need to calm down, Six." Jorge said sternly. "We have to find out what's in there. Even if it kills us getting there." 

"This is stupid!" Six argued. She could almost feel Jorge's glare from under his visor. "Don't look at me like that."

 "Priority One, pilot. Gotta know what's in there." Jorge finished, keeping his helmeted head faced towards and objective Six.

"If we die? I'm killing you." Six snapped.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Jorge settled back in his seat. Six glanced at his foot which was tapping wildly- he was just as nervous as Six. She turned her attention to the red-orange tint of the canyon around her. She gripped the turret tightly as the Pilot said-

"Affirmative, sir... Here we go." Gripping the turret proved to be a clear mistake. The falcon went through the shield with a loud hissing and screech noise. Six felt her body fly forward- she screamed out in terror. She let go of the turret, letting it drag against the side of the canyon. Six had nearly fallen out had it not been for Jorge's quick motion- grabbing her arm and pulling her from her seat to the one just behind the turret. Six kicked her feet up against the back of the turrets seat, grabbing onto the edge of the falcon. It spiraled wildly. The Spartan woman's heart was pounding so violently, the pulse sound in her ears nearly blocked out the Pilot's frantic yelling-

"We just lost all power. We're going down."

"We're going to FUCKING DIE." Six repeated her statement from seconds earlier to shout at Jorge. 

"LOCK YOUR ARMOR TONI." He shouted in return. Six gripped her fist, her armor lighting up. Her shield poured into locking her armor- her body tensed up. If this didn't work- she and Jorge were screwed. She turned her attention downwards as the ground rose faster than she had realized it had been. She had sudden flashbacks to everything she had done in her life. Tended to happen when death was inevitable. 

"Brace for a hard landing!" The Pilot warned. The last thing Six saw as the falcon crashed was the ground- and once more within the same three hours- Six was enclosed in darkness. She was cold, shivering. Her body ached, she couldn't see straight. Not that there was anything to see anyways. Six frantically looked around- attempting to yell out. But her voice failed her- her mouth filled with cold liquid. Then her throat. She tried to cry out- she opened her eyes to Jorge pressing his hands to her stomach.

There was blood pouring from a cut on his eyebrow- when he saw her open his eyes he choked out air. Six didn't have any time to say a thing before she gagged up water. Coughing violently, she rolled onto her side. Water spilled from her lips as she coughed harder, Jorge patting her back. Her helmet was a few feet away from them, it had either been pulled off in the crash or Jorge had taken it off. His was at the knee he was on. He looked relieved and terrified at the same time. 

Six wiped her mouth and looked at him. She slugged him into the shoulder.

"Hngh- what the-"

"I told you." She choked out. Six's hand, trembling, went to his broken open eyebrow. She wiped blood from his eye and stood, sniffling. Her legs failed her and she collapsed. "Dammit..." she groaned.

"Remind me to never doubt your word again," Jorge heaved a breath.

"We're lucky to be alive." Six crawled over to her helmet and picked it up.

"Yes, well a few seconds ago you weren't." Jorge said with a snap to his tone. Six stopped as she was standing again, turning slightly and looking at Jorge who pulled his helmet back on. Six looked into her helmet and pulled it on to Carter's voice-

"Update Jorge- JORGE."

"She's up and moving around sir," Jorge said carefully. Six took a slow breath.

"I need to stop falling out of vehicles today...and blacking out." she managed to speak out. "I'm fine sir,"

"God, Six. Are you okay?”

“I think I’ll feel better when I get to slap you and say I told you so.” Six snapped off, pausing for a moment, “Sir.” There was silence. 

“Fair." Carter muttered. "You two aware of the objective still?"

"Yes. Six out." The comm clicked off. Six patted her thigh for her magnum to no avail. It was gone. She glanced around for a shotgun, or her's at least. It was a few feet away from the falcon. She dropped to her knee and picked it up, glancing at Jorge who climbed through the rubble. He pulled out supplies, tossing them onto the ground before leaning down for a second. There was a few seconds of rustling around before he hauled his gun out of the wreckage.

"Crews dead. We can't stay here." Jorge said lowly.  "I'm showing hostiles all over the place, we gotta move." Six nodded carefully as he dropped next to her. He heaved his gun up with one hand and picked up a DMR laying at their feet. "You could use a scope." he told her, handing it to the spartan. Six took it and nodded again, clipping her shotgun to her back. She weighed the gun in her hands, proceeding to chase after Jorge who started his way around the falcon. He already started unloading on grunts that were waddling their way towards the crash site. Six went to fire on one when a needle crashed into her chest plate- tearing down her already damaged shields.

Six winced a little and knocked back with a deep breath.

"Dammit- snipers." Jorge snapped. 

"I've got it," Six assured her partner. Jorge nodded briefly as Six took cover behind a rock, he continued to lay down cover fire. Six aimed over the rock and settled herself as comfortably as she could get- like Jun had taught her. She looked through the scope of the DMR and growled a little. Skirmishers- leaping from rock to rock. She shot one out of midair. She turned her attention to a frantically jumping one that had been loading it's gun's ammo into Jorge' s armor. She scored a head shot on the alien. 

She continued to pull out bullets for any sniper that showed up until they stopped showing. It became clear that they had diverted their focus to protecting the spire. That's where all the forces would be more than likely. Six looked up at the spire which was unbelievably tall. Though the thing was dangerous as hell, she had no idea how, it was beautifully constructed and excellently crafted. Not being an architect, Six wouldn't understand what exactly it was that made the giant structure so pleasant to look at.

Six shook her head and jogged up next to Jorge, nudging his arm gently to alert him of her presence. He looked down and nodded.

"How are you?" He asked her. "You took a hard hit,"

"Yeah, I stopped breathing," Six rolled her eyes. Jorge fell silent and Six felt her gut twist. She had a pretty good idea of the look on his face. His visor radiated 'kicked puppy'. Six sighed quietly and patted his arm. "I'm alright big guy, I am. Thanks to you but....also no thanks to you. Come on, we have a Spire to destroy." she assured him. Jorge adjusted his grip on his gun before they continued across the small stream.

 "Commander, we got eyes on the spire. Looks like a staging area". Jorge informed. Carter was silent for a few moments, he clicked in abruptly-

"Copy, we have your visual. Dot's working the problem, stand by."

"Noble Five, ONI believes those spires to be teleportation terminals." Dot spoke up. Six stopped in her tracks, glancing around the side of a rock. Her eyes scanned the empty dirt corridor and she gestured for Jorge to follow up behind her.

"Teleporters?" Six repeated.

"Linked to what?" Jorge questioned, staying hot on Six's heels.

"Frigate Grafton is on station ready to kill that spire, but first we need to power down its shields." Carter cut in. Six rolled her eyes when Jorge's question wasn't answered. 

"Understood. Six, I'll hold these bastards off, you find a way to the top of the spire." Jorge ordered her. Six turned and looked at Jorge who nodded to her. "I'll be fine here Six, you do what you do best. I'll see you when this all done and over with." He promised.

"I'll hold you to it," Six said quietly, turning and running ahead. She pressed her back to a wall, soon picking up the rapid rhythmic sound of Jorge's heavy firing machine gun. Six turned her head and noted some grunts that were keeping still at the entrance. All she had to do was get inside- avoid fire and get into the beam that lifted everything upwards. Easy enough- if it didn't disintegrate her inside of her armor. Better yet, with it. Six aimed her DMR at the Grunts and fired off one shot- it sent it's partner into disarray. To which Six finished the little bastard off. She took a breath and clipped her gun to her back. 

Six broke into a sprint, her legs carrying as fast as they could. She heaved in breaths that were slightly choked from her lack of air nearly five minutes earlier. Six slid under the punch of an Elite and continued to sprint up a ramp inside the spire. A few covenant soldiers were too shocked to do anything so Six took the opportunity to jump into the large elevator. She flailed a bit before gaining her balance. 

"Noble Leader, I'm on my way up." Six confirmed. "Please acknowledge?"

"Get in there. Take out that shield, Lieutenant." Carter told her. "Spartans, I'm en route with a Falcon, will pick you up as soon as you knock out power to that shield."

"Oh yeah," Six said, her voice turning to a whisper as she dropped into the entrance area at the top of the spire- "Wouldn't wanna end up stranded here like us, would ya Commander?"

"Am I ever going to live this down Six?"

"That remains to be seen," Six taunted, her voice a bit more loose than it had been. 

"Either way, I'm ready when you are Six." Six smiled a little at her Partner's willingness. She unhooked her shotgun from her back and fired one round into the air. A few Grunt's yelled- and it appeared that was all that was up in the tower. Six didn't buy that for even a second. She cocked her gun- picking off the Grunt's as they ran in at her. She spotted a suicide grenade grunt a few feet away- she swiftly fired off several rounds to stop it in it's tracks. Per her assumption- there had been multiple lined up behind it. 

Explosion, after explosion, after explosion occurred.

Six walked around the side of the entrance, reloading her gun and stopped. She looked down at a grunt holding a plasma canon on it's shoulder. It was trembling, clearly more scared of her than it but Six was still quite unnerved.

 "Hurry, Lieutenant. We got a Frigate inbound to blow that spire as soon as the shield is powered down." Carter urged. Six seethed and took a step back from the Grunt.

"Boo," she chimed. The Grunt wailed out and fired at her. Six gasped and ducked down, firing off rounds at the Grunt until it dropped. She walked forward to collect the plasma canon- but the seething of an elite ahead of her stopped her in her tracks. She looked at the energy sword that slowly morphed in its hand. "Oh...oh shit." she said. The white armored elite roared out and ran at her. Six turned on her heel and drove forward in the other direction.

"Lieutenant- I need that shield down now!" Carter's voice was more urgent and commanding now.

"Yeah and well Commander- what I need right now is to keep my blood inside of my body!" Six argued. She stopped quickly and ducked under the swing of the elite. She dove at it, tackling it to the ground. It kept a tight grip on it's energy sword though. It swung wildly at her head, Six pressed the barrel of her shotgun to the Elite's throat and pulled the trigger. The elite whimpered out and fell limp.

"SIX, DROP THE SHIELD AND GET OUT!" Carter ordered. 

Six seethed a few breaths, blue blood smearing her visor. She pushed to her feet and left her shotgun decidedly. Trudging her way to the ramp- she walked into the control room. Slamming her fist down on a button- she watched the shield fade from around the Spire. She knew it was time- she sprinted from controls. She ran for the doorway as a falcon hovered up- as she reached the edge she realized just how far away the jump was and back pedaled.

"Six!" Jorge urged, "Come on!"

"Carter- sir I can't jump that far!" She shouted, shaking her head. Carter moved to the seat closest to the edge- opposite from Jorge.

"Six, you're gonna have to trust us!" He shouted. "We need to go now! No time for debate!" he stated. Six took a deep breath and shook her head-

"God dammit!" she whispered, taking a few more steps back and then running. She leapt off the platform, her stomach the falcon's edge and she scrambled to catch herself on the floor of it. "Nonono!" she cried out, slipping from the falcon's floor. She had fallen completely off when Jorge caught her left wrist.

"Give me your other hand Six!" Carter ordered. Six took a deep breath, looking down at her feet dangling below her- she got really dizzy and groaned. She swung her other hand up and felt it connect with Carter's.

"You both owe me-" she heaved out. Carter and Jorge pulled her up onto the falcon, Carter seating her next to him, a hand firmly wrapped around her upper arm.

 "Get us outta here." Carter orders. Jorge looks at Six-

"How's that vertigo?"

"Respectfully fuck you Chief Warrant Officer, sir!" Six whined, slumping against her seat to which Jorge's response was a light chuckle, tapping his foot gently against her's. The falcon pulled out quickly away from the Spire, spinning around and heading away quickly. Six sat up with the help of Carter who continued to keep a firm grip on his swaying Lieutenant's arm.

 "Control? This is Noble One. Spire One is green and you're free to engage. Have a nice day." he informed. Six looked at Carter who had a small smile to his voice.  

"Copy that, Noble One. Be advised, all ground units: Frigate Three-One-Eight heavy is inbound, and MAC rounds have been authorized." Air Control confirmed. Six sat up a bit-

"What?" she looked at Carter who settled back in his seat a bit.

"MAC rounds? In atmosphere? " Jorge scoffed, "Unbelievable!"

"One way to get their attention! Hang on to your teeth, people!" Carter shrugged a shoulder, holding the bottom of his seat and Six's arm. Six leaned out the side a bit and watched as the UNSC Grafton approached the spire. With a bright flash, it fires it's MAC canon. Jorge looks at a smiling Six and nods successfully. She felt Carter's grip on her arm loosen, she looked at her Commander who seemed to have relaxed for the first time in a while. It was nice to see. That was until another bright flash occurred and the loud creaking of a structure groaned out. Carter's grip on Six's arm returned.

An energy blast had gone straight through the giant ship's hull like a hot knife to butter. Six gasped out as secondary explosions blossom throughout the hull. Six felt like she was going to vomit- straight up vomit in her helmet. She wildly tried to get a better look while Jorge sat back against his seat- likely already having figured out what happened. She looked up and yelled out-

"New contact. High-tonnage." Dot informed. Jorge turned around in his seat, finally bothering to look as the Grafton's front crushed into the ground.

"No. No! Somebody tell me this ain't happening!" he snapped out.

"UNSC frigate Grafton, do you copy?!" Air Control asked.

"The Grafton is dust!  We need to get out of here now!" Carter demanded. 

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Six's wide eyes were trained on a large covenant cruiser that was settled above them. The eye watching the Grafton sink to the ground and explode as it did. She leaned back in her seat and looked at Carter, whose hand was still on her arm. She felt it shaking- from fury? From fear? From the realization of the inevitable? Six wasn't entirely sure. She looked at Jorge who held his helmeted head in his hands. She gently placed her hand over Carter's on her arm, eventually lacing their fingers together. Even then- he still shook. 

His grip said fury. His trembling said fear. But his vulnerability to even let her touch him- said realization of the inevitable. They were apart of a losing battle. Unfortunately for them? They weren't the ones who were winning it.

SZURDOK RIDGE, ÜTKÖZET
PLANET REACH
AUGUST 13, 2552
20:07 HOURS

It had been Carter's idea to set up base in a cave. Six had her own arguments with it but didn't bother to voice them. The Commander wasn't particularly as open as he had been the day before. He was imploding in on himself- he hadn't spoken to her, Emile, Jun or Jorge. Just small conversations with Kat. Six felt awkward as she walked past them, entering the cave. Jorge was close behind with a large briefcase in hand- rations from scattered falcons. Kat was supposed to go out the next roundabout with the team while Six stayed behind and nursed her wounds from yesterday's extremities. 

Jorge tossed the rations at Emile's feet and rolled his shoulders. 

"Our foe is more devious than we imagined. That spire was indeed a teleporter linked to a cloaked, Covenant Super-Carrier... A grave threat." Dot announced over the helmet comms. "Thankfully, help is imminent. Sixty percent of the UNSC fleet is en route to Reach from existing deployments. The first battle group should arrive within forty-eight hours." 

Six scoffed out a bit and pulled off her helmet, setting it onto a small cot area which consisted of a thin warmth cover on the ground. Six had claimed the cover from one of the rations- dibs rule still applied. Even in times of war. She turned her head to Jun who had the same reaction as she did.

"Forty-eight hours? That's imminent ?" he asked with a sigh. He turned his attention to Jorge who was in the process of taking off his helmet. Jun took it upon himself to wipe off Jorge's shoulder pauldron. Six heard Kat loudly object to something and Carter cut her off in a low tone. Six bit the inside of her cheek and glanced back. "Uh-oh. Who's your money on this time?"

"Her." Jorge responded, setting his helmet down on the ground close to Six's cot. 

"You always pick her." Jun rolled his eyes to which Emile chuckled weakly.

 "She's always had him dialed in." Jorge watched the argument beyond them play out carefully. Six reeled back a bit and looked at Jorge- only to find the rest of the men were staring right at her.

"Why do I feel targeted?" she asked slowly. Emile patted her arm as he passed by-

"Because you're bein' targeted." he told her, passing by. Jorge briefly smiled at Six who sighed out and turned her eyes back towards Kat and Carter.

"That thing's crushing us, and we're waiting for backup? They'll be backing up a graveyard." Kat bickered.

 "All our nukes are either out-system or went down with the ships that carried them. You're preaching to the converted." Carter shook his head, resting his helmet on his knee. He kept his eyes trained on Kat with a deep, serious look on his face.

"How converted?" Kat asked. There was silence between the two, Kat glanced towards the ground- her eyes flickering up at Carter.

"I know that look, Kat."

"You can say no." she butted in before he could continue.

"No." Carter stated, nodding his head once and jogging the leg with his helmet up and down.

 "You don't even want to hear it?" Kat sighed, throwing her hands up a bit and leaning forward slightly from her position across from him. Carter closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head and sighing.

"...Fine. I'll hear it."

 "Remember that accident a couple years back? Colony ship en route to Cygnus. Seven hundred dead?" Kat questioned. Six knew what she was talking about. She had heard all about that incident- things went crazy at ONI. Course being the group that they are, they had their varying conspiracies.

"Vaguely. A slip-space drive malfunction, right?" Carter humored her idea.

 "Actually, it worked fine. The drive was mounted improperly after a service haul-out. When it fired it teleported half the ship to oblivion." Kat corrected, pointing a finger at him with a small tilt of her head.

 "And this is relevant..." Carter fell silent for a moment. "How?" Kat hummed and gestured her hands casually as she leaned back against the cave wall again.

"A certain Covenant Supercarrier could, with some assistance, suffer the same unfortunate accident..."

 "Even for you, Kat, that's-" Carter furrowed his brows,

"Inspired?" Kat interrupted.

"Not the word I would use." Carter finished. Jorge nodded for Emile, Jun and Six to follow him forward. Six tugged her braid out of her hair and kept close to Jun's side as the Sniper handed her bandages from a rations kit.

"What's going on?" Jorge asked. Carter and Kat had a bit of a stare down for a minute before he sighed and shook his head- gesturing to them,

"Go ahead, explain." he told her with a brief nod. Six watched Carter sit back and hang his head onto his shoulder. He looked briefly at Six, his eyes didn't stay long before the turned back to Kat. Six tussled her illegally long hair from it's pattern and breathed a sigh through her nose. Kat reaches for Emiles kukri knife- he grabs her hand stopping her.

"May I?" she smiled briefly. Emile grumbled a bit letting her take it from it's sheathe.

"Don't cut yourself," he warned. Kat scoffed a bit at the comment and knelt down into the dirt. Six walked forward a bit to get a better look at what she was drawing out. 

"Objective? Destroy the Covenant Carrier in a geosynchronous orbit above us." Kat said. Six blinked a few times- opening her mouth to speak, but Jorge beat her to it.

"This sanctioned, sir?" Jorge asked. Six raised her hand slowly-

"What do you think?" Carter cut her off and looked between them. 

"Oh." Jorge fell silent and the Lieutenant's hand fell to her side. Six gave Carter a glare, he never gave an official response to it and just looked back to Kat's handy work on the dirt floor.

 "Method? A slip-space drive in lieu of the nukes we don't have. Delivery system? Us. Solvable? Getting us up there. That, and getting our hands on a slip-space drive." She stood to her feet, twisting the knife back to its handle. She handed it back to Emile with a curt grin, "Thank you for sharing," she charmed in a slight mock tone. Six resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"So...all we need is orbit-capable transport, and the single most expensive piece of equipment made by man?" Carter nodded. "Easy." he sighed. "Please elaborate on how the hell you expect us to get our hands on that?"

"As a soldier in the field I couldn't possibly have access to those kinds of resources- that said, a good place to look might be... I don't know, the nearest nonexistent launch site in the nonexistent Sabre Program, dismissed by three administrations as a preposterous rumor... And in which our newest member was certainly never a pilot." Kat hummed. Everyone looks at Six who stiffened a bit. She sucked in her cheeks before saying-

"Look, I haven't flown a Sabre in years. When I did I was... twenty-one? I'm almost thirty. Forgive me if they aren't up for it." Emile shook his head-

"You're scary, you know that?" he laughed out.

"Me or her?" Kat scoffed.

"Yes," Emile responded. Six allowed herself to roll her eyes and crossed her arms leaning against the cave wall again. 

"All we need is the green light from Holland," Kat purred.

"Heh, good luck with that." Carter looked out to the open plain beyond him whe Kat held up a data pad in front of his face.

"You're the one asking him." she responded back. Carter looked over Kat, he snatched the pad and stood up- leaving his helmet in his prior seat. He wandered a little ways past Six and sighed-

 "Oh, there's no way in hell he's gonna go for this." Carter muttered. After about a forty-five minute conversation though? He gave the green light, it was a shock to everyone though Kat had a grin on her face as though she’d just figured out the true meaning to the universe. Six meanwhile settled herself down onto Jorge’s sleeping bag as he walked over. She examined her dirty red chestplate that was one the ground next to her. She scratched some built up dirt off the paint with her finger nail and sighed.

“You’ll be okay here with the Commander?”

“I have to talk to him at some point Jorge,” Six sighed rolling her eyes, “An actual conversation…” she glanced at the older man who examined her face with a look of concern. There was somethin else written in his eyes that he couldn’t quite place. She watched him exhale and kneel down in front of her with a small smile.

“Just let me know if you need me to come back,” he told her. Six nodded affirmingly and placed a hand on his gauntlet. She watched the rest of the team walk out chatting quietly about where they would find the final bits of rations. Carter meanwhile was focused on his gauntlet’s implanted data pad. He didn’t once spare her glance, though she wasn’t really expecting him to. She sighed and got to her feet, slowly wandering to his side. 

“Carter?” she asked quietly. The Commander didn’t even look at her.

“You were right,” she winced at the comment. “This was...bigger than we thought.” he looked at her finally. “I’m sorry we have to send you back up there, I…” his voice faded out as he leaned against the wall of the cave. Six looked at his booted feet as he continued, “I don’t like the idea of sending both you and Jorge so close to the front but-”

“We’re soldiers Carter, we’ll do our due diligence.” she told him, finally looking up at him. “We’re both capable, you’re worrying and we haven’t even left yet.”

“You’ll be gone soon,” he clenched his fist, his voice heightening slightly. Six stared at him as he eased back against the opening of the cave for a moment. He made a low scoff noise before turning away and walking further in. She watched him walk away-

“We’ll come back!” she snapped, walking after him.

“Will you though?” he turned. 

“I…” she stopped watching him approach her.

“How do you know that? You don’t.”

“You can’t keep blaming yourself!” she argued with him. “You need to at least have some faith in us or else the operation might as well go up in flames! We need a leader who is gonna put his heart into us! Not stand by worrying until he’s underground!” she shouted angrily. Carter rubbed his eyes with a frustrated swipe of his hand. He looked down at her,

“How do you do it?” he whispered, shaking his head, “This…this motivation to fight.” He muttered walking past her again. “I just lose it sometimes- no...all the time. I’m not the type of person to just lay down and die yet...I want to now.” The made Six’s stomach churn. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t know,” Six locked eyes with him as he looked at her over his shoulder.. “Sometimes you just gotta find something to live for?”

“Which is…?”

“For a while it was Jaxon, then myself…” she rubbed the back of her neck. “Now I’m not sure,” Six told him. “You’re going to look at me and tell me you don’t have something to live for? Something to convince you that sending us up there is worth it?” Carter glared at her for a moment before he cupped her face with both hands, staring her dead in the eyes. 

“Yes.” he hissed. She stared at him with wide eyes, her hands fluttering over his hands on her cheeks. “You are worth living for-” he said lowly, his voice having a low husk to it accompanied by pain behind his face. “I want to see you more, see you thrive. Reach your goals, that's what I want. We haven’t known each other long enough to die...I...I haven’t known you long enough to die yet.” Six stared at him, before blurting out through numb lips-

“Can you hear my heartbeat cause its...ridiculously loud in my ears right now-” she was concerned this wasn’t a natural thing. Her entire body felt warm and her head was spinning- her face flushed the color of her chest plate that sat on the floor. He laughed a bit when she exhaled and ran her eyes over his face. “Is this natural? Cause it doesn’t feel very natural-”

“Yes Six,” he chuckled. “It’s natural. It means you’re nervous.” he told her, letting his hands fall from her face. She kept a hold on them and put them back on her face with a stubborn sigh. He stared at her in shock, the last thing she saw before closed her eyes and stood there, feeling the warmth of his palms on her face. She felt his arms stiffen up and his thumbs gently caress her cheek bones. She focused on the pounding she could hear in her ears while leaning her face into his left hand. She opened her eyes to his soft gaze on her. He was looking at her like someone would look at a sunset while standing on the edge of a beach...God-

She reached up, grasping behind his neck and pulling him down slightly. Their lips paused centimeters from each other and his hands fell to her hips as if it were an instinctual reaction. 

“You should know I have no idea what I’m doing,”

“That’s alright,” he tilted her chin up slightly. “It’s what I’m here for,” he laughed, it made her chuckle. He leaned forward more when there was a beep. They both turned to the lit up blue data tablet. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he sighed. 

“We...are in a war.” Six’s face flushed faintly in embarrassment. Carter glanced at her before nodding and letting her go- with no haste- and standing up straight. Six clasped her hand over her mouth and glanced out to the dusted over plains beyond the camp. She looked back to Carter who placed an earpiece into his ear and sat down on a nearby rock, starting to talk. She watched him for another moment before turning on her heel and walking over to the makeshift-cot-sleeping bag Jorge had help her set up. She slumped down onto it and rolled with her back to Carter. She covered her mouth where his breath at been moments earlier and felt her face grow warm. 

She needed sleep.

Chapter Text

TWENTY-TWO. Bleeding Feet

SZURDOK RIDGE, ÜTKÖZET
PLANET REACH
AUGUST 14, 2552
12:48 HOURS

This wasn't how Six planned on finishing her lunch break. She didn't dare look at Carter, she really just wanted to forget what had happened the night before. It made her tense up every time Jorge even spared a look in her direction. Guilt? Why was she feeling guilty? She suddenly understood why she had avoided romance her entire career. Sucking in a breath of fresh air, probably the last bit she would get for a while now that she thought about it, she pulled on her helmet. It was at that time, she lifted her head and leaned back in her seat.

"You sure you're up for this?" she teased Jorge, "Too late to turn back now of course but still,"

"I am," Jorge responded lightly, "Just try not to crash us into anything up there, deal?"

"Oo, sounds like a tough bargain. We'll see." Six adjusted her new shotgun into her hands. It was heavier than her last one, way heavier actually. It kind of annoyed her but she couldn't bring herself to complain. She looked down at it as Carter spoke up,

"We're inbound to our landing zone Pilot, set us down up ahead." The Commander ordered. Six looked at Kat who had her eyes on the ground, her helmet following the direction of the sand. Six looked up at the facility and whistled. Been a while since she had seen the place, good to know that they had made some adjustments. None that would assist them in an airstrike from the covenant but structural adjustments nonetheless. The place had clearly already been breached, how badly is what Six was curious to find out.

The Falcons stooped down and grazed the sandy area, Six and Jorge filed out one side while Kat and Carter did the same on the opposite side.

"Bit of a hike to the launch facility." Jorge looked at Carter, holding his gun up. Six followed his look to the Commander who walked while adjusting his DMR's scope. 

"Anywhere closer is too hot," Carter informed.

"Copy that Commander," Kat confirmed.

"Move up the beach, Noble." The Commander pointed his hand forward in a guiding motion before taking point and running ahead. Six fell close beside Jorge and cocked her gun quickly. The group stooped around large rock formations and continued their hike up the stretch of beach.

"This isn't how I pictured my first beach trip going," Six said trying to ease the tension. She got a chuckle from Kat-

"Certainly is no vacation," Kat added in. Six smiled a bit at the other woman's add into her own humor. Six looked ahead, falling into step with her partner.  "Nothing like...aliens, beaches and...secret launch stations," she hummed with a soft sigh.

"Nope, nothing like it." Six added in with a slow sigh. Just as Six took another step onto the sand, Jorge pulled her back to him as a covenant carrier dropped down where she had just stood. Six and her teammates all fired on the elite that stepped out of the carrier. It collapsed into the sand.

"Watch your step," Jorge teased.

"Goddammit Jorge, if you keep pulling me out of the fire, one of these times you're gonna get burned." Six scolded.

"We've been engaged, up ahead Noble. Let's go!" Carter ordered. Six nodded to Jorge and lead the way for her and her partner to flank off to the right while the Commander and Kat take on the left. Six began firing off shots at the covies that burst out of their giant drop pods. She dropped down under Jorge's line of fire, rolling to the side she opened her own fire. She sat in a crouched position, continuously rounding off shot after shot after shot. Covenant soldiers fell anytime she fired her bullet- she never wasted a single one. 

"MOVE UP!" Carter commanded. Six and Jorge ran up behind the Commander and Kat as fast as they could. They kept at their leader's heels popping shells to take out any covenant soldiers that had the gall to run up on them. Six almost felt pity for the Covenant aliens, they hardly stood a chance against the determined spartan group. Aliens were lucky enough though; Emile wasn't around to stick his knife in their head. Six smiled a little thinking about how Emile had requested she 'knock some heads around up there,' for him. He had requested to come up to space with Six but was quickly outdone by Jorge scoffing a bit and saying he was far better cut out for the job than most of the group there. It was a giant nuke after all.

Six noted a turret up a hill that marines at the front of the base were holding fire on.

"God, you'd think they'd have that down by now." Six mumbled.

"Don't hold your expectations so high Six. Marines are capable of getting the job done, but we're Spartans. We have the inches thick metal armor instead of cloth uniforms." Jorge counted in. Six nodded her head to the side casually in acknowledgment and continued on her way. Six kicked a grunt into a rock with violent force. She grabbed one of its plasma grenades, bailed her shotgun, and tossed the plasma grenade at the turret. It landed at the base. The whole thing blew.

"Let's clear this out, shall we?" Six asked the Commander, grabbing her gun off the sandy beach and running ahead. She listened to the pattern of her shells dropping to the ground as she ran. Six kept up a steady pace, focusing on her breathing whenever she shot a bullet. An elite swung at her, she ducked. When she came back up, she noted that Kat had taken it out. "Much obliged ma'am,"

"Hm," Kat chuckled lightly. The Spartans approached the front of the facility and Six stopped. She looked at Carter who walked up next to her, gesturing her forward.

"Spartans coming in! Hold your fire!" the marine woman on the right of the door ordered anybody inside.

"Flight control is this way! They're expecting you!" a man inside gestured them down the corridor. Six followed after him a short ways, her partner and teammates close behind her. The marine stopped and Carter stepped ahead through a blown part of the structure with Six. He seemed to shake his head-

"Still can't believe Holland agreed to this," Jorge spoke up before the Commander could get a word in.

"Well, some ideas are too good to pass up." Kat boasted proudly. Six rolled her eyes.

"Let's get that Sabre airborne before he changes his mind," Carter said clearly.

"You all sound so proud, I'm the one flying it." Six scoffed over, keeping up with Carter's quick pace. She turned and looked at Jorge, pointing her barrel at him casually, "You ready for this?"

"Just try not to crash us into any space debris. Please. That is not how I want to go out," Jorge scoffed. Six grinned under her helmet, turning back around and holding her gun with both hands. She halted behind Carter who walked up to a trooper-

"The flight controls are through this door, Commander." The trooper said the Carter. The taller spartan man nodded, going through the doorway into a sparking hallway. Six walked forward a bit when she heard a scream. A trooper was thrown against the end of the hallway wall, a tall elite officer runs out from behind the corner. Six fell to one knee and opened fire with her other teammates. The tall alien was down in near seconds. Carter walked ahead, with Kat taking Six's place next to him. He merely stepped over the Elite's body and continued on his way.

Six watched the alien as she walked over it and into the control center. It was...chaotic. Screens, glass, guns, blood, and bodies decorated the floor. It was a sight to see- lucky these people were though. Probably died on instant impact. Though...Six knew that some weren't so lucky. She walked up to the glass as the steel curtain lifted to reveal the large Sabre ship. Her breath nearly left her body, her fingers twitching when she clipped her shotgun to her back. 

"Alright, Jorge, Six: get to the Sabre before the Covenant wreck it." Carter waved them off as he typed a command into the nearby station.

