UNSC Spartan Facility

New Sparta, Mars

February 16, 2553

"How are you adjusting to the augmentations, Spartans?" Commander Matthew Wagner favored the soldiers standing at ease before his desk with an easy smile. The officer was just starting to grey, the hair at his temples a rich silver in contrast to the black of the rest, but he had yet to lose any of his vigor.

Spartan Alice Hays shrugged, the motion exaggerated. She still wasn't used to her own body, and at times ended up giving herself a headache just by going to scratch her head. "The worst seems to be over, sir. Nothing that will affect our combat readiness." The augmentations had enhanced not only her body's reaction time and speed, but her hair and eyes as well; they now stood out strikingly against her pale skin, a deep vibrant red and bright forest green. She had stopped buzzing her hair - more out of boredom than anything else - and it now was at a few inches. Short, but still enough to have volume and grab onto. Though with a Mjolnir helmet, that was far less of a possibility than before.

The Helbound – a former ODST squad - had been limited to the facility in New Sparta, giving them time to re-train and recover from the procedure. After proving their skills in combat (as well as discovering a Forerunner facility buried under St. Louis,) the squad had been offered an opportunity; they arrived on Mars as troopers, but would leave as Spartans.

CDR Wagner gave a small nod. "Well within the average, it seems. Very good. Fireteam Helbound - that's you four - will be assigned as an active Spartan team, and put into service where needed." Though the Human-Covenant War had finally come to an end, stragglers who still held to the old hatreds remained, and were prone to causing trouble for both Human and Sangheili colonies alike.

Emily Hackett looked to Hays, addressing the Commander. "Actually, sir, we've been talking about that." The officer looked to the squad, a brow raised in curiosity. "We're an all-gal Fireteam, so we were thinkin' it'd be more fitting to be assigned as 'Valkyrie'."

The officer cracked a small smirk, typing at his console. "The designation is available. You are all in agreement to this?"

Hackett glanced to Spartans Janissary James and Maria Yakusheva. The Russian laughed, shaking her head. "You are ridiculous, Emily. Yes, sir, we all wish to be designated Fireteam Valkyrie."

James rolled her eyes, but smiled in amusement as well. "Just please tell me that we won't be putting horns on our helmets."

The squad was given authorization for their own suit of Recruit-class Mjolnir power armor, as well as clearance to come and go from the facility. Hays turned to look over her shoulder at the squad. "We're free now, anyone feel up for a drink?"

Janissary gave a small laugh. "Quick to celebrate, huh? You know, even as the kid of a Spartan 1, I never really got drunk. Probably won't even get buzzed now."

Hays smirked. "Your dad let you drink that young?"

"Not exactly. Never said I was a good kid."

"Well," Emily bragged, an excited hop to her step, "I bet I still put all y'all under the table. We're just gonna have to drink more."

"Pft," James scoffed, "you buying?"

Hackett grinned deviously at her. "You ask, you buy shug'."

The four Spartans dressed down to civilian clothes before meeting back up. Hackett took the longest, taking her time to doll up in her usual southern fashion. A UNSC shirt was replaced this time around with simple flannel. "Don't wanna draw too much attention to ourselves." She told Janissary with a wink. Masha elbowed her sharply, bringing a laugh from the blonde. "I'm just playin', you know me."

They loaded up into a civilian Warthog. Hays, as Fireteam leader, drove. James took shotgun, while Hackett and Yakusheva - the Hunters - shared the back seats. Once off post, they made their way east towards New Harmony. The planets superhighway made the span of 100 kilometers pass relatively quickly, and within an hour the Spartans merged into the urban bustle of the city. Traffic packed bumper-to-bumper. Pedestrians crossing the street when given the chance. Kiosks and food carts dotting the sidewalks. Hays maneuvered their 'Hog through to a bar frequented by many soldiers stationed on the Fourth Planet; the Slingshot.

Hackett hopped down from the vehicle, grinning eagerly. Hays cut her off, a hand pressed to her shoulder. "Just promise me one thing, Hackett; no bar fights this time?"

The clack of Moons balls cut above the overly-loud Flip music (analogous to 21st Century Heavy Metal), followed by a softer drop into the pocket. Hackett gave an enthused laugh, her cue stick raised in victory. "Twen'y creds, baby!" Her opponent, a teenage girl that looked no older than nineteen, scowled darkly. She contemplated the bright orange energy drink at her elbow before her partner, a man in his mid-twenties, put a hand on her shoulder.

