Title
Hands Held High
Chapter
Where It Starts
Pairing
Master Chief x Noble Six
Story Summary
Never had she asked to become one of humanity's greatest warriors; to be a savior, a killer, a Spartan. But she made the most of it by becoming the best there ever was; a hyper-lethal assassin, a lone wolf survivor, a one-man army. A person who goes beyond the norm to fiercely protect her own despite allegations against her. Having braved through many trials of death and war at every turn, Noble Six chooses to be a sacrifice in order to ensure everyone who matters survives. Yet even in death the ghosts of her past remind her why she works better alone. However, it just isn't her time, for the Covenant/Human War has only just begun and her ending is far from nearing.
Disclaimer
Everything I own belongs to me. Everything I don't own belongs to Bungie, Microsoft, 343 Industries and their respected owners.
XxXXxX
The first thing Six woke up to was the pounding in her head and the agonizing pain in her side. The second thing she woke up to was the realization that she was awake to begin with and sat straight up with a gasp. She regretted the decision immediately when the pain tripled, eliciting a cry of torture that brought her back down. Her vision blurred and doubled.
How the hell was she alive!?
Where was she?
Muffled noises sounded above her. She froze, breathing short and strenuous, biting her tongue to keep herself quiet.
Covenant!
Danger!
No weapons!
I'm dead!
Get up! Get up! Get up!
"Hey!" She heard a muffled shout of surprise over her own as she struggled to get up again.
Something dropped near her, the sound of metal on rock, then running footsteps. She couldn't get her feet beneath her, couldn't stand or scramble away, the pain was unbearable! She used her arms to crawl backwards, even that was useless as one refused to stray away from her side.
They can't get me now! I won't let them!
"Damn it, Alexis! You had to wake up when I'm not here."
The steps stopped beside her. A thump of metal nearby. Heavy hands grasped hers to keep them away from the burning skin, trying to force her still.
"No!" Pushing aside what pain she could, she knocked the hands back harshly, scrambling to her feet with a sudden surge of adrenaline, aiming a punch at her assaulter, hitting something in the dizzy, black-spotted blindness she found herself in, earning her a cry of surprise.
"Easy, Six! It's me!" Her breathing was hard as she tried in vain to focus her sight and vision on the voices' owner, but she refused to relent in her fight, stumbling when a wave of nausea and vertigo hit, realizing moving wasn't making her body any better. Her head was swimming. Her back hit a wall when her hearing went out. "Damn it, woman, you're bleeding! Let me help you!" the muffled voice growled in annoyance when she made another feeble but strong hit. They grabbed her arms, pulled her from the wall and practically tackled her back to the ground when she wouldn't stop. The drop stunned her enough for the assailant to yank her left hand away and above her head, a heavy weight pressed it to the ground, her right quickly followed. She cried out in distress as the position pulled the sensitive skin, her head flaring. Something pressed against it, wet and cold, causing it to burn so severely, she could do nothing but scream until the blackness took her once more.
XxXXxX
14:28 HOURS, JULY 21, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
EPSILON ERIDANI SYSTEM, UNSC MILITARY COMPLEX, PLANET MAMORE
UNKNOWN LOCATION
-THEN-
"Holland, I've told you once, and I'm telling you again; you can't have her. Under what orders am I to follow that say I should release her into your custody?"
"The orders I am giving you now would suffice, Ackerson. For two months, I have been told no by you and now I am putting my foot down."
Colonel Ackerson scoffed from behind his desk as he sneered up at the holoscreen. "What makes you think that's going to scare me? It's the same story repeatedly with you. You want her skills, but for what purpose? You have yet to give me any aside from you wanting her in your precious Noble Team."
"Not unlike you wanting her for your Special Warfare Group?" Colonel Holland retorted snidely. "Or even better, your hound dog."
Ackerson growled. "She is no good in a group setting, this we all know."
"You and I both know that her skills are efficient in either setting. So how about this; The Covenant are getting shifty. We had a dreadnought class vanish two days ago after our victory over Sigma Octanus IV. Continuous disappearances on their end have happened since in great numbers, and we don't know where."
"So? What does that have to do with my Spartan if the Covenant are running scared?"