"What about you and Kat?" Jorge asked.

"Jun's on his way with a Falcon, we'll evacuate after you launch." Six watched Carter stand up stiffer, he looked at her. "Give the Lieutenant and I a minute? I need to have a small talk with her about something, it'll be brief. I need you two in the air as of ten minutes ago." Carter said. He nodded to Kat who stood guard by the door, Six glanced at Jorge who seemed to have become rigid. He didn't argue. He walked down the stairs and waited with a trooper.

"Dot, if you would be so kind."

"Certainly, Commander." Six glanced at the corner of her HUD. Carter's spartan number popped up, a private commlink. 

"Patch me through Dot" Six cleared her throat waiting for his numbers to turn green. "Sir-" Six started. She felt tight hands on her arms and looked to the Commander who looked down at her through his helmet.  

"Come back. Alive dammit," he said. "Not in a body bag." 

"That an order sir?"

"Does it matter?" he asked lowly.

"Not really." Six scoffed a bit. Carter knocked their helmets together firmly; Six stared through his visor. She placed a hand on the side of his helmet. "I won't promise you anything Carter, but I will try," she told him. "To bring us both back."

"That'd be ideal, thank you." Carter gently took her hand off his helmet, keeping her gloved fingers between his and backing a bit. He seemed to be looking a bit over her shoulder, but Six didn't bother to think too much into it. 

"Carter, I...Will you two be okay?" she asked him curtly.

"Elaborate?"

"I mean, will you two get out of here before the facility is seized? And it will be seized. Very quickly I should add." Six asked him. The comms were quiet for a second before his helmet bobbed in a nodding motion.

"We're gonna be fine. Get up there and break some shit. Come back and we can finish this war." he ordered her. “Maybe get dinner afterward.”

"What if it doesn't work?"

"What's with all the concern now?" Carter asked. "It'll work. Trust your gut Six, it's gotten you this far." Six went quiet for a few more seconds, almost as if she was searching for a reason. A reason to buy a few more seconds. But she remained speechless. Carter squeezed the muscle of her thumb firmly before letting her go. "Move," he ordered, the comms had gone off. Six simply nodded before jogging over to Jorge. 

"What was that about?" Jorge scoffed a bit, his voice was filled with unease. Six felt that guilt creep back into her gut. "Never seen him get so worked up about something." 

"Told me to me bring us back in one piece." Six nudged her partner's leg with her foot as she walked past him. She nodded to a trooper who saluted herself and Jorge, continuing her way up. Six marched her way up the stairs, glancing back to the glass of the control center where Carter was just leaving with Kat. Six turned her eyes up to the cockpit that was open, she pulled herself up to the empty seat and slid into it. It was comfortable in a way. Of course, the comfort quickly went away when Six remembered what they were about to do.

A fifty-fifty chance of coming back in one piece. She'd make sure Jorge did at least. The big guy deserved it. Some kind of peace. When Jorge was in, he patted the back of her seat. Six latched herself in, just to make sure she didn't go flying through the front window if there was some kind of problem. She felt the Sabre heave beneath her started basic controls. She took the handles in hand and tilted her head side to side.

"Let's hope I remember how to fly this thing, yeah?" Six chuckled.

"What'd I tell you?" Jorge laughed out. Six rolled her eyes and smiled a bit under her helmet. This was going to work. It had to. 

"Struts disengaged. Commencing launch in T-minus 5, 4, 3, 2..." The Sabre computer instructed. Six flipped a switch that allowed the thrusters to have a small bit of moving room. Six sat back in her seat when the Sabre took off into the sky. Her body shook with the violent shaking of the ship, she kept her eyes up towards the sky as the two Spartans rose towards it. "First stage engine burn nominal." the computer popped in. Six squinted against the Planet's sun when they broke the darkened clouds. Six gripped the handles of the ship tighter and shifted in her seat a bit, the Sabre broke through the atmosphere. 

"Stage separation in 3, 2, 1... Stage separation." Six felt the handles of the Sabre loosen, she turned them a bit, and as soon as the computer gave her approval.

"Hold on back there," she told Jorge before blasting up past low orbit straight into the stars. Flying up Six found a sense of herself looking down on Reach. It was a beautiful planet; oceans teal blue with gentle waves emanating off of the atmosphere's surface. So many planets looked like a ball of ice or a dirty ball of snow. Reach looked like a picture of Earth straight out of the pamphlets and history vids. A large, swirling white hoard of clouds caught her eye.

"Hurricane," Jorge said.

"Yes..." Six examined the storm before turning her eyes ahead and continuing on towards the station. "Had no idea. It's huge too."

"Yeah, well, people have a tendency to forget about the big problems when massive ones show up on their doorstep." Jorge countered. "I imagine that anybody there won't be evacuated before the Covenant do something stupid."

"Such as?" Six struggled a bit with the controls for a second, muttering about how they had changed pilot gears when she had left. 

"Glassing." Six stiffened a bit and clenched her jaw. She felt sweat form on her brow. Glassing...it had been mentioned before, only briefly. Now that Six thought more about it, it would explain the mass covenant cruisers. It would explain everything...She shook her head.

"No, no. We'll stop that before they do that Jorge," she said. "Don't worry."

"I'm not, it's just...tragic I suppose," Jorge responded simply. Six bit the inside of her cheek and focused through her visor, the plates of protection that had served her well for so long. She'd hated it. Having to see the world through a blue-tinted screen-glass. But right now? It was her saving grace. Six winced when her ears completely popped, taking her mind off the Glassing for a few brief moments. Those few moments were probably the least amount of stress she had been under in weeks. 

No men, no covenant, no insurrection, no ONI, no UNSC, no guns. Just natural pain and thinking about it. Then everything came into perspective as they approached Anchor Nine. It was staggering structures of metal floating in space. Six had to think rather quickly to keep from slamming the Sabre into defenses. She shook her head, focusing her attention on the giant ship in her hands. 

"Noble Actual to Sabre Bravo-oh-two-niner, over."

"Copy Actual," Jorge started.

"Colonel Holland?" Six asked.

"Affirmative, Noble Five. Welcome to Operation: UPPERCUT. I'll be your control from here on out." Colonel Holland stated clearly. Six hummed in response, she had had the sense to ask about the ground team. Whether they got out or not. She decided to keep her mouth shut and avoid that question. Nothing mattered but getting that slipspace-bomb on a track to that damn carrier. She was the alpha of the pack, this was her time. This mission would decide the turning point of the war.

"Understood Colonel," Jorge spoke up for Six who didn't even comprehend she should've said something. Seething through her teeth and turning the corners of her mouth down in a mistaken look, she widened her eyes and coughed a bit. She was suddenly extremely grateful for Jorge riding in shotgun behind her. 

 "Noble Six, these Sabres have been customized for orbital defense; you may need to get reacquainted."

"Yes sir, I noticed that some changes have been made since I last flew." Six chuckled lightly, examining the station ahead of her a few times.

"Well, you got up there. So it's a start. Alright, Rendezvous at Anchor 9 with the Frigate Savannah and the other Sabres as soon as you're ready. Holland out." Six nodded and spent a few minutes having Dot show her various new positions with the Sabre. She learned a few new dodge techniques that made Jorge actually yell a bit. 

"Oh that’s fuckin' brilliant." she grinned.

"Says you," Jorge grunted. "Alright Six, I'd say you're all warmed up. Head for the Savannah." Six looked over at the Frigate and whistled a bit. She turned the Sabre to start heading towards the Savannah when an abrupt bang sent Six and Jorge's head swinging forward. Six pushed forward on the thrusters and whipped the jet around.

"UNIDENTIFIED CONTACTS!" Six briefly saw the tail of a target flying up into the air in an escape from them.

"Savannah Actual to Sabre teams, be advised: we have bogies inbound." 

"Anchor 9 to all UNSC ships: station defenses are down. Requesting combat support until we can bring them back online." 

"Here we go, Six. Show them what you can do!" Jorge pounded a fist against the back of Six's seat. She seethed through clenched teeth and swung the ship up towards the covenant target. Banshees. Six placed a hand on the gun and pushed forward- the Sabre's thrusters going to max out. She slowed when she caught onto the banshee's tail. She pressed down on the trigger and let the gun do the rest. The banshee was in shambles seconds later. Six cheered a bit and locked onto another target.

"I thought you said you hadn't flown in years!" Jorge scoffed. "Liar!"

"No, not a lie! But it's like riding a bike I guess? Once you learn, it comes naturally." Six pivoted the ship to avoid a shot from a banshee, twirling it around. "I was a stellar pilot when I flew the first time. Give me a Sabre and I'll make her dance for ya, but do not put me at the front of a cruiser." Six warned. Jorge snorted a bit as Six continued to fire on the alien shuttles. 

"Well, either way, keep it up. We don't have the choice of falling off that bike," Jorge told her. Six nodded her head and got to work.

"Anchor Niner to UNSC ships: all targets neutralized. Bravo-oh-two-niner, you are clear to dock. Activating marker." Six turned the Sabre around, her hand fidgeting on the small ship's controls. They had narrowly died, Jorge didn't know that. But Six did and she had a very tight knot in her stomach about it. A Phantom had taken down the Sabre's shields and she had to perform four maneuvers to avoid the missiles it chased them with. 

"Holland to Bravo-oh-two-niner. Noble Five, you ready to go?" His voice snapped Six from her thoughts, she pushed forward into the docking slowly and carefully.

"Affirmative, Colonel." Six docked the Sabre into Anchor Nine and stared ahead. "I'm out here Six,"

"Warning: M-Spec re-entry pack disengaged." the Sabre Computer said. Six tossed her head a bit to try and get herself out of the short daze she was in. Near-death experiences in space tended to do that to her. Not that it was a regular thing. 

"I need your override, Red." he gently patted the side of her helmet. Six glanced back at Jorge and leaned over, overriding the Sabre's concern. Six turned a little.

"On the condition, you don't float away," she scoffed a bit. 

"I'll think about it," Jorge chimed.

"Warning: M-Spec re-entry-" Six finished the override to cut off the Sabre's warnings. "Cockpit depressurization complete. Canopy release lever: armed." Six leaned back in her seat and looked out to Jorge drifting away from the Sabre. She sighed weakly and settled back for a moment, closing her eyes to ease the aching headache behind her eyes. That damn question was going to eat away at her-

"Colonel Holland, sir,"

"What is it Noble?" Holland asked. 

"The ground team, do you have word on whether or not they made it out?" Six questioned. Holland was silent for a few moments, and Six began to fear the worst. "Sir?"

"They did," he said. "I need you to focus Noble Six,"

"I know sir, it won't....it won't happen again. I just...had to ask." She fell silent. She shoulda known that Carter had it handled, he was a strong man. Chances were if he was killed in action they wouldn't tell Jorge and Six yet. They needed to be focused on the mission. It took Six's mind and emotional effort to pull her out of the firm position she had been in the night before. So close, so warm...He just had these eyes so blue that she drowned anytime he looked at her. Six slapped the side of her helmet.

'Focus bitch,' she scolded herself harshly and turned her attention back to Jorge who was halfway to the makeshift bomb a little ways away. 

" Megszakad a szivem... " Jorge muttered very, very softly. Six felt her stomach sink. With the little Hungarian she knew she was able to translate 'this breaks my heart'. She had forgotten Jorge was a native to Reach. She leaned up a bit and looked down at the planet, it seemed to be on fire. A hurricane waged war over innocent colonies who likely had no idea what was happening elsewhere. She sat back in her seat and stared ahead, biting the inside of her cheek. 

 "Noble Five? Please repeat." Dot questioned.

 "Pull up surface grid, nineteen-by-twenty-two." Jorge ordered.

 "Gladly. ONI Sword Base: Sector 18-G." Dot chirped.

"Thermal enhance."

 "Noble Five, your pulse is elevated. There is nothing you can do for Doctor Halsey and the others inside Sword Base. The mathematics are determinate...Noble Five?" Six frowned when Jorge remained silent. She sat up a bit and looked over at Jorge. He had reached the 'bomb'. Pursing her lips she shook her head.

"I know..." Jorge murmured. 

"Bravo-oh-two-niner, you're cleared to re-engage thrusters." Six perked up a bit and looked ahead. She pulled in the cockpit and shifted in her seat.

"Noble Six, this is Holland."

"Go ahead sir,"

"We've flagged a Corvette-class vessel on a predicted docking track with our target," Holland informed.  "Get our makeshift bomb on that Corvette, and we have our delivery system. Noble Five will escort the bomb. I need your Sabre team to clear the way for boarding."

"Understood Colonel," Six turned on her Sabre's thrusters and quickly left off the station. The Sabre dipped slightly when it re-entered the space behind it but it wasn't horrible. 

"As she's already donated her slipspace drive to the cause, the Savannah will be joining you to provide local fire support," Holland commented. Six passed the Savannah and nodded carefully. Nice, a lot of back-ups. That's exactly what they would need for this. 

"UNSC Savannah. Our wings may be clipped, but we've got your back." Six lead the other Sabres close behind her and Savannah trailing in a path a little ways back. 

"I've stuck my neck out for Noble on this one, Lieutenant," Holland said sternly.

"We'll get it done sir, Six out." They had to. Six was convinced that God had very little mercy left to spare her and her team at this point. That's what they would need to save them if this didn't work. Was a shitload of ammo and a hundred cartloads of God's mercy.

Chapter Text

TWENTY-THREE. And so it begins

COVENANT OCCUPIED
SPACE, REACH ORBIT
AUGUST 14, 2552
14:35 HOURS

Six really had forgotten just how much she loved space travel. Especially when she was the one driving the jet. She leaned back in her seat and stared out into space ahead of her, the gentle lights of the supercarrier came into view and she furrowed her brows.

"Target Corvette sighted within visual range of NAV Beacon RA-15."

"We have visual. Target confirmed." Six spoke up. "Prepare to engage."

"Frigate Savannah in position. Sabre teams: sound off." Savannah Actual popped in sternly. 

"Echo 1, all systems nominal."

"Echo 2, good to go."

"Echo 3, systems green."

"Echo 4, all systems online."

"Bravo-oh-two-niner, all systems are operational." Six confirmed.

"Solid copy. We are currently jamming the Corvette's comms, hit it hard while it can't call for help." Savannah said.

"Agreed. Sabre teams, clear a path to that Corvette."

"I think we should clip the engines," Six spoke up casually. She turned her eyes to the banshees that flew at the Sabres- they all opened fire.

"It'll slow her down,"

"Good plan. Six, care to do the honors?"

"Can do Colonel. You can count on me," Six said briefly raining fire on a banshee until it exploded into a mixture of bright color fires. She ducked under the debris and headed around to the back of the ship. She swung her ship down and turned it towards the bright flaring engines. Six switched her left gun- firing missiles at the first engine. She jerked to the right to avoid crashing when the first engine burst into flares. She tilted her jet down towards the endless depths of space before turning it back up and shooting forward. She had to readjust to take out the other three engines.

It was a chore. 

Six swung her Sabre around for about ten minutes just managing to take out two of the other engines. She gasped when she noticed her shields fall. She dropped her ship's nose down and managed to escape the nonstop fire from a covenant vehicle behind her. Six's heart was racing out of her chest when her Sabre's computer suggested starting up life support. She swallowed the fear that lumped up into her throat kept performing evasive maneuvers to avoid her opponents line of fire.

"I need an assist! I can't shake this bogie!" Six shouted over comms. 

"We're on it Lieutenant, keep ahead!" the voice of Echo 4 assured her. Six took one more dodge when one of the Sabres swung out and took on the covenant attacker. Six breathed a sigh of relief, turning the jet to face back up at the engines. She quickly opened rapid-fire onto the final engine- pulling out of the way just before her Sabre crashed. 

"Engines are disabled Colonel." Six confirmed. 

"Warning: Energy flares detected in the Corvette's aft launch bays." Dot cautioned 

"Heads up, Sabres: multiple impulse drive signatures detected, more bogies incoming." Savannah Actual chimed in to warn.

"What?" Six whispered.

"Echo 2 to Savannah Actual. Where are the reinforcements coming from? I thought the target was jammed."

"Must be squadrons coming back from patrol, Echo 2." Savannah Actual responded. Six drifted alongside the frigate, watching new enemies pop into view. She swore under her breath and shook her head. 

"Alright Sabres, let's take care of them so we can get inside that Carrier. We have little to no time left." Six ordered, flipping to her missiles instead of the rapid-firing gun.

"Don't let any of them getaway! Kill them before they bug out and warn that Supercarrier what we're up to." Holland ordered.

"Consider it done sir," Six confirmed. She shot down a banshee in a few shots. She brushed narrowly with another Sabre when she chased down a speeding banshee. She had a pretty dedicated focus for the moment in time. Take down the Banshee- before another could get its brightly colored bullets against her Sabre's shield. She sped laid down a few missiles and before long every patrol vehicle was floating in the middle of space. Shattered and in multiple pieces.

"Dot, analyze all available data on that Corvette. Find a way inside." the Colonel ordered sternly. Six allowed herself to circle the large cruiser, looking down on it from her place in the space above.

 "Scans indicate a structural weakness surrounding a platform on top of the vessel." Dot explained. "I would suggest setting the Sabres down on the platform. The large structural weakness has bridges that lead into a hangar where the intended slip space drive can be brought into the carrier." the AI confirmed.

"Seems too easy," Six muttered.

"What was that Lieutenant?"

"Nothing sir," She commented to the Colonel. "Just think aloud,"

"I see. Set down immediately on that Corvette's topside landing pad." 

"On it sir," Six lowered her Sabre down onto the landing pad above. She took a few deep breaths and unhitched the cockpit- the top glass of it sliding open. Six dropped down onto the landing pad, unclipping her shotgun from her lower back. Her feet didn't make any noise, the only sounds she could make out were the light huffs that her partnered Sabre pilots heaved through the comms. She could also hear the occasional rattling of her helmet against the white pack on her back. 

Six aimed her gun into the large holographic opening between her and the inside of the large entrance room.

"Noble Six, Savannah's counter-measures won't work forever. Find a way inside, and permanently disable the cruiser's communications."

"Yes sir." Six jumped back slightly when an Elite jumps out from under the shield. The alien was quickly eliminated by herself and the troopers.

"As soon as we're sure the Corvette can't squawk, we'll initiate UPPERCUT phase two." Colonel Holland told her. Six remained silent. She held up one hand to keep the troopers from rushing ahead, then jumped through, counting on the light gravity pack to take over her ability to move. She lowered slowly onto the center of a podium. Six turned her head side to side, lowering her shotgun and approaching an unsuspected Elite from behind. She brought the but of her gun down on the Alien's head, watching its body float down and land on top of an unsuspected Grunt. 

The firing started. Six jumped down and the Troopers followed closely. She pushed her back against a pillar and leaned around the side of it- firing off shells at the Grunts that ran away frantically. She nodded to a trooper across from her and they moved together.

"Move to the ramps. We'll be better off if we get the higher ground," Six said to the small trooper fire team. 

"Yes ma'am," one of the men told her.

"Go now, I'll cover you," she told them. Pointing her shotgun towards canisters of what she could only assume was plasma- she fired. One-shot led to a blow, which led to a series of massive explosions. Grunt bodies went flying up into the air slowly- it was enough of a distraction to let Six's team make it to the ramp and clear the way up it. Six stumbled her way through rapidly firing bullets and slid up next to her troopers. An engineer floated off to the side of the room making loud wailing noises. Six took one of her trooper's DMRs and scoped it.

With two bullets she knocked it clean out of the air. Six also took this time to turn her attention to the jetpacked Elite flying towards them. A single shot to the alien's helmet visor choked it. Six handed the DMR back to the trooper.

"Alright, let's clear this place. I'm going to the ground. Try to stay up high and in cover." Six ordered. She dropped to the ground and fired off her shotgun in a Grunt's face. Six took off running as fast as she could against the low gravity. She had to get to the controls on the other side of the room. Six jumped into the air and grabbed onto a ledge, pulling herself up swinging her body up to nail an Elite in its face with her heavily armored feet. She perched up and overlooked the Troopers taking out the last of the enemy forces.

"Colonel, enemy forces have been taken care of. We on lockdown?" she asked lowly.

"We are." Holland responded lowly, "Holland to Savannah, enemy comm relay is now offline."

"Copy that. Halting counter-measures, diverting all power and personnel to weapons." Savannah Actual told them. Six nodded and stood up straight, waving her hand for the fireteam to meet her at the doors.

"Alright, Noble. Let's get that Slipspace bomb on board. Six, head for the hangar." Colonel Holland relayed. Six nodded her head briefly and hopped down from her perch, landing in front of the door. She cocked her shotgun and turned her eyes to the Grunts that stood before her- behind a now opened door. She aimed her gun and put two bullets in their heads. Six lead her team ahead towards the Hangar.

"Colonel, we're on our way to the hangar." Six muttered into her comms.

"Affirmative Lieutenant. Noble Five, meet 'em there."

"Affirmative, on approach," Jorge responded shortly. Six smiled a little at her Partner's voice. The ship wouldn't be so dull when he got aboard. It'd be nice to talk out some of her jitters. She kept moving ahead, stepping over the Grunt's dead bodies. 

"Multiple targets on the other side of the doors ma'am," one of the troopers said quietly. Six frowned deeply before nodding,

"Alright, we have to clear the area. They need to wide open to bring in the slipspace bomb." She said lowly. "Follow close, try to stay in cover....wreck some shit," she told her fireteam. She moved in, the doors swinging open. An engineer floated aimlessly in the center of the oversized hangar. Elites patrolled the balconies on either side of the room. Six scanned the area wildly for a moment- after completing an evaluation she nodded to the side- towards a ramp.

"We have the upper hand. They don't know we're here. Take out as many as you can quietly." Six muttered to her team.

"Yes ma'am," the only other woman in the group said softly.

"Alright team, let's go." She moved quickly behind a weapons carrier, sliding to the wall of the ramp. She slowly walked up to it, her troopers close on her heels. Six watched a grunt with his back facing her- she moved up and grabbed its face. She kept her hand clamped tightly over the grunt's mouth and choked it out. Grateful for the low gravity- though extremely disorienting- it was helpful. A trooper caught her shotgun before it had hit the floor. 

She laid the grunt's body carefully on the ground and gestured for her troopers to start taking out any grunts that came to investigate. Six took her shotgun and crawled her way to the top balcony. She grabbed a needle rifle firmly off of the balcony and adjusted it gently, careful not to touch the ammo. The residue would screw her over. The small alerting dot appeared in the corner of her HUD, she shook her head and laid on her stomach for a moment. Aiming- she took out two elites across the ways shields. Two more bullets in their visors strangled them. 

Six then aimed at the Engineer- she felt a bit odd when it exploded after two or three bullets. Those things always made Six's skin crawl. She could handle the jackals, the skirmishers- even the tall Zealot who dragged her by her leg to certain doom back at the outpost. But the Engineers wailed like weepers, it was eerie. She dodged under a plasma, snapping to the fact that 'oh shit, they know we're here.' Six boosted her body off of the balcony, going from her stomach, flipping, and landing on her feet. 

She cocked her shotgun and stormed into a hoard of frenzied grunts, dropping shells until her gun ran out of ammo. She focused on reloading, taking in the fact that an Elite was stooping up behind her. Six had to be quick to act, she swung around- pulling the butt of her gun forward and slamming it into the Elite's face. She lifted her leg kicking the alien straight into one of the large lanterns that towered above her. She gasped when it exploded abruptly- it had sparked violently. Six stepped back to avoid getting shocked at all and continued to move through- wiping out her opponents. 

When they were all silent, Six gently checked over two of her dead troopers.

"They were good men, ma'am." the woman said quietly.

"I'm sure they were," Six told her.

 "Six, go for those shield controls. I need in." Jorge interrupted.

"Right, sorry-" Six stammered before standing up straight. "Come on, let's get this over with." she nodded. Six swiftly walked her way to another ramp, trailing her way up it. She slammed her hand down on the gravity controls, a shield going up from the hangar door. Six adjusted to the new gravity. She shifted her gun in her hands before jumping down from where she had been moments earlier. Six did inevitably stumble a bit but only because her consciousness had grown used to the low gravity.

The pelican entered into the hangar with a purring engine- it set down. The back opened up and the large makeshift bomb folded out of the back. Six nodded to Jorge, approaching him when he walked around the back of the pelican. She looked out into space- the Savannah had begun to engage the Corvettes' defense systems. Six worriedly shook her head and joined her partner.

"Nice job," he told her.

"It's not over yet. Besides, I lost two troopers." Six said lowly as they walked to the center of the room. 

"Will likely lose more," Jorge admitted. Six didn't even wanna think about that possibility. 

"Get this done, get the hell out?" she laughed a little, looking up at the other Spartan who briefly shook his head, a light chuckle humming over the comms.

"Deal," Jorge assured her. He looked up, hoisting his large machine gun at his side. "Powder keg is aboard, Colonel."

"Copy that. Six, get your fireteam to the bridge; the Corvette's refueling run with the Supercarrier will have to be initiated manually." The Colonel explained. "More troopers have been supplied where any previous ones have dropped."

"Copy that Colonel," Six nodded briefly, holding her gun.

"Five, stay with the bomb. And discourage the curious." 

"My pleasure. Hear that, Lieutenant? I'll be all by my lonesome back here. Make it quick, would ya?" Jorge nudged her shoulder with his elbow. Six rolled her eyes with a smile, walking back towards the door that would lead to the track controls. 

"Didn't realize you had such horrible separation anxiety, Warrant Officer." Six teased, a grin in her voice. Jorge scoffed aloud responding with-

"We'll discuss that at a later date, Antonia." he had a smile on his face. She shouldn't have gotten chills when he said her name, but hell. She did. Six sighed weakly- and turned on her heel. 

Fuck. She'd have to figure this out later- she had to focus on what was ahead. Which were two very, large elites pointing guns at her. Clearing the bridge was no easy fee- especially when they encountered suicide grunts. Six had another Trooper down before they hit another room- where the defenses were. She slowed and looked out of the giant shield, her heart speeding up when she saw the Savannah. It was taking heavier fire.

"Oh my God." She choked out. 

"Savannah to Holland: sustaining major structural damage! We need to break off, Colonel!" Savannah Actual yelled over the comms. 

 "Copy, Savannah. Our team is in, disengage!"

"Break off! Break off! Hull breach, reactors flaring! Dammit, I'm losing her!" Savannah Actual was panicked. Six ran forward and tackled the lone Elite gunner, slamming her gun down on its head. She had no idea if it would do anything- the bright explosions outside showed that it did nothing. The Savannah blew in the center. Hundreds of people's lives. Ended with that simple impact.

"No..." Six whispered, her eyes wide behind her visor. There was a choked cry from behind her- the woman trooper, held a hand out towards the Savannah. Likely a family member. Six looked down at the Elite below her, angrily slamming her gun down on it one more time- then standing.

"Savannah Actual, can you hear me?" Holland asked desperately.

"It's gone, Colonel." Six responded. Holland was silent for a second.

"There's nothing we can do, sir," Jorge spoke up. Still silence.

"Noble Six to Colonel Holland, do you copy sir?" Six asked. There was gentle muttering before Holland spoke up again-

"Noble, you're in deep with no cover. Get that Corvette moving and get the hell outta there!" He snapped loudly. He didn't have to tell Six twice. She made a bolt for the next door and didn't stop when she heard more covenant soldiers burst through the upper platforms doors. Her gut pulled and twisted. Something was about to happen- but she couldn't place it. 

All she knew? It was going to be bad.

Chapter Text

TWENTY-FOUR. Goodbye

COVENANT OCCUPIED
SPACE, REACH ORBIT
AUGUST 14, 2552
15:10 HOURS

Six crept quietly into the large open room beyond them. She peered around one of the large banisters she hid behind quietly. An elite stood in front of a holographic projection of Reach. It was clean and he seemed unconcerned about the firefights that had just occurred on his own doorstep. Had they really been that discreet? Six stayed quiet, looking over the projection. It was covered in white, red, and blue dots. No sign of the Hurricane that currently tore through Reach's skies. It was a clean slate...

She frowned deeply. A clean slate. They were planning on glassing the planet...weren't they? 

' Dammit ,' she thought. Six held her fist up, signaling her troopers to hold their fire until she commanded otherwise. Six slowly walked from banister to banister, avoiding the contact of her covenant enemies. She noted a weapon carrier that held in it- energy swords. Fight fire with fire...Six clipped her shotgun to her back and grabbed one of the handles out of the carrier. She looked around the side and examined zealots far on the other side.

This place was crawling with them. She ignored the chills that ominously rolled down her spine. Six examined the handle of the sword before turning out from the pole. She clipped the sword to her thigh- snatching her knife out of her shoulder's sheath. She twirled it between her hands, shanking it into the back of the neck of a grunt. She grabbed the Elite from where he was in front of the holographic Reach. She raked her knife across the Elites neck swiftly.

She dropped the body, the thud alerted a nearby grunt.

"Open fire," Six grunted to her team. Bullets started flying before the covies had time to process they were even there. Six sheathed her knife away, pulled the sword, and swung it across the chest of an elite that came barreling at her. The Zealot flew backward and Six ran forwards. She ducked under a punch thrown by an average Elite- kicking it off its feet. She took a few deep breaths, landing a solid kick to her opponent's head. She burst into a sprint to the other side of the room, sliding to her knees when she encountered another zealot. Flashing her own sword, the alien roared out in offense. 

She ducked her head under a blow from the Zealot's swing, Six took this opportunity and went for its gut. She glanced to the side of her HUD- she was down two Troopers. She had to finish this fast. As soon as the Zealot she was facing was down- she finished off the last elite. Looking over at the Trooper who had grabbed a sword of her own and flipped it between her hands. She tossed it aside and returned to average gunfire.

That damn woman had taken out the other three elites targeting Six from behind with a sword. Smart. Six turned her eyes to the vast amount of grunts that were now running around the room in fear. Six took it upon herself to use her shotgun to barrel out some of the smaller aliens. She managed to only used a max of three bullets on one because it wouldn't fucking hold still. 

"ROOMS CLEAR MA'AM!" the Trooper yelled. 

"Affirmative, rerouting the corvette now." Six jogged up to the controls, reattaching her shotgun to her lower back. She keyed in a few things and finished typing out the reroute.

"Good work Noble Six, UPPERCUT initiated, Corvette is underway," Holland confirmed. Six nodded with a deep breath- which was paused when Jorge commed in desperately.

 "Six, our ride outta here is taking heavy fire! Get back to the hangar!" 

"We're on our way!" Six confirmed. "let's go Trooper." She nodded to her Trooper and kept a steady run back to the hangar. She slid into the wide-open room and looked up at the previous door. It was locked...."What...?" she hissed a whisper. 

"Ma'-hngh..." Six turned around and saw her trooper on the end of an energy sword. The younger woman collapsed to the ground, Six's eyes wide. She went to react, going for her own sword but the Zealot was faster. 

"At your earliest convenience Lieutenant," Jorge snapped as Six was snatched by her neck. The Elite held Six off the ground just by her helmet. Six's fingers fumbled for her helmet's latches. She made loud gasping noises over the comms- her mouth unable to form words. "Six?!" Jorge asked sternly. Six found her fingers at the latched of her helmet and she popped them. The air was thin, it was hard to breathe but the helmet went spinning off into the Zealots' face. Or so she thought it would. 

Six dropped to the ground long enough to scrambled aways for her sword that had gotten spun out of her grasp. The tug at the back of her head kept her from turning around though. The Elite had a tight grip on her braid and was pulling her head back towards it. Six gripped her sword- tears pricking her eyes from the pain. She could take a gunshot with minimum tears but hair-pulling was ridiculously painful.

"JORGE!" she yelled. "DAMMIT- LET GO OF ME!" she thrashed her hands. Six thought of the handle in her hand and she turned on the sword. She looked it over she was getting ready to take a risk that very well could take her head off. But she wasn't going down because of this. Not Like. This. She twisted her arm back around and swung her wrist a few times- the sweet release sending her flying forward. She whipped back around and slashed the zealot across its chest until it fell. 

In one hand was a good portion of Six's long dark hair, now cut short to a stubby ponytail pulling at her forehead. Six pulled the band from her hair and let it fall around her chin. Grabbing her helmet off the floor, Six pulled it on.

