To be a Spartan

by Faldon113

Not all Spartans want to be Spartans. Some want nothing more than to choose their own path. Several tried. Only one succeeded. This story is now abandoned, but I am in the process of re-writing it in a way I think will work better and not drive me crazy. The story is called A Soldier's Heart, and will be posted shortly on Archive of Our Own.

2. My past comes back to haunt me

My Past Comes Back to Haunt Me

Time: 0758\

April 27, 2526\

Aboard the UNSC Intrepid

Corbulo had had a very extensive class dedicated solely to espionage missions. If it was sneaky and underhanded, it was taught in that class. To the shock of many, Lasky had actually done exceptionally well in that course. The only part he had not managed to master was the perfect control of his facial expressions, but when it came to sneaking around and not being seen, he'd been considered a pro by instructors and cadets alike.

Now he realized just how amateur he had been. Sure, Zach was almost painfully noticeable with his hulking armor and massive weapons. Lasky doubted the man knew how to sneak anywhere. But Kaine was a different matter entirely. She slid through the halls like a ghost. Lasky had lost count of how many people they had passed that never even glanced at her. The most amazing part was that she wasn't actively hiding. Her strides were long and firm, her head held high. It was like she was telling everyone that she had a right to be there. Maybe that was the secret to her hiding.

"Lasky?" The former cadet came back to reality. Kaine was looking back at him, eyes hinting at her amusement. "We're here." Startled, Lasky looked around. The floor was transparent, showing the infinity of space. It wasn't a room, per se, but rather a long hall that ran the length of the ship. Lasky had heard of halls like this being built on certain ships, but couldn't remember their purpose. Besides the floor, the place was nothing special, but it was