"ONI's Spartan is needed on a plane that is worth her specializations, not to be your personal grim reaper! Use of her as such is a waste of ONI's resources, and a waste of my time to have to track her down. The Covenant never mobilize from a fight without doing some major damage to our fleets. You, Dr. Halsey and I have been stationing Spartan's on some of our most important home worlds as a precaution. Reach is one of them and my Noble Team is missing a member that her shoes can fill, both in skill and necessity. Now you either hand her over, or you can kiss your ass goodbye for insubordination and misuse of personnel when I report you to ONI Officials for taking her without proper authorization."
Ackerson glared scornfully, stuttering over what to say, knowing that the bastard actually had a good argument this time. It took him a few minutes to think, unwilling to lose his greatest piece of machinery for his use, but also unwilling to lose his place as an Officer. He only kept the Spartan to prove that his generation was more reliable than Halsey's, or more specifically, to show that his weapon was an even, if better, match than her "lucky soldier".
Besides, the stupid thing had slipped beneath his own nose and left quietly without his orders to God only knew where. He had a suspicion that Kurt knew but refused to give him an answer. So he paced, ruffled his hair in frustration, paced some more and finally sighed in resignation.
"You play dirty, Holland," he relented with a deep glare. "When do you need her by?"
Holland met his stare equally. "Immediately."
That's what he was afraid of.
XxXXxX
25:54 HOURS, JULY 23, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
EPSILON ERIDANI SYSTEM, UNSC MILITARY COMPLEX, PLANET REACH
UNSC OUTPOST FIFTY-FOUR
-THEN-
It was barely hitting the twenty-six-hour mark on planet Reach, its two moons shining dully in the distance, giving off a faint glow to the machines on the tarmac. However, this did not stop the fully lit Pelican from landing safely on the UNSC dry-dock, its engine cutting off and rear hatch lowering to allow a handful of soldiers all too eager to step out, one or two looking back into the hold curiously. The last to casually exit was a Spartan.
Inside the confines of her helmet, the Lieutenant yawned, having just woken up from the four-hour long trip. It was the most settled sleep she had gotten in one sitting in the past five days. She felt refreshed, if still aggrieved from the events that caused her absence from her previous command. She looked around, seeing the empty ramp and sleeping machines, very few engineers up to do whatever it is they do. It was a quiet night, a peaceful silence she rarely ever heard anymore without the sound of an engine or gunfire in her ears.
She enjoyed it.
The door to the pilots' canopy opened, the pilot himself coming out to stretch as he walked up to her side with a yawn. He waved at her with a warm smile. "Sleep well?"
She gave him a nod. "Better than most days. Gave the others a scare."
"You're a walking tank, Lieutenant. I'd be scared too if I came into a Pelican with an immobile and silent Spartan sitting in the corner for four hours." She let out a chuckle, he smiled. "It's been good to have you tag along, Spartan. You lot always make good times. Let's not wait too long for our next meeting, yeah?"
She smirked, one that was felt. She liked this pilot. "I look forward to it, Felix." He grinned at the nickname of the magical cat adorning his helmet, leaving her side to chat with the engineers ready to inspect the bird.
No sooner did she fully step out, detaching the weapon that was her DMR from the ships' wall, sticking it to her back, did a Marine stop in front of her. The man saluted as he came to a stop, looking her in the eye through the silver visor. "Lieutenant. Sergeant Douglas Mackey, ma'am. Welcome to Reach."
She nodded, saluting back. "Glad to be here, Sergeant." Not really, she couldn't help to think. This was the last place she wanted to be right now.
"I hope the trip wasn't too boring for you."
"Not at all."
"This your first time on Reach?" Mackey asked with a nervous smile on how short her answers were.
"Yes." Though she wasn't about to tell him otherwise.
"You'll find it exemplary, I'm sure. It's a nice place to be," she didn't say anything. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, if you'll follow me, I'm to escort you to medical for a necessary physical before I take you to your destination assignment. We've got a standby corpsman for you."
Here we go. The Spartan shifted her weight, not budging from her spot as the man made to move. "Medical?"