"-rs locked. Goddammit...Colonel- I think we lost her." Jorge hissed. "I should have gone."

"No, I need you focused Jorge," Holland said sternly.

"Yeah Jorge," Six croaked. "Focus."

"Dear God," Holland sighed.

"I'm going to...kill you Noble Six. Can you get through the door? Get back here, now. I can't do this on my own." Jorge said sternly. Six took her sword and shoved it into the lock. The doors swung open. 

"Yeah," she said firmly. Six didn't waste time running back to the main area. 

"Good of you to come, hostiles are pounding the hell outta the Pelican- what happened?" Jorge demanded to know.

"Thought I'd stop for a haircut."

"What?!"

"Almost got strangled by an elite- stabbed too. I unlatched my helmet- threw it at him. He grabbed my braid. I had to slice it off to get away." Jorge was silent for a few moments as they took out more covenant soldiers. 

“I’m sure it looks fine,” She smiled a bit at his encouragement. Six noticed that she and her partner seemed to work in perfect sink. Him the heavier tank, her the light as air agile assassin. She liked it that way, she really did. She turned slightly and watched an elite creep up from the plasma canisters ready to pounce onto Jorge. Six unlatched the sword and turned it on, 

“JORGE WATCH OUT!” she shouted. Jorge whipped around just in time for the Elite to jump out. She ran forward, jumping into the air, shanking the Elite through its abdomen, and rolling to the ground. She huffed a breath and threw the body off her. Pulling the sword out of the alien just to watch it fizzle out and die. Jorge stared at her long enough for her to make visor contact before his shields were hit again by Grunts screaming and running into the main area. Six tossed the sword handle to the ground and pulled her shotgun off her back. She reloaded it and ran alongside Eltika ’s stream of bullets. Six focused her energy on shooting down everything that moved without wasting any bullets. 

The more she missed, the harder she fought. Sweat beaded on the bridge of her nose, she could see it reflecting in her HUD light. She squinted her eyes against it and fought harder. Faster. 

The waves were seemingly endless and a lot of stuff was blown up by the time they were done. Six took a few deep breaths. 

"Well wasn't that relishing." she laughed a bit, letting out the breath she had seemed to be holding since she’d gotten into the Sabre. It was like an icy cold breath of wind that covered her whole body. She didn’t hear a response and frowned, turning slightly “Jorge?” Jorge hummed in response. He had sounded concerned, worried ever since Six had gotten back. "Jorge, you alright?" she asked him. "I didn't shake you up that bad did I?" she said, "I'm alive. I'm fine."

"No...it's not that." Jorge shook his head. "Savannah did a number on the door. There's no way back up to the Sabres. Noble Six, form up on me." he said slowly. Six frowned deeper. That bad feeling in her gut got worse when he walked back to the pelican. The icy wind was replaced with paranoid chills. She felt a lump forming in her throat, and god she might be sick. Six held her gun at the ready, following quickly after him.

"Distance is closing on this vessel's refueling track with the Covenant Supercarrier. Seventy-six seconds to endpoint." Dot said clearly. Six frowned and pulled off her helmet, resting it on her hip, she watched Jorge and tilted her head a bit. Six looked back and examined her partner's helmet. Glancing away for a few moments, she pulled out the tiny ponytail on the back of her head and sighed when long strands fell to her shoulders. Well...that didn't go as she had initially planned. She glanced back at Jorge and jumped a little when he slammed his fist against the bomb. 

“Jorge! Don’t do that-” 

"Well, I got good news and bad news. This bird took some fire and her thruster gimbal is toast. So the only way off this slag heap is gravity." Jorge wandered back in front of Six and looked down on her. Six lifted a brow and scoffed slightly,

"You had me scared there for a second Jorge. Okay, that's not too bad. What's the good news?" she asked him.

"That was the good news. It means there's a way off in general." Jorge scoffed lightly. Six felt her heart accelerate. She looked at the bomb with a cracked timer and she knew. Suddenly, it made sense. Her eyes widened and she looked back up at Jorge. 

“Wait-”

"At current velocity, fifty-three seconds to endpoint." Dot said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Jorge pulled off his helmet and dropped it at his feet. Six watched the helmet roll across the floor. "Bad news is, timer's fried. I'm gonna have to fire it manually."

"No, no. That's a one-way trip- I am not letting you...you can't. I'll do it." Six started backing up and pointed at him. Her eyes brimmed with tears. “Jorge.”

"Don't argue with me Antonia." he hissed.

"I can't let you..." Six half-shouted. “I won’t!” she lunged for his helmet but missed. Jorge shoved her gently away. She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t...make me fight you for this.”

“Six we don’t have time to do this,” He scolded. Six looked down at her helmet before swinging it up and going to throw it on the ground. All she needed was one rupture. One good rupture-but he was fast. He grabbed her wrist and helmet, 

“Don’t even try it,” he whispered. She stared up at him and clenched her teeth before letting her head drop. Tears fell from her eyes as she sobbed out,

“I won’t leave you behind...I want to stay with you- please Jorge, don’t make me,” she begged as he gently let her arm fall. 

"What I want is for you to go. They need you down there," he said softly. Six felt the tears rolling down her face, as she looked up at him. She hiccuped a breath and threw her arms around him with eyes closed tightly. His hand gently fell onto her hair and he patted her head. “Stop that…'' he ordered. She looked down at the helmet and then back to him shaking her head. Jorge’s lips smiled upwards slightly. He snapped his dog tags from his neck, linked his gloved hands just below her ears, his fingers curling slightly into her dark hair. "I'm not letting you go out like this Antonia...I won't let you die here," he whispered. 

"I can’t just let you throw your life away for a ghost…” she said. 

"I don't care," Jorge said. "I’m not doing this for a ghost. I’m doing this for Reach. And I’m doing this for you. Helmet on Six." She sobbed another breath and awkwardly pushed the long strands of hair on top of her head before pulling her helmet down over her face. She wheezed another sobbing breath as more hot tears fell from her eyes when he held out a hand, his dog tags pressed at his palm. This was it. This was the end of their partnership. The end of him. And she was witnessing it happen. She was saying goodbye. No, she couldn’t say goodbye. Why couldn’t she just say goodbye? "I care more than I thought I would. More than I should. That's why I’m doing this." She took his hands tightly as he lifted her off the ground. She couldn't stop the tears that rushed down her face- she couldn't quite understand why her first instinct was to cry. Such a human emotion...She balanced the front of her helmet to Jorge's hands. "Toni..." he said gently. 

“I don’t want to leave you,” she whispered. His hands tightened around hers as he nodded, 

“I know. I'll see you on the other side," he promised her. “I’ll be the first person you see.” his face searched her visor, "Reach has been good to me. The time has come for me to return the favor. Don't deny me this." His hand squeezed hers as he reeled back slightly, “Tell em’ to make it count.” Six choked out a gasp when he threw her through the shield. Falling was slow- the longest minutes of her life. She watched him turn back from the shield. Her eyes examined the stars that backed the corvette and the supercarrier in the distance. Jorge was a fool...such a sentimental, sympathetic fool. Six should've fought, she should've demanded that he go and she stay. But she didn't. Chills crossed her body. 

After Six had fallen some distance, Jorge had activated the bomb. A slip space explosion from the corvette tore the Supercarrier in half. It pulled debris in. Six sucked in a breath. She heaved a few more before she screamed out in anger, terror, and grief. She seethed through her teeth and clenched his dog tags tighter in her fist. She took a breath as her comms went wild. 

"Slipspace rupture detected." Dot said sternly.

"Gamma Station Control, reading multiple pings below the Orbital Defense Grid." Six tried to listen through the static, to understand what was happening. Dot's voice spoke up over the others. 

"Slipspace rupture detected."

"Yeah, we're picking up anomalies too."

"Are you reading this?" Anchor 9 hushed in.  

"Slipspace rupture detected."

"Dot pull up the visuals from the nearest Nav Beacon," Six said- the screen appeared. Six swore her heart skipped a beat. 

Covenant ships pulled through slip space at a rapid speed. They were all just pulling out of nowhere. Six gasped out and bit down on her cheek. She looked around as she seemed to fall faster. Looking up she saw a wave blasting towards her from the explosion just seconds earlier. It knocked her HUD out when it hit her. She kept her eyes closed, hissing another cry through her teeth, trying to stop the flow of tears. 

"Multiple Covenant signatures!"

"Slipspace rupture detected."

"Does anyone have a visual?"

"They're everywhere!"

"Slipspace rupture detected." Dot continued to whistle in through the chaotic comm messages. Six could do nothing but fall. Falling seemed to always be what she did best. Falling from space, falling off cliffs, falling down while running, falling for people she shouldn't. Getting hurt.

"Oh, this can't be happening!" 

Their voices turned static. Through the rest of the yelling, a scream can be heard. Six fell asleep to the white noise that followed. She knew that if she didn't let herself be consumed by the white noise her will to live would slowly disappear. Which was the last thing anybody needed right now. She had to get back. She had to get back to Noble for Carter. For Kat. For Jun. For Emile. For Jorge.  

'Make it count...' Six thought as sleep whisked her away. 'We're out of time to make anything count anymore buddy...I'm so sorry.'

UNKNOWN AREA,

UNKNOWN DATE,

UNKNOWN TIME

Six rolled onto her side- her whole body ached. She blinked a few times before the pain set in. She screamed out when she tried to lift her body. One of her arms was trapped under debris. She looked at it, twisted and out of place. She breathed in through her mouth and out through her nose- trying to collect herself. She had to get it off. Get it off!

Six reached behind her back and pulled at the debris. She swung it off and sat up holding her arm. 

"Fuck...fuck..." she choked out. Six got to her feet with a large amount of trouble. She pulled her shoulder up and pushed it around a bit praying to god it wasn't somehow broken. When it clicked back into place though she still held it. Six looked out over the supercarrier that crashed into a mountain range. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. She looked at her left hand and then turned back towards her previous resting place. She tumbled back over to it- shoveling through the snow until she came across Jorge's dog tags. 

She threaded them between her fingers and shoved them into her chest plate. He was gone...he was gone. Six sat back in the snow for a moment, exhaling a breath once again. She closed her eyes once more before tipping back into the snow all the way, letting the icy matter mold to her body. “Don’t worry Jorge…” she whispered. “You won’t be alone long…” After minutes of laying there like a rock in mud, she slowly sat up onto her knees, pulling off her helmet. The air was so cold...so, so, so cold. But fresh. It smelled of smoke but it was air nonetheless. She turned her face up and stared at the mountains, aglow with the light of the fires burning in the distance. Somewhere in the wreckage might have sat a few of Eltika’s pieces or perhaps a familiar helmet. Though she doubted it. Everything about Jorge had been blown straight to oblivion. She looked down at the snow again and slowly, painfully got to her feet. Her knees cracked and she heard her shoulders pop. Turning, as she rolled her shoulders she looked around.

Her eyes scanned over the snow for her reentry kit. She found it sitting on the ground about ten feet away if she had to guess. Six limped towards it, grasping her aching arm again. She kneeled down and grabbed her magnum off of it. Her shotgun was gone, this would have to make due. She examined it for a minute, pulling out the mag. 

She counted to herself, fifteen bullets. 

She slid the mag back in, hooked it to her thigh, and stood to her feet. She limped her way back towards the mountain range. Glancing down at her tactical pad, she tapped it a few times. Her eyes squinted against the bright blue light. Six rubbed the back of her neck...west. Go west to civilization. She took one final glance at the burning SuperCarrier and pulled her helmet on again before starting her long walk. 

UNKNOWN AREA,

AUGUST 20th 2552,

13:00 HOURS

The village beyond here was broken down. Clearly, the covenant had ransacked it. 

"There's no way anybody is here..." Six muttered to herself. Her stomach groaned and her head spun in circles. Walking and sleeping in the cold tended to do that to people. Her untreated wounds were getting worse as the days passed by. "Hello?" she yelled. "Please...somebody! I need help..." she turned when she heard a can roll. Eyes peeked over a box at her. It took Six a second to focus on them and she blinked- "H-hey!" The person gasped- a little girl ran out and away. "No, wait!" Six went to run after her and fell. 

Again.

"Wait, please!" she yelled. "I...I need help." she processed what she must look like...and to a child? "Damn- hey!" The girl stopped as Six sat up on her knees. She pulled her helmet off with a long breath. "I probably look really scary with all this armor on, right?" she asked her. The little girl nodded and clasped her hands at her chest. "I'm not here to hurt anyone...but I'm extremely injured- hurt. I’m really hurt.. I need serious help- do you...know anyone else around here?"

The little girl slowly approached her. 

"My Mother..." her English was struggling but she could speak enough to communicate well through her thick Hungarian accent. "My mother...can help you," she whispered. “Is...it what...you need?” 

"Great, yes. Yes, it is." Six said quietly. She slowly stood, leaning against a house for support. The little girl walked over and took Six's arm firmly to help steady the taller Spartan. "Thank you..."

"You're welcome...Come..." the girl led Six through the village slowly. Whenever Six would stumble, the girl would pause and hold still until she could regain her balance. They walked for nearly fifteen minutes when Six fixed her eyes onto a camp ahead. "Mama!" she called. Her voice babbled in Hungarian that Six couldn’t quite understand completely. Just a few words here and there. A tall woman in cargo pants and a bomber jacket, dark hair braided down to her mid-back turned her attention to Six.

"By God..." The woman gasped out. "A SPARTAN!” Six fell to her knees when the girl ran to get her mother. Six's vision and breathing had gotten worse in the moments she had been walking. She couldn’t see much and the rims of the world had begun to darken. Her heart accelerating once more, she thought back to the SuperCarrier. Her body felt weightless...like it had in the gravity. She gagged and fell to her stomach. There was no pain just...dizziness and nausea. Which some could consider is worse. "Hang in there, I NEED SOME HELP!" she yelled. The woman's words slurred together in Six's ears until it was silent. The world around her was dark- but she was nudged awake again. In a different setting. She blinked a few times. 

The dizziness had gone, and nausea in her stomach was replaced by burning in its pit. She mustered out a frustrated groan and blinked a few times. 

"Hey, easy there." A new voice said. Six looked up at an older man, Six had to guess around seventy. "Lola sent me with food, you should eat something," he told her, handing her a bowl of a golden broth. Six looked it over hesitantly, she glanced back at the man. Taking the bowl, Six nodded a thanks.

"Thank you, sir," she said quietly. She raised the bowl to her lips and sipped on it's contents. The warmth melted down her throat and it tasted like salt. It flooded all of her senses and she immediately felt better as she continued to sip on it, licking her lips a few times. 

"Where did you come from? It's strange to see a SPARTAN so far out here in the middle of nowhere." 

"I fell from low orbit," she said simply. The man's eyes widened and she looked at him, realizing- "Oh um..." she glanced side to side. "My partner and I...we were on a mission. He threw me out of a corvette...set off a bomb. Saved my life..." Six didn't bother to say 'again'. That was the last thing she wanted on her conscious for the moment.

"I'm sorry to hear that..." the man said softly. Six didn't respond. Empathy would just make things worse. Sympathy would only make her cry again. She settled back against her bed, continuing to drink on the broth, her eyelids drooping in a resting face. She wouldn’t respond to any more of his questions, simply because she didn’t want to talk. She appreciated the man’s attempts to comfort her but she felt empty and just wanted to stare. A shadow appeared in the doorway, catching her attention.

"Your team is looking frantically for you Noble," the woman from earlier said. Six looked at her and furrowed her brows. "Five or Six?"

"Six..." She faded. "Antonia works."

"Hm, we've been intercepting transmissions from New Alexandria." Six sat up slightly, her interest peaked.

"Can I contact them?" Six asked.

"No, not from here. We can intercept but we can't add in our own feed. It will alert any of the aliens nearby. You're dismissed Codale," she took the old man's spot. The man patted Toni’s knee above the blanket she was under and nodded to her. 

“Godspeed, child.”

“I…” Toni paused. “Thank you, sir.” He smiled softly before leaving, hunched over slightly. The woman sat down and leaned back in the chair, crossing her arms.

"I assume you need to get there?"

"Yes," Six said, taking another sip of the bowl. "I'll be out of your hair when I finish," she whispered.

"New Alexandria is three days drive from here. Even longer walk," she said. "Some of my people will drive you." She offered. "We are in the process of replating your undersuit. We had to use your knife to cut it off. Your wounds were infected. A few more days and you would've died, Antonia." Six remained silent. "You are free to stay here, we will take you towards New Alexandria at dawn. My name is Lola," 

"Thank you, Lola," Six said quietly. The woman examined her face.

“My daughter...she is interested in how you are doing,” Lola said. “So if the little gremlin comes in to check on you, do not be shocked. She’s a curious thing.” 

“I see,” Six nodded, thinking back to the little girl.

“She doesn’t speak good English, but she will certainly try to communicate. Just be patient,” Lola chuckled. “I’ll let you get some rest, Antonia.” The woman stood up and nodded before excusing herself and closing the door behind her. The Lieutenant's eyes looked down at the bowl. She swished it back and forth in her hands and clenched her teeth tight. Her stomach churned and she set the broth down with one hand on the nightstand, using the other to cover her mouth. Slowing taking a breath she removed her hand from her face and sunk back into the pillow. Six watched her armor keenly before leaning over and blowing out the candle on the nightstand. She rolled onto her side, her back to the red armor in the corner. Pulling the blanket up to her chin she stared at the far wall.

They were out of time now. They'd all be dead by the end of the month unless they switched planetside. 

‘Jorge...dammit… ’ Six scolded. She turned back to the nightstand, patting it until she found the cold metal of Jorge’s dog tags. She ran her thumb over the engravings and tried to push down the lump forming in her throat.

'He's not my fault...he saved me but...' she bit down on her lip. 'he's not...my fault.' 

The tears welled again and this time Six didn't try to stop them. It was Jaxon all over again...She swore and buried her face into the crook of her elbow with a loud cry. She was alone, in the middle of nowhere. With nothing. Nobody. All she had was the darkness, the air, and the ghosts of people she never could say goodbye to, to sing her to sleep. 

But their singing? Was simply silence.

Chapter Text

TWENTY-FIVE. Safe and Sound Reprise

SZURDOK RIDGE, ÜTKÖZET
PLANET REACH
AUGUST 15, 2552
26:40 HOURS

Carter was panicked. He didn't show it- but he was panicking. They should've been back by now...what happened? Where were they?!

"Commander," Holland butted in, the link was static. Carter stiffened as he walked towards the falcon. "Commander, do you read me?"

"Sir," Carter spoke up. "What's going on? My Lieutenant and Chief Warrant Officer are late."

"I don't think they'll be coming back anytime soon Commander, and if they do we have no signatures on them," Holland said sternly. Carter felt his heart drop, he stopped in his tracks clenching his jaw. He looked to Emile who gripped his shotgun tighter and Kat who held her head in her hands. Jun simply bowed his head. 

"Did they...make it out?"

"We don't know."

"Damn..." Carter hissed. He walked onto the Falcon and took a seat. He took a mental note to keep it together. Keep it together...keep it together. "Where...where do you need us, sir?" 

"Noble Team will be heading to New Alexandria to help with the evacuations there. We'll be providing extra fire support to make up for...the lack of gun power you have. Stay in touch. Holland out." Carter sat back in his seat as the Pelican took off. 

"You don't think they're dead, do you, Carter?" Kat asked quietly. 

"It's hard telling Kat," Carter looked at the ground. "I don't think...I don't see how-"

"Jorge would've pushed to get at least one of them out alive. Either Six died and he got out, he died and she got out or they both escaped and are just under heavy fire." Emile cut in sharply. "Don't throw the towel in on them yet. They're a storm together. They'll show up." Carter heard the hint of anger in Emile's voice. The Skull-helmeted spartan had become very close to Antonia and had always been a brother in arms to Jorge, no matter how much they bickered back and forth. 

"He's right," Jun piped up, "Six is a hurricane and with Jorge on her back, I doubt they're dead. Thinking that will get us nowhere except six feet under. Besides," he turned a little from his place on the outside of the pelican- "Carter's infamous gut would tell us whether or not they're dead. It hasn't been wrong before." Carter nodded but he could see Emile’s fidgeting. He whittled his knife blade against a piece of wood he’d found. The man was nervous, and honestly, Carter couldn’t blame him. He tapped his foot and looked off the side of the Falcon.

‘Where the hell are you two, Toni?’ he thought. His mind went back to a few nights earlier and he closed his eyes. He wanted to punch something for not kissing her in that damn cave. He remembered her abrupt question and how he had been wondering the same thing. Could she have heard his heart beating? It was quiet enough...He should’ve ignored the call. He should’ve told her he could. He should’ve asked her to stay with him. He should’ve said no to the plan. He should’ve found another way. He should’ve kissed her until he couldn’t find his damn breath. 

Should’ve. But didn’t. 

And then Jorge...Carter shifted his DMR between his hands. A guide to the end. Really showed him what it meant to be a Spartan and still hold onto that humanity. The small bit of childlike wonder that was taken when they were young. Jorge was everything Carter hoped he could be and more. Calm but stern, able to put on a smile- crack a few jokes every now and again. And he was always there. Always ready with some sort of backup plan, always prepared to take on the worst of the worst. Now they were stuck in a war that would likely kill them all. Carter retreated to the safe place in his mind-

Home. A quiet room, dark red couch beyond a fireplace that was lit. His mom on the couch, his dad in the firm rocking chair in the corner of the room. Television turned down just low enough to keep from waking his younger self up. It was warm there. It was calm...Carter missed that haven. He missed his parents, the part of him that was still a boy did. Now he was a man, on his own. Leading five people to their demise. And he's supposed to save thousands of civilians in a city.

Isn’t that a bitch?

Chapter Text

TWENTY-SIX. Long Live Queen Alexandria Part One

NEW ALEXANDRIA, EPOSZ
AUGUST 23, 2552
15:30 HOURS

Six's eyes rolled over the hills behind her helmet. She could see the burning city- skyscrapers inflamed at their highest points. Three Corvettes scraping the once beautiful skyline. Six never planned on traveling to New Alexandria- she had seen enough of it in the movies she had watched. She wasn't a big city type of person. She hated that this is how she would remember it forever. Six leaned back against her seat and looked to the girl who saved her life, Kylie, leaning on her arm- fast asleep. If Kylie hadn't found Six, she would've died from starvation and thirst. 

Not how she wanted to go out. 

Six herself was exhausted, she had hardly slept in the three-day ride to New Alexandria. It was hard to when her left leg was so blistered the skin was peeling. It was stiff too- the camp had layered bandages onto the wound to keep it from rubbing against the undersuit's new stitching. It would hold as long as she didn't fall from orbit again. The pain that ensued when pulling on her armor though was immense. According to Lola, she had to reset about four of Six's left-hand fingers after she passed out. 

"What's today?" Six had asked.

"The twentieth." Lola had responded out on the porch of the house Six had been taken into. Six looked at her shocked. She knew she had been walking for a few days, but not six. "What?"

"I walked for five or six days..."

"Well, you live off your resources right?" Six nodded to that. She had camped beside a stream, boiled enough water to keep her from dying of dehydration. 

"Never thought I'd use my gun to hunt an animal though," Six admitted quietly. Lola had laughed a little and patted her lower arm gently.

"This is as far as I can take you, Antonia." Lola turned in her driver's seat. 

Six took a short breath as the vehicle stopped behind a hill. She looked to Kylie and nudged her shoulder gently. The young girl lifted her head groggily.

"Are you leaving...?" she yawned. Six smiled weakly, knowing that she couldn't see it. 

"Yeah, I've gotta find my family," she told her. Kylie sat up and fumbled with her necklace- she pushed it into Six's hands. 

"This...this was passed to me from my grandmother..." she stammered. "I want to give it to you...it matches the tattoo on your arm and it's so you don't...forget about me." she did her best forming words. Six smiled weakly, she looked at the paper clutched in her hands. It was a white sheet of paper that Six had doodle some cartoonish figures on. Six found one of her hobbies to be drawing the characters from the comics she read in her time between missions. Nearly fifteen years of doing it, she had drawn her team on the paper, including herself. She laughed weakly and hesitantly took the necklace.

She examined the silver rose charm that hung on the gold chain. She didn't want to take such a momento but...she didn't want to hurt Kylie's feelings. She unzipped her undersuit at her neck and put the necklace on over her dog tags, tugging it down delicately to make sure it was safe under the thick leather. 

"Thank you, Kylie, but I don't think I could forget ya kid," Kylie threw her arms around Six's armored waist and nodded. Six gently brushed a hand through Kylie's copper brown hair before ducking out of the car. She hopped to the firm ground, wincing a bit on her injured leg.

"Still hurting?" Lola chuckled. 

"I think I will be for a while," Six responded shortly, a smile playing in her tone. "Thank you, Lola, for everything you've done for me." Lola nodded faintly. "Will you guys be okay?"

"I have my best technicians working on an outpost. They have been for some time now, we're hoping to get evacuated before all hell breaks lose. Covenant is preparing to do something crazy, Antonia. Couldn't tell you what it is but..." she shook her head. "I want to get my family out of here, as soon as possible."

"Understandable," Six said. "I wish you luck,"

"Yes, well hopefully some of yours washed off on us." Lola laughed. "Go find your family, you said you have someone waiting for you?" Six smiled a bit and closed her eyes- Carter. Hell, he probably thought she was dead. Six turned her gaze to sweep the city- he was out there fighting to save civilians. Fighting to live another day. Maybe he was waiting on her...maybe he knew she was alive. 

"I suppose so," she hated having to break the news about Jorge to the team. "It's not gonna be easy-"

"It'll be so worth it to see them again." Lola interrupted. "You know it will be. To finally hold him , you don't want to admit it. But I know you've thought about it." Six laughed a little and looked to the ground. "I felt the same when my husband and I got separated at the beginning of this war. Finding out he was killed tore me apart, and it was only a few weeks ago," she assured her. "You lost something dear to you, but that shouldn't stop you from moving forward. The Covenant will not stop for the Weepers. Death doesn't hear those who mourn. It takes what it wants and it moves forward." Lola leaned against the jeep door. "You mourn but you move forward too. Find them, Antonia. As for your partner, you said his name was Jorge? He will always be at your side in the heat of battle, he was your partner. He just isn't physically there. Think of him like...a Guardian Angel. Someone had to carry you down from Orbit.”

Six smiled weakly and patted Lola's arm. 

"Safe travels to you, my friend,"

"And to you as well, Spartan. Kick some ass for me!" Lola grinned. Six nodded before turning and walking towards the hill beyond her. She pulled her newly loaded pistol and jogged up, listening to the Jeep speed away. Six's breath hitched when her eyes came over the whole city from above. It was...worse than Six had thought. Small buildings were in flames and the closer Six got, the more she heard cries and screams. Six slipped Jorge's dog tags from the place on her belt and let them slip between her fingers.

He had her back, he always would. She just had to push a little hard, since she was on her own this time. She looked at the tags and gripped them in her fist. The Covenant would pay for what they did. For the lives they took. Aarons. Jorge. So many dead, unnamed or unclaimed. They would pay . Six pocketed the tags into her chest plate pouch she now had attached to the front of her armor(courtesy of Lola). Six slid down the hill and bolted into a run, ignoring the seering pain that ripped through her muscles. She reached the city entrance and walked through- covenant soldiers patrolled the path. Too many for Six to handle on her own while injured and her armor's shields still being low. 

She ducked behind a building and glanced at its ladder. She sucked in a breath.

'This is gonna be a pain in the ass,' she thought to herself. Six went for the ladder and began to pull herself up it, being as silent as she could. The ladder rattled a bit under her heavy feet- Six pulled her body onto the roof and rolled. She stayed low against the wall, listening to the squawking of Jackals below. Six slowly made her way across the roof, creeping from place to place. Somehow she made a jump from one roof to another, but her leg gave out when she did, and she fell on the pebbles that covered the roof top. She took a few deep breaths, her hand darting to the armor that covered her thigh. 

' Get up, ' she screamed at herself. ' Get up right now. ' Six pushed back to her feet with a deep breath. She gripped her pistol in her right hand and hopped over the ledge of the roof. She dropped to the ground, stumbling on her hurt leg. Six took a few deep breaths and kept walking, she shook her leg out a bit and leaned against the wall for support. ' Start moving, you can do it, Toni. You've got it. ' Six took a few steps forward and continued to walk on her hurt leg until the pain became nothing but a buzzing, often stinging sensation under her armor.

"This is Noble Six, does anyone read?" she asked, into her comms. There was nothing for a few moments and then there was static. She winced at the abrupt noise. "I repeat, does anyone read me, over." Seemed like her own connection wasn't patching through. She grunted in disapproval. She probably had to go deeper into the heart of the city to get a proper reach-out signal. "Alright...let's intercept some then..." she glanced around her HUD, raising her fingers to the side of her helmet to tap through channels. 

The static raised a bit but a voice broke through-

"This is Kilo dispatch. All available teams advance to Traxus Tower. Evacuation will commence ASAP." Six took a short breath, she looked up and glanced around for the Traxus Tower nav point. 

"Hello?" Six commed in, continuing to walk forward.

"Copy dispatch, what's the status of the tower pad?" a new voice responded. Six swore under her breath and stayed silent.

"Tower pad is green. Let's move these civilians before it changes." Kilo Dispatch commented.

"This is Noble Six, does anyone read?" she asked again. There was silence for a few moments.

"Well, I'll be damned." the second voice said. "Noble Six, your team had told us to keep an eye open. This is Gunnery Sargent Pete Stacker, can you get a solid read?"

"Affirmative, Gunny. I hear you loud and clear, sir." She assured him walking forward. "They're alive?"

"All four of them," Stacker responded to her. "Been busy as hell here, Lieutenant. You and your partner alive?" Six fell silent. "Lieutenant?"

"I am barely walking, Five didn't make it." Six said quietly. "The operation we were on went into disarray. He threw me from low orbit." 

"Good God," Kilo Dispatch commed in. 

"Can you link me to the Noble Commander? I'm not getting any solid readings," she said.

"You on the outskirts?" Stacker asked her.

"Yes sir,"

"You won't get anything out that far, Six," Stacker said. "We haven't been able to contact Noble in the past few hours. They brushed past here in a hurry. Assisting with Evac. We'll do what we can to get them directed you, and if we find their location- well, you'll be the first to know."

"Much obliged, sir." Six pointed her gun around an open plaza, her eyes locking onto dead bodies that littered it. 

"Dispatch, continue to evacuate. Four-Zero, out." Six continued on her way, thankful that someone knew that she was out there. Six knelt down next to a woman and pressed to fingers to her neck. her eyelids flitted a few times, but she died within the seconds that followed. Six shook her head and closed her eyes. She glanced briefly at a teddy bear bag that laid on the ground, bloodied but intact as she walked. Six frowned and swallowed down the sympathy that built up in her throat. 

She looked up at some fluttering open and closed doors. The edges sparked wildly and Six quickly moved through the doors, sliding through. She glanced around the room carefully before exiting the other side. Ahead of her, she clenched her jaw- aiming her pistol and pumping lead into the skirmishers ahead of her. She walked up the stairs and shot a twitching one in the head. She still held respect for her enemy, they were a worthy opponent. But they were more scum under her boots than they had been before. 

She walked towards a door, reloading her pistol. 

"Romeo Company, be advised. We have reports of Covenant suicide squads." a comm static sighed. Six groaned out with a huff. 

"You got to be kidding me." a Trooper responded.

"That's a negative. Keep your eyes open troopers." Six walked into the next building and came face to face with a grunt a few feet away. It screamed out and lifted two grenades. Six back pedaled a bit and shot it down quickly. She took a few deep breaths as more screaming and bomber grunts came running around the corner. She looked back behind her, making sure she had a quick escape. Six turned her barrel back towards the Grunts and fired off shots. One of the bombers fell over and its grenades with it. 

Explosions occurred and a lot of them. Six ran forward into the darkened part of the room. She found herself having to take out a few more covenant squadrons, and she continued until she reached a darkened room with other guns inside. Six took a deep breath and snatched the shotgun she saw off the floor.

"Kilo 26, this is Kilo 40, Covenant Corvette is raining hell on us. Final Protective Fire 1, danger close, my command. Over." Stacker commed in.