"Cool it, Zamiska, it's just a lousy twenty cred."

She shoved his hand away. "Yeah, twenty today, then fifty tomorrow! They tax us to pay for all this UNSC tech and facilities, and for what? War's over now, we won! But still the UEG's gotta keep us under their thumb!" She grimaced, grabbed the drink and downed it in one shot. "Then they come to our bars. Soldiers, egg-heads, and now Spartans." She spat the last word with disgust.

At a nearby table, Janissary nudged Alice, tilting her head over to the growing situation. The teen's friend noticed as well. "C'mon," he said dismissively, "what makes you think she's a Spartan?"

"All day, drinking nothin' but whiskey?" Her eyes narrowed at Emily. "I've got a pretty good tolerance, but you must have put away at least three bottles without so much as a sway. That, and you move way too precisely for someone drinking that much."

Hackett gave a sheepish scoff. "Hey, I'm just a gal tryna have some fun. If ya want, we can go double or nothin'? I'll go easy on ya, give ya a chance to win back-"

"Pound your money!" Zamiska yelled. "It ain't about that anymore." The veins in her arms and neck had started to bulge, and the girl looked like she was starting to sweat. "You can't just come in here and take, and expect people to not get fed up. You want my credits, freak? You take 'em from my cold, dead hands!" She leaped at Hackett, faster than she should have been able to, and smashed her cue stick against Emily's head. The soft wood exploded, sending shrapnel flying as Emily staggered with the force of the blow. Her squad jumped into action, kicking chairs to the side as they rose quickly to her aid.

James caught Hackett as she stumbled, while Hays and Yakusheva moved to detain the youths. Zamiska threw Masha to the side as she lunged for Hackett again. She knocked Janissary into the wall, tackling Emily to the floor. Taken by surprise at the girl's unnatural strength, the Spartan could only manage to get her arms up, blocking blows that would have shattered anyone else's bones. The crowd scattered in panic as Zamiska hammered Hackett, screaming primally. Blood-tinted spittle lined her mouth, her eyes wide and frantic with chemical rage.

The local police force muscled their way past fleeing patrons. One officer raised a police-issued M6A, firing a stun round at the enraged teen. She barely spun with the shot, but her head still snapped to the officers, her attention grabbed by the new threat. She moved quickly, pulling Hackett around as a human shield. The Spartan's face was bruised and bloodied, but she was still conscious. Zamiska grabbed a nearby bottle, smashed it against a table and held the jagged end to Hackett's throat. "Back off! Or you'll be out several million credits and a piss-poor soldier!"

Fireteam Valkyrie move back slowly. Hays pushed the boy towards the cops, keeping her eye on the girl. She had a pretty good idea what she was on, and even three-to-one Hackett was in a bad spot. Zamiska had the upper hand.

"We will be free, Spartan," she hissed in Hackett's ear, "and not you, or the UNSC, or your fabricated plagues will take that from us." She shoved the Spartan into her squad, bowling them over. "From fire to blood!" The girl screamed as she plunged the broken glass into her neck. Blood gushed out from the open neck of the bottle, washing over her clothing and the floor as she dropped.

Hackett spat blood, pointing to the corpse as EMT's rushed to the scene. "Ya'll saw that; I did not start that fight." She collapsed into a booth with a groan.

Janissary picked up the girl's drink, sniffing what remained of its contents. Her face pulled into a wince, the chemicals acrid against her nose. "Rumbledrugs. What the hell was a kid doing with these things?"

Hays gave a shrug. "I figured she was one something like that. There's no other way she would have been able to take us all on. She probably killed herself either because of them or before they destroyed her body even more."

"What was that she said?" Masha asked. "Fire to blood?"

Hays shook her head. "I don't know, but I have a feeling we'll soon find out." Two military police - also Spartans, clad in Security-class Mjolnir - stepped into the bar. What remained of the crowd eagerly parted before them, both terrified and in awe.

The lead Spartan gave a quick scan of the scene before looking to Hays. "Fireteam Valkyrie, please follow us back to New Sparta. Commander Wagner wishes to debrief you personally." His partner took custody of the male youth, while he secured the girl's remains.

Hackett gave a confused look to Hays, her voice muffled from the swelling.

"Debriefing?"