Mackey stopped, turning to face her. "Sorry. Colonel Holland, ma'am. He stated that you haven't gone to medical for a physical in some time by the records he has and will refuse any requests you may have until you are seen and claimed fit for duty." The man looked a bit intimidated having to stare up at her to deliver this news, no doubt forced into this by his commanding officer.
She couldn't bring herself to be hurt about it, it happened far too often to have an effect anymore. She could see his turmoil in the rigidness of his stance, so took a step back, giving him a light nod. "Lead the way, Sergeant."
The sergeant gave her a curious look upon that action. He knew Spartans were notorious for following orders to the tee, it's why most believed they were robots, rarely ever saying no. Still, not once did he have one comply so fast. Having worked with them in the armory, he knew they typically put up more resistance, claiming they were fit. So, he merely nodded in return before leading her away from the Pelican towards the cluster of lit buildings straight ahead.
Inside was bright, the transitions of her visor helping to adjust to the sudden attack of light. She was led down through the air terminal, through a series of doors and corridors that she assumed connected the many buildings together. After a few minutes walk, she was finally brought into a waiting area big enough to hold a small troop. Closed doors were to her right and straight ahead through more halls. To her left was a check-in counter, only one of the shutters open. The room was void of anyone else.
"Hmm, I'll go see if the good doctor is-"
"I'm right here!" The voice came from behind the computer desk, a second later a hand popped up to wave at them, then disappeared once more. "I'll be with you in a minute."
The Lieutenant blinked. The Sergeant spoke. "Uh, ma'am? Are you all right?"
The desk rattled harshly. "Yeah, I'm fine." The head of a middle-aged woman was the next appendage to appear, her pale blonde hair kept up and out of her face, slightly askew from whatever it was she was doing. She propped her head on her now folded arms, not bothering to sit in the chair pushed away from her, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes in frustration. "You guys wouldn't happen to have a spare crowbar in any of those endless pockets, would you?"
Mackey shook his head in confused bemusement. "Sorry, no."
"Ugh!" she stood up, putting her hands on her hips before promptly kicking the desk in her mild anger. "Stupid thing, always acting up. You know how many times a work order has been put in for it? I know we've got copies, but they're paper copies. Everything is digital in this place." The two other occupants stood silently as she seethed until Mackey cleared his throat. He seemed to be doing that a lot. She looked up then, flabbergasted. "I am so sorry. Don't mind me, I'm just a bit tired is all. Not used to these late on call shifts just yet." she laughed and crossed her arms, her blue eyes bright as she turned her attention to the silent woman. "You must be Spartan Three-One-Two I presume?"
"Yes ma'am." She nodded simply, intrigued by her behavior.
"You wouldn't mind giving this old thing a good kicking, would you?" The doctor pouted. "Might give it some more life."
The Lieutenant smiled. "Unless you want the desk stuck in your wall, I'm afraid my services would only hinder your work further."
She laughed. "I like you already. I'm Doctor Traynor, the facilities new graveyard Corpsman. Thankfully I managed to get yours out before it crapped out on me. Let me put a couple things in your paper files and we'll get started."
Disbelieving of hearing a jest coming from the armored woman, Mackey shook his head. "She's here for the full evaluation and armor repair. I'll be sending a tech team to pick up the equipment."
Traynor waved her hand as she penciled away. "She'll be done before they finish."
"Armor repair?" The Spartan looked to the man.
"Yes, ma'am. As soon as your armor is off, it's to be carted to the tech guys for repair and evaluation, as per Holland's request as soon as he heard you were coming ground side."
Too bad you won't get anything out of it. Those who have heard of her rep usually wanted the vids that accompanied her operations. How she worked and how she handled it was always an eye opener to those who wanted to know her tactics. Her previous superior, however, almost always took her helmet away upon her return to discard the information onto his own personal flash drive.
Holland was no different. Only this time, she made sure her own private mission was safely tucked away. Neither of them would know where she went. She wasn't worried when she was found and told of her sudden transfer.
"It's regulation, I'm afraid." The Spartan merely nodded.