"Copy Kilo 40 FPF 1 at your command." 

"Fire FPF 1, over," Six huddled under a doorway quickly and took a deep breath.

"Firing FPF 1...Shot."

"Hold onto your helmets!" Stacker urged. Six gripped the doorway when the ground shook violently. Six took a deep breath and watched some of the ceilings next to her collapse where she had once stood. 

"Kilo 40, request FPF SitRep." Kilo 26 countered.

"Negative 26, Corvette still coming."

"How in God's name-" Six snapped out. She moved out of the doorway, she had no time to sit and wait. If something fell on her she was screwed- but she couldn't stop now.

"Copy 40, firing FPF 2...Shot." the ground shook again, Six jumped out of the way of some ceiling pipes, pressing her body to a wall.

" DAMN , how do you stop that thing!?" Stacker shouted.

'You can't...' Six thought silently before pushing forward. She continued walking down a long hallway stopping when she heard sobbing. Six turned a little and looked at a storage hall. A few elites were dead on the ground when she approached-

"Ma'am, please- come on out. We will keep you safe." a gentle voice assured. Six walked up to the hallway and poked her head in. She frowned when she saw Troopers at the end of the hallway.

"What's going on here?" Six asked, turning on her night vision as she entered the hallway. Both troopers whipped around with their guns at the ready- Six stopped and raised a hand. "At ease," she ordered.

"A Spartan..." one of them said numbly.

"There's a woman in the back corner ma'am," the other said. "She...she has a gun. It's not looking good." the trooper told her. Six brushed past them and focused on a sobbing woman in a corner, steadily holding a gun barrel under her chin. 

' Shit, ' Six immediately thought. She had been in this situation before- only she was in the woman's place. Six grabbed ahold of the chain-link gate the woman was behind. It was locked. She looked down at the lock and furrowed her brows. This was going to be tricky. She couldn't let her do this. The pressure seemed to push down on Six's shoulders. She gritted her teeth together as her heart rate picked up. Six took a deep breath and looked at the Troopers. "Cover my back, I'll do what I can," she said. The troopers nodded and turned back. Six pulled off her helmet, shaking her hair out of her face. 

"Hey..." She said gently. "Ma'am-"

"Go. Away." the woman snapped. 

"I'm not going anywhere," Six responded simply. There was a cold side to her voice, she needed to get rid of that, or else the woman would never listen to her. Six took a deep breath. "It's okay, it's okay-" Six stopped quickly when the woman pointed the gun at her. 

"I have a full mag in here," she sobbed. "Don't try to stop me."

"You won't shoot me." Six said. The woman sniffled out and swallowed. "My name is Antonia, what is yours?"

"Why does it matter?"

"What's your name." Six asked again, trying to hide the shaky and nervousness from her own voice. The woman used her free hand to wipe her eyes. 

"Theresa," she choked out. 

"Theresa, there are evacuations happening right now. This...this isn't a good way to go," she said quietly. "You don't want to do this."

"Yes I do- why else would I be here!" she shouted. Six closed her eyes and shook her head.

"You're scared." Six said quietly, before looking back at the woman. "You're scared of dying, and you don't want to die at the hands of an enemy, right?"

"My daughters are both dead," Six wasn't expecting that response. She took a deep breath in and held it, glancing down at the floor trying to assess how to proceed with this-

"Ma'am," a trooper spoke up. "Her youngest is alive, she won't believe us though." Six looked at the Trooper,

"Where is she?" 

"With a group still waiting on an evacuation. They got separated in a firefight. Theresa was certain both of them were killed."

"Any husband, wife, or significant other?" she asked quietly.

"Late husband is dead, current wife is a trooper that is missing in action." Six looked back to Theresa who fumbled with the pistol.

"Listen to me Theresa, your daughter is alive. Okay? She is going to need her Mother, especially in a time like this," Six said. Six hated having to use the guilt trip-like tactic. It was no way to change someone's mind. It always made her sick, but...that little girl could end up like herself. An orphan. Dead family. Dead mother, dead father, dead sister...transformed into a machine whose only purpose is to fight. A miserable life to live. Six wouldn't allow it. She couldn't allow it. "I know...what it's like to lose family. I was an orphan at...at six years old. My adoptive father, my mother, my uncle, my aunt, and my baby sister were all killed. These troopers are saying that she's alive. What's her name?"

"My eldest is Yaleen, she was fourteen and my youngest is Caroline, eight years old." Six nodded-

"Tell me about Caroline. What's she look like? Last name?"

"Caroline Tempest...she... she has blonde hair and green eyes."

"What was she wearing the last time you saw her?" Six asked, picking up her helmet. 

"A blue dress and white sneakers..." Theresa stammered.

"I will get her on the comms. Give me a moment okay?" Six pulled on her helmet. "This is Noble Six, can I get a dispatch to contact me on this frequency?" 

"This is Kilo Dispatch Lieutenant, what do you need, over." 

"I need a civilian girl, named Caroline Tempest. Blonde hair, green eyes. The last thing she was seen in was a blue dress and white tennis shoes," Six said. "She's around eight or nine years old."

"Any particular reason ma'am?"

"Found her mother, she's in a very...fragile state. It's not looking good." Six said, glancing back at Theresa. "It's important dispatch." Six urged.

"Checking the room now. Sending out some troopers to search, tell her to hang in there." 

"Not much time, make it quick." Six looked to Theresa. "They're looking for her." Six said. "I need you to put the gun down, and we can get you to her," she assured her. "You two can get off-planet. Everything will be alright." 

"How do you know?" she sobbed out. Six clenched her jaw and shook her head,

"I don't." Six said simply. Theresa inhaled a breath and loosened her grip on the gun, sobbing out again whilst watching Six who paced the floor. It had been several minutes, tremors shook the ground below them- shaking pieces and dust out of the ceiling above them.

"Noble Six- we found her. Caroline Tempest, eight years old. Nine in October of this year. Blonde hair around her shoulders stands about forty-seven inches. Mother named Theresa?" Kilo Dispatched asked.

"Yep, that'd be her." Six said. "They found her Theresa." Six told her, "Open the gate and you can speak to her." She stood to her feet. 

"How do I know this isn't a trick?" Theresa sobbed.

"Theresa." Six said gently. The woman sniffled a bit before hesitantly putting the gun on the floor and going to the gate, she opened it slowly. Six pulled off her helmet and handed it to the woman. "It'll have to be brief, we have to get out of here." Theresa hesitantly took Six's helmet and pulled it on. 

"Hello..." Theresa croaked out, the helmet wobbled on her head unstabled. Six moved past and picked up the gun, tossing it to one of the troopers. "Oh my...sweetie? It's mommy..." Theresa cried out. "yes, honey...okay...it's alright. Everything is going to be okay, I promise." she assured. Six patted Theresa's shoulder gently. "I'm coming to get you, Caroline, stay where you are. I love you," Theresa took off Six's helmet a moment later and handed it back to her. Six pulled it back on. 

"Noble Six, Caroline is in a mall center closest to your location. There's an elevator where civilians are being loaded in to be sent off-planet in evacuation. There's a problem though," 

"Elaborate." 

"The area is being targeted by Covenant."

"I'm on my way," Six said. "Alright, let's move out. Theresa, stay low to the ground and behind me. You two, don't let anything get behind me. I'm with you." Six told the troopers. The four moved out of the building out onto a patio where civilians were screaming in panic as a spirit targeted them. Six kept Theresa close to the ground and stayed in front of her as a female trooper yelled over the comms-

"What are those things?!"

"Brutes! Move to cover!" A male trooper countered.

"Gavin- we picked up a friendly," the trooper on Six's left called. One of the troopers in cover turned and looked at her. 

"A Spartan? Where the hell did she come from?" she snapped off.

"Who cares! Spartan, assist!" the trooper, Gavin rattled off. "Evac team 7 to Kilo 26, we have eyes on Traxus tower." Six looked up at the Navigation point.

"Copy evac team 7. Move to assist the evac." Kilo 26 commed.

Six pushed Theresa behind a wall and cocked her shotgun- aiming and firing off rounds to take care of the Brutes. She caught their attention quite easily- being nearly as tall as some of them. One came rushing at her, she ducked down and shot it as it jumped to tackle her, rolling out of the way. She watched the Brute fall behind her and continued her journey forward- taking out any covenant troops that bothered to attack her. 

"How do we get to the tower?" Six asked.

"Elevator in the atrium goes down to the cargo port. Cargo port goes to the tower." Gavin responded to her.

"Got to get in there!" one of the female troopers yelled.

"Come on!" she yelled. The doors swung open to the complex beyond them and she ushered civilians inside. Troopers ran in with them, shooting down any enemies that moved. Six followed close behind, nodding to Theresa who ran in last. Six turned when she got inside and pointed her shotgun around the area. Six continued paving the way forward, shooting down a large squadron with the help of troopers. 

She winced when the intercom made random loud announcements throughout the room. Six looked around- it was going to alert more covenant soldiers that they were evacuating civilians. 

"Dammit! Someone shut that thing off!" Gavin shouted.

"Watch her," Six pointed a trooper to Theresa, "Keep her alive," she ordered. Six ran off to the side room and looked around. She slammed the butt of her gun into an officer's glass door. She unlocked it from the inside and slammed it open. She ran over to the desk, grabbed ahold of the intercom- the button was pressed in by a dead man's head. How the hell did the door get locked then?

Six paused, turned around, and shot multiple rounds into a cloaked Elite's armor. It fell at her feet. She reloaded and pushed the man off the intercom. She unplugged it and ran back out to assist. She bolted up the stairs just in time to see Theresa run into the elevator and scoop up Caroline. The girl was sobbing- Theresa looked to Six as she approached the elevator.

"Thank you, Antonia," she said softly, tears welling in her eyes.

"You're welcome. Stay safe you two," Six smiled weakly before closing the elevator and activating it. When it was all done and over with, it had been ten minutes since the elevator had come back.

"What the hell is taking this thing so long?" Gavin asked, walking up next to Six.

"Uh, we're evacuating a group of civilians on the floor below you. Soon as they reach the cargo port, I'll send the elevator back up." Six shook her head with a small sigh and crossed her arms. 

"I'll escort you to the next floor, ma'am," Gavin told Six. She nodded curtly, glancing at the dead brute on the floor beyond her. "I'm glad you're on our side."

"Oh yeah?" she scoffed a little.

"You're a force to be reckoned with, that's for damn sure." he laughed a little. Six smiled under her helmet and shrugged, glancing down at the man. "I admire it."

"I should say thank you, but it's more of a curse rather than a blessing." Six turned as the elevator opened.

"Going down. Cargo port in Traxus Tower," the Elevator announced. Six and Gavin walked into the port and she set her gun onto her lower back. 

"If you're trying to get into the tower, you're too late Lieutenant. Corvette over the starport pounded the hell out of the place." Six swore under her breath.

"Are you sure?" Six questioned.

"Unfortunately. The Cargo port is impassable on foot, rooftop evacuation option is lost. We were lucky to get the last group out alive." Six breathed a sigh of relief. "We can use the executive landing pad except there's no easy way to get there. A group of ODST specialists are working on a plan. They might appreciate some back-up." Six nodded-

"Alright, I'll help them out then." Six said, "Any word from my Commander?"

"None, Lieutenant. We're still pulling for them though. Rest assured." He told her. Six rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. 

"On the other side of the hall there, Lieutenant. By the triage." Gavin said, "Good luck."

"Thank you," Six moved forward and didn't stop until she saw dark brown hair, curled back into a bun resting on the back of the woman's neck. She was turned slightly to the side, Six could make out her high cheekbones and slightly tilted brown eyes against brown skin- "Zoe?" The woman turned around as she pulled on a jetpack. Zoe, Jaxon's fiancee, stood a few feet beyond her. 

"Oh my God." she gasped. "Toni?!" Six blinked a few times before tearing off her helmet and running over to her, she nearly tackled her friend in a hug. The reunion would have to be brief but Six couldn't be happier to see her-

"What the hell are you doing here!?"

"I asked to be transferred to Reach after you went MIA, wanted to get some vengeance for you and Jax." She said. "They were bringing ODSTs so I hopped on the train and got dropped to Reach," Zoe explained. "Here to help?"

"Sure am," Six said. She pulled on her helmet and grabbed a jetpack.

"Radio's buzzing about you Spartan. You feel like jumping?" Zoe laughed weakly, grabbing her own helmet. "Xander! We got a Spartan!" she called to an ODST on the other side of the fenced-in area. Six pulled the jetpack onto her back and looked over at Xander.

"Welcome to the Bullfrogs," Zoe told her. She gestured for Six to follow close behind to the ledge.

"Other side, on my mark. 3,2,1, jump!" Xander yelled. Zoe jumped into the air, her jetpack pulling her to the next ledge. Six got a running start and jumped off, her jetpack carrying her to the next ledge over. She shivered a bit having brief flashbacks to the spire. Jorge and Carter weren't here to catch her this time. She'd have to focus. "We're gonna capture the landing pad on the executive wing so the evac birds can land. Try and keep up Spartan."

"Don't worry about me." Six told him.

"She can handle herself," Zoe scoffed. "I'll stick with you," she told Six. 

"That'd be great," Six sighed as they made the next jump. "I keep thinking back to when I jumped off a Spire about a week or so ago? So forgive my slight shakiness, jumping from ledge to ledge." she snorted.

"You jumped from a what ?" Zoe laughed out as they landed on a balcony. "Now that's a story I'll have to hear about." Zoe chuckled. 

"We make it out of here alive, remind me to tell you sometime." Six laughed weakly. Zoe and Six spent the next half hour not leaving each other's side. She explained what happened with Jorge, what she was looking for where her team was, and how she needed to find them. 

"You think they think you're dead?" she asked. 

"Probably Kat and Jun, I'm not sure about Carter. Emile probably thinks I'm alive." Six laughed weakly.

"Faithful, I can respect that." Zoe shot out a turret quickly. Six laid down some heavy fire on another turret. It blew to bits, Six and Zoe targeted the other covenant troopers that littered the air pad. When it was clear they walked forward, Zoe nodded with a brief sigh. "This is where you get out, Toni," she told her friend. "Stay alive,"

"You too, Zoe." Six said quietly. Zoe examined Six's helmet before she threw her arms around her neck. Six hugged her in return, tightly at that. "Please, stay alive...I can't lose another friend..."

"I have to!" Zoe bounced back, "You gotta tell me that story, besides...I think if I showed up in the Afterlife, Jaxon would throw me out," she chuckled. Six smiled weakly under her helmet before heading to her falcon. Zoe waved the pilot off and Six sat back in the seat, closing her eyes for a moment. 

"Nice jumping with you, Spartan. See you in hell, ma'am." Xavier said over the comms.

"You too," Six said as the falcon lifted into the air. She crossed her legs at her ankles and turned her attention out towards the inner part of the city. She looked down at Zoe who jogged over to the two other ODSTs, patting their shoulders and walking back into the building with them. She smiled weakly, it was comforting to know Zoe was okay. That she still was alive, and fearless as ever. Six needed a bit of that. 

Now more than ever.

Chapter Text

TWENTY-SEVEN. Long Live Queen Alexandria Part two

NEW ALEXANDRIA, EPOSZ
AUGUST 23, 2552
16:39 HOURS

Six looked out to the ocean when the pilot spoke up.

"Pleasure to be working with you Spartan," she said. "The names Jacobs."

"Six," she introduced herself, leaning forward. "You all seem pretty busy around here. How long has this been going on?" she asked.

"City's been under siege for the last five days. Though we had it in hand, then those Corvettes showed up, then our fleet scattered. Pull 'em back. No, we all got orders to evacuate. Guess some of us just don't like leaving a job half-finished." Jacobs explained. Five days, they've been under siege since Six fell from orbit. It added up unfortunately, Six wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. 

"Understandable. You commit to something, you drive it home." Six added in.

"Damn right we do," Jacobs responded. The falcon pulled to a stop and Six watched some people hopping into falcons on the ground. Jacobs hummed over the comms-

"Evac transport Delta 15 to evac dispatch. Loaded up, ready to go." another voice popped in.

"Delta 15, this is evac dispatch. Copy that. Proceed at your digression." Dispatch confirmed.

"Midtown airspace is way too hot. Gonna take an alternate route." Jacobs chimed.

"Delta 15 to dispatch. Banshee squadron on my tail. Taking fire." Six sighed quietly when she heard the distress, she gently patted her helmet and fixated her eyes on her shotgun so that she wouldn't have to watch. 

"Copy Delta 15. Can you-" Dispatch started only to be cut off.

"Mayday! Port engines hit! We're going in! I'm going to try to set her down." Six looked back to the ground below her, watching so troopers engaged a brute with a gravity hammer. She watched as they worked together, firing rapidly on it to bring it down. Six nodded carefully and looked ahead as they approached an airport-

"Fox Actual to UNSC frigate Starward Dawn. Request immediate airstrike on Covenant Corvette over starport."

"Solid copy Fox Actual. Longswords are unavailable at this time, over." Starward Dawn responded to them. Six looked out towards the airport when a comm from it came in.

"This is civilian transport 6 Echo 2. I need to go now Sergeant Major." 

"Hold on Echo 2. Stalwart Dawn, I have a multiple-person craft loaded with civilians. I have got to get them out of this city. I need air support, now ." Fox Actual butted in.

"As soon as greens up, you'll be the first two-" 

"Not good enough." Fox Actual interrupted.

"I've got six hundred souls on board Sergeant Major. I can't wait any longer." Echo 2 snapped.

"Negative Echo 2. I can't cover you. Do not take off." Fox Actual shouted.

The Falcon halted abruptly, sending Six nearly flying into the opposite seat across from her. 

"What's going on?" Six snapped-

"They're taking off." Jacobs gasped. Six's eyes widened, she looked up to see a transport taking off into the air. A plasma bolt from the corvette above blasted straight through the shuttle. Six gasped her eyes wide-

"Oh my god." Jacobs hissed.

"Mayday! Mayday!" Echo 2 yelled frantically.

"6 Echo 2. Can you maintain altitude?" Fox Actual asked urgently.

"Negative! We're going down!" Six watched the shuttle crash into the water below. Six hundred people...all dead- some on impact. A few more would die from downing. She felt her stomach lurch at the thought of drowning. She sat back in her seat and looked away from the sinking shuttle that slowly went under the water.

"Son of a bitch! I can't watch this." Jacobs gasped out. 

"Fox Actual... should we send search and rescue birds?"

"Negative dispatch. No point." Fox Actual responded lowly. Six sat back against her seat and took a slow breath as the Falcon approached a small beach.

"Alright Six, you're out here," Jacobs said.

"Thank you Jacobs, godspeed." Six jumped out of the falcon when it lowered.

"And to you too," Jacobs told her. Six cocked her shotgun and approached a tall man when he spoke- Six placed him as Fox Actual from the comms.

"Spartan! Sergeant Major Duvall. How's the day so far?" Duvall jogged up to meet her halfway.

"Well, I've almost died a few times, my partner is deader than dead, leg kinda hurts. A little thirsty." Six spouted off with a scoff. Duvall laughed a little and nodded.

"Just keeps getting worse, huh? Covies are all over the missile batteries and I got five thousand civilians waiting. I need you to arm those batteries and fire those missiles from the central terminal. Understood? Corvette's been a pain in my ass for too long, give it hell Spartan."

"That? That is something I can do," she said simply. 

"That's what I like to hear Lieutenant!" he clapped his hands before turning back towards his group, " Troopers! We need to push 'em back off our beach!" Six took a few deep breaths and ran forward, she glanced at a four-wheeler- a Mongoose they called it- and nodded. She could do some damage with that...Six waved her hand in a circle to signal for the troopers to gather up. Some hopped into the nearby warthog, two hopped onto the other Mongoose. 

Six swung her leg over her seat on the mongoose and looked at a spare trooper who was getting ready to walk after his group- she rolled her eyes with a scoff. Surely she wasn't that intimidating. She backed the vehicle up to stop him-

"Get on. Watch the hands," she said simply. "I can shoot while driving when it's a close target, I'll need the firepower." The trooper nodded hesitantly, getting onto the back, Six took off. He yelled a little- "Hold on, genius!" She scoffed out rolling her eyes. The Trooper held onto the back rail- he managed to hold off the covenant for a few moments while Six sped over to one of the batteries.

"Civilian transport 7 Echo 3 to Fox Actual. My engines are hot. Waiting for your go."

"Copy that 7 Echo 3. We're working on it." Duvall said. "That's it Lieutenant, the first missile battery. Arm it."

"On it, sir." She jumped off the mongoose- using the butt of her shotgun to take out a grunt who thought it'd be okay to charge her.

It was not okay. And that Grunt died as a result.

Six cocked her shotgun as she approached the battery, tapping in the keys. She noted a few grunts running at her, aimed her gun, and picked them off as she continued to tap in the keycode. 

"First battery is armed! I'm crossing the bridge to the other! Troopers- if you could start taking out the covies leading to the detonation area, I would appreciate it greatly." Six said, running to the edge of the bridge. She reloaded her gun as she started crossing. She saw a giant gravity hammer brute hurdling towards her. She felt adrenaline pump into her veins- she strapped her gun to her back and stood at the ready. The Brute brought down its hammer, Six shuffled to the side quickly. Her feet lifted off the ground when it hit. 

Six took a deep breath as she shuffled back away while the brute recovered. This would either be a stunt she would never pull off again because she got extremely lucky or because she was dead. It was a risk she'd have to take, there was no way she was running in front of the wraith down on the ground level. She took off in a running start and jumped up the brute was too shocked to do anything. She ran up the center of it's chest plate in a few steps, landing her last foot into the face of the Brute. 

With all the effort and muscle she had left in her bad leg, she pushed off of its face- flipping back through the air. She curled her knees up to her chest little ways, before releasing them again and landing, one leg out, one knee up, one hand balancing her out on the ground and the other out at her side to keep her from faceplanting. She took a deep breath and watched the Brute drop its hammer. Six ran over and snatched it off the ground, swinging it. It connected with the brute's side and slammed it across the fences and into the water below. 

Six examined the Gravity Hammer in shock.

"Holy shit," she choked up. She gripped the hammer in her hand and sprinted across the bridge, her sprint hiding the limp that her body wanted to enforce in her bad leg. It hurt so damn badly, Six needed to sit down after this. Six swung the hammer to toss aside a few Brutes that came charging her. "I'm at the second battery, arming it now," she confirmed. Six typed in the keycode-

"That's it! Batteries primed! Now get over to the East Compacts and fire those missiles!" The Sargent urged quickly. Six took a deep breath- "We can hold off the smaller covenant soldiers- but my men will be wiping the floor if they get too close to those Brutes, Lieutenant!" 

"Well, lucky for you guys- I've got ahold of one of their gravity hammers." Six traded the hammer's handle between hands. She looked across the grass- it was an immediate cross from where she was standing to the platform. She could get there without getting hit by the Wraith that was firing on the troopers- but if it noticed her she was screwed. Six sighed deeply before shaking her head- she took off in a run. She gasped as pain surged through her bad leg. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit-" she gasped when the Wraith took notice of her stumbled run. "SON OF A BITCH!" she yelled when it drove towards her. Six jumped onto the tiled platform, making a scramble to the stairs. 

The Wraith screeched when it hit the wall. Six made haste up the stairs, gripping the Gravity Hammer in her hand, she kept going. Her leg hurt, her arm hurt and she was still trudging. After this, she got to find her team. She got to see Carter...God, what she would give to hear him talk to her right in that moment. She would take a scolding or a lecture, even him yelling at this point. She just needed him to say something.

Six encountered a brute with a gravity hammer, she swung and threw it halfway across the room. But then the heavily armored one ran out. Six blinked a few times. She grabbed a grenade off her belt, popped it, and bowled it the brutes way. It exploded at its feet when it was running towards her. With the Brute's shields down, Six swung her hammer. The Brute went against the wall, blood-splattered Six's red armor. She took a deep breath shaking some of the purplish blood off of her hands. She wiped her visor and walked into the room. 

She tossed the hammer and ran up to the missile batteries and pressed in her spartan keycode once again-

"Sergeant Major! The Covies are almost through my door!" Echo 7 shouted.

"Almost have it!" Six urged.

"They've reached the landing bay!"

"SPARTAN!" Duvall shouted.

"FIRING MISSILES NOW!" Six urged. She watched the missiles launch into the sky and hit the corvette above them.

"Civilian transport is away," Echo 7 confirmed. Six hopped her way from her place in the room back to the ground. "You saved a lot of lives today Spartan."

"Glad I could help." She wandered to her place on the beach when a radio patched in-

"Lieutenant?" Stacker asked.

"Six here."

"We got your team. Figured you'd want to be the one to answer," he told her. 

"Thank you, Gunny." Six felt her heart speed up, her eyes wide. She tried to steady her voice, tried to keep herself from shaking. It was nearly impossible. The static came through, patchy but there. Kat's voice. Six never thought she'd be so happy to hear Kat's voice.

"-copy. This is Noble Two to Noble Six, Noble Five! Do you copy?"

"This is Noble Six," She spoke up. Maybe a bit quicker than she had intended to, but hell, it was what it was.

"Toni," Kat breathed.

"Yes, it's me." Six confirmed.

"We picked up your transponder about an hour ago but couldn't make a good comm connection. We got caught up in a lot of firefighting today, the covenant has this city sealed tight." Kat said.

"Yeah...yeah, I've been doing it a lot today too." Six leaned down and picked up a kit from one of the trooper's carriers. She dug through, pulling out a smoke flare. 

"I've?" Kat repeated. There was silence for a few moments. "We're getting nothing from Jorge." Six fell silent and looked to the empty space next to her. "Six?"

"He didn't make it." The was silence. She heard a loud swear from the background- likely Emile but she couldn't make it out well enough to say. Kat seemed to be holding her breath, Six closed her eyes.

"Understood..." Kat mumbled. "What's the situation at Starport Exit?"

"Last transport is away," Six looked up to where the shuttle had just taken off. "Took out some covenant guns up in the sky while we were at it. Dunno how much it will do but...it's better than nothing."

"Alright." Kat went quiet for a few seconds. "We're bringing you to us." She finished. Those words sent some kind of relief throughout Six's entire body. She flipped the cap off of the smoke flare and tossed it to the ground, watching the red smoke puff into the air. She turned around and walked to a bolder, slumping down against it. She pulled off her helmet and ran a hand through her short hair. It was oily as hell, and she knew her helmet head was likely horrid. 

She combed it down and into a short ponytail, pulling a loose band out of her front pouch to tie it up. Six didn't bother with the two extremely short strands that bellowed either side of her face. They were once longer and were usually there anyway. Running a gloved hand across her face she shook her head- turning her gaze up to the city. It was such a beautiful city at that...and now it had a corvette blazing over it. Six had to wonder what they planned on doing.

But she knew. 

They intended to glass it. They intended to glass New Alexandria. Jorge died for...for nothing. Six slumped even further back against the boulder, staring up at the sky. Waiting on a falcon, a pelican to take her back to Noble Team. She wanted to go back to her team, desperately. She wanted to get back to Carter. Never in her time at Noble did she think she'd want to hear Emile call her Red or get into some kinda sarcastic competition with Kat only to be judged by Jun. Six hated being alone now...She never thought she would get to that point. 

She'd been with Noble going on a month and she had never loved something so much. She'd never met a group of people that made her feel so...human. She'd never had a partner that made her cry. She never met a man who could make her feel so conflicted about emotions. She'd never been good friends with people like Kat or Jun or Emile. Six watched the skies until a pelican came into view. 

A pelican that would take her to her team. Six pulled on her helmet and stood to her feet. She limped to the pelican as it set down, getting on a few troopers hopped off to run and help secure the area. She flopped into a seat and didn't move for a few minutes. The pelican took off and Six watched as the ground slowly got smaller and smaller...She couldn't be alone with her thoughts. Because looking over New Alexandria reminded her that this wasn't just a city...no this was Reach.

And Reach reminded her of Jorge. Her friend, her partner, was long gone. And for what?

Nothing.  

Chapter Text

TWENTY-EIGHT. Close The Door Behind You

NEW ALEXANDRIA, EPOSZ
AUGUST 23, 2552,
18:57 HOURS

Six shifted in her seat, staring at Jorge's dog tags. She hadn't said a word for nearly two hours. Her throat was dry and her eyes were squinted against a burning city. They had stopped many times to pick up and drop off troopers. They had tried to make conversation- but it never worked. She didn't look at them, she kept her eyes on the shimmering dog tags. It kept her focused on something so she didn't throw up. She wasn't sure if it was the airlift and the idea of being up in the sky so many times after falling from Orbit. Falcon from place to place and now a pelican.

Just thinking about it made her stomach churn. She took a slow breath and rubbed her helmet's visor. She put her attention to reverting to scratching blood off her armor. 

"We're setting down Spartan," the Pilot said. "The falcons will take you to your next destination." Six stood to her feet and clipped her shotgun to her back. She examined the dog tags over in her fingers once more and couldn't bring herself to simply put them away. She clutched them in her fist and examined the rooftop as the pelican slowly lowered. Six was completely out of sorts now, her brain wouldn't just shut up. It screamed its angry words, telling her that she was clearly at fault for what happened to Jorge. 

How did she plan on explaining it to the team? She had no idea where she would even start. Six wasn't convinced she had even left space yet. With as much as her stomach dropped and felt like she was looking down from the spire again? She needed to be brought back from wherever it was she was- held to the ground. She had yet to find that sort of reassurance yet. And then she looked up from the ramp. 

And there stood Carter on the other side of the roof. Six swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She shoved Jorge's dog tags back into her chest plate pocket, clipping it shut. She hopped off the hovering Pelican, turning and watching it take off. She blinked a few times, looking at the gravel under her feet, then up to the burning city around her. She couldn't look at Carter, she just...needed a second to collect her words. Upon hearing the crunching of gravel under his heavily armored feet, she concluded that she was out of time. Six tilted her head to the side and lazily looked at Carter.

"Hey." she muttered. Carter didn't respond for a second, he stood a few feet away, stiff as a stone statue. Six rolled her eyes over his armor- he seemed to have taken a beating over the week. The blue metal was dented in many places. Dried alien blood saturated his armors boots. 

"Welcome back." he finally told her.

"Sorry I came alone," Six turned on her heel and looked at Carter. She was facing him now, looking at his visor. She couldn't read his expression, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to. If her hunch was correct, he was conflicted. Hell if she knew though.

"Yeah well," Carter fell silent for a moment. "He knew the risks. You did too."

"I didn't want to believe it." She admitted. "I told you it wouldn't work."

"It worked, just not in the way we wanted it to." Six made a low ‘tch’ noise as she shook her head and pulled her helmet off. She inhaled the burning air and clenched her jaw. She looked back to him as he stared her down,

“What happened to…” he gestured to the back of her head. Six reached back feeling the jagged cut hair on the back of her head and shook her head. 

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” she said, watching him take off his helmet. He had a new bruise forming on the side of his face- red veins clear under his skin. 

“What happened to…” she echoed, gesturing to the side of her own face.

“Got thrown into a wall by a gravity hammer,” he nodded curtly. 

“Huh...I almost did that a couple times today,” she said quietly. He watched her quietly and she did the same for a solid few moments. The tension was like a bright red blinking light. Six turned slightly and looked out at New Alexandria. “The end of a world…” she whispered. She heard him hum in agreement. She looked back to him, her eyes scanning his face for some kind of emotion as he looked out to a building slowly crashing to the ground. His eyes...god she forgot how impossible he seemed. He walked over and patted her shoulder.

“I almost hate to ask this of you,” he mumbled. Six’s heart dropped and she sighed loudly, looking at the ground. 

“Carter-” she started.

“Kat needs your help running a counter-OP,” he sighed, glancing at her with a frown. Six shook her head and rubbed her neck, gritting her teeth together. “The Covenant are jamming all comms to Command. As you can guess that’s a bit of a-”

“Problem.” She exhaled and shook her head once more, glaring at the covenant ships in the distance. “Yeah,” she muttered looking at the Falcon on the landing pad. Carter fell quiet once again and she felt his hand under her chin, his finger guiding her face to look at him. 

“Just come back alive, Six,” he told her. “Please, just come back alive. If the Jammers are a no-go, do not take any risks,” he sucked in a breath almost as if he was just realizing what he said. She watched him, expecting him to further the comment. 

