"Aysten! Aysten!"
"Agent Carolina and Agent Texas are sparing in the training room!" with a metallic scrape against the floor, the dark blue ODST soldier came to a slow trot beside Aysten. The grin on his face expanded.
"Ah, and are we invited," Aysten asked, " to watch this lovely cat fight, Michael?"
"Well…. Not exactly…But I promise this time you won't get almost fired…" Michael responded, with a grin his helmet cradled at his side.
"You promise? How is that different from any other promise you make, Michael?" Aysten managed a smile of his own under the teal of his helmet.
"Ah, lay off Aysten. Come on, lets go! And quit calling me Michael… way too serious…call me Caboose just like everyone else. Jeez!" Caboose retorted with a grin pulling on his own helmet as he turned back the way he had come and jogged down the hallway. Shrugging, Aysten followed, him a grin also on his face.
When they arrived, Aysten realized he was looking on at the fight from the view of the main entrance, putting them in the way of any medical personnel entering should there be a problem...Only thing was he couldn't hear anything…only watch.
"Uh, Caboose… Why are there three agents in there? I thought you said only Agent Texas and Carolina were fighting today?" Aysten asked in a confused tone as he saw three agents in there.
"Ya… I did… The third looks like Agent York…But I doubt he will be fighting, Yep." Caboose began, then finished as the man in bronze armor, now known to Aysten as agent York, began walking towards the door… their door.
"Shit! He's coming this way, we need to hide!" Aysten nearly broke his neck bolting for a covert hiding spot.
"Nah man, it's fine. Calm down! Me and York are cool… we just got back from a mission!" Caboose said causing Aysten turned to him with a funny look.
"Wait… you go on missions with the elites!?" A flood of Questions poured fourth, " Since when! How! What are they like!"
"Oh just calm down, Aysten! This was my first mission with them and I just went because Wyoming wanted me for sniping support…" Caboose said chuckling a bit.
"Wait… Wyoming? You mean the guy with that awesome mustache?"
"Yep, that's him." Caboose said. with a hidden grin under his helmet.
At that very moment york reached the door and opened it. He looked at caboose for a moment, then smirked.
"Oh hey, Caboose. How's that axe wound feeling?" His gaze paused on Caboose's armored chest.
"Oh… that? Hurts like a bitch… Be sure if you catch that monkey to give him a couple shots for me."
"Ya, I'll be sure to do that… who's your friend here?" York asked turning his attention to Aysten.
"Him? Oh that's Aysten he is a good buddy of mine. Oh! And do me a favor don't tell the director we are here…" Caboose said with a smirk then turned to Aysten as if to reassure him things where fine.
"Pleasure to meet you Aysten… But I'm going to watch this from the V.I.P lounge…See ya later Caboose." York said clapping caboose on the shoulder before walking off.
Aysten turned in disbelief to his friend merely blinking before turning to watch the fight which was suddenly over as an alarm went off and he noticed Carolina on the ground with Texas standing over her.
"ALARM, ALARM! MEDICAL TEAM REQUESTED IN THE TRAINING AREA!" Went the call through the ship.
"What do you think happened?" Caboose asked turning to Aysten.
"I don't know… But if I had to guess… Shit just got real…" Aysten said completely seriously as several medical teams pushed their way in, accidentally pulling Aysten and Caboose in with them.
Aysten looked around in slight awe as the medical teams shoved past them like road blocks. This was his first time being on the Freelancer training floor.
"Whoa… This training room is so much nicer than the normal ones…" He whispered.
He was abruptly distracted as his line of vision met with a firearm. Agent Texas stood before him and the rest of the medical staff holding her weapon steady. He hadn't even noticed her shrugging off the medical teams who where insisting on trying to help her.
"I don't need help! Help her. She will be waking up any second now!" She pushed away the men who swarmed around her.
"Damn you, Texas!" A figure in light purple armor with light green trim made its way through the crowd.
"Is that South Dakota?" Aysten asked Caboose, who nodded his head in response.
"Damn you, Texas! You just had to fight her and humiliate her even though you knew she was still recovering!" South said rushing forward swinging a punch towards Texas who ducked under it quickly and shoved her back.