Traynor stood with a touchpad in hand and motioned for her to follow. "It won't take long, promise. Thank you, Sergeant. I'll let you know as soon as she's through." He nodded his thanks and promptly left the room. "So, shall we get this over with, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Traynor smiled warmly at the lilt of a whine, but she couldn't be too surprised, almost all Spartan's hated doctor visits, she noticed.
Her assessment took nearly three hours. After a well-deserved shower in a females' locker room, lathering in the luxury she knew she wouldn't have for quite a while, the Lieutenant dressed in standard issue clothes that fit surprisingly well around her. Afterwards, everything regarding her body and vitals was known by the good doctor, including two recent wounds to her back and left leg from her last battle five days ago that needed to be tended to. "A battle with an Elite who had good aim," she had said. They weren't severe, but they were deep; a good cleaning and stitches would minimize any scarring to the collection she already has.
Traynor grinned. "I deem you with a clean bill of health Spartan, not that I'm surprised or anything."
"I'll take the compliment justly," she let a small smile grace her lips as she pulled the shirt over her head once more. It was bad enough without her armor, with no clothes but the undergarments covering her was even worse. "Thank you, Doctor Traynor."
"It's no problem, ma'am. It's my job to keep everyone in shape. And it might not mean much, but I do love helping you Spartan's out. You're still people to me."
This garnered a genuine smile. "Trust me. It means more than you think." The doctor grinned as she stood from the observation table. "Now, if I'm done here, would you kindly point me in the direction of engineering? I'd like to see what they're doing with my gear."
"Of course. It's in another building though. And I'll make sure these get in right away."
"Thank you." With a brief explanation of the base's layout, the Lieutenant left for the door. She stopped however near the desk the poor woman had trouble with. A look of contemplation crossed her face for the briefest second. Walking around it, she opened the cabinet holding the computer tower. The power would start up, then suddenly shut down. It was too easy. All she had to do was flick it and the tower died completely. Backing away, she nodded to the stunned doctor and walked out.
She heard laughter not a few seconds later, causing her to smirk. That work order would come soon.
XxXXxX
Sergeant Scarbrough, Corporal Cohana and Petty Officer Johns, the only Navy man in the small group of Marine engineers, looked upon the hanging steel and ice colored Mark V armor with admiration. Within the span of just under three and a half hours - it being around two-thirty - they managed to buffer out all its marks and pockets, giving it a new coat of paint to make it shine like new. Granted, there were a few gashes they couldn't make disappear, but it added to the badassery that was MJOLNIR armor. In addition, they also added the upgrades they had gotten from Doctor Halsey not too long ago, transferring the data from her helmet over to Holland as ordered.
By this time, Johns cracked his knuckles and yawned, stretching his arms way over his head, leaning back in the chair he sat in. "You boys ready for round two?"
"I'm ready for bed." Cohana whined. "I didn't think the armor was this complex!"
"It's a work of art all right," Scarbrough admired tiredly.
"Too bad we can't operate them," Johns answered. "The war would be much easier if all of UNSC distributed this equipment."
"You'd all be severely injured or dead as soon as you thought to move."
All three men whirled towards the armor assembly, startled by the drowsy feminine voice that snuck up on them. The Lieutenant turned from looking over their progress to meet their eyes. "Though progress on such equipment has been in the stages to help Spartans train. Not so much field action."
"Holy shit, man! Give us a heart attack why don't you!" Scarbrough cried, holding a hand to his heart, not realizing her rank with the normal clothing she wore.
Johns stood up from his chair, hitting the Sergeant over the head smartly, and eyed the pale brunette woman. "We meant it figuratively, ma'am. We know the consequences," he smiled. "Are you the owner to the armor?"
You see any other female giants standing around here?
"That I am," she turned to them fully with a tiny smile, noting that the Sergeant backed away slightly, rubbing at his skull with wide eyes. She was used to these reactions as not very many people are comfortable with those her height or status. She bordered on seven feet with the armor on. She could only imagine what they must feel having to look up at someone taller than their own six-foot statures. "How goes the advancements?"