However, he never did. Six nodded and examined his face briefly. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him as best she could with their armor separating them. It was comforting, his arms around her waist that is. His chin rested to her temple. 

“I’m sorry I came alone,” she whispered. Carter looked down at her before letting her go and stepping backward. 

“Make him proud.”

She watched him walk away, before pulling her helmet back on. So unprofessional, but to be honest? She could really care less at this point. Her heart was slamming against her ribcage and she thought her legs very well may give out. She gripped her fists to keep herself from turning back to him and quickly walked to the falcon. She grabbed the edge of the metal seating and pulled her body up and into the seat. She took a breath and laid her hands on the controls. The last time she did this someone died. It could be her this time. She stared at the steer and shook her head. 

“Six,” Kat’s voice chimed up.

“Kat,” Six exhaled. “It’s good to hear your voice.”

“Never thought I’d be happy to hear you say that,”

Six winced at the new scratch on her face and continued to dab at it with a cotton ball she’d gotten out of a medkit. It was covered a good bit in blood and she stubbornly groaned, walking out of the elevator. Six’s eyes glazed over the large damaged tower room that clearly used to be a pristine office of some sort. She stepped over a broken vase with some flowers laying on the ground and looked at Carter who nodded with a smile in his eyes.

"Look at this place. Used to be the crown jewel... Not anymore." Jun breathed, peering through a pair of binoculars. Six looked out over the windows, scanning the room. Carter stood in the far corner, overlooking the city. Jun opposite to him, Kat was on the floor messing with what Six could only assume was a com terminal. Emile sat in a darker corner of the room, examining his knife in his hands. Six looked at the floor and leaned against a nearby wall. "Hey...you’re back.."

"Yeah..." Six looked at Jun and nodded. Carter looked over her face briefly and nodded.

"What happened to..." Jun gestured to her head just as Carter had. Six rolled her eyes at the adopted mannerisms.

"Oh..." Six reached up and felt her hair. "Elite. Helmet got thrown off...the Elite grabbed my braid. I had to cut it off." Six explained quietly. 

"It's a regular family reunion." Emile scoffed in. Six tensed a little and swallowed-

"I have his...um..." Six reached into the pouch of her chest plate- picking out Jorge's dog tags. "I-"

"Keep ‘em. He gave them to you." Emile pointed to himself with his kukri. "I'll honor him in my own way."

"Jorge always said he would never leave Reach." Jun piped in. Emile erupted into laughter, turning everyone’s attention to him. Six raised her brows and frowned deeply.

"The big man was sentimental..." Emile chuckled lightly, sliding his knife away. 

‘I suppose everyone copes in their own way…’ she thought to herself before continuing her thoughts vocally, "He really...was." Six smiled weakly, looking over the dog tags. She examined his name engraved into the silver and gripped them tightly. "A bit melodramatic,"

"A bit?" Emile snorted.

"He gave his life thinking he just saved the planet. We should all be so lucky." Carter spoke up.

"I don't think we're the lucky one's Commander," Jun muttered. "If we were lucky-"

"We wouldn't be here." Kat cut in. "They'd have taken us off-planet and we would be away from this hell." she blamed herself. It was in every ache of her voice. It was her idea, her concept. One that failed. Six knew it wasn't Kat's fault. She just wished she could say it without her voice shaking.

"Sir, that true about Gauntlet, Red, and Echo Teams assigned to civilian evac ops?" Jun asked as Carter approached him.

"Spartan teams?" Six butted in. Carter looked at Six with a slightly scolded look then to Kat with a smaller glare.

"Those are senior-level communiques...” Carter snapped.

"I hear what I hear." Kat snapped back. "Point is, why put Spartans on defensive deployments?”

"Were you just not going to tell us about that? If they've got that going for them, why not pull us? It seems pointless to keep us in an area that is burned to the ground. Maybe worse." Six questioned Carter. The look in his eyes made her fall silent though. She clenched her jaw and looked off to the side. 

"I need that link to SATCOM, Kat."

 "Chasing it, but this comm has more shrapnel than transceivers... You didn’t answer my question." Kat breathed, sitting up fully. She looked at Carter and chased his eye contact, not letting him leave the trap. Six looked between them, what question?

"You want to know if we're losing?" Carter scoffed.

"I know we're losing, dammit!" Kat argued. "I want to know if we've lost." Carter whipped his head away from her and looked back out towards the city. That was a damn good question, one Six hadn't bothered to ask. Not because she didn't want to but because she was too stubborn to. Six went to walk towards Carter but stopped when a loud beeping from Kat's fingertips occurred. Everyone turned quickly in shock-

"Colonel Holland. Hailing us! What is he doing on an open channel?"

"Is he crazy?!" Emile stood to his feet.

"We'll get caught." Six hissed.

"Let’s hear it." Carter interrupted Six and Emile's objections. 

"-near the southwest quadrant of the city, over? Sierra Two-Five-Nine, if you are receiving, I am authorizing override of radio security protocols to link with this channel." Six looked to Carter who made eye contact with her. He was debating, it was written on his face. His jaw clenched.

"How long for a secure link?" Carter questioned Kat.

"Carter, I can't guarantee secure anymore," Kat responded. Carter ran a hand through his hair and paced a few steps to the left and right.

"Could the Covenant trace it to us?" 

"I could." Six tensed at Kat's response. 

"Shit," Emile sighed.

"Noble Leader, this is a Priority One hail. If you are receiving, acknowledge immediately." Holland ordered. Six looked at Carter as Kat held up the communicator.

"You make a choice Commander," Kat snapped while Carter’s face still showed uncertainty. "Keep it brief." Carter took the Communicator and walked back to his previous place in the room. 

"Carter here... Yes, sir." Six sighed and leaned back against the wall, shaking her head. 

"We’ve all been damned," she sang under her breath. "What are you doing?" she asked the Sniper who leaned forward, peering through binoculars. 

"We’ve got movement. Multiple Covenant vehicles vacating the area...and they’re in a hurry." Jun informed.

"What?" Six hissed. "Carter," she snapped, taking a step towards the Commander. Carter held up a hand stopping her in her tracks.

"Now how often do you see the covenant retreat for no reason?" Emile questioned firmly.

"You don't." Six looked at Emile.

"Radiation flare! Big! Forty million roentgens!" Kat shouted.

"Just lost Holland. What’s going on?" Carter questioned, stepping up next to Six and towards Kat.

"Atomic excitement scrambled the signal. Ninety million now!” Kat informed.

"Source?"

"Airborne. Close!" Kat tapped in a few buttons. Everything went eerily silent- Six looked at Carter and took a slow breath. 

"How close?!" Carter snapped. There was a few more seconds of silence when the entire room went white. They all whipped towards the window briefly when pressure waves slammed in shattering the glass. Bits of glass went flying everywhere.

"THAT CLOSE!" Kat yelled. Six saw Jun dive to the floor- Six and Carter both got blown into each other, hitting the ground- Six shielded her head with her hands. Her body had shielded Kat from shrapnel and glass that had flown at her face. The room was being blown in like a branch-built house in a hurricane. Smoke, debris, and dust flew everywhere. Carter pulled Six to her feet, shoving her helmet into her hands. Six didn't hesitate to pull it on and grab ahold of Kat's arm. Kat grabbed her helmet, following suit on Six's heels. 

Six could hear her pulse in her ears as she ran a few steps behind the men, she stayed close to Kat. She was ready to shield the Lieutenant Commander from anything- staying on high alert.

They ducked into some elevators, Six took a deep breath.

"Christ, I'm going to have to find a religion after this," Six grunted. “Think Catholicism is too cliche?” Kat snorted.

"First glassing?" Kat asked, pulling on her helmet as the elevators pushed towards the ground floor.

"That obvious?"

"Me too." Kat shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’m on it. Our best option is a fallout bunker in Sublevel 2. Ninety-six meters northeast. We get orders from Holland, sir?" Kat questioned. 

"We’re being redeployed to Sword Base." Carter's voice said over the comms. Six blinked-

"I'm sorry?"

"Sword?! Covenant own it now!" Jun bickered.

“Which is why they want us for a torch and burn op. Keep Dr. Halsey’s excavation data from falling into enemy hands." Carter confirmed. 

“Of course it has to do with Halsey, it always does.” Six scoffed. She heard the men's Elevator doors opened and the Spartans made a break down the sidewalk, Six watched them head for the bunker doors where civilians were ushering each other inside. Six and Kat's elevator slowly settled.

"If it hasn’t already." Kat snorted, Kat and Six's elevator pinged open. 

"Maybe, but according to Holland, the Covenant are still hunting for something.” Carter slid into the bunker behind Emile. Six sighed, she heard a brief crunch under her foot. 

"When does he get off calling a demolition op Priority One-" Six had only looked down for a second. It had only been a singular second. One...second. And she was gone. 

Six screamed, a blood curdling scream that split the air.

A needle blasted through the air and sunk through Kat’s helmet like a hot knife through butter. Six’s eyes widened as it processed to her that Kat was falling. She lunged forward, grabbing the woman before she hit the ground. Her hand darted to her leg and snatched her magnum off her thigh, pointing it up at the sky. She scorned a look of pure fire at the phantom above them as she made multiple shots. But her hand was shaking so violently- she couldn’t get a proper shot. She screamed in anger when the magnum ran out of bullets. She dropped it to the ground and started pulling Kat’s body back towards the bunker quickly.

“COME ON! COME ON! GET IN!” Carter’s voice shouted, full of anguish. 

“LET'S GO! TONI!” Jun demanded. Six stumbled backward into the bunker, scrambling to get as far from Kat’s corpse as she could. She tripped over wailing civilians demanding that the door be closed. She pulled off her helmet as her entire body went under a wave of cold and hot. She turned and looked at Carter who had already taken his own off. He was pulling Kat’s off, his hands visibly shaking. Her head lolled to the side, blood spilling out onto the floor. The light glow of a needler shanked a hole straight through her head. There was a light shatter and she watched the glass-like shards clatter onto the ground. Six couldn’t look away, she simply stared at the dead spartan woman while trying to comprehend what all had just happened. Her eyes moved to Carter, whose head was in his hands while Emile and Jun sat bowed. She took another breath out of the crowded air and leaned back against a wall- not even flinching when screams erupted through the bunker as it shook with the demise of the city above them. 

Chapter Text

TWENTY-NINE. A Bad Omen

NEW ALEXANDRIA, EPOSZ
AUGUST 24, 2552,
09:32 HOURS

Kat had been dead for over twelve hours now. Six still couldn’t think straight, standing in the bathroom she splashed her face with water from a bottle that a civilian had given her. She should’ve drunk it but if she did, she was ninety-percent sure it would just come back up. Which simply isn’t what she wanted at all. Sinking down onto the bathroom floor, she stared at the opposite wall, hugging her knees to her chest. The bunker shook with a tremor from above, but it had happened a dozen times at this point. It was numbing to her ears. There had been a few times she wanted to go look for Jorge, only to be back to the realization.

He was gone.

And now Kat was too. 

Who was next? Six burrowed her fingers into her hair and choked on a frustrated yell. Where was Emile…? Where was Jun? Where was Carter? She could apologize to the guys again, this was the second Noble Team member to die, right next to her. At this point, she just wanted to leave. The emotions were too much and she had never been this frightened ever. She had always been numb to the death of teammates. She never felt this dire need to get revenge or to run and hide. She was a coward. 

She leaned her head back against the wall behind her and turned her head when the door opened.

“Thought I’d find you here,” Emile muttered walking in. He had his helmet off, a rare occurrence. His dark skin was bandaged in a  few places with white coverings, blood splotching through. He slumped down across from her and looked across. 

“In the bathroom?”

“Somewhere where you have easy access to a place to vomit,” Emile said dully. Six looked at her feet and squinted slightly, shaking her head.

“How...did this happen? I don’t understand,” she muttered. “Neither of them deserved this ending.”

“It's war Six,” Emile commented. “People die. Even Spartans,” She looked at Emile and clenched her teeth slightly. 

“Some would beg to differ,”

“Carter usually would,” Emile nodded. “Now though? I think he’s at his point.”

“You think?”

“I have never seen that man cry.” Emile pointed at her. “Today? I saw him cry. That’s a bad omen.” Six lifted a brow and tilted her head,

“A...bad omen?” she echoed. “Seriously?” 

“It was a mutual agreement,” he said. “Among all of us. Kat was the only person who had seen him in a state of disrepair. She hadn’t seen him cry- but she was the closest. And she had been there when he cried. Now she’s dead. It’s almost double bad.” Six rubbed her gauntlet and stretched her fingers. 

“I didn’t realize,” she mumbled. 

“How could you?” Emile scoffed slightly, “You’ve been here for what? A month? Maybe a little longer?” he laughed quietly. Six nodded carefully,

“Feels like it's been longer.”

“With how hard the CO is down for you, you’d think so huh?” Emile chuckled. Six buried her face into her knee caps looking off to the side at that comment. “Toni here's the thing alright? Kat just died, yes. But he isn’t talking to either Jun or me. You’re our last get out of jail free card. We need him. If you can get him to work out the kinks and knots...maybe that’ll help. He just needs...a shoulder. I’m not nearly as sentimental as Jorge and I definitely don’t have Kat’s charm, it’s just not my thing. Jun talks a bit too much sometimes and that’s not exactly what he needs right now. Our ability to comfort someone after a death isn’t...great. I mean, you remember when Jaxon died and I came to talk to you. I’m blunt. I don’t sugar coat shit,” he said. 

“Yeah,”

“Please.” Emile nudged her leg with his foot. “Try and talk to him at some point,” Six sighed and nodded slowly.

“Okay,” she smiled a little. “I’ll try.”

“Thank you,” Emile rubbed his head and closed his eyes. “I’m so tired,” he admitted, cracking them back open a little. Six nodded and sighed,

“I know how that is,” she admitted. 

“Starting to think we're all due for a good nap,”

“Maybe that can be Carter’s birthday present from us,” she laughed a bit, shaking her head once more. 

“God…” Emile ran a hand over his eyes. “Yeah, that's in what...four days?”

“Twenty-seventh.” She nodded carefully. 

“This is just...genuine bad luck.” He said, “All of this.” He looked at Six who stared off into space once again. He was right, all of this was bad luck. Awful luck. 

Luck that Six could drive that damn Sabre. Luck that she had been standing on the right...She exhaled a breath,

“Where can I find him?” she asked Emile.

“Last I saw him he was in the backroom on the second floor.” Emile pointed down. “It’s where he’s gonna be staying. Jun and I set up a cot for you in the room we found,” he told her. “Jun is still in there so it should be easy to find. Just listen for the loud sniper reloads.”

“Noted,” Six sighed, standing up. “I’ll see you in a little while, yeah?” she said. Emile nodded,

“Good luck Little Red,” he said. “You’re gonna need it.” That hardly restored Six’s faith as she ventured down the hallway with a swift pace, tapping down the stairs and glancing around the second level. A few eyes were drawn to her bulky red armor, they’d all seen her sprint away from the main area. She swallowed her nerves and continued walking down the hallway, her eyes noting Carter in the far end of the room, pacing past his door. She bit her tongue and considered going back upstairs.  She sucked up her pride and forced herself to continue down the hall. She knocked on the doorway gently and caught his attention.

“Toni,” he echoed softly. She didn’t offer any kind of comforting smile, she simply walked over and looked up,

“Emile said you weren’t talking.”

“What’s there to talk about?” Carter asked, “My best friend is dead under a tarp upstairs.” He told her. Six watched him walk to the other side of the room, “Help me with this damn chest plate,” he told her, tossing a flathead screwdriver from a busted red toolkit. 

“Where’d you get that?” she asked quietly.

“It was in a closet down here,” Carter looked at her before walking back over to her. “It’s a fallout bunker, Toni,”

“Touche,” Six tilted her head to the side as she worked the flathead between the armor pieces to reach the latch that would free it at the bottom. She bit her lip to concentrate, pushing her free thumb between the armor and pushing down on the latch between the pieces. “Turn,” she told him. She did the same thing to the other side before he sat so she could start picking at the screws at his shoulders. 

“Why are you here?”

“Emile wanted me to come to talk to you,” She said quietly. “Plus, you pushed for me to be comforted when Jaxon died...In case you haven’t noticed Jorge isn’t exactly around anymore- so I can’t really send him in,” she told him. “That night...when we were on patrol, you told me not to feel at fault.” swallowing, she continued, “I know you feel like it’s your fault-” 

“Guess I’m a hypocrite,” he whispered. Six started to work on his opposite shoulder until the cold metal fell off his shoulders. He stared at the chest plate piece that fell into his lap, Six sat next to him- picking up the back piece and setting it at their feet. She slid the other piece off his lap and set it down as well. Carter heaved a breath and shook his head, “She was probably so scared in those last moments.” he muttered. “She didn’t even see it coming...I didn’t even see it coming,” he grunted before standing up. “Dammit- how did I not see it, Six?! IT WAS A DAMN PHANTOM!” 

“Carter, I was right next to her and even I didn’t notice it. We all had tunnel vision,” she snapped, getting to her feet. Carter huffed, turning and slamming his fist against the wall, before gently leaning his head against it. 

“She was probably so scared…” he repeated, shaking his head. Six exhaled a breath before walking over to him, she gently placed a hand on his back. He turned his head slightly, “I don’t know what I’m going to do Six…” he whispered. 

“Tell me about it,” Six rubbed the back of her neck. “I’ve adjusted so closely to accompanying Jorge’s fighting style, it’s a little hard to change back. I’m always prepared to have him on the defensive. It’s a dangerous situation,” she said. “But Carter, you are our leader...and this fight isn’t over yet.” 

“It needs to be,” he looked at her. “I can’t lose anyone else Toni- I can’t do it. I can’t.” he croaked, shaking his head. “I’m not...mentally strong enough anymore.” It was clear this war had taken a toll on him...she thought back to what Emile had said earlier. Thinking she had been dead for nearly a week must’ve hit him hard. Harder than she’d thought. Only to find out that he still lost one teammate- and then lost another.. Carter looked so tired. 

There were darkened bags under his eyes. His lip was busted, his eyes were red and glassy. She looked down at her gloved hands and shook her head. No he didn’t need the rough touch of flexible titanium...She grabbed the flathead screwdriver and started working tediously at her gauntlets. She got them both off and quickly pulled off her gloves. Stretching her fingers she breathed- staring at them. She walked back to Carter and cupped his face with her hands- he looked shocked at the touch.

“Look at me.” She ordered, his eyes focused on her. Six felt her body become anxious under his gaze, but she held strong. “This war is not going to get easier. But after SWORD, maybe they will take us off-planet,” she told him. “Maybe, we can leave. Or at least get somewhere safe. We just have to make it a little bit longer,”

“And if one of you dies?” he asked quietly. Six fell silent for a moment,

“We won’t,” she brushed her thumb over his cheek. “As long as you don’t,” she mumbled, her eyes searching his face. Carter stared down at her tiredly, before hugging her to his chest. It’d be easier without her own chest plate getting in the way, but it would work. “Come stay with Emile, Jun, and I. The last thing you need right now is to be alone…” she offered quietly. He kept his face pressed into her neck before his head bobbed.

“I’ll think about it,” he said quietly. She turned her head slightly to see a tear rolling down his cheek. Her eyes widened and she quickly looked away. 

“Today? I saw him cry. That’s a bad omen.” 

Now she had seen him cry- had Jun? Six clenched her fists and smiled softly.

‘Bad Omen or not, I won’t leave him alone,’ Six snapped to herself. She had been alone for years- and Carter didn’t deserve to be left alone. He needed someone now more than ever. This man was at his breaking point. He was genuinely broken. Six felt tears prick her own eyes at the realization that now? He was becoming just like her at the age of seventeen. When she found out what that stupid Operation was. The Operation turned her into a weapon. A walking bad luck charm. She sobbed out, feeling him tense up slightly.  

“Stay…” he choked out. “Please.” Six nodded, resting her forehead to his temple, she just nodded. Wordlessly. She repressed her cries and her tears by inhaling through her teeth. It was a long couple of hours that ended up with Six laying on his cot and him sitting on the floor against a wall. There was quiet chatter on occasion- and Six’s chestplate now sat on the other side of the room with Carter’s. She had let Emile know that Carter would be joining them on their second night in the Bunker. But tonight it would be just them in each other’s company. She looked across the room at him while he focused on the ground. 

“Do you think we’ll make it?” Carter asked her finally. “Really?” 

“I hope so,” Six mumbled. She rolled on her side with a slight hiss and smiled weakly at him, “Kat would beat us senseless if she found us this upset.” Carter chuckled lightly, nodding slightly.

“She’d be upset if we weren’t too…” Carter rested his arms on his knees as he tilted his head back against the wall, looking at Six. She stared back at him and forced a slight smile. After a while, Carter had gone to sleep on the floor. Six had managed to drag him onto a makeshift cot. She though couldn’t sleep. Instead, she focused on the far wall. Her mind couldn’t leave the distinct image of Kat’s body limp on the floor. She groaned a bit and quietly got up, running to the bathroom. She didn’t vomit, but she did fall asleep on the floor holding her stomach.

Chapter Text

THIRTY. Death, Herself

ONI FACILITY 
NOVEMBER 18, 2537
09:33 HOURS

Antonia gritted her teeth as her hair was tugged up off her neck. She seethed a breath through her teeth and winced slightly. 

“Ouch,”

“Sorry,” the ONI scientist behind her said. She glanced at herself in the mirror, her eyes running over her features. The first time she’d looked at herself in months. Her hair had gotten so long...she liked it that way. Though they’d probably make her cut it off for augmentation. She watched the dark ponytail be twisted into a tight bun on the direct backside of her head.

“Are they...going to shave my head?”

“Yes,” Another one-word answer. Toni stared into the mirror, watching her eyes flicker slightly across the freckles on her nose. She looked away from her reflection eventually and stared at her hands.

“Can I grow it back afterward?”

“As long as it doesn’t get in the way of your duties,”

“So..is that a yes?”

“Yes,” Toni smiled a little bit and shifted in her seat, contently. She stood up and thanked the woman behind her. She didn’t say anything in return, just turned and walked away. Toni’s smile vanished and she picked her glasses up off the table, sliding them onto her face and leaving. She rubbed her bare arms and attempted to wave to a group of girls walking past. Only one saw her.

“Hey Toni!” she chimed. 

“Hey guys,” Toni smiled at the girl, pushing her hands in her pockets. Bailey was probably one of the nicer girls in Beta, sweet, kind. Very pretty. 

“What’d they have you doing in there?” Bailey dropped back next to Toni and gently grabbed her arm to make her walk alongside her. 

“Oh, just some blood tests.” Toni shrugged her shoulders. “They put my hair up too, so...that’s nice of them.”

“Seems like you’re in there a lot recently,” a girl ahead, Tracy, said. 

“Yeah…” Toni nodded in response, shrugging her shoulders. “Augmentation is coming up for me soon so,” 

“That’s awesome!” Bailey exclaimed, clasping the girl's shoulders with a smile. “We’re all still waiting. Apparently, we’re the only platoon that has yet to be augmented. I wonder why,”

“Apparently it’s because they're watching someone specific in the platoon and are trying to see how they function without it. It’s more inconspicuous when it’s an entire group. And if we don’t know who it is, then it’s not that big of a deal.” The girl next to her, Iona said. Toni blinked a few times,

“How...do you know that?” Toni asked softly.

“Just some snooping,” Iona shrugged without looking at her. Toni didn’t say anything else, she felt Bailey’s hand on her back and simply smiled at her a bit. Bailey gave her a reassuring look and something about her hazel eyes gave her reassurance that the constant interest ONI had in Toni was nothing more than some abnormalities in her augmentation procedures. She stuck with Iona, Tracy, and Bailey for the rest of the day. It was fun. The most fun Toni had, had in ages. 

Bailey and her sparred, of course, Toni won. They ate lunch together. Trained in a group together. And by the end of the day, they were all tired. 

Together. 

“Toni, you should hang around more.” Tracy laughed, her hand floating back to the dark fuzz on her head. “You’re quiet but seriously, this was fun.”

“I agree,” Iona inputted. “We’ll see you tomorrow right?” Iona asked with a smile. Toni nodded with a grin, 

“I walk you back to your bunk.” Bailey offered Toni her hand. Her face went a red color, she could feel the blush. Toni snorted dismissively and brushed the girl's hand aside, walking with her hands clenched into fists in her cargo pants pockets. “Oh come on!” The redhead laughed out, jogging after her. They walked side by side down the hallways in silence. Toni hated walking across the facility alone, but with Bailey, the silence wasn’t so bothersome. She’d been fond of the girl for as long as she’d known her. “We will see you tomorrow right?” Bailey’s voice questioned, shattering the quiet. 

“Oh?” Toni lifted her head. “I mean...unless I have more testing, I’d assume so.”

“It just seems like you disappear more often than not, sometimes we’ll go days without seeing you.” Bailey’s eyes watched the end of the hallway. “I don’t know, it’s just...I don’t know.” Bailey fell quiet and stopped in her tracks. Toni paused a few paces ahead and turned to look at Bailey. “Call me paranoid,”

“No, it’s...fine.” Toni examined her face, “I just didn’t realize you were so concerned.” Toni twisted her fingers together and smiled a bit. “Really Bailey, I appreciate it but I’ll see you tomorrow,” she assured her walking over and gently taking one of her hands. “I promise.” Bailey looked over her face and nodded,

“You’re one of my best friends Toni...maybe a bit more,” Bailey sighed. “I just don’t want to see anything bad happen to you.” she smiled back, squeezing her hand. Toni laughed quietly and nodded,

“I can handle myself.” She assured her, “Proved that today,”

“Oh shut up,” Bailey snorted, shoving her gently. Toni laughed aloud before turning to walk the rest of the way. “Thanks for walking me,”

“Don’t mention it,” the other girl nodded. “Night Antonia,”

“Goodnight.” Toni waved to the girl and watched her walk away, disappearing behind a corner. Toni sighed and focused on her racing heart. She felt so...giddy. Like she could float away. Toni turned on her heel and started walking when she heard some voices in the next hallway. The one where her room was. She stopped walking when she could see the hallway and focused on the ONI operatives and men in camouflage uniforms standing in her open room. She noted Doctor Sage and a taller man standing at the doorway. Doctor Sage lifted her head and smiled at Toni, 

“There you are!” she exclaimed, “Come here, there are some people I’d like you to meet.” and that...is when hell began. She was taken the following day. She was so shaken, she couldn’t even process what was happening. Her eyes met Bailey’s as she was walking out. The other girl yelled her name and ran over, nearly being tackled by ONI marines, holding her back. She fought through them to get to Toni and grabbed her fingertips just before Toni was swept up by a Commanding officer. 

“TONI!” Bailey shouted, trying to shove the Marines off her. Toni couldn’t work up the voice to call out to her, she simply reached for her until she knew she was out of reach. She fell limp over the Officer’s shoulder and stared at the floor as she was carried along. The ride out of the ONI facility was more hellish than being in it. There were other SPARTAN-IIIs, sitting on the floor of the pelican. They were jolted around, but Toni was kept at the front. 

Weeks to follow were constant training, yelling, shouting. Toni attempted to help a boy who had passed out but got punished for it. She began keeping to herself once again, there were days she went without saying a single word. She’d refuse to respond to a Commanding officer. They’d make her run. She’d talk back to a Commanding Officer. They’d make her run. She made it a habit to piss off at least one of them per day. Kurt Ambrose had laughed at a few of her snarky comments. He would help her train, encourage her, insist that she was capable. 

Then the night came. Screaming. 

Struggling. She broke two or three noses, maybe even a few fingers on other people. She ran until she was caught.

They’d...pinned her to the table. They’d knocked her out all while she was screaming. 

All to make her a soldier. 

All to make her death itself. 

Herself. 

Chapter Text

THIRTY-ONE. Sick

NEW ALEXANDRIA, EPOSZ
AUGUST 25, 2552,
04:16 HOURS

Six couldn’t remember the last time she felt this sick. Normally, her immune system proved strong and balanced. She felt Carter’s arms around her waist, his face was buried into her neck and his body pressed to her back. He was so comfortable...she didn’t want to move. Carefully, she pulled herself out of his arms and she kicked the blanket off of her body. Rolling onto her side, leaving Carter’s side on their shared cot She tiptoed around Emile’s cot and stepped over Jun’s legs to get to the door. It opened wide as she went through, her breathing seemed to be unsteady. It probably had more to do with being around so many new people. 

New bacterias. And it was blistering hot in the bunker to no one's surprise. She sat outside the door and fanned her face to beckon cool air to chill the sweat drops. She exhaled a breath and closed her eyes, shaking her head tiredly. The dream about her early years caused more distress...How was Bailey doing? Six looked across the hall and looked up when Jun poked his head out. 

“Are you alright?”

“Didn’t realize you were awake,”

“Emile and Carter are both heavy sleepers, I am a sniper,” Jun said, walking out and sliding down the wall next to her. “Face is red,”

“I probably have a fever,”

“I don’t doubt that. Emile was burning up earlier today. We aren’t used to being in a vicinity with so many people. Good to get a tolerance built up now. Don’t worry, it’ll probably go down by noon.” Jun told her. “Do you need water?”

“I probably will,” Six shrugged her shoulders with a deep sigh. “Don’t worry about it, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that it’s hot down here too.”

“I’m sure that’s definitely not helpful, yeah.” Jun chuckled, crossing his arms. “How are you doing? I haven’t had the chance to ask.” Six blew out a small snort and shook her head exasperatedly. 

“Dunno,” she deadpanned, “I’ve witnessed two teammates die within feet of me in a span of a week and a half.” Six shook her head, “Slept next to my CO, remembered trauma I thought I’d pushed into the back of my brain, and seen more death and destruction than I have in all my years of doing this job.” 

“It...certainly has been...what’s the word?”

“Eventful?”

“Sure, eventful.” The two fell silent. 

“Say Jun,”

“Mhm?”

“You said SPARTAN deployments were here...correct?” 

“Yes,”

“Did you hear anything about a Bailey-B335?” She glanced at him. 

“No, but I do know who you’re talking about.” Six’s head perked up at the mention of that,

“Y...you do?”

“Yeah, she was an old friend of Kat’s. Older sister figure or something,” Jun nodded. Six swallowed and looked at the ground, hugging her knees. “Why? How do you know her?”

“She...um,” Six couldn’t find the words. “Nevermind.” She saw Jun watching her out of the corner of her eye but he said nothing and simply leaned his head back. There was a tremor that shook the bunker, making Six instinctively lookup.  “They’re still plowing out there.”

“Sure are,” Jun scoffed. “At this rate, we’ll be lucky to just get out of here.”

“Well they have to finish sooner or later,”

“True,” Jun sighed. “Come on, let's go get you some water. Your face is shinier than a piece of washed silver,” he stood up and offered his friend his hand. Six grabbed it and got to her feet with his assistance. “Check your temperature while we’re out here.” there was another tremor and some yells. A baby somewhere began crying. Six sighed and ran a hand through her hair. 

“I need a shower,”

“Don’t we all,” Jun laughed quietly. She didn’t understand how he could so carelessly throw around chuckles and laughs at a time like this. With Kat’s dead body over in the corner covered by a black tarp. 

She sat down against the wall watching Jun walk to a crate and open it. She pulled at her fingernails and walked up next to Jun, glancing at him as he pulled a water bottle out of the crate. He handed it to her and continued searching through it. She cracked the cap open and tilted the water into her mouth. She hugged her knees and rested her chin onto them, her eyes tiredly focusing on the hallway.
“Are you...alright Jun?” she asked him finally. Jun froze and he didn’t say anything. Had anyone asked him how he was…? Was she the first? She turned and looked at him with a frown, “Jun?”

“I…” he fell quiet once again. “No.” he breathed out. “No, I’m not.” He slumped down next to her with a water bottle of his own. “I’m really not,”

“Yeah,” Six’s voice drifted off. “I didn’t think so…” she mumbled. Jun tilted his head back and looked at Six with a small smile. 

“We’ll get through this, yes?”

“Yeah,” Six laughed lightly. “I like your optimism.” she said, “Wish I could have it too.”