"Calm down! The director is watching you!" Texas warned in a low tone.
"Remind me when I give a shit!" South said ripping off her helmet and throwing it on the ground. The visor cracked on impact and splintered. Before the pieces had time to settle, she rushed forward again, swinging. Texas just grabbed the fist and sent a kick towards her knee throwing her back.
"I said back down." Texas said clearly not in the mood.
"Hmmm, maybe I should do something…" Aysten mumbled watching as south stood back up then rushed once again.
This time Aysten stepped in and grabbed the fist and sent a quick kick towards South's knee forcing her into an off balance lean forward. He grabbed the back of her hair and yanked her towards his knee sending her stumbling back. As any freelancer would've, she quickly caught her balance and sent a barbed glare at Aysten.
"And who is this joker!"
"Aysten… Back down… She is a freelancer. She will kill you!" Caboose said warningly and a small part of Aysten wanted to back down and slide back as if he hadn't just done what he did. But then that part died and a calm acceptance took hold of him. What had happened happened and there was no use in backing down now… If he died he might as well die at the hands of an elite. And if he just got fired? Well oh well he will get the satisfaction to know he fought a freelancer and lived.
"No…I got this caboose…" Aysten said quietly, though his eyes never left South.
"Well, who are you?" South growled and Aysten turned, noticing a small clearing of people now surrounding them and none moving to help him.
"I am Aysten Vavrinec." he said calmly and watched as south spit on the ground in disgust.
"Your not even a agent! Yet you attack me? I will kick your ass and show you some respect!" She said rushing forward again swinging a fist to which Aysten narrowly ducked. Before he could congratulate himself a knee to the face had him reeling backwards.
Shit she is fast!
.
He gathered himself just in time to put his elbow in line with a kick meant for the side of his face. He quickly seized the opportunity to grab onto her leg. He jumped up, knocking her down and aimed a punch for her unprotected face.
He connected, dazing her for a moment and he let her go and backed up a bit. As south stood up she pulled out her side arm and pointed at him.
"That's it I'm sick of your bullshit! Say goodbye Newbie!" She said and fired twice in quick succession straight in the helmet. Slowly the shock wave hit him and he fell backwards hitting the ground with a thud. His visor was cracked and a message spoke through his helmet.
"Equipment malfunction, equipment malfunction…"
With the little coordination he possessed in the aftermath, Aysten reached up and ripped off his helmet revealing a tan face and short black hair.
He took a breath that escaped him as south pushed her foot down on his chest he heard someone scream from within the crowd.
"NO!" The voice said and south turned giving the disorientated Aysten the chance to grab onto her leg and twist it, forcing her off of him. While his objective had been be able to breathe, but loud snap in the background of his consciousness made him acutely aware that he had broken her ankle.
"Ah! You bastard!" South screamed in pain before staggering away, carefully favoring the wounded leg.
Aysten slowly stood up standing slightly dazed for a couple seconds before he became fully aware once again of where he was and all that was around him. The first thing he noticed was a grim unwelcoming view, which involved South's firearm being pointed at his head. Moving as quickly as his disoriented state would allow he slid sideways as two shots passed through the space he had previously occupied not moments before. Aysten knew it was well to late to call for mercy and surrender and he knew if he tried he would die. Ducking this time he dodged another shot that once again he narrowly avoided. This time still in a hunched over posture he rushed forward and grabbed at the firearm making one last ditch effort to gain control and live… And survive…Completely surprised by Aysten sudden rush south jerked the arm with the gun in her hand backwards and expecting more resistance from Aystens end threw the gun half way across the room.
Aysten now backed up and seeing the gun was far from her hand. He rushed forward and threw his leg out toward her face. Though it staggered her, she caught it. Despite the awkward stance, he was able to coordinate his fists enough to direct two quick punches to her gut which pushed her back. With his leg now free, he tried his kick towards her face again. Anticipating the move, South, ducked under it and lunged forward, tackling him.
Aysten felt both their weight pressing against his shoulder blades as they landed and South quickly punched him twice in the face, drawing blood.