"Excellent, actually," Cohana, taking the opportunity to stand and step away, cleared a nearby display table of papers and utensils, pressing a button to activate the holographic display. His tone grew in awe. "As you can see, we replaced some of the more badly damaged pieces, buffed it out to the best of our ability and gave it new paint. We also upgraded the software and firmware thanks to some of Halsey's schematics she sent to us a couple days ago. She's still working out some kinks for the next official upgrade, but this is what she had so far. Your reaction time should be up by a least five percent, and the battery coupling should have better distribution properties when you use, say, camouflage or armor lock. Your shields will recharge faster, but not by much unfortunately."
"But we do have some things that might tickle your fancy." Johns walked over to a long-stretched countertop, pointing to all the equipment sitting on it. "These are the latest additions you can use to upgrade the armor even further. We saw you had quite a bit already, but it doesn't hurt to take another look at the newest toys," he then uncovered a cart to reveal several guns. "We also took the liberty to clean your weapons."
The Lieutenant smiled gleefully.
For the next two hours, the three males (albeit one a little reluctantly) and the lone Spartan worked diligently with the understandings of her armor if given the new pieces. She liked the original gear she wore but wasn't too concerned with changing things around to better her play on the field. Since she was going on assignment with a team, she had to change some things. By the time they were done, she had multiple attachments to her shoulders, knees, wrists and chest, all colored to fit accordingly. She was just stepping back into the room, now in her black matte skin suit, when Sergeant Mackey barreled in as well.
"Lieutenant!" The three engineers startled at the booming call. Said woman only turned her attention to him (having heard his tromping steps way beforehand) after she finished adjusting the suit to her body. She was thankful for the cool feeling as she stretched. "I've been looking all over for you! The doctor-" he stopped just in front of her, drawn silent by vibrant green eyes giving him their attention. He eyed her face; the long pixie cut black hair lightly swept to the right in very slight waves to touch the bottom of her chin, contrasting hard with her pale skin but accenting her oval shaped face. Two small scars were barely noticeable on her left cheek, just under her eye. The suit - blemished with circuits that connected to her armor - illustrated her strong lithe form, one he knew could just as well kill them all in a heartbeat if she so wished.
"How can I help you, Sergeant?"
He cleared his throat after he realized he was now technically staring. He wasn't used to seeing human faces behind the mask, let alone a female one who (in his eyes) was very pretty. "The doctor said you had come here. Wouldn't it have been easier to wait for me there?"
"I recall her saying she'd inform you when my session was done," the Lieutenant stated. "Not to stick around."
Mackey sent a hard glare at the snickering engineers and sighed. "You're right. My mistake," he crossed his arms. "Well, I guess I don't have to tell you to suit up anymore. Holland wants us to leave ASAP, says he needs to talk to all of you. It's about an hour drive from here."
Any indications of jovial emotion vanished instantly. She nodded. "I was briefed before I landed. I know my orders." Her voice was clearer and warm when not spoken through speakers, he noticed.
"Right. Meet me in the terminal no more than an hour from now, if you would. We'll be leaving at oh-seven-hundred, ma'am." He turned to leave but stopped, opened his mouth as if to say something, thought better of it, and left.
"I think you got him tongue tied, Lieutenant." Cohana laughed. "He's never one for a loss of words."
"You see the way he was eyeing you?" Scarbrough guffawed.
She huffed a laugh. "It's the charm." It wasn't the first time someone had eyed her. She learned to ignore them.
"So!" Johns clapped his hands. "How's about we get you into this armor!"
"I say yes," replied the Lieutenant as she stepped into the assembly. "Too much longer without it and I may end up getting a tan. God forbid that happen." She rolled her eyes in mock annoyance, smirking when she received laughs from the three men. No one really knew that she had a sense of humor, even if it was sarcasm.
XxXXxX
It was around seven-forty in the morning. The hog rode smoothly down the trail to her destination, tailed by two UH-144 Falcons as escort. She suspected they were there to accompany the camp forces as well. She couldn't be too sure. Either way, the droning of their propellers and the humming from the hog was somewhat lulling, the scenery around her beautiful.
The Lieutenant's helmet was off for a good portion of the silent trip as she enjoyed the feeling of the wind passing through her dark hair. She rarely felt the wind on her face, having to constantly wear protection, the feeling was nice and cool. But alas, when she saw the distant camp over the next few hills, tucked in a corner at the base of a mountain, she sighed and considered the silver visor of the Mark V helmet. Weary but determined green eyes stared back at her.
