"I made a mistake."
He slowly halts his brisk march as she whispers the words brokenly over the channel.
"Repeat?" He asks calmly. But when she replies, her voice is loud, cocky and just like normal,
"We should take this passage through the cliffs, Chief. It'll be faster and give us an edge."
He hesitates for half a second, but decides against drawing attention to it and nods in acknowledgement, making his way to the hillside's opening.
Though he can't say he forgets the small moment, it goes to the very back of his mind as other things quickly distract him. It isn't until much later, as he begins to drift to sleep in a torn apart ship, listlessly floating in deep space, that she finally repeats.
"I made a mistake," He isn't sure at first if he dreams her voice or not, but his eyes are open enough to make out her bright blue silhouette standing before him on the holotank, watching over him. He watches her slowly sink to the ground, drawing up her knees to her chin.
"A long time ago, just before I chose you," she begins softly. "Halsey asked me a question."
She went silent for a long time and he had to fight to stay conscious, though his eyes heavily slid closed, the image of her imprinted on the back of his eyelids.
"She asked… if I could sacrifice you for the greater good, for the mission. If I could watch you die." A brief pause nearly lulled him to sleep, but he held on, not quite sure what he was waiting for.
"I answered yes, of course, without any hesitation, but…"
Silence. He still waited.
"I made a mistake," She said, voice barely audible. "It goes against logistics, reason and even possibility, but... the truth it…"
Her voice lowered even more and he had to focus all his attention and energy to catch it.
"There will never be a time when I don't need you, John."
Warmth spread through his body comfortably and she said no more. He relaxed and let the sleep finally overwhelm him, only one thought left in his head. A response.
Good.