“Yeah well,” he shrugged his shoulders with a small smile. “Sometimes you have to force it.” He closed his eyes and inhaled. They fell into silence and Six glanced at Jun. 

“Hey Jun,”

“Yeah?”

“Have you seen Carter cry?” She questioned, looking at him. Jun cracked his eye open and his lifted brow,

“No...have you?” he sat up slightly. Six swallowed and scolded herself for believing something that probably was just a superstition. 

“No,” she laughed it off. She looked at the ground, knowing she was lying through her teeth.

Chapter Text

THIRTY-TWO. Say, Less

Planet Reach, Noble Outpost
August 27, 2552
17:32 Hours

Carter had hardly shown his face since Kat’s small memorial. He didn’t say much but when he walked out to the cafeteria at 17:00, Emile, Six and Jun didn’t say much. He sat down next to Six with a tray and ate silently. 

“Happy Birthday sir,” Emile said slowly. Carter lifted his eyes and nodded,

“Hm,” he hummed with a mouthful of food. “Thank you, Emile,” he commented after swallowing it all down. “Another year for the books...definitely one to remember.”

“Damn right,” Jun nodded. He looked to Carter who sat back and then glanced at Six, then to Emile. There was more silence between the group. Emile hadn’t said much since they’d come back. He spent most of his time in his armor, firing faux rounds at targets. Six hadn’t thought to bother him but was concerned as to whether or not he was okay. She opened her mouth to ask but as she did, he got to his feet and walked to throw his tray away.
“His mental state worries me,”

“You still have one of those?” Carter asked her. Six flinched and looked down with a deep frown. 

“Yes...I do,” she muttered. “A mind forged in death and war can withstand it, or something like that.” she earned a passive hum from the Commander before scoffing and standing. She picked up her tray and tossed it, walking down the hallway with her hands in her pockets. Agitation filled her brain and honestly, it took a lot of strength to not turn around and make some snarky comment towards Carter. But she just kept walking, focusing her eyes on the end of the hallway. She just had to think, 

There must’ve been something going through his head. He must’ve been tired, grieving. Six just wanted to sit in her room. Go to sleep. Rest her eyes. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and was taken back to the Bunker- his arms around her waist, breath against her neck. She wanted to slap herself for that. 

‘Stop’, she ordered herself, ‘Stop it. Right now.’

“Toni,” Carter’s voice called. She resisted the urge to groan and instead turned and looked at him, 

“Did you seriously leave Jun by himself?”

“He’s going after Emile,” Carter called, continuing his strides towards her. 

“Listen, Commander I-”

“Formalities.” Six scorned at him and sighed looking down. 

“Listen, Carter. I understand you’re going through a lot right now-”

“Toni.”

“Just let me finish.” she raised a hand to gesture for a moment. She immediately dropped it upon remembering that this was her Commander. Biting the inside of her cheek, “Carter I feel wrong.” she admitted. “I feel... wrong for this.”

“For what?”

“ THIS,” she gestured between them. “Kat died and I seemed to hang on to you, that felt...wrong. I felt wrong.” she held a hand on her stomach as it did flips in her body. 

“What does that-”

“Don’t even start with me,” Six scoffed. “Do you think I’m dense?” He fell quiet. She looked down at the ground, “And I guess I’m worried.” He didn’t bother pushing the explanation out of her, his eyes just watched her. She sighed and looked at him, going to continue speaking when two troopers passed with brief salutes. Six glanced to Carter’s office a few doors down, “Come on. We can finish talking there.” she muttered, turning on her heel and walking. She heard him behind her and hugged her arms, shaking her head slightly at how bad her chest hurt. She hated it. She hated this. They walked in and when the doors shut there were a few more moments of quiet. 

“Six…” Carter’s voice started. “If you don’t think anything of this, please just tell me.” he sighed, rubbing his forehead. 

“Well that’s the problem,” Six hissed glaring at him, “I think too much of this,” she whispered. “I don’t want to get you in trouble. I don’t want to distract you from this…” she whispered. “It’s important…” she fell quiet as his eyes flitted over her face. “It’s important that...you stay focused.”

“I am focused,” he responded. 

“On the right thing though?” she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. Carter tilted his head side to side, and Six scoffed quietly. 

“At this point Six? I could quite frankly care less,” he admitted, walking a few paces closer to her. She sighed and stood up straight trying to walk away, “Toni please…” he mumbled, grabbing her hand gently. It was enough for her to escape but his hand was so warm and she just didn’t want to. She closed her eyes, “What’s stopping you?”

“Everything that has happened...Jorge and Kat are gone...Jaxon is gone. The world is ending, the Covenant are attacking.” she looked at him, “How do I know I’m not just some distraction for you? How do I know you’re not one for me?” she muttered. “I don’t understand any of this, Carter. This is the first time I’ve been this...attracted to somebody. My heart beating out of my chest, losing my consciousness in daydreams- it's a problem!” she scorned more so towards herself. “You are a problem...my problem,” she whispered. 

“I’m the problem?” he chuckled. “Really?” he offered his hand to her. “Are you sure about that?” Six looked down at his hand and then back up at him. “Listen to me Toni,” he said softly. “You aren’t a distraction for me. Far from it actually. Distracting? Yes. You’re…” he paused, staring at her before he continued, “But I wouldn’t call you a distraction and leave it at that.” Six took his hand and let him pull her to his chest. “And I would happily be your distraction if it means we can stand like this forever,” he mumbled. Six’s face burned but she smiled softly anyways. 

“And your job?”
“I think I’ll retire after this,” Carter groaned shaking his head and looking at the door behind her, turning his gaze back to her eventually. “If I get kicked out then oh well, even better.” he scoffed. “Just means they can’t bring me back. And we can...find some way to get you out of ONI’s grasp. Maybe us four can take a trip or something…” he sighed. “I think we’ve earned it. Think they’d want that for us.” Kat and Jorge. Thom. Jaxon. 

“Yeah, I agree,” Six sighed. “A trip sounds nice...I’ve always wanted to go back to Earth. But I think...we should finish the war first, yeah?” She said. Carter pushed some of her straying hair out of her face. 

“Maybe. I’ll have to think about it.” he chuckled lightly. Six nodded, 

“I’d feel guilty if I didn’t help.” 

“So would I. That and I think Emile is looking for a hundred different reasons to crack Covenant skulls,”

“Maybe he’ll make me a helmet with one on it.” She snorted, making Carter roll his eyes. Six blinked a few times and looked around to realize they were swaying back and forth. She laughed a bit and looked up at Carter who had a small smile on his lips. “Dancing? Really? What is this? A romance novel?”

“No,” he scoffed. “More like a tragedy. Just...figured might as well get one in if we don’t get to in the future.” he rested his chin onto her head, taking her hand gently and raising it. “You don’t mind do you?”

“I mean, I suppose not,” she mumbled, breathing in the smell of soap that still lingered on him from his earlier shower. It was a slow, quiet thing. Swaying side to side, Six leaned against him after a moment before sighing deeply. “Ya know…”

“Hm?” 

“I’ve been thinking about what happened in the cave recently,” 

“Really?”

“Yeah,” she looked up at the taunting smirk that rode his face. She laughed loudly and shoved him away with a smile. “Don’t patronize me.” she pointed at him.

“I didn’t even say anything!”

“You didn’t need to!” she laughed with him. Carter’s smirk only grew as he grabbed her around the waist and picked her up to her very weak objections. He laughed weakly and held her softly by her waist, setting her back down. 

“What have you been thinking about Toni?”

“Why didn’t you kiss me?” She asked with a light chuckle, tilting her head. Carter examined her face and sighed deeply,

“Not sure honestly, I regret it.” he shrugged his shoulders. “Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve. I thought about it almost every day you were missing. I feel selfish honestly,” he said leaning back onto his desk while watching her a few feet away from him. “I had every chance and I didn’t take it. The most I could do is touch our helmets together before we left and even then it was…” he sighed and shook his head with a shrug. “Not exactly the same,” 

She nodded and shuffled her foot.

“I see,” she mumbled, “Could make up for lost time.” Six lifted her eyes to him briefly. She swore she’d never seen a man’s face go so red, so quickly. He blinked, staring at her.

“You want me to kiss you?”

“I MEAN WHEN YOU PUT IT LIKE THAT IT'S NOT VERY SUBTLE!” Six waved her hands, her own face fuming. Carter laughed a bit at her fanning her face and looking down. "Listen I...didn't necessarily want to admit to this. It could've been awkward and...and a lot." she rubbed her forehead and exhaled. She glanced back at him, his blue gaze hovering over her like a moth in light. She walked over hesitantly and nudged his arm softly, looking up at him. He held his stare for just one more moment before that stupid little smirk appeared on his lips. With one single sweep of his arms, she had her back against the wall and his lips against hers. Her eyes widened slightly and she thought she may fall down. One of his arms caught her as her knees gave out and held her to his lips while his other arm held him up against the wall. Her eyes fluttered closed as an array of colors danced behind her eyelids. She ran her fingers across his muscled shoulder, almost frustrated that the mesh fabric of his hoodie covered his skin. The kiss was slow and passionate, but desperate. Wanting. 

God, how she had wanted this. Wanted him. He broke away first and Six exhaled a breath. Their lips were inches apart though. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that...for way too long,” he admitted with a light chuckle. “Way too long…” he mumbled, bringing his arm from the wall to her face. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered. Six laughed softly and pulled his forehead to hers, tilting her head slightly and kissing him again. He happily obliged and held both arms around her waist. What was the word she was looking for...he was an addiction. A drug, she swore he was. He had to be.  There couldn’t be any other explanation as to what she was feeling right at that moment. She breathed into his mouth faintly and grinned a bit more when he pulled her closer. She was flushed against his chest and had no problem with being so close to someone.

Toni took a breath and wiped her bottom lip with her thumb, laughing lightly. 

“What’s so funny?” Carter scoffed. 

“Nothing it’s just,” she paused. “I don’t know, the feeling is new. It’s...weird in a way. Not one that I hate, of course.” she tilted her head to the side. Carter rolled his eyes raising one of her hands. His smile faltered slightly and he let her go before turning and walking over to his desk. He knelt down and started going through the drawers with a keen eye while Toni hesitantly trailed over.

“Gimme your hand,”

“What?”

“Give me,” he paused so she could process, “Your hand.” 

“Why?” Toni furrowed her brows. Carter raised a thick silver band and Toni stared- “We just kissed Carter-”

“Calm down,” Carter snorted, “No this was my Moms,” he rested the band on his thumb, grabbing Toni by her waist and setting her onto the edge of his desk. “Dad gave it to her when I was born and it never fit her fingers right so she put it on a chain and let me wear it. I had it when they took me off the planet,” he said. “Kept it with me. We were always told we shouldn’t keep sentimental items, well,” he laughed weakly. “What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.” he flitted the ring in front of Toni’s eyes before lifting her hand and slipping it onto her middle finger. “And of course it fits your finger perfectly.” he laughed softly. Toni examined the band and smiled at the ‘C’ crested into the top of it. 

“Carter this is your mom’s-”

“And I need it back.” he said, “Which means, you have to come back tomorrow.” he smiled softly, lifting her chin. “You have to come back to me, okay?” Toni stared at him and nodded carefully, 

“Right,” she laughed quietly. “And after this?”

“After this, we get off-planet and don’t look back,” he nodded. She liked the sound of that. She smiled at him and examined the ring again,

“I’ll take good care of it,” she whispered reassuringly. He nodded and rested his forehead to hers softly, leaning in and kissing her again. It wasn’t soft like the last few pecks on the lips, it was passionate. Deep. He was leaning her back on his desk, she felt it. Didn’t mind of course, but she knew what was about to happen. Swearing against his mouth she leaned back slightly, grabbing the collar of his hoodie with a smirk on her lips, “Take this damn thing off, Commander.” Carter’s mouth fell open slightly, his face running red before he laughed a bit and nodded his chin to his shoulder.

“Fair enough.” 

Toni pulled her hair up into a ponytail and glanced at Carter readjusting the tank top that had been under his hoodie. The one that she now wore of course. She huffed out some fraying pieces of dark hair before walking over to him and jokingly slapped his ass. He tensed up and laughed rolling his eyes visibly as he shook his head. 

“I feel like I’m lucky to be walking.”

“If we weren’t in my office, and didn’t have a mission tomorrow, you wouldn’t be, Red.” he snorted, walking over and pulling the hood over her head, kissing between her eyes. They hadn’t gone too far. Nothing beyond some neck marks, kisses, and some two-month’s-of-tension-built touches. It was like he said, there was a mission tomorrow. Toni would be a liar if she said she hadn’t been slightly disappointed but tomorrow was a priority. She smiled up at him and cupped his face, “Not tired of kissing me yet?” he chuckled.

“You’re a drug,” Toni grumbled, pulling him down to kiss her again. To which he did, sweet, slow, and meaningful. He grasped her hips gently and hummed against her lips. She smiled a bit, enjoying the bliss until he pulled away. 

“Should probably get ready for my patrol with Emile,” he mumbled, sneaking another quick kiss off her mouth. She laughed a bit and grinned at him while he examined her face from the close distance he was at. Sighing heavily, he rested his forehead onto her shoulder, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her as close to him as he could get her. She rested her head over his heart and remained silent, listening to the sound of his breathing. Finally, after a few moments, she looked up, 

“Stay safe on your patrol…” she said softly. Carter nodded and ran his hands up and down her side affectionately. 

“I’ll see you bright and early Toni,” he mumbled before standing up straight and heading out the door. Toni readjusted to the silence in the office and sighed, walking over to the desk and readjusting some slightly messed up things on it before nodding and leaving. She walked down the hallway to her own, quiet room and sat down on the bed. Jaxon’s amber visored glasses with Jorge’s dog tags draped over it stared at her. She smiled a little before laying down, pulling the Commander’s hoodie sleeves over her hands as best she could, and nodded. 

“I did Jax.” she whispered, “I let someone in.”

Chapter Text

THIRTY-THREE. Fire and Gold

Sword Base
Babd Catha Ice Shelf Eposz
August 29, 2552
26:16 hours 

The sky looked like it was on fire as Toni made her way across the dunes. She paused, watching a falcon fly overhead. She slowly hunkered down next to a bolder and let her eyes glaze over the scenery of Sword Base burning in the background. And to think they’d won it back. Toni had just hoped she wouldn’t have had to come back here, yet here she was. As soon as the falcon cleared the area, she started walking past a small hill and continued down a slightly rockish terrain. She lifted her head slightly when she heard Colonel Holland’s voice. 

“Noble One, this is Noble Actual.” silence. Toni paused on her walking and looked off in the direction of the Falcon. 

“Carter,” Toni spoke up. There were a few more seconds of quiet. 

“Go ahead.” he finally said. 

“We need that base taken out, son. What’s your status?” Holland inquired. 

“Still outside. Thermal on the interior shows standing-room-only. We’re gonna send’em out or we’ll be way too popular.” Carter said softly. 

“Copy that, Holland out.” Toni nodded at that and pushed her way up a sand dune before throwing her body over it. This was the last mission for her. She already told Carter, she would give it all she had. The rub of the ring under her suit gave her a little bit of confidence. And Jorge’s dog tags in the pocket attached to her armor. She landed next to three ODSTs who jumped at the sight of her rolling and landing on one knee. She slowly got to her feet and pulled her gun off her back. 

“We’ve got a job to do, so let’s stay focused and get it done.” Carter ordered, “Six, are you in position?” his voice seemed to soften.

“Affirmative,” Toni confirmed with a nod, raising a fist and holding it clutched. 

“Good. Execute.” the simple order was straightforward. She motioned her fingers in a confirming notion. Toni watched the water ahead of her and swallowed, nervously. She tried to see just how deep it was and when she couldn't,

“You motherfuckers owe me,” She said specifically to Emile and Jun. 

“We’ll keep it in mind,” Jun said with a small laugh. Toni moved closer to the water and crouched down when she saw a Phantom flying over.

“Targets,” an ODST behind her said. 

“Covenant own this sector now. They are defending for a full major strike, not a small group infiltration. Eliminate all hostile anti-air defense so the rest of Noble can land at Sword Base for the torch and burn. Keep a low profile, we’ll take them by surprise. This will be a hell of a lot easier.”

“Copy that Commander,” Toni assured him, “Stay in the air, yeah?”

“Stay above water, Toni. Carter, out.”

“We’ll follow you Spartan,” The ODST Sergeant inquired to her. Toni nodded and continued moving down the small hill, sinking into the water. Toni tensed up and held her gun up above the water slightly, swearing to herself. She hated this, she hated this so much. She glanced off to the side and caught a glimpse of smoke still billowing out of the water-

“Falcon down,” the ODST Sergeant said. “Watch for bodies.” A little too late for that, it took everything in Toni’s body to not scream out when she felt someone underneath her foot. 

“Dammit, dammit, dammit,” she choked out. Toni quickly stepped off the unknown person and moved swiftly through the water to what she could only assume was a flooded Farragut station. A small distance away was a covenant outpost. Toni raised her gun and stared at the Covies wandering aimlessly around the ground. “I need two of you on my cardinals,” she said, kneeling behind a window. “West, I want you to take out the Jackal on the floating tower they’ve got there. East, take out those grunts. Sergeant,”

“Yes ma’am?”

“You see those ghosts?”

“Yes ma’am,”
“Take em’ out.” Six said. “I’m going for the Elites. Only fire after I engage. Watch me.” She strapped her gun to her back. 

“Got it, ma’am,” Toni genuinely couldn’t believe she was about to just dive underwater. She dove through the window and went under, turning on her helmet lights. She glanced side to side and took a few breaths, hopefully, she was deep enough that they wouldn’t see her coming. God, she hated this. She had fallen from Orbit and she couldn’t fucking dive underwater in an air-tight suit. Slowly going through the water, she pulled herself up to the shore and stayed low to the ground. The Ultra-Elite nearby had his eyes focused on a babbling grunt. He grunted and the smaller alien ran away. Toni drew her knife and sprinted at the Elite quickly enough that he wouldn’t have known he was dead until he was. She jumped up and sunk the knife into the back of its neck. It grunted but made no more noise as she slowly laid it to the ground. The ODSTs began to fire on the aliens around them and the entire area drew up into chaos. Toni focused her attention on keeping the Elites off her ODSTs. She noted the Jackal on the tower falls from it but she caught an Elite running to fly up the gravity lift. 

Toni growled a bit, sliding down next to a dropped Grunt and snatching up the plasma grenade. She unclipped it and threw it, watching it stick to the tower and explode. The elite went flying and died the second it hit the ground. 

“Area’s secure and the structure is cleared, ma’am.” The Sergeant told her. Toni nodded started walking ahead,

“Kat was right...it does seem like overkill. Sending us back here for a simple demo op.” Emile inquired.

“ONI thinks it's worth it, that should tell you something,” Jun responded quietly.

“What it tells me is that things ain’t so simple. Six,” Emile’s voice crossed. “There should be a Scorpion around there somewhere. We saw it while flying over. Keep your eyes open.” he said. Toni nodded and continued walking and eventually saw it. She took a breath, `

“It’s just sitting there?”

“You know,” Emile said simply. Toni swallowed, she hated this part when it came to tanks. Slowly approaching it, she heard it was still running. Swearing she climbed up and opened the top, grabbing the back holster of a burnt dead marine and pulling him out. 

“Damn,” one of the ODST’s whispered. Toni carried the young man to a rock and rested him against it. Pausing to give him a salute she turned back to the tank. Passing the Saluting ODSTs she pulled herself into the tank. 

“Alright, we’re making our way to the Anti-air, get on boys,” she ordered.  There was more fighting throughout the valley. Toni had a hard time keeping herself relaxed but every time she set off the canon she was certain she was a year closer to death. She hated sitting in tanks. She hated not being able to help the ODSTs, sitting outside and assisting her. She tried to focus on the mission at hand. Get in, get out. Get in, get out. Get in, get out. Eventually, the tank approached the AA guns and Six swore. This was a joke- this had to be a joke. The Covies completely demolished the short-handed base Kat and herself had taken refuge in a month or so earlier. Toni thought she was going to be sick- Kat wasn’t here anymore. 

“Enemy guns dead ahead, Lieutenant.” the ODST Sarge said. 

“Time to get to work, Six. Take out those guns.” Carter’s voice ordered, snapping her back to reality. Six climbed out of the tank, letting the Sergeant take over. She rolled under several rounds of bullets being fired at her and let the ODST’s have her back. She unclipped her shotgun, running into the now-vacated AA gun. She fired several times at the shield and gritted her teeth when it exploded. She popped one of her grenades and tossed it in. It exploded and the entire gun began to make noises. Six walked out and continued towards the tank.

“The first target neutralized,” Toni informed Carter.

“Copy. Stand-by.” Carter told her. She nodded to the ODSTs, waving her hand towards the second gun. The canon and gun of the tank began to spray down heavy fire on Covenant. Six sprinted across the ground, inhaling and exhaling until she got into the AA gun, copying the same notion while using her final grenade. She gasped when she felt something grab her. She found herself face to face with a giant elite in gold armor. She dropped her weight quickly after throwing the grenade. It blew up and the gun began to honk again. The elite and Toni flew against the wall of the gun and she could hardly catch her breath. Quickly, in a crawl-sprint, she ran out of the AA gun as it exploded.

“Nice job Toni,” Carter said. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Six exhaled, “I’m alright.” she lifted her head to see the cheering and waving ODSTs.

“NICE KILL SPARTAN!” The ODST in the gun exclaimed. 

“Make sure they pay for Reach!” The ODST Sergeant shouted. Toni stood up and nodded as she started jogging towards the Sword Base. 

“Falcons commend to set. Meet you inside the base, Lieutenant.” Carter said. Six nodded and started running towards the Base, she knew her legs were going to hate her after this but what did she care. She was just ready to get back to the guys. She encountered a few Covies but it was shockingly quiet as she approached the gate.

“Gentlemen,” Six called over COM. “You three still alive?”

“Yeah, Jun is working on getting the gates open,” Carter said.

“Really missing Kat right about now.” Toni inhaled and nodded in agreement. She slowly came to a stop and frowned deeply at the place where Jaxon died. She walked over and knelt down, touching the grass. A chill rolled down her spine as she stood up and stared off at the horizon. Something churned in her stomach and she didn’t like it.

“Me and you both,” she mumbled. After a few minutes of jogging, Jun came back over the COMS.

“Gates open Boss,”

“Six, get over here! We got Covies all over the base.”

“On my way as we speak,” Toni assured him, breaking back into a sprint. She got to the gates and pulled her shotgun off her back again before charging up the ramp.

“Tango, coming for the pad!” Emile shouted.

“Head for the garage!” Jun snapped. 

“Toni! NOW!” Carter shouted. Toni jumped onto one of the cement blocks and jumped over Carter’s head. 

“Watch your head!” She shouted rolling onto the concrete and packing an elites face full of lead. She jumped back to her feet and ran to Emile’s aid, grabbing ahold of her armor and throwing him down so his shield could regenerate. She took care of the rest. 

“Just in time,” Emile huffed out. Toni nodded down to him, dropping to her knee and grabbing a nearby med-pack. 

“I’ve got your back,” she said with a deep breath. Emile nodded, letting her bandage up his suited hand that was slightly ripped open and bleeding. 

“Move in further, Noble.” Carter’s voice ordered. Toni helped Emile to his feet and walked up next to Carter,

“How is it looking?” she asked.

“What do you think?” Carter tilted his head to the side to look at her. Toni didn’t respond and simply nodded. “Still got it?”

“Of course.” She nodded, showing the slight lump in her glove. Carter grabbed her hand in his, lacing their fingers together and squeezing. 

“Good,” he sighed. “That’s good,” he nodded. Toni gave him a squeeze in return and nodded, letting go of his hand and walking further into the garage. “Elevators out of order,” she said, glancing at the men behind her. Emile nodded and snorted a bit, 

“Shocking.” he commented with a nod, “What now sir?”

“We find a way up,” Carter responded simply to the ONI doors off to the side. “We’ll have to go through maintenance.” 

“The way this place is done in? We’re lucky anything still works,” Emile snorted. Toni walked over and nodded to Emile to help her. She dug her fingers between them and pulled as hard as she could, prying them open. Emile assisted with the other door, sparks pattering down onto their helmets. Toni took point and moved in quickly, her gun at the ready as her eyes scanned the way ahead. 

“We’re clear through here,” She said.

“For now,” Jun muttered. Toni had to agree with him but she remained quiet and continued walking up and up the ramps. The darkened hallway opened into more tunnels, dark and lit by red alarm systems that blinked every now and again- engulfing the SPARTANs in complete darkness. She crouched when she heard abrupt squawking noises above her. She crouched to the ground and glanced up. Jackals roamed around with an Elite a few grate bridges up from where Noble crouched right then. Toni looked to Carter who took the lead, carefully and quietly led the team up the ramps and stairs. Toni and Emile to the sides to take out any straying covenant aliens quickly and quietly. She hadn’t worked with Emile personally yet and the more she watched him fight, the more she realized that he had a very similar fighting style to herself. At least when it came to knives and silent kills. Jun watched their six and would stop at the edge of every ramp to let the team move all the way up to the next, then he would run to catch up. 

Toni paused as they drew upon the Elite and looked to Carter for permission to move forward. He gave her the forward hand signal and she ran in. The Elite turned quickly but it was too late, she was already on top of him. Swinging his gun at her, she ducked and used her knife to slice at his knees. The Elite roared and dove for her. She rolled out of the way, throwing her knife up to hold it by the tip of the blade before throwing it. The knife landed in Elite's face and it fell backward. She walked over, leaned down, and pulled it out. She looked up at the men staring at her. 

“What?”

“That was…” Carter cleared his throat. 

“Too much?”
“That was hot,” Emile snorted, walking past her. Toni watched him walk past before looking back to Carter who simply walked to her side with his head down while Jun chuckled over the COM. She smirked a little and bumped his arm with her elbow before continuing up into a darkened ramp sector. 

“Alright Toni, take point.” she reached up and flicked on her night vision looking around. There were no windows so the red-tinted sky couldn’t simply leak in. Walking into the next part of the base, the doors swung open before her. Inside the room littered sparking screens and glass everywhere. She glanced around and held her tongue, glancing over her shoulder at Carter. 

“This doesn’t look...very fun. Carter why don’t you take this one.” Six never thought of herself as a Leader. She found the following role suited her more than anything else. Carter’s visor glinted at her almost to tell her to keep walking. She huffed and turned on her heel following the red strip lights on the borders of the walls. She kept her finger settled on her trigger and moved carefully to the next doorway which opened a new area to her.

“Where are we headed to now, Boss?” Jun asked.

“Dot?” Carter inquired.

“Please proceed to the prearranged coordinates,” Dot ordered.

“Cryptic,” Emile scorned, walking up next to Toni.

“You know as much as I do, Noble Four.” Toni paused at the large door to the atrium. She looked at Carter who walked up to her other side. He pressed his hand against the door and tilted his head back, watching it scale upwards. He walked ahead of her and Toni, Jun and Emile followed suite. 

“Coordinates, nearby Commander.” Dot inquired. 

“We’re close,” The Commander raised his hand and gestured to the ramp in a quick slicing motion, “Up the ramp and to the right.”

“Try not to fall this time Six.” Emile taunted.

“Noted, this time I don’t have a giant to haul me back up.” She scoffed slightly. There was a small ripple of laughter in the group, though it almost felt more like a courtesy than anything else. As they started walking Toni was struck by a plasma blast- she grunted as her shield took damage and she stumbled back into Jun who caught her.  She cocked her gun and bolted under the firing, shooting over and over and over again until the Zealot fell. It scrambled back to its feet and kicked her in the stomach. Carter jumped in front of her and fired several more times. He popped a grenade and threw it to the ground, letting it bounce back up as he tackled Toni to the ground to avoid the blast. “Nice one, sir.”

“Yeah, thank me later,” Carter grunted, getting up again, grabbing her hand, and hauling her to her feet. She picked up her shotgun and turned to see a hysterically yelling Emile firing into another Zealot's face while Jun stood by shaking his head. Emile huffed a breath and stepped off the Alien’s chest, looking to the Commander and Lieutenant. 

“Let’s continue,” he said. Toni nodded and looked to Carter who lead the way up the ramp. They walked through a very dark room, Toni was thankful for her night vision and approached a door. Carter glanced inside it, looking around for a moment, 

“This is it, in here.” Carter nodded affirmingly. Toni walked in after him and frowned at the sight,

“My god,” she echoed. Bodies of troopers covered the ground, some laid on top of each other, others by themselves. She clenched her teeth and shook her head. 

“Looks like they got themselves cornered,” Jun said, looking at Carter who walked in last. 

“ Or were committed to the position.” Carter countered, stopping in his tracks for Toni to catch up from her slight wandering investigation of how many Troopers she could count.

“I’m gonna go with cornered,” Emile responded, “There’s nothing here.” his voice sounded exhausted, and he probably was. 

“No load-bearing columns either,” Jun commented. “Sir, if we’re supposed to blow this place, this ain’t the spot to do it from.”

“Carter,” Toni placed a hand on the Commander’s shoulder, “I gotta go with them on this one. We blow it here, its not gonna take care of anything. Cause major structural damage, sure. But ONI wants this thing gone. ” She examined Carter’s helmet. He sighed and lifted his data gauntlet,

“Dot check your vector.”

“Vector confirmed, Commander. We are precisely where ONI has directed- apologies. Coordinates revised. Please confirm?” Dot said.

“ Revised?! ” Carter snapped. Toni exhaled a breath and shook her head, looking at the ground. 

“By an AI of unknown origin, whose clearance is well above my own.” Dot explained, 

“Well, it’s pointing us at a click and a half east, at 2000 feet underground.” Jun scoffed.

“Uh...I didn’t bring my shovel...Commander.” Emile choired. Toni held back a scoff at that comment, 

“Sir, I say we go AI-free on this one.” She said, taking a couple of steps back to lean against the lip on the wall. “ONI is full of shit, and technically we’re still completing the mission just not in the way that they want us to.” 

“Obviously these coordinates are junk and the longer we go chasing-” Jun was cut off by a low rumbling and shifting noise nearby. Toni ducked behind the ledge, readying her gun. A wall pushed forward and opened slowly, shifting onto the wall. She took a breath and fell silent. 

“What is this Dot?” Carter muttered.

“Our revised route, Commander.” Dot inquired. 

“Alright...we came this far,” Carter said quietly, gesturing her fingers for Jun to move up. He stood up straight and put his gun on his back. Toni immediately moved in behind him, aiming just over his shoulder. Emile moved in behind her and the door slowly closed up. 

Chapter Text

THIRTY-FOUR. Her Saving Grace

Sword Base
Babd Catha Ice Shelf Eposz
August 29, 2552
26:39 hours 

Toni walked alongside Carter, he glanced down at her every now and again. She bumped his arm a few times reassuringly as they walked into an opening with some kind of train system nearby. She nodded to Carter and moved ahead, her gun readied as she examined the carrier, to assure there were no enemies aboard it. She turned back and nodded, 

“It’s clear,” she called, walking into the small carrier. She looked around again and turned to the men who hopped on after her. 

“Your new AI friend tell you anything else, Dot?” Carter asked. There was silence, “Dot.”

“She’s been expecting you.” Dot responded. The doors slammed shut with a steamed sigh and Toni leaned against the nearby wall. 

“That's perfect,” Emile grumbled with a sneer to his tone. Toni couldn’t blame him. This really did seem like taking the extra mile for no reason at all. To say she was irritated was one thing, but she had had it with ONI and their damn charades. This had gone too far. Way too far. She opened her mouth to speak to Carter, and then fell silent when Halsey’s voice cut in.

“Apologies for the unusual security measures, Commander. But the stakes demand it,” she said lowly. Toni wanted to just light the entire base on fire with gasoline and a match. She clenched her teeth and stayed slumped a little bit behind Carter. She thought this woman was dead. Gone. Deceased. 

‘Guess I hoped a bit too much there,’ she thought to herself.

“Doctor Halsey,” Carter exclaimed dully, “Casualty reports have you listed as-”

“Yes well, as they say, rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I only wish the same could be said for the rest of Noble Team.” was that a slight sadness in her tone. Six stared at the ground, “It’s unfortunate that their ends couldn’t have been prevented.”