It's show time, Spartan.
She donned the helmet; the hiss of its pressure seals a reassurance as the cool compression set in. Twenty minutes later, the hog was pulling to a stop, the two Falcons landing somewhere nearby. She stepped out with ease. "It's been nice seeing you, Lieutenant," she looked to Mackey, a smile was on his face. "I'll see you around. Kick some ass."
Tilting her head, the Spartan gave him a steady once over. He wasn't as tense around her anymore, not since he'd seen her face. She guessed it was a reassurance for him to know she was in fact human. That made her smile and she showed it by nodding firmly. He laughed, waving as he pulled away.
Not waiting around, she turned, immediately being met with a helmetless stare from a fellow Spartan-III sitting in an idle Falcon. First thing she noticed was that his blue eyes were keen and thoughtful, no doubt assessing her. Not one to look away first, she kept it. This was Jun, the teams hawkeye. He looked as he did in the files given to her. She must have done something right since he smirked, shook his head and continued to mess with the sniper on his lap.
"First building to the left," she rose a brow at his familiar accent, but nodded her thanks and patted the tail of the bird as she passed it.
Internally, the Lieutenant sighed. Her interactions were not going to be that easy all around. She was used to being alone. Although her social skills weren't great, they didn't entirely suck either. She hated the thought of working with a team, not because she couldn't work with them, she just couldn't stand the thought of losing anyone. She worked better alone because she got the work done in half the time a team could without having to worry about someone's safety.
Then again… there was one person who she wouldn't have trouble with. And would no doubt help her along if she was willing. Like old times.
Entering the building she was told to go to, it didn't take long to find out where the rest of her new team was. As soon as she walked inside, she immediately evaluated the small space. She counted four Spartans, all bearing different color schemes. Three wore no helmets, the fourths' donned a skull. All of them were well weaponized. Two were sitting on opposite ends of the room, two were standing. The only female of the group put an arm out to stop her from coming in further. The Lieutenant was a bit put off by the mechanical appendage that was suddenly in her face, and the multiple stares she received, but didn't flinch.
"I didn't think I'd be seeing you again, Alexis."
The Lieutenant recognized her as Catherine-B320, a fellow Beta Spartan she long thought dead. Rivals from the beginning, they each fought for the top spot of their company. When realization struck that they did better working with each other instead of against, their rivalry turned into a friendship both cherished. The revelation upon seeing her alive and well in the case folder she was given in her brief took a small weight from her shoulders she never thought she carried for so long. Seeing her in person made her want to hug the woman.
The Lieutenant, Alexis, smiled beneath the mask instead. "You're just jealous I survived, Kit-Kat."
Kat, having been equally surprised and relieved upon receiving the news of her placement, scoffed at the old nickname but smiled in return and lowered her arm. "Fortunately, you're not that easy to kill."
And just like that, she knew that even though a team was something that still left a foul taste in her mouth, just knowing that a friend was alive, well and kicking reassured her that things wouldn't be so bad. She trusted Kat with her life. If she was with this team, then so be it, she will try her hardest to be too.
"Nice arm."
Kat rose a thin brow. "I can arrange one for you if you'd like."
"And mess with my already robot-like appearance?" Alexis was mock offended.
"It'll be an improvement."
A hum of thought. "Maybe a hand, then."
It was like they never were apart. The other three simply stared in befuddled amusement before taking it upon themselves to know their new Noble teammate.
XxXXxX
Author's Note
Second chapter! Yeah!
So as I said in my last note, chapters will be going back and forth between past and present in spontaneous moments. I will be putting "past" or "present" under the initial dates and locations to keep from having people confused.
Anyway, I wanna say thank you to the reviews I got. It's not many but I'm happy some of you enjoy my writing. But I must insist that reviews are like a lifeblood to knowing how well I'm going about this fic. Feedback is crucial to me and I will respond back to whomever decides to leave a review behind to explain further my intentions if they so wish.
Otherwise, until next time! :D