Bucking her off, he stood up and attempted to knee her. He pulled it off, ignoring the distractingly sticky warmth of blood flowing from his nose. He gripped her arms and tossed her… Straight toward the pistol…
With a muttered curse of his thoughtless action, he watched her stand with the pistol and ducked when two shots whistled past his head. In the next instant she had kicked him in the side of the head before he could react and rushed forward as quickly as her wounded foot would let her. Aysten was once again tackled to his back. Stunned, he felt a foot on his chest.
"Any last words you bastard?"
He blinked up at the gun that was aimed towards his chest.
"Actually yes," He coughed, "… I want you to remember, even if you kill me… a normal soldier will have almost beaten you with no weapons…So… Good luck... remembering that." As Aysten faded from the fight, South growled and moved the barrel so it drifted down from his face to his chest and fired four times. Aysten felt each shot, single file, as they hit him square in the chest. After the third shot he was sure he was gone, but with a grunt he felt the weight lifted off his chest. Someone he couldn't make out had tackled south off him. Then he felt several hands grab at his arms. Vaguely, he saw caboose's face far away as if it was at the end of a tunnel and he felt his body moving. With most of the energy he had left he rolled his head to the side to watch as several free lancers held south back. Then he seemed to be floating as they rushed him out on a stretcher.
Aysten gasped as a sudden jolt went through him. He lifted his head to recover some sense of his surroundings but quickly let it drop back as he felt nausea building. Turning he could now hear and he see caboose at his side.
"Its alright bud! You represented other soldiers proudly! Your going to be ok now…" His voice seemed rushed and distant to Aysten as he was carried away on the stretcher.
"Well Thanks, Caboose… but I'm pretty sure you broke your promise…" He coughed blood onto his armor and turned to find Caboose frowning.
"How so?" caboose asked.
Aysten laughed through a fit of coughs, once again leaving blood spattered on his armor.
"Well… You said you promised I wouldn't get fired…I'm pretty sure if I don't die… I'm fired." He said, finally losing consciousness.
Aysten woke up and groaned. The moment his eyes cracked open the overhead lights chased away all the dark. As the light proved too much for him, and nausea over came him for a moment and he leaned over the bed grasping a cold metal object and puked into it… Slowly opening his eyes he set what he could now tell was the trash can down, then turned around. There were several people in the room…Most of them gathered around one bed where one figure lay still. As they heard a groan they all turned to him.
"Hey, he is awake." York said.
"Huh? he still has some fight left in him? Good chap." Wyoming added.
North stood with his arms crossed between them,"Well, I'll be damned… South didn't kill him."
Wash looked just as shocked, "Holy shit he is alive…"
Maine gave a hiss of agreement.
All 5 of them spoke in unison and moved over towards his bed allowing his to get a better look at the inert Carolina they had previously been surrounding.
"Why am I in the freelancer medical ward?" he asked no one in particular, surveying the room
. It was agent York who answered.
"Well… I don't think its our place to tell you… But the director does want to speak with you…"
Aysten cursed.
"Where is caboose?" Aysten asked with worry and this time North answered, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"He was sent out on a mission with Agent Delaware, Agent Tennessee and Agent New jersey." North moved his hand away.
"Ah, I see…When did the director want to see me?"
"As soon as you where able to move…" York answered again.
Aysten pushed himself upward and threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood shakily… Looking down he realized he was in casual wear.
"Where is my armor?"
"Gone… South messed it up pretty badly…Don't worry you will get new armor…" North said optimistically.
"Fine… " He staggered towards the doorway, "Well I will go see the director now I suppose… what time is it?"
"O700 hours… We where just about to go eat breakfast… Come join us after you speak with the director…" Wyoming said and Aysten nodded exiting the room. Ambling around, he managed to find his way to the bridge and from there, the director.
"Ah Agent Alaska. Good to see you on your feet." The director said turning towards Aysten.
"What? Um… No sir… My name is Aysten." Aysten responded strangely.
"Not anymore… Your new designation is Agent Alaska… And you can keep that designation if you perform well on today's mission…" The director responded…
"What mission sir?" Aysten responded.
"You shall learn in good time… The briefing shall be uploaded to your new armor which will be sent to your room after breakfast…" The director said then turned back around and Aysten left the room confused.