“We all do ma’am,” Toni placed a hand on Carter’s side from her place behind him at his broken tone with head bowed. 

“It may please you to learn, however, that the data module Noble Two procured from Visegrad Station contained precisely what my scientist promised. A latch key discovery.”

“So that did turn out to truly be something after all,” Toni muttered to Jun and Emile.

“It has unlocked at last the secrets of this excavation.” Halsey tilted her head to the side and nodded briefly. 

“Not sure I understand,” Carter sighed. 

“You’re orders were a cover to bring you to me. And they’ve been overridden. You are nowhere, Team Noble, to ensure the delivery of this vital data to a secure location.”

“Doctor, our orders are to destroy all sensitive material-”

“Others will handle the demolition.”

“I’ll need to confirm this directive with Command-”

“Colonel Holland will be briefed. You belong to ONI now,” and with that Halsey disappeared from the screen before them. Toni glared at the woman’s previous echo and then exhaled,

“God I hate that woman,” she muttered. 

“You and I both,” Carter echoed. The carrier continued to move down and down and down- there was no speech between the four Noble Team members. Just a sense of urgency in what they had to do next. Why they had to do it. Toni and Carter held one and other’s hand tightly, the other two members didn’t seem to mind. In fact, it made Emile chuckle,

“Glad to see we all are still here. They’d be proud.”

“Yeah,” Toni smiled lightly. “They would be.” She knew Jorge was smiling down on her. Was he proud of what she’d achieved? Real, legitimate happiness? She smiled and gripped Carter’s hand. 

“We were talking about taking a long vacation after this.” Carter huffed, “The four of us.”

“I’d be down for some shore leave,” Emile chuckled. 

“Shore leave sounds...great.” Jun sighed out. “I think we’ve all earned it.”

“I agree.” Toni nodded. She felt Carter’s thumb go over her fingers. It was reassuring, claiming even.

“How do you think they’ll react when they find out about you two?” Jun asked.

“Your secret is safe here,” Emile chuckled before glancing up at the camera above them. Toni looked at it before raising her free hand, with her middle finger raised. 

“Worst comes to worst, I’m discharged and they try to recall her to ONI. Which will not be happening.” Carter scoffed, “Over my corpse.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Toni muttered. “They find out, they find out. But let’s try and delay that for as long as possible, yeah?” she said, letting go of his hand and nodding for him to walk forward as the carrier slowly halted. Emile hummed,

“Agreeing with Little Red, on this one sir. Try not to get discharged.” he laughed weakly.

“Noted,” Carter sighed. They walked out and the entire team fell absolutely silent. Above them were towers spiraling of ice. Large chunks fell before a ship encased in it. Toni exhaled and shook her head and blinked a few times in shock. 

“My God,” she whispered.

“Before you, is an alien artifact, not human nor covenant in origin, advanced beyond our comprehension. Until now. Thanks to Noble Two, the encrypting process of its data is nearly complete.” Halsey echoed into their helmets. 

“Whatever we’re doing down here, we better do it quick.” Emile said.

“Have your data ready ma’am, we’re coming to you.” Carter ordered.

“The decrypting process is still underway,”

“I don’t think you understand, we’re out of time.” Carter half snapped. “If it isn't portable when we reach you, it’s gonna get buried.”

“Bury any of it, and you bury mankind's best chance at survival.” Halsey snapped back. “Commander, you’ve been wondering what your SPARTANS died for? They died for this.” Toni nearly butted her own voice in over comms when she felt Carter’s fingers twitch against hers briefly as if to grab her hand once again. “Please. Buy me all the time you can.”

“Lets find Halsey’s ab, move.” Carter’s voice had become more stern and strict. It reminded her of the cold tone he had when they’d first met. 

“Sir, I’m seeing turrets already in defensive positions,” Jun commented.

“ONI was expecting company?” Emile asked.

“They’re a bunch of narcissistic scientists. Paranoia runs through them like blood in their veins. Of course, they were. Add that to the covenant knocking at their front door.” Toni said, walking past Emile. 

“Well they sure as hell got it,” Carter said. “Doctor, we have hostels inbound.”

“SPARTANS, you cannot allow the Covenant to break through that door into my lab.”

“Understood, let's give the doctor the time she needs,” Carter responded shortly. “Alright Noble, double-time it.” he snapped. The group sprinted ahead, through the ice and snow, Toni followed behind the men, her gun at the ready. 

“Noble Team, there are four defense turrets ready to assist you in defending the lab, get them online and quick.” SWORD control cut in. “When the turrets take too much damage they’ll shut down.”

“Alright Toni, I’m gonna need you to activate those turrets and set up a perimeter.” Carter commed to her. 

“Already on it sir, tread lightly you three. We’ll meet up again shortly,” she told the men before breaking off from the group. She started towards turret A noting its placement on her HUD compared to the other two. She planned the route in her head. Quickly moving to each turret, she dialed in her SPARTAN ID and watched them launch up, readied to fire. As she got to the final turret she gasped when she heard the clatter and crush from the ice above her. She dove out of the way of some falling chunks and scrambled behind a rock. Peering around the side, her eyes followed a Phantom gliding towards the ground. “Noble Leader, we have incoming hostiles. Watch your nine, respond?”

“Copy that, Noble Six. Move to us immediately,”

“Moving,” Toni assured the Commander and started sprinting towards her teammates. She heard firing at her back and turned around to see a ghost hovering quickly towards her. Swearing she took cover behind a rock, popping out a few times to fire rapidly at the alien vehicle. She took a breath, snatching a grenade off her belt and then throwing it over the rock. The grenade exploded a few seconds later and Toni started running again. She jumped and slid, yelling a few times at the shock of her shield faltering. She stumbled a few more times before reaching the lab doors where Emile pulled her behind a cement block with him. 

“Watch your step little red,” Emile told her. Toni pressed her back to the block and nodded, 

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” she seethed out before sitting up over the block and firing over and over again. She got back up and looked around. “Place is backed with laid columns,”

“Yeah, so stock up.” Jun told her, “Get all your shotgun ammo now while you still can.” His eyes were following a banshee going over their heads. He turned his rifle to enemies approaching them. “Alright, this is starting to get annoying,” 

“Just keep it up,” Carter ordered. “Six,” Toni caught a mag of shotgun ammo he threw her. 

“Thank you, sir,” she called, sliding the ammo onto her belt. She used her thumb to push the shells into her gun and quickly sprinted down the ramp, taking her barrel to the faces of brutes that ran at her. She dropped to her knees quickly, leaning back so her body went right under the gravity hammer swung at her. She rolled back to her feet, turned around, and shot two rounds up at the brute.

One took off its helmet. 

The other ended its life. She grabbed its gravity hammer and threw it as hard as she could at a grunt holding two plasma grenades. Active ones at that. It went flying backward with the hammer and blew up several grunts nearby. 

“WATCH YOUR SIX, TONI!” Jun’s voice shouted. Toni turned and moved out of the way of a ghost just in time. Well, that was a problem she would have to take care of, rather quickly if she could help it. She quickly fired off several more shots at the grunt in the vehicle until it was dead on the ground. She immediately retreated back to her team. She stopped next to a kneeling Emile who had taken up a grenade launcher. 

“That’s nice work,” he nodded to her.

“Yeah well, I’m trying.” she watched a Grunt spiral into the sky with green smoke spurting quickly out of its shell. She hummed and looked back at Emile. She turned back again and watched Carter, swing his body onto the back of a brute and slice its neck with his knife before jumping off and using his magnum to shoot a grunt in the head. She stared at him for another moment, “Damn…” she exhaled. “He is fine as hell.” 

“He totally pins you doesn’t he? Oh, SHIT LOOK OUT!” he and Toni jumped out of the way of a wraith cannon dropping down to where they’d once stood. 

“WHERE THE HELL DID THE WRAITH COME FROM?!” Toni shouted angrily. 

“That’s a very good question,” Jun chimed in with a laugh. Toni exhaled tiredly and cocked her gun again aiming and firing without hesitation. She clenched her teeth and ran out into the fray with Carter, while Jun and Emile covered her with heavy fire. 

“You should get back under the veil,” she told Carter.

“Like hell,” he scoffed, reloading his gun and aiming at an elite. 

“Carter,”

“Toni,” he drew out her name just as she’d done to him in a mocking manner. She turned her head slightly and looked over her shoulder with furrowed brows. He was looking back at her, his visor seemed to match hers. He was probably smirking under his helmet. Sly bastard. 

She turned back and cocked her gun again, shooting down grunts that waddled in a run at them. She stared silently at the Grunts running at her. She smiled a bit one of them flew up into the air. She nodded with a small smirk in contentment. 

“I'm close SPARTANS, just hand in there,” Halsey demanded.

“GET DOWN!” Carter dropped to the ground, and Toni followed in-suite as a blast went right where their heads had been. She and Carter scrambled back to their feet, “WE GOT ANOTHER PHANTOM DROPPING TROOPS TO FLANK US.”

“Maybe we can grab a banshee and bring the fight to them,” Jun’s voice commented. Toni glanced at a banshee nearby and smirked slightly looking at Carter.

“Toni no.”

“Toni, yes.” she chimed before sprinting over to the banshee. She slid her body inside and as she set her weight down the vehicle flew up slightly. She glanced around at the controls, grabbing ahold of a knob that showed the directional movements. She grinned more and as it flew up.

“Please be careful, Antonia.”

“I’ll be fine, Carter.” she sighed while Jun cheered with a laugh. 

“HA-HA! YES!” he exclaimed. Toni used her other hand to tap down on a glowing missile button. She watched it blow up into pieces, and laughed out.

“This- this is awesome.” she turned the banshee,  “Alright, I’m gonna go take care of that wraith,” she said sternly. She drove the banshee across the sky taking out a few other banshees that circled around the air. She focused her eyes on the wraith beyond and fired several times with the missile. She gasped when one of the canons hit the banshee, she wasn’t entirely sure how she remained so steady. She fired again, swinging the banshee around and around before firing again. Then the wraith exploded into bits and pieces of fire. She took a breath and exhaled. 

“Well done SPARTANS. I’m opening the gate now,” Halsey informed the team. Toni exhaled a breath and drove the banshee back down to the ramp, sliding out and letting it crash into a nearby rock. She landed in a crouch and looked up at the men who were waiting for her. She quickly jogged over with a smile and huff,

“Alright,” She jogged up next to Carter, “Let’s go.” The team entered the lab and the doors laid tightly shut behind them. She looked around the dark hallway and frowned deeply as they jogged quickly down the hall. She latched her shotgun to her back and tried to keep up with the men the best she could, but now there was a nice cramp forming in the crook of her knee. She limped after them, more than jogged and honestly it became more and more painful. Her eyes followed the networks of data that ran in long streaks like a river of stars over her head. She stopped walking and turned around, her eyes wide as she followed to the place it all poured. She took a breath in and looked to Emile who was looking around just as wary as herself. Walking up slightly behind Carter, her curiosity was killing her. 

“What is this stuff?” Emile asked.

“Knowledge. A birthright from an ancient civilization.” Halsey responded, “This AI is its custodian you could say,” Toni’s eyes followed Halsey everywhere she walked curiously watching her. “And she has chosen you as her couriers.” 

“Chosen. By an AI.” Emile snorted, looking to Carter. Toni looked to Carter in slight confusion as well,

“Well, I mean...if she’s as brilliant as Halsey is implying she is, it makes sense.” She told Emile softly, 

“This AI, yes. Her measure of you carries as much weight as my own.” Halsey moved aside and a small ball of data networks came into view. Inside, a woman figure sat, looking briefly over her shoulder. Toni stared and the AI stared back at her. “Perhaps more.” Halsey continued, “You are to take her to the UNSC Shipwrecking yard in Aszod. There you’ll find a Helsion Cruiser waiting to get her off-planet.”

“I understand,” Carter nodded, his visor focused on Halsey. 

“Do you?” Mankind is outmatched, when Reach falls, and it will fall, our annihilation is all but certain unless it can gleam from this artifact a defense against the covenant. A game-changer if you will. On the level of the control bullet in the 19th century or faster than light travel in the 23rd.” 

“And what if we can’t?” Carter questioned. 

Toni continued to watch the AI as she stood to her feet. Long-limbed and keeping her back to the team. Curiosity continued to reach into Toni’s mind and felt as uncomfortable as dirt under her fingernails. 

“An apt question, if there were somewhere else to place our hope. There is not.” Halsey disconnected the globe around the AI and watched her vaguely. The AI looked back at Halsey before vanishing. Toni looked up, her eyes following the networks as they disappeared. It was truly amazing. Toni didn’t Halsey, not even a little bit. But at the same time, she had a general respect for the doctor's work ethic and brilliance. She was truly astonishing. Toni couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to understand how she thought- she had done unspeakable things. How did she think? Why did she think that way? Watching Halsey as she pulled a device out of the pedestal, she held it up and examined it for a moment before walking over to Six. 

“Take it, Lieutenant, she has made her choice.” Toni stared with wide eyes. She glanced to Carter,

“Me?” she muttered.

“Yes,” Halsey held the device out. Carter’s nodded for her to take the device so she did. Toni gently grasped each side of the carrier,

“Do you have it?”

“Yes.”

“Say the words, please.”

“I have her ,” Toni said. Halsey’s eyes met her visor and softened slightly. Toni blinked a few times as she gently took the AI’s carrying device from the woman, and examined the small ball of light in the center of the cylinder. There was more silence between them, 

“Thank you, Antonia.” Toni gritted her teeth together when she said that, “Really. Take care of her.”

“She’ll be just fine with me. I won’t let anything happen to her, I give you my word Doctor.” Toni nodded. She turned to Carter and nodded, gently sliding the device onto her belt. With one hand she held it and moved side to side ensuring that it wouldn’t budge from its place on her back. She took a slow breath and nodded faintly, “Alright, let’s get out of here. This place is falling apart.”

“Agreed.” Halsey nodded, “Come there is an elevator out this way that should take us to a hangar runway. Though, I’m sure there aren’t many pelicans left.” 

“Well, let's hope there is.” Jun muttered, “We’ll follow you Doctor.” he said. The SPARTANs fell in line after Halsey and now Toni was put in between Emile and Carter, with Jun on her right. She felt a little claustrophobic, tensed up slightly as they approached the elevator. Toni stepped in after Halsey, the three men following. Toni already knew she was gonna regret this- because now they weren’t about to let her do anything even remotely risky. She took a breath and flitted her hand to Carter’s left arm. Carter leaned his arm out for her to touch but kept his visor faced straight ahead. Toni let her fingertips graze his upper arm before letting it fall again. She turned and saw Halsey’s eyes on them. Carter probably had seen it too. Toni didn’t say anything for a moment, 

“Do you have something you’d like to say, ma’am?” she asked. Halsey examined her face before turning and looking ahead,

“I do not particularly enjoy being told that I am wrong. Or being proven wrong. But…” She looked back to Toni briefly, “You did 

just that.”

“I’m so glad that you have another reason to dislike me,” Toni scoffed lightly, with a soft smile.

“Hm,” Halsey hummed in response. “Well, you proved me wrong. And for that, I congratulate you.” Toni stared at Halsey for another moment,

“Thank you, ma’am,” she said quietly. She saw Carter’s back relax slightly and she smiled a bit more. They were so close to it all being over, it was the final jump. One last leap and they could leave. They could be extracted, they’d be able to leave Reach. It would be over. The elevator stopped after many minutes of waiting of moving and they all walked out into the light. She blinked a few times against the lights sparking in the distance and took a breath. She looked to Carter as they walked, two pelicans. 

“Three, you’re going to escort the Doctor Halsey to CASTLE Base,” Carter told Jun,

“I do not require an Escort Commander,” Halsey scoffed rolling her eyes. Carter ignored her,

“Nothing falls into enemy hands, am I clear?”

“Yes sir,” Jun nodded. “Fly safe sir, we’ll meet soon.” Jun shook Carter’s hand. Emile high fived him, 

“Stay sharp, rifleman,” Emile told him. Toni paused in her tracks before hugging Jun as best she could, he stiffened almost in shock and laughed. 

“What’s this about?”

“Instinct,” She smiled softly. “We’ll see you soon. Good luck,” she told him, letting him go. Jun placed a hand on Toni’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. 

“Yes. And to you too, Toni.” he had a smile in his voice. Toni nodded and turned back to the Pelican that Carter and Emile were boarding already. Toni hopped onto the back of the pelican, walking in. She watched Carter walk to the front, speaking to Dot as he slumped into the pilot seat. 

“Had no idea you could fly Commander,” She called to him.

“Yes well, you’re not the only one full of surprises.” his voice inquired over the COM. Toni smiled a bit and looked at Jun's pelican slowly rising into the air. She sat down and leaned her head back, her legs were so tired. It felt so good to just sit down and close her eyes. She exhaled and let her mind rest for just a few moments...Soon it would be all over. She was looking forward to that shore leave. 

The shock of the Pelican jerking suddenly made Toni jolt awake. She looked around and then found herself face to face with Banshees circling the pelican like flies on a corpse. She pulled her gun off her back and aimed, firing with Emile in unison at the Banshees who were attacking. She pulled her last grenade off and through it. 

“Noble Leader, seek immediate medical attention,” Dot’s voice chimed. Toni whipped around, her eyes wide. “Sierra A259 please respond. You are alarming me-” Carter’s bloodied helmet was tossed down by his hand and Toni started towards the front. 

“Carter,” She said over the COM, moving forward until she grasped the back of his seat. She grunted when plasma bolts collided with the pelican, making her own body jolt once more. She grunted and chased a bit in pain, she stumbled back and swore, 

“Sierra-Two-Five-Nine, you are alarming me.” 

Toni grabbed the back of his seat again and felt his hand grabbing it and hauling her forward at the cost of a jerky movement from the Pelican. When she saw him, fear rose in her chest. 

“Carter-” she choked out, looking over his bloodied face and charred armor. 

“Not sure how long she’s gonna stay together. Skies are jammed up anyways,” he exhaled, “Gotta get you off her Toni,” Toni scoffed out,

“Sir, you-”

“Don’t wanna hear it. Get the Package to the Autumn,” Carter ordered. Toni ripped off her own helmet and glared at him. 

“I am not leaving you,” she hissed. “You can’t make me.”

“I’m not asking you to Antonia,” he scorned. His blue eyes flitted to her briefly, “I’m telling you to go. I’ll try to meet up with you.”

“No.”

“I will meet up with you.” he corrected, coughing a bit. “Now, get that damn package to the Autumn,” he was a man of his word. He was a man of his word-

“Done.”

“Not yet, it’s not. Emile go with her! It’s a ground game now,” Toni turned to Emile who pumped his left shoulder with his fist as more Banshees appeared in the background. 

“It’s been an honor, sir!” Emile called. 

“Likewise,” Carter responded, “I’ll do what I can to draw their fire.”

“Try not to do everything, yeah?” Toni hissed, “I need you to come with me.” she snapped, “There's no point in going if you aren’t there.” she said. Carter looked at her, he slammed his fist against autopilot briefly, using one hand to grab the back of her head and pulled her into a kiss at an awkward angle. Toni placed one hand on his arm and clenched her fist around it when she tasted his blood in her mouth. The kiss was sloppy and nowhere near the soft and entrancing kiss it had been days earlier. The passion was most certainly there, though messy but fast, she’d remember it that’s for sure. Though she wasn’t sure she would’ve wanted to. She pulled away and spat, cupping his face with one hand. 

“Come back to me,” he told him. Carter rubbed his thumb across her lower lip and nodded. 

“Six, that AI chose you...she made the right choice.” Toni watched him turn his gaze back ahead, “Go.” She pulled her helmet on and turned back to Emile. 

“That was cute,” Emile taunted.

“Shut up.” Six pulled the device from off her back and held it tightly, crouching in front of Emile. 

“On my mark,” Carter raised his fist with three fingers and counted down to zero, before pumping his fist briefly. “MARK!” Emile and Six both jumped backward off the Pelican. Toni gasped when they slid down a canyon, her shield burst and depleted before she rolled to a stop. Six landed on her back and stared up as Carter’s pelican flew right over them. She looked at the storage unit in her hands and examined it for a moment. 

“Alright, it’s clean,” she said, standing up and putting the device back onto her back. 

“Still with us Commander?” Emile asked, gesturing for Emile to catch up. She jogged over and sprinted alongside him, holding her shotgun. 

“Stay low, let me draw the heat. Just deliver that Package.” Toni focused her eyes on the enemies ahead. She shot them down while running, not even sparing them the right to let her stop and handle them. Emile and the Lieutenant climbed up onto another bluff, in the distance The Autumn could be seen. She took a breath and blinked a few times, they were so close. So close.

Just hang in there, Carter. Just please, hang in there. Her eyes followed the Pelican in the distance before she looked back at Emile. 

“There's our destination, Toni: the Pillar of Autumn. Race you to her,” Toni snorted a bit and rolled her eyes, he was trying to distract her, wasn’t he? She clenched her fists and nodded, 

“You’re on,” she said before moving down the bluff and drawing the attention of covenant aliens on the bridge. Cocking her shotgun she fired over and over killing every Grunt that ran at her in one shot. She ducked under a swing from an Elite and kicked at its knees. She took a deep breath and jumped. She punched again with a swear before pushing the gun to his gut and firing. The Elite fell backward dead and she looked to Emile who gave the all-clear signal with his hands. He walked over and looked at two mongooses. 

“Well this is convenient,” Toni glanced at Emile,

“We’ve got transportation, let’s go.” He hopped onto one of the mongooses. Toni pulled herself onto her own mongoose and sped off ahead, with Emile behind her. She held her breath, focusing her eyes on the sky ahead. She swerved with the curves of the road, her eyes focused on the trail. She sat forward and gasped when she saw a Drop Pod slam into the ground a few feet ahead. She repressed the urge to scream when she saw a Scarab trailing over her. 

“SCARAB! DO NOT ENGAGE! GUN IT TONI! GO! GO! GO! ” There were loud blast sounds and wheezing from the Scarab above her. Toni looked up at the pelican firing down on the scarab as she weaved between the Scarab's legs. She huffed a breath when she heard Carter’s breath,

“GET THE PACKAGE OUT OF THERE TONI! REMEMBER YOUR OBJECTIVE!”

“WHY DON’T YOU FOCUS ON NOT DYING?” Toni shouted back to no response from Carter. She took it as a win in her book and continued her way across. Another Scarab drops down and screams. Toni tightened her grip around her handles but screamed when a drop pod dropped directly on the hood of the small vehicle. Toni threw herself off of the mongoose and hit the ground. The device slammed straight up into her back and she shrieked in pain. The blast- the explosion- her back- the pain- oh god she couldn’t breathe. She rolled onto her stomach, trying to get to her feet when Emile rolled up next to her. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto the back-

“Hold on,” he ordered her.

“My back- Emile- my back-”

“I know, just hold onto me and try to stay conscious.” He told her. Toni wrapped her arms around his waist tightly and tried to ignore the weakness that crept up on her brain. She seethed a few breaths,

“TONI?!” Carter called.

“I’ve got her Commander, though I think that back injury just came back in full force.”

“Dammit, watch her Emile.”

“I will.” Emile went silent as they raced past falling covenant soldiers. She watched Carter’s pelican disappear from view when more banshees retaliated to his attack on the Scarab. All she could think about was the hundred possible ways she could lose him in the next five minutes. She wanted to slap herself, he would make it. 

He said he would. He said he would. 

She kept that reminder in her head and instead tried to focus her mind on anything beyond the pain in her back. It went straight up her spine like someone had grabbed it and was trying to forcefully yank it out of her body. Fire and ice all at the same time- burning alive while frostbitten- she’d never heard anything like it. Was it possible? Or was she simply delusional from the pain? Also a possibility. She huffed a breath and she looked over Emile’s shoulder-

“The bridge is out, we’re gonna have to jump it.” 

“I’m going to break my fucking back.”

“Lock your armor and just trust me,” Emile told her. He sped up and Toni clenched her fist, pressing her finger against the middle of her palm. Her armor locked up, and Emile’s shield began to shimmer as well. They flew into the air seconds later, Emile’s armor stopped shimmering long enough for him to jump off, and grab Toni around her waist with one arm before they hit the ground. They went tumbling, and Toni thought her back had snapped for a moment there but Emile prevented that from happening, using himself as a quick barrier to stop moving. He exhaled and sat up,  “Alive?” 

“Barely,” Toni grunted. She gasped when she saw a glimmering blue ball hurtling towards them, “SHIT!” she screamed as she and Emile quickly sprinted out of the way. She patted her back for their gun only to find-

“My shotgun-” she swore. “It’s gone,”

“Must’ve come off when you fell,” Emile grabbed the DMR off the rack and tossed it to her. “Take a rifle,”

“It’ll work I suppose. Get in there, try and…” she paused to catch her breath, “Try and get rid of the heavy hitters.”

“No fancy moves Antonia, I’m serious.” Emile ordered, “Try and stay behind the fence. We’ll take the wraith together.” he said firmly before running out and disappearing behind some of the bluffs. Toni took a breath and aimed through the fence, putting a bullet in a grunt's head as they sprinted around screaming. She exhaled another breath and reloaded her gun.

Focus, focus, focus

BANG

Aim, fire, aim, fire

BANG

Search and fire, search and fire

She scouted out every alien she could find as the wraith continued to pound the roof she was under. She gasped when a piece of the roof fell in next to her feet. She quickly moved to the side and crouched down to look for more aliens. She squinted at Emile who was firing relentlessly. He seemed to eventually run out of bullets and proceeded to use his knife and grenades. She processed how she’d never actually worked with Emile by herself before. He was a very skilled SPARTAN. It scared her when she noticed how much he moved like her. Brutal. Angry. Machine-like yet agile. She sucked in a breath.

He...understood didn’t he? Every time he comforted her, sought her out to affirm her- it’s because he understood. Didn’t he? She sat back on her knees and stared at him as he paused, leaning over a brute he’d brought down. He looked in the direction of the Lieutenant briefly before turning back to another roaring brute. She felt her eyes burning as it all began to make sense, there on that concrete floor. She leaned over and placed a hand onto her helmet, repressing sobs. Why did it take her so long to understand that they understood her? Why did it take her so long to come to terms with the fact that they…

“Toni?” Emile’s voice asked. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” she responded. “I’m fine, my back just...it hurts.” she excused. Emile went quiet for another moment, 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,”

“Okay. Get down here so we can take care of this wraith.” Emile had a chirp in his voice. Toni got to her feet and walked out, the walk turning to a jog and the jog to a sprint. A very awkward run, unfortunately, but a run nonetheless. She stumbled up next to Emile and tossed him a plasma grenade. Both SPARTANs turn their eyes to the giant tank that came straight for them. Emile threw his grenade as Toni dove out of the way, sticking hers to the bottom of the wraith. She took a long breath and yelled a bit when the explosion occurred. Her hearing had become so sensitive, she’d become jumpy. Likely some kind of panic attack if she had to guess- some SPARTANs, including herself, were very prone to those. And though she’d never seen it, Kat had been prone to them. She wondered if she’d had one while Jorge and Toni had been missing. 

Well...Toni.

She watched the Wraith stumble a bit before assisting Emile in firing heavily at the wraith and when it blew up she exhaled. 

“Nice work Toni, let’s move.” Emile nodded. Toni followed after Emile quickly and exhaled a few times as they ran into a cave swiftly. 

“Noble, you have a...situation.”

Toni stared up at the Scarab climbing the cliffs, peering down over Emile and herself. She could hear her pulse in her ears and was trying to contain her absolute fear. She backed away slightly, clutching her DMR, her eyes never leaving the alien machine that towered over her. She looked over at Emile and then back up,

“Yeah, we noticed!” Toni argued. 

“We can get past this sir!” Emile assured Carter, 

“No you can’t, not without help.” Toni rolled her eyes at his response,

“Carter, you don’t have the firepower. We can move quick-”

“Toni.”

“It won’t catch us-”

“Toni.”

“ No. ”

“I’ve got the mass to charge this thing right into hell,” Carter responded.

“ No ,” Toni sneered again. “Carter- don’t please . DON’T .” she shrieked out as Carter swung the pelican around and aimed its body towards the scarab. Emile grabbed her around her waist, looking away,

“Solid copy. Hit em’ hard boss.” he affirmed. 

“CARTER-”

“You’re on your own Noble.” Toni kicked and thrashed, “Carter out.” The pelican collided against the scarab and burst into an explosion of purple, blue, and orange fire. The machine let out a dying shriek and scrambled its legs in an attempt to stay on the cliff. Toni screamed hysterically, prying Emile’s arms from her waist as she bolted for the ledge to look over. The pelican and Scarab fell to the ground and exploded once more. She stared, her eyes wide. Pulling off her helmet, she looked around at the world slowly losing its color. She took another breath and looked back down. Pulling her helmet back on, 

“Carter come in-” she croaked out. “Carter!” she sobbed out, “CARTER DAMMIT COME IN! RESPOND! NOBLE LEADER PLEASE! PLEASE!” she cried out. The silence was a response she didn’t want. “Carter please…” she whispered, pressing her helmet to the ground. Chills rolled down her spine, she slammed her fist against the ground over, and over and over again. “Come back to me…Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me here,” she whispered. “Please come back. Please come back…” Suddenly the weight from his ring on her finger became very heavy. She leaned back with a breath and looked off into the horizon. Hot tears streamed down her face, she seethed a breath before getting to her feet. 

They were separated yet again.

But this time, it was for good. Because he’d be somewhere bathed in a white glow,

And she’d be burning in hell. 

Chapter Text

THIRTY-FIVE. His Echo

Kicking, screaming. Shrieking. She kicked her feet wildly, successfully slamming her foot into someone's face. Toni broke free of the grasp holding her and bolted from the room as the doors slid shut. She frantically heaved a breath over and over again, her adrenaline-ridden eyes cutting up and down the hallway before she started sprinting again. She was so tired, so tired. The floor was cold under her feet but she didn’t care. Nobody would be touching her with those needles- they wouldn’t touch her. They couldn’t. She heard the doors swinging open behind her, people yelling her number and her name. She focused her eyes on the door at the end of the hallway and just as she reached out to grab it, arms snatched her from behind. 

“STOP!” she screamed, “LET ME GO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!” she shrieked wildly, “I DON'T WANT IT! I DON’T WANT THIS! I DON’T WANT THIS- LET ME GO!” she howled as tears streaked down her face. 

“SOMEONE SEDATE HER DAMMIT!”

“AHHHHHHHH!” Toni screamed as they hauled her back into the lab. She continued to kick and flail, men and women in masks working together to hold the girl down as she wildly flailed. “NO! NO! NO!” she demanded as a needle neared her neck. She screamed more and more as they sedated her body with the serum. It set in quickly, after a few minutes her eyes were already drooping and her limbs becoming weak. Her screams became weaker as she was pulled into the darkness. 

That darkness was so familiar now. So damn familiar. It couldn’t be compared to her eyes simply being closed- but as a room with no light. She wasn’t aware of where the forward was, or even where she was facing. Where was she facing? It all came flashing back at once though. Death. 

Who she was. The Grim Reaper. Death itself. A bad luck charm. His opposite. 

Carter was gone now. And everything felt so...dim. Dull. Grey. It was a pain like losing Jax. A piece of her was...gone. She couldn’t feel anymore. Or could she? What the hell did she know about feeling? This was the first time she’d felt anything since she was a teenager, screaming on the lab table as they injected her body with fluids. Steroids. Serums. She hated it all. She hated the military for making her into this monster. She hated ONI for training her this way and undermining her human nature. She hated Jorge for being so kind. She hated Kat for being so smart. She hated Emile for being so understanding. She hated Jun for being so patient. She hated Carter for being so damn stubborn. But most of all, she hated herself for not being there for them.

She loved all of them. These men and women she’d come to care for and now three of them were gone. 

Carter...was gone. Could she have truly loved him? Did she understand what it meant? Did he love her? His voice rang in the back of Toni’s mind. Her ledger was dripping red and yet he saw past it. He kissed her like she was the only person left in the galaxy. Smiled at her like she was the sun. Held her like she was a fragile rose…

A rose. 

“Get up,” she looked up at him crouched in front of her, his back to the darkness. “It’s not over yet, get up.”

Chapter Text

THIRTY-SIX. Here's to your brave souls

ASZOD, EPSOZ
August 30th, 2552
Unknown time

“Antonia,” Emile’s voice snapped. Toni lifted her head and looked at Emile, he slowly kneeled down and picked her up. “Come on. Crevice to the East, let’s go.” He handed Toni his shotgun and turned on his heel. “Stick with me okay?” he told her. Toni adjusted her helmet with hand and simply nodded, following after him. They walked for a good few minutes in silence. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.

“Did you kill him?”

“No,”

“Then don’t apologize,” Toni said sternly. “There’s no point in handing out apologies. It doesn’t bring them back.”

“You have the oddest ways of grieving,”

“How so?”

“I can never tell if you want to cry or punch something,” Emile said quietly. Toni didn’t say much for a moment, before sighing. 

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” She admitted. “I wanted him more than I wanted anything in my life,” she said quietly, she could still feel tears rolling down her face. There was an empty spot in her chest, and it hurt. She wanted to scream and sob, cry out, swear, curse whatever God was above them. She sighed and sniffed up her tears, “Let’s go. We’ve got work to do.” The two SPARTANs walked solemnly. There was silence between them through every fight but at one point Toni could’ve sworn she heard Emile sniffle. She couldn’t bring herself to console him, she couldn’t even bring herself to think straight for her own sake. Pushing her finger down harder on the trigger with every shot she took. She was angry.

She was grieving.

She wanted revenge...she wanted it. But to what avail? What would revenge gain her? Satisfaction? 

No.

Minutes passed like years and every step Toni took was draining, god she was so tired. She saw Emile walk up beside her, his hand on her back as a silent encouragement as they continued walking. 

“What happens now?” she asked Emile, “Where do we...go?” she glanced up at him. “Our Commanders dead, we don’t know where Jun has ended up…”

“The UNSC will find something. Hell, maybe we’ll just be freelance. I think I’d be okay with getting paid on commission.” Emile admitted. Toni remained silent, and almost as if he’d read her mind, he said; “You won’t go back to ONI, Six. I promise you that. I’ll fight like hell to keep you out of there. You’re part of the family now,” he swung an arm around her shoulders, “I’d always wanted a sister.”

“You had Kat,”

“That was...a bit of a different situation.” Toni nodded her head, catching the hint. She had noticed how close they were and Emile hadn’t mentioned Kat at all. He could hardly say her name and in the bunker, after they talked...he seemed to shut down. Close himself off. 

Now it all made a little more sense. 

Eventually, the two made it to a ledge, Toni crouched to one knee and examined the terrain ahead of them. Ahead of them, Toni could see the buildings that surrounded the area an enormous ship with ‘ Pillar of Autumn’ in bolded white letters settled. They’d made it. Toni’s heart dropped in her chest, and a lump caught in her throat. Her eyes burned again and she shook her head trying to not cry again. She couldn’t cry again. 

Carter. The name rung like some distant memory, she needed to block it out. She needed to block out his name, their names. She hadn’t felt this weak since...since her augmentation.  

“SPARTANS!” a woman’s voice shouted. Emile touched Toni’s shoulder before quickly sliding down the side, and Toni followed suit. “Over here!” a trooper waved her hands. Toni and Emile quickly jogged to the woman’s side and they crouched behind a large metal crate. “Happy to see some friendly metal,” she exhaled.

“Yeah well, guess we could say the same,” he responded. “We’ve got to get to drydock, it’s a priority one.” The woman opened her mouth to respond when a new voice joined the conversation.

“This is Captain Keyes of the Pillar of Autumn. We’re tracking you, Noble. But we’ve got a lot of signals. See you at dry dock, Platform D. I’ll be on it myself to receive the Package.” 

“We’ll be there sir,” Emile filled in. 

“You’d better be soldier, because my countdown has no abort.” Toni and Emile looked to the female trooper who nodded to them and led them from behind the crate. Toni took a tumble under a turret's plasma shot and threw a grenade to blow it up. The Covie was knocked from it but the entire thing didn’t blow which was fine for her. It gave them extra time to continue moving across the field. The trooper screamed out and dropped to one knee. Toni quickly locked her gun to her back and stooped down, scooping her up. 

“Shit!” the woman gasped. 

“Just hold onto me Ma’am, everything’s gonna be fine.” she nodded to Emile to clear a path and lead the way. 

“Leave me SPARTAN, I’m only gonna burden you guys,” the trooper hissed. Toni looked at her and only said, 

“No.” Toni, Emile, and the Trooper quickly moved through Sinoviet factories which in of themselves were infested with covenant. Toni at one point flipped the trooper over her shoulder just to grab an energy sword of a dead elite and cut down any large covenant soldiers that came running at them. Six stopped at a trooper team quickly evacuating the facility. 

She glanced down at the trooper and huffed a breath, 

“SIX- WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING?!” Emile shouted. 

“Lieutenant?” The woman questioned, her voice strained. 

“Hey you!” she snapped to a trooper who turned around immediately. “Take her,” Toni handed the woman off, “Get to the Pillar.”

“We’re working on an evacuation route now,” the man nodded taking the woman from Toni. 

“Good,” she nodded to the Trooper woman. “Everything is going to be fine.” 

“I hope so,” she huffed a breath. “What's your name,” the woman kept a tight grip on the SPARTAN's hand. Toni stared at her for a second, “Mine’s Ariel.”

“Antonia.” Toni nodded before pulling her hand away quickly and sprinting to Emile’s side. He stared at her, “I had to give her a fighting chance. Too many people I’ve spoken to have died. I wasn’t about to let another one get that way.” Emile sighed before running ahead again, they fought through more covenant- seemingly in endless waves. She just got more and more tired as the fight went on. 

Toni was tired of fighting. Exhausted even.

‘Too many people have died because of me. Too damn many.’ she thought to herself angrily. She felt her back for the Package and shook her head, ‘This AI better be fucking worth it.’   Her eyes widened as she saw the sky filled with covenant aircraft.

“Oh god,” she whispered.

“Alright, what’s the situation?” Emile demanded. 

“We rigged the mass driver to the top. We lost that, the Autumn will have no cover fire, and there's no way she’ll make it to orbit.” A trooper explained to them. 

“Noble to Keyes: we’re at the pad.” Emile turned away immediately, Toni merely nodded to the Trooper as a thank you.

“Copy Noble. My Pelican is ready. Clear an LZ and I’ll meet you there.” Keyes responded to them. 

“Will do sir.” Emile turned on his heel. “Alright Six, this is it. I’ll man the gun. You just get to onto the Platform and deliver that Package.”

“Absolutely not,” Toni argued.

“Excuse me?”

“Last time someone was left by themselves to handle large Covenant Aircraft? He died.” Toni hissed. “Emile, I can’t-”

“Toni.” He grabbed both of her shoulders. “Do you trust me-”

“Why the hell does that-”

“DO YOU TRUST ME?”

“YES!” 

“Then get your ass out there, and do what you do best. You were born for this Antonia. Kick their asses, and I’ll meet you back down here.”

“And if you don't?”

“Then I’ll let you punch me when we see each other again.” She could hear the smirk in his voice. Toni clenched her teeth and nodded, 

“Alright deal.” she huffed a breath. Emile leaned forward and affectionately knocked his helmet against hers. 

“Good response. Alright, Troopers! Two of you with me! The rest of you! Cover the Lieutenant.” Toni watched Emile vanish around a corner and turned just in time to see two Phantoms slowly hover down to the ground and drop off forces. She seethed a breath before running ahead using what little ammo she had left in her DMR to shoot down Grunts that ran her way. She ducked under a Brutes swing and rolled off to the side, firing into its back. The gun clicked empty and Toni quickly sprinted through doors on the lower level of the pad. Her eyes scanned the walls for weapon columns and when her eyes fell on the assault rifles she exhaled in relief. Sprinting over she tugged one off the rack and ran out of the other side just in time to see a phantom explode. 

“Hell yeah baby! This is where I was meant to be!” Emile’s voice laughed out. Toni looked up at the giant gun that swung around. Toni couldn’t help but laugh out with a broken-up smile as she ran forward, picking off stragglers. She looked to the troopers who were mimicking her dives and keeping the top platform cleared off. She nodded to them and pulled her knife out taking it to some jackals that started shooting at her. Her shields falling was numbing in a way, but she couldn’t be done yet. It took a lot of willpower to not let the needles finish her off right there. It would’ve been so easy. 

But everything in her body screamed in objection to her brain.

‘I won’t die yet.’ she thought to herself. With a loud cry, she threw her knife into a gravity hammer brute, watching it dig right into its face, past an opening in its helmet. Toni ripped her gun off her back again and fired an entire mag into the bastard's body. She walked over and picked up the gravity hammer, feeling its weight between her two hands, she turned to fight the rest of the covenants who were all now backing away from her whilst firing. Whenever the fist of the hammer hit the ground, it made a thunderous crack that sent her attackers flying backward. Tossing it to the side, Toni took a long breath, 

“Pads clear, Captain,” Toni informed Keyes as she slowly walked up the stairs.

“This is Keyes, on hot approach to Platform Delta.” Keyes’ voice confirmed. Toni watched the large pelican slowly descend down towards the Platform.

“Be ready Emile, I’m gonna take that second Pelican to come back around and get you.”

“I’ll do my best with what I’ve got on my hands Little Red,” Emile sighed. Toni didn’t respond and looked to Keyes who stared at her. He had a familiar cold look about him. In an odd way, Toni was drawn to him. Then it hit her. 

‘Oh,’

“Good to see you, Spartan. Catherine assured me I could count on you.” Keyes nodded to her. 

“Yeah well...I had some help.” She said softly handing the Package to Keyes.

“They’ll be remembered, I’ll make sure of it personally.” Keyes nodded with a small professional smile. Toni nodded with a sigh, taking her gun off her back and walking towards the Pelican when a giant shadow covered the area. A giant cruiser emerged from the darkened clouds, starting towards the Pillar. 

“Holy shit…” she whispered. 

“Cruiser adjusting heading for the Autumn!” Keyes snapped, “Noble four! I need fire on that cruiser or else we are not getting out of here! Do you copy?!” he snapped off. 

“You’ll have your window, sir!”

“Bridge, this is Captain Keyes. We have the package. Returning to the Autumn, over.”

“Copy that, over.”

And out of nowhere, a Phantom burst up and began shooting plasma bolts down at the platform.  There was a blast of strong air and Toni dove to the ground- screaming as her brain sent her back into the moments of glass flying at her face. Carter and her tumbling to the ground, turning over each other while the building next to them began to be glassed. She gasped out when she saw Keyes Pelican flee and the second Pelican wreck into the ground. Toni took a breath and got to her feet shaking her head and turning to watch where the Phantom would fly. Her eyes widened as it hovered over the gun. A pair of Zealots is dropped by the Mass Driver- one of them punching down into the Driver. Emile’s voice yells in shock and as the Zealot raises its energy sword, a shotgun blast knocks it backward and Emile climbs up, shooting it in the chest. Toni let out a sigh of relief for only a moment.

“WHO’S NEXT?!” Emile shouted. Toni’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets when she saw the Zealot climb up behind Emile-

“EMILE!” She shrieked in horror. It took its energy straight through his gut. “NO!” Toni screamed out, dropping her gun and running towards him some. The Zealot pulled the energy sword out of Emile, holding him by his throat. 

“I’M READY!” Emile cried out, “HOW ‘BOUT YOU?!” Emile pulled his kukri from his shoulder pauldron sheath and took the blade right into the Zealot’s throat. The Alien dies, falling backward and taking Emile with him. Emile’s dying grunts could be heard in Toni’s ears and Toni couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She sucked in her breath and sobbed a bit shaking her head as she turned back to the pelican. 

“Lieutenant! Get aboard! We gotta get the hell out of here!” A marine shouted at her. 

“Negative,” she choked out, “I’ve got the gun. Good luck sir.” She called to Keyes. 

“And good luck to you SPARTAN,” Keyes said gently. Toni saw the Pelican fly away and she started sprinting. Maybe he was still alive, maybe-

“Emile? Emile! Come in,” she begged. “Noble Six to Noble Four, please respond. Please?” she asked quietly to no avail. He was gone...He was dead. 

“Noble Six, I need you to get on that Mass Driver and cut me a path.”

“Yes sir,” Toni responded to Keyes. She moved into the factory and was met face to face with a Field Marshall. She tightened her jaw, she didn’t have Jorge here to watch her back anymore. She was alone. “I have HAD IT WITH YOU FUCKERS! JUST FUCKING DIE!” Toni raged. No mercy. No forgiveness. 

Pure, liquid hatred poured from her words. She had hated the Covenant before this. But now...hate wasn’t strong enough to describe what she felt towards the aliens. What they’d taken from her was more valuable than anything, and she hated that she only now saw that. If she’d been stronger, faster, more convincing- maybe they’d still be alive. 

Jorge.

Kat.

Carter.

And now Emile.

What had become of Jun? She couldn’t imagine. She didn’t want to. Toni took down the field marshall without even realizing she’d done it. Blood covered her visor. So much blood. She took a breath and lifted her eyes to the Zealots beyond her. She clenched her teeth and sprinted towards them. Unrelentlessly, she shot them all down. Jumping forward she tackled one to the ground, sinking her knife into its face. She rolled to the side, dodging another Zealot's swing. She picked her knife up and swung at it again, harder, faster. It could hardly dodge her. She moved quickly, putting her hate and emotions into her every step. God, she was filled with so much hatred. She slammed her knife handle deep straight into the Zealot's face and drew back for another swing into the same spot for good measure. The last zealot ran towards her and her response was simply to kick its feet from under it and swing her knife across its throat.

“And that's for Emile, you pieces of shit,” she growled, stepping over the bodies. Hurrying up the stairs towards the Mass Driver, Toni paused at Emile’s body resting against the steel bars gating the area. The tears became real again and she keeled down to touch his EVA helmet. She sucked in a breath before turning quickly and hauling her body up the ladder into the Driver. Glancing over the controls she figured she’d have to do her best. It was probably just a point and click, she made a mental note to aim for the Covenant vehicles for target practice. She quickly took down a phantom as waves of them began to attack the driver. Toni hunkered lower into the seat, hoping maybe it would suck her into oblivion as she continued firing on the Phantoms and Banshees before her. Her eyes glanced back and forth to Cruiser.

“Mass Driver won’t crack those shields, Six. We need to wait. Steady SPARTAN.” Keyes ordered. Toni took another breath and focused her attention. 

One phantom down.

Then two.

Then three.

Then a banshee.

And another banshee. They were all dropping like flies as Toni’s fingers flew over the controls. 

She heard a loud purring and bright light from the Covenant Battle Cruiser began to shine,

“FIRE! NOW LIEUTENANT! HIT HER IN THE GUT!” Toni turned the Mass Driver swiftly and fire. With a satisfying clicking like an oversized gun- the Driver fired and hit the Cruiser right in the energy projector. 

“Good guns Spartan, all stations: brace for cast-off.” Toni tipped her head back and closed her eyes for a moment. It was over. It was done. It was finished. She was finally finished. Toni took a breath and closed her eyes. More tears poured from her eyes and she took her helmet off, exhaling a breath of air. She sobbed out towards the sky. 

She turned her head just in time to see the Pillar of Autumn take off,

“This is the Pillar of Autumn. We’re away and the Package is with us.” Toni climbed down the ladder down towards the ground and hopped off, landing on her tiptoes. She looked back to Emile and sat next to him for a moment. Taking a long breath, she closed her eyes and laughed a bit.

“We did it, brother,” she coughed out. “I didn’t think we could do it, but...we did it.” 

Chapter Text

THIRTY-SEVEN. Last one out, get the lights.

Unknown coordinates
Unknown Date
Unknown Time

Toni wasn’t quite sure how long she’d been staring out into the dust-covered shadows of Reach. She’d sat on the ledge of the radio tower for way too long. She wasn’t quite sure who she expected to find her. Nobody was coming back for ghosts. Sighing deeply she dropped down from the tower and landed into the soft dirt. Walking along, she looked around her eyes squinting up at a Phantom that flew overhead. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” she muttered to herself. It had been days since she’d wandered away from Aszod. She wasn’t quite sure where she was at that moment, but somehow the Covies had found her. And that wasn’t good. She clenched her teeth and readied the shotgun she’d found. Whatever power-loomed over her decided this was her time- but like hell, she was gonna let it have her so easily. “I’ve lived this long out of spite, I’d like to see you try and take me so easily.” Toni growled. Why now? Why now was she finding the motivation to live when just days earlier she would’ve taken death as an option before she could live. Maybe it was Emile’s spirit kicking her in the ass or maybe it was just her spite. 

Toni ran forward and began searching avidly for a vehicle to no avail. There was nothing around, she gasped when she felt a sharp hit to her back. A plasma bolt. Turning she quickly began firing on whatever Covenant soldier hid in the dust. She turn and she ran as fast as she could screaming as more blasts came down on her. She tripped and groaned as hunger stung her in the gut. She tightly closed her eyes and got to her feet only to be pounded with more bolts. She crawled onto a cement pad, trying to get up but failing. She lifted her head and screamed out again as her visor cracked. She fell backward, slamming her head against the cement again and seeing it crack once more.

Tearing off her helmet, she heaved for air. What else was she supposed to do? Toni tossed it to the ground and stumbled over her own feet to grab the assault rifle off the ground quickly. She turned and shot down an elite. That’s when she felt it- talons- grab her around her neck. Throw her to the ground- her head thudded backward against the dirt. Her eyes crossed. Looking up at the Zealot Elite she used the dying strength of starvation and dehydration to kick it off.

The Alien stumbled back off and Toni crawled for a gun.

“You died that night,” Carter had told her.

No, she hadn’t. The night that Jaxon died, she realized what she was capable of. How she failed. She hadn’t died. Life was just processing. She grabbed the gun off the ground and swung it- thudding it into the side of the Elite’s head as it brought its dagger down into her side. She screamed out in pain.

“I won’t let you die here, not like this,” Jorge had whispered to her.

These bastards wouldn’t take Toni alive. The energy dagger was ripped out of her body and she tasted the copper blood fill her mouth. She spat it into the Elite’s face. Jerking her arm quickly, she knocked the bastard off of her. When Toni hastily scrambled away she saw it all over again-

‘The alien roared in her face before shots started getting fired. The Elite hurled backward and off of Six with the swift kick of Carter. He continued to fire at it. The Elite scrambled down the hallway- its shield getting taken down but nothing more. Six took a few deep breaths and pushed to her feet when Carter firmly grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. 

"Bout time! What were you waiting for? An invitation?"

"We had our own to hold out on, since you decided to hand-deliver the Marshal to us," Carter retaliated, pulling her shotgun from his back and shoving it into her hands. ’

Carter. That damn idiot, she was going to give him hell if she ever saw him again. And he wasn’t here to save her this time.

She screamed out again when a larger elite with a blazing energy sword approached her. Stepping over her bullet-shattered helmet. This was it. This was the end. This was her end. She felt the blow that would soon be her demise- sharp and painful. The adrenaline was covering it up. The desert dust would bury her body, and she would decay in this armor that protected her for so long.

Toni would die staring at the helmet that hid so many tears. The helmet captured the wrongs she had committed. The helmet that she could never properly breathe in. This ground would be her grave, and the mountain just beyond her would mark it. She would disappear. Just like a ghost.

‘No,’ she told herself. She wasn’t going down like this. Not without a proper fight.

Antonia shocked herself when she shoved the giant alien back- taking his sword with him. She was bleeding profusely from every pore. 

She would bleed out in no time. So she ran. It hurt, it hurt so badly in her core to run. The elites behind her roared loudly. Toni looked over her shoulder once before she sped up. She ran towards the mountains, a landmark. She nearly tripped a few times and spat her blood onto the ground as she ran. 

They could trace her from her bloodied tracks. 

So she would have to stop the blood. Toni fitted her hands tightly over the bleeding wounds- they would have less to track her with. She stopped and looked around frantically- so many mountains. Which one would be her eternal resting place? She stared ahead at the large mountain that dipped down the center. 

There. That is where Toni would rest. That is where she would lay down and cry because her side hurt so badly. That is where she would sob for Carter to hold her again. That is where she would beg for Jorge to tell her it was going to be okay. That is where she would hold Kat’s hand until the light consumed her. That is where Emile would ruffle her hair and tell her she did well.

She heard the roar of her enemies gaining on her and she limped into a run again. More coppery blood filled her mouth, she spits it out to the right of her once more. 

‘Keep going Antonia, keep going- you can do it.’ she thought to herself. Toni felt her legs trembling, so she ran faster. She gave up on trying to keep the blood in her body. It was only going to pool around her anyway. She fell at the foot of the mountain, coughing violently.

‘Get up- get up Six! Let’s go!’ the yelling of the men to drag Kat’s body into the bunker. Antonia looked up at a cave just beyond her. Coughing she sobbed out-

“I can’t...I can’t do it...I won’t...I won’t make it…” she cried out. “It hurts- it hurts so badly.” Toni heard the aliens behind her. She used the last strength in her body to pull her into the cave. She got there and fell against the ground, her face pressed to the dirt floor. She coughed harder and harder. 

‘You made it Red,’ Emile assured her. She could hear him, she swore he was right next to her. Looking up, she didn’t see her friend. Instead, she saw dark silhouettes of aliens enter after her. Toni rolled over and pulled her knife holding it towards her enemies. 

‘Let go, Toni,’ Jorge’s soft voice told her. Six gripped her knife tighter and took a few sharper breaths. Then she felt the familiar calloused hands on her forehead. She didn’t see anyone- it was all in her head. It was just her mind playing tricks on her.

‘Just breathe...just breathe…’ she heard Carter whisper. His familiar, raspy voice was so clear- it was there. She heard him. Toni sobbed out again and the knife fell from her hand as she fell back against the cave floor again. She didn’t feel her ending blow. She didn’t feel it at all.

Toni focused on the gentle tone that asked her to walk away with him. Had she made it to Heaven? Was this it...there were no flames. No red tint. Just people standing off in the distance and a man kneeled before her, his head outstretched. Carter’s blue eyes seemed to glint at her. Taking his hand, she stood. Walk away she did, her hand gripping his so tightly their knuckles turned white.

And for the first time in her life, Spartan B312 rested.

Chapter Text

THIRTY-EIGHT. Survivors Guilt

Castle Base
16:37 Hours

Jun stood to his feet from where he’d been forced to sit down. He couldn’t just sit anymore he had to be up. He had to walk around, not doing so made him feel sicker. He hadn’t heard from Toni, Emile, or Carter in nearly two days. He was beginning to fear the worst. 

“I’m going to go find them,” he finally said, grabbing his rifle and pulling it over his shoulder.

“SPARTAN,” Halsey scorned. “You don’t even know what you’ll find.”

“My team, that’s what I’ll find.” Jun scolded, glaring at her as he approached his helmet. 

“No sir,” a new voice spoke up. Jun twirled around to see a tall dark-haired female SPARTAN in black armor approach him, “No you won’t.”

“The hell does that mean?” Jun asked, not giving much of a fuck about rank and command at this point.

“We were just informed that Noble Six’s lifelines were…” the woman paused. “Were down. He’s-”

“She’s,”

“Right. She’s dead. As well as Commander Carter, and Emile-A239.” Jun’s eyes widened. 

“You’re...lying.”

“I am not,” she shook her head. “Reports indicate there is a video for you though, figured you would want to take this one.” She nodded to the back room. Jun moved swiftly past her. 

She was lying. They weren’t dead. Toni couldn’t be, Carter wouldn’t have let her. Unless he...but Emile wouldn’t have either. Unless. 

“OH, GOD.’ Jun’s voice cracked as he swiftly walked into the room where Toni’s face leaned back against bars, her mouth opened as if she was speaking. He felt his eyes burning but no tears fell, slowly he said,

“Play it.”

“Hey Jun,” Toni smiled weakly, her dark hair ruffling into her eyes. “Or whoever it is that is seeing this, hopefully, it’s Jun. Listen, it’s over. The Package has been delivered and I guess you could say I single-handedly just saved the galaxy.” she snorted, “Nah...Emile helped a little bit.” she shook her head. Looking over her shoulder, a figure was leaned against a wall, his head limps forward.

Jun’s mouth fell open when he saw Emile and he fell to his knees.

“This is a confirmation that Commander Carter and Warrant Officer Emile were both killed in battle on Reach.” Toni bowed her head, her voice breaking slightly. “I am going...somewhere. Not sure where or else I’d give you coordinates to haul my ass off-planet. But...pretty sure that’s useless now.” She sighed out and squinted off to the side, “I learned a lot with you guys Jun. Do you know that? I feel like...I feel like I never got to voice that, but I really did. You guys were some of the most extraordinary people I’d ever met. Ever had the pleasure of meeting.” she smiled weakly at the camera. “I hope...if you’re seeing this, that you live a very long life. Have some little Juns and tell the story of a group of people who were once your friends. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’ve got your back. Stay safe Rifleman. And...thank you Jun. For everything. 

Antonia out.” 

Jun sobbed out and a hand flew to his forehead. He yelled out angrily before crying and bowing his head to the floor. 

It couldn’t be.

Could it?

That he was the last?

Chapter Text

EPILOGUE. The Last Rose of Summer

Spartan Academy
July 24, 2xxx
07:28 hours

Jun sighed staring up at the MARK V [B] helmet displayed across the backdrop of the arena. This was as close as he was gonna get to getting her a proper memorial. An entire academy basically plastered with her face seemed sufficient enough. Slumping down onto the railed bridge that led from the crates to a building, he pulled out a cigar and lit it before pressing it between his lips and staring off into the dawn. He huffed a breath of smoke and twirled the brown branch-looking thing in his fingers. Some heavy steps raised his attention up to a new SPARTAN in MK V [B] armor, bright red with a rose emblem on the side of it. She hugged her helmet into her waist and watched home with two different colored eyes. 

“Bryce,” he nodded to the woman.

“Can I sit with you, sir?”

“By all means, be my guest,” he nodded to the place next to him. Bryce was a SPARTAN training in the academy, one that exceeded all of her teammates. She was good. Very good. Though with her dyed bright pink hair and slight blind left blue eye, one could beg to differ at first glance. 

“Why are you out so early?”

“Today is a very special day for me,” Jun responded. “Today is the day I met Noble Six for the first time, and the day that Reach was declared under attack by the Covenant.” Bryce fell quiet. 

“What...were they all like?” Jun glanced at the woman. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just curious!” she huffed out stubbornly, “Anytime I’m seen with this damn armor on, older UNSC ranked men will stare at me like I’m some...monster or something.” Jun couldn’t help but laugh. She glared at him which only made him laugh more. 

“That’s because you have Noble Six’s armor. Same color. Same emblem.” Jun told her, “I don’t quite understand why they did that but maybe it's Toni coming back for her revenge.”

“That’s another thing,” Bryce raised her finger, “I was always under the impression that Noble Six was a man. But you refer to them as a woman,”

“She was very much a woman,” Jun responded, he squinted his eyes. “At least I believe so, I’m sure my ex-CO could’ve told you more about that subject. He’d seen for more of her than I.”

“ Wait what?!” Bryce’s eyes widened. “Oh, now I need context!”

“Maybe another time,” Jun chuckled shaking his head to Bryce’s objections and groans. He smiled softly, his eyes trailing across the grass and he immediately sat up, swearing that he could see a few people. “Hey!” he snapped, “No training this...early…” his voice fell quiet when he recognized the people in the dim light. A tall figure stood above two people swinging at each other- Emile and...and Toni. Jun clutched his cigar as Kat and Carter shook their heads off to the side. Carter turned his head slightly and gave Jun a brief wave. And when he blinked…

The figures were gone. 

“Sir? Are you alright? Sir- there's no one over there. Jun?” Bryce’s voice questioned. Jun smiled weakly, feeling hot tears stream down his cheeks before he got to his feet.

 “Let’s get some breakfast, Spartan Bryce.”

‘Tis the last rose of Summer,

   Left blooming alone;

All her lovely companions

   Are faded and gone;

No flower of her kindred,

   No rose-bud is nigh,

To reflect back her blushes

  Or give sigh for sigh!

I’ll not leave thee, thou lone one,

   To pine on the stem;

Since the lovely are sleeping,

   Go sleep thou with them.

Thus kindly I scatter

   Thy leaves o’er the bed

Where thy mates of the garden

   Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow,

   When friendships decay,

And from Love’s shining circle

   The gems drop away!

When true hearts lie withered,

   And fond ones are flown,

Oh! who would inhabit

   This bleak world alone?

The Last Rose of Summer

Thomas Moore

The end.

Chapter Text

Holy shit, I'm in tears. I'm actually crying.

HI EVERYONE! IT'S THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PAIN!!!

Just kidding (kinda), hi everyone it's Crane. I don't even know where to start. Thank you all so damn much. Just...so much.
I have been working on Dysphoria for...years. Six years almost seven November 11th (which is actually Dysphoria's release date :))
And Toni is...such a big part in my life, it's just absolutely unbelievable that I've gotten this far. Just insane.

I never actually thought I would finish this, but thanks to quite a few of you hunting me down on Instagram, I decided I would!
So here we are, thirty-nine chapters later, and I'm making this into an actual fictional book. I know that sounds crazy but yep,
you can bet your ballsack that I'm gonna do it. And I'm gonna finish it.

Dysphoria has undergone about twenty name changes in the past six or seven years I've been working on it, it's in fact still saved
as Bad Luck on my bookmarks bar- I physically cannot make that one up. 
There have been so many unfinished drafts of this book and I swear Toni has been THROUGH IT. I feel like she deserves a rest.
Let homegirl nap for a little while.

Does this mean Dysphoria content is over forever?

Like hell. Absolutely fuckin' not. I will continue to write Noble Team stories and am in fact working on several aus with friends at the
moment but one, in particular, I will be publishing on here is currently unnamed- but it's a modern au. It's gonna be a lot of romance so
if you guys want more Carter and Toni, that would be the place to look. My friend's characters are also gonna be in it so, that'll be fun to
write.

Sigh. Wow. Now I actually get to take a break- this is insane. Lay back and just, processing it's finished is gonna hurt a hell of a lot
but hey, at least it's finished. Toni's story is over and now it's time for Bryce's to begin. Well...Toni is gonna be around for a while
but we'll cross that bridge when we get there, yeah? ;)

Anyways my lovelies, thank you all again for everything and all of your support.
I'm still receiving so much fanart and apparently one-shots from people so please please please, let me know
if you even do the tinniest of doodles in your free time. I want to see all of it ^^

You can find me on here as CraneRosalia
Instagram as CraneRosalia
Tumblr as Crane Rosalia
and Youtube as Crane Rosalia

You all bring light to my life.

I love you all.

Thanks~

Chapter Text

I'll keep this short and sweet but I'd like to let you all know that Dysphoria is undergoing a rewrite! Of course, there won't be major changes from the storyline at hand- but a lot of writing errors and new tidbits and details will be added, grammatical errors and plot holes mended, and just an overall more hardcore feeling for the story! Essentially; Helena and Rising Fires are all on hold for the time being while I specifically pursue this story. Burnout is a hell of a bitch, and truthfully I'm trying really hard to overcome it at the moment.
I have unfortunately suffered the fanfic writer curse and am chronically ill so, you know...patience with me! I appreciate it so much, and overall I want to thank each one of you amazing readers for getting me to where I am now. My motivation for this story came straight from you guys and your love of Toni and Carter and their friend's stories. You guys are the real MVPs.
Third and finally, I wanted to tell you guys some exciting news in general. As of today, I have the second draft of an original story version of Dysphoria in the works. One that I am hoping to get published traditionally and with luck, get popular. This story will be nothing short of my magnum opus and I have high expectations for myself to complete and publish it. That being said; once the story is completed- all of my works will be removed from online due to ya know- copyright and agencies and shit like that. It's just how it is. That being said though; you guys will be in the loop at all times. The story isn't just going to randomly disappear one day, I wouldn't do that to y'all. I won't drop too many other details about it but it is going to be fantastic and I cannot wait to officially get it out in the world. Hehe.

Mwah! All the love to you beauties! Keep an eye out for the Dysphoria rewrite! I'll make sure to update here when its out. Stay safe! <3