A changing table, a toy chest, a small bed, a dresser and a TV; everything you'd expect from a small child's bedroom. In the middle of it all sat young Austin Keith, a 5 year-old boy with a thin, short frame. He stood only 38 inches tall- short for his age- and appeared frail judging by the size of his small limbs. The child wore only two articles of clothing: a blue Pokémon t-shirt and a plain, white diaper with blue tapes.
Austin lay on his stomach, watching excitedly as the cars from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series roared around one of the race tracks on Earth. His bright, blue eyes watched intently as his favorite car, the number 11, circled the oval in the third position. His blonde hair lay in a cute style, framing his soft, childish features. Anyone looking into the room would have seen complete innocence, were it not for one crucial circumstance: the room was onboard the UNSC Infinity.
Suddenly, the sound of knocking echoed through the room, and immediately Austin paused the recording. In just over a minute he changed into a special black and yellow onesie, his previous demeanor all but forgotten as he approached the door. The boy tapped a button on a control panel beside the door, and it slid open. Revealed was a well built man in a sort of jumpsuit; Caucasian with short, dark hair. Austin knew him as SPARTAN-IV Edmund Wilhelm.
"Edmund, what's our assignment?" Austin asked.
"It's a big mission on Atlas; Covenant and Promethean forces have overrun Noble Base and we've been assigned to take it back," Edmund answered.
"I presume Simon and Gamma are waiting for us?" Austin queried.
"Of course," Edmund confirmed as they headed back from whence he'd come. Soon the two super soldiers arrived in a large room onboard the infinity, designed specifically to help SPARTAN soldiers armor up. Austin and Edmund met up with two other SPARTAN's, Gamma and Simon Seville. Both were SPARTAN IV's and members of the same fireteam.
Gamma was a quiet man whose origins were unknown to the UNSC. He has dark, almost black hair and bright, green eyes. His skin is tanned and he has very rough features. Gamma is very soft spoken, though; a textbook strong, silent type. He specializes in heavy weapons and explosives, but as a result is lacking when it comes to mobility. Gamma is a close friend of Edmund's, and both joined the fireteam at the same time.
Simon Seville, on the other hand, is a very different soldier. He has chocolate brown hair, bright blue eyes and pale skin. Simon stands a solid 6'9" and is well built, making him a force to be reckoned with. In addition, his intelligence is second to none, so naturally most of the strategizing falls on his shoulders. Despite his overall intimidating appearance, Simon has soft features and a kind demeanor, making him rather kind-hearted for a super soldier.
"Ready to go, gentlemen?" Austin questioned.
"Yes, sir!" the other three SPARTAN's answered.
"Alright then, let's suit up!" Austin ordered. Utilizing special machines, the SPARTAN's quickly donned their customized armor. Ready to start their mission, Fireteam Apex hurried to their pelican transport. The UNSC aircraft took the squad down to the planet Atlas, dropping them off close to the entrance to Noble Base. Upon arrival, they were directed to a squad of Marines waiting to assist them in recapturing the base.
"Alpha Squad ready to assist, sir," the commanding officer remarked as the Marines saluted the four SPARTAN's.
"Glad to hear it," Austin responded, "Let's go over our strategy before we go inside." The Marines instantly backpedalled; the little kid was in charge?
"Wait, you expect us to believe that you're in charge?" one of the Marines questioned.
"Wait, I thought they weren't using kids in the SPARTAN-IV program…" another remarked, confused.
"SPARTAN-II Austin triple-zero, Marines," Austin corrected them. The Marines ignored him as the situation quickly deteriorated.
"Taking orders from a child; does the UNSC think this situation is a joke?" a third Marine said to no one in particular. Finally, Austin's temper boiled over; it was time for drastic action. The furious SPARTAN-II threatened to send Alpha Squad in alone; a suicide mission. That shut them up and got things moving; Noble Base was quickly cleared with zero casualties. Austin proved his worth on the battlefield, killing more enemies than all of Alpha Squad combined.
Back onboard the Infinity, Austin quickly removed his armor and headed back to his room. The other members of Apex exchanged disheartened glances before going their separate ways. While Edmund and Gamma headed off together, Simon made his way to Austin's room. Knocking lightly on the door, he stepped back and awaited a response.
It took only a few seconds for the door to slide open, revealing the ship's sole SPARTAN-II. Austin met his teammate with a look of irritation, not happy to have been disturbed. By now he'd changed into a rather childish Power Rangers t-shirt and a fresh diaper, giving him an admittedly cute appearance.
"What do you want, Simon?" he asked bluntly.
"That wasn't like you," Simon responded, "What you did today, that is."
"And you care why?" Austin retorted.
"Why wouldn't I? Do I look some sort of heartless monster to you?" Simon questioned. Austin turned away.
"Because no one has ever cared, not since I got kidnapped. Not even Dr. Halsey…" he muttered. Simon turned his teammate around and was shocked to see tears in his eyes. Frowning, he knelt down in front of the boy.
"Maybe it's time things changed," he remarked. Austin stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his teammate. Simon picked him up and carried him into the room, closing the door behind them. Sitting down in an armchair, Simon gave his teammate a few moments to dry up.
"Better?" he asked. Austin nodded. "Good," Simon responded, "So, what set you off earlier today?" Austin sighed.
"No one ever understands," he explained sadly, "My innocence was stolen from me for a science project. I'm a hardened SPARTAN super soldier, but people can't get past my child-sized body." Simon rubbed Austin's back comfortingly.
"I'm sorry," he remarked, "From now on, I promise I'll have your back. After all, it's hard to say no to a seven-foot killing machine." Austin stifled a childish giggle before blushing in embarrassment.
"That's for sure," he responded.
"Glad to see you smiling again," Simon replied, ruffling Austin's hair. Suddenly, the small boy hugged his teammate tightly.
"Simon…" he asked nervously, "…will you stay and watch NASCAR with me?" he asked.
"Of course," Simon answered, smiling. Austin happily gave his teammate a squeeze before turning around towards the TV. The two then proceeded to watch the rest of the race together, Austin enjoying being with a friend for once in his life. When the race finally ended, Simon stood up and turned towards the door.
"Well, it's getting late; I ought to head out," he remarked, yawning.
"Please don't go…" Austin begged. Simon blinked in surprise as the small boy hugged his leg, looking at him with big, sad eyes. "I don't want to be alone anymore…" It was too much for Simon to resist, not that he was trying. Things were about to change.
"Fireteam Apex to the armor room immediately," the intercom blared two days later. Edmund and Gamma quickly arrived to find Commander Sarah Palmer waiting for them.
"Where are your teammates?" she asked.
"They should be along shortly, Commander," Edmund answered. Just then, giggling could be heard as Simon carried Austin into the room piggyback style. However, both SPARTAN's immediately ceased their actions at the sight of Commander Palmer, falling in line with their squad.
"Alright Apex, I want a clean mission. You were given the day off yesterday to cool down; I expect no more threats against your Marine comrades," Palmer remarked. Austin stepped forward and spoke.
"Commander, I take full responsibility for the incident on our last mission. I sincerely apologize and promise that it'll never happen again," he stated.
"Glad to hear it, SPARTAN," Palmer responded, "Now, all of you, armor up and head out!"
"Yes ma'am!" the four soldiers replied, saluting. Fireteam Apex then proceeded to armor up, preparing for the day's mission. As they headed off towards their pelican, Commander Palmer smiled in amusement. Now in full armor, Austin rode on Simon's shoulders like a small child. Palmer snapped a photo before the team walked out of sight; this was one for the record books.