cont. summary:
Never was a statement any more unbelievable to a Spartan considered to be a lone wolf. And yet, never was there a wolf who could survive for so long without a pack to run with. Desperate times call for desperate measures, no doubt. But in times of desperation, can a pack form a bond that's stronger than ever before, to face a foe greater than any man has ever known?
A/N: So, I uh, I had an idea. And whoops, a new fic. Another Reach AU because I can't help myself. This one is gonna be...interesting. Darker than my usual side of darkness (what a surprise). Ye have been duly warned.
...Enjoy! :D
Also, this chapter was beta'ed by the lovely jackalopingintothevoid (who is on archiveofourown); much kudos to you, you kind, generous, and helpful soul! :D
"I heard we've got our new recruit comin' in today. That right, Kat?" was the first thing out of Emile's mouth as he strode into what the Spartans considered to be the rec room of the tiny, boxy outpost they called "home", and had done for the past two months since being deployed to the planet Reach.
"Always so nosy." Jorge rumbled without looking up from his current task, his machine gun Etilka in pieces around him, as he methodically worked on cleaning his favoured weapon.
The Lieutenant Commander clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and shook her head. "What else do you expect from him?" she answered to Jorge, before voicing a response to the question posed by the nosy assault specialist. "Yes, Emile, our new Noble Six. And I expect you to treat them nicely. No matter how much it all… stings…." A sharp, exasperated sigh left her, and she shook her head a second time. "There I go again, damn it."
"Don't we all?" Emile asked rhetorically, producing a kukri from the sheath on his right shoulder pauldron, twirling the knife around in his fingers. "I mean, it's been…what, three months? Maybe? I'm no Jorge or even Jun, but all wounds take time." His mood shifted out of the blue, and he bared his teeth in a grin reminiscent of a hinge-head flaring its mandibles in imitation of a human smile. Seemed like a strange analogy, but more often than not, that was the sort of effect that the Warrant Officer's grins had on other people. Even his fellow Spartans. "So, tell me, what kinda intel you got on the newbie? I'm sure that by now you must have cracked their file wide open."
"Nosy." Jorge reiterated, snapping a piece of his machine gun back into place with a click that emphasized his point.
Kat rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore the all-too-familiar bickering of NOBLE's assault specialist and heavy weapons specialist. Regardless of that, she still chose to answer Emile's next question. "I've hacked about forty-nine percent of her file; maybe more, maybe less. I don't know how deep it runs. There's a lot of black ink, and a lot of encryptions and firewalls. I've found a few vid feeds-"
But Emile interrupted her. "Hold up, you said 'her file'. So that's one thing we know for sure. Our new teammate is a girl."
"That may be the case; however, I have no doubt she can hold her own against any of us, except perhaps Jorge." Kat answered, and there was a fierce spark in her azure eyes. "Our new Noble Six is formidable, even among the best Spartan-IIIs."
Jun marked his arrival by a low whistle, as he peered over Kat's shoulder at the datapad she held in one hand. He was as nosy as Emile, sometimes, although certainly as notorious as his fellow soldier. "No kidding. This file labels her as a 'hyper-lethal vector'."
The assault specialist snorted, tossing his kukri in the air, bright green eyes tracking it as it spun, spun, a glittering arc, before he caught it deftly with two fingers. "We'll have to see her in action to prove that's not just someone with an inflated ego proud of their little… what did Carter say she was? Black ops Spartan?" He snorted again, eyes rolling. "Private grim reaper for some ONI spook."
Jorge eyed his younger comrades, silent, his hands still now that Etilka was in one piece. Unlike them, he would not formulate any sort of early opinion on the team's new Six. He was not so quick to judge, and although he was not as good as figuring people out as Jun was, he certainly knew clear enough whether or not a Spartan would slot into the team's pre-established dynamics nicely. Also unlike them, he had no interest in poking about at the new soldier's file. It simply did not sit right with him; he was more content with letting each member of the team tell of their past in their own way, in their own time, on their terms. And if they never did? Well, he would be content with that; he knew how to trust someone despite what they had done in the past. If they proved themselves to be a valuable ally, then he would be all for them fighting alongside him.
"So she's got more black ink in her file than the rest of us." Jun shrugged one shoulder, melting into the shadows in one corner of the room. "Not going to be a problem unless it either bites us in the ass, or she turns out to be another Ares."
"You weren't even there for that." Kat informed him bluntly, gaze intently on the files before her rather than on Jun as she spoke, fingers dancing neatly over the screen of her datapad. "…However, I see your point. It would not be any good if-" A moment's pause, followed by, "Oh."
"Please tell me that 'oh' is a good sound and not one of dismay."
"Knowing Kat, it could be both." Emile said derisively, and held the newcomer's gaze steadily; ignoring the heavy frown he received in response to his comment. "What? You know it's true."
"Don't start with your bullshit again, Four." The team's leader, Carter, crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head and leaning against the doorframe. Of all the things he had to come in from patrol to find his team doing, it had to be this.
"Too late, he's already begun." Jun muttered, and snorted at Emile's disgusted squawk of protest.
Kat rolled her eyes and set her datapad aside, before voicing an answer to the question the Commander had given her. "Honestly? It's kind of good, I suppose. Took me a minute but I recognize the tag of our new recruit. She and I were on a team together during training. We were… close." She shrugged, almost nonchalant, and added, "Something tells me that we're not going to be so close now."
The older Spartan raised an eyebrow. "I'd hope that that isn't going to affect your performance on the team. Distractions like that are costly."
The cryptanalyst raised her head, chin jutting out defiantly, azure eyes twinkling with fire. She did not appreciate the thinly veiled threat. Despite how well she knew her boss, sometimes the things he said just got to her. She should not have let it, but this particular moment did, and she could not help her attitude. "I'll let you know the moment it compromises me enough to have an effect, Commander, but I don't think that's likely to occur."
He gave her a nod. "Glad to hear it." His keen gaze shifted towards Emile, setting his jaw at the sight of how lax the assault specialist looked. That was always a sign that the Spartan was ready to fire up and stir trouble, and that would have to be quelled immediately. Tensions were already high enough with the fact that the Commander had not hand-picked the new team member; that Holland had chosen this Spartan as a replacement for Thom. None of them liked the idea of it. But Carter did not want their new Noble Six to feel alienated; the in-fighting with Jorge and Emile was bad enough, and he did not want any of that to be directed towards her.
As difficult as it would be for him, Carter was going to do his best to make sure the Spartan felt welcome on the team… no matter how set some of them were on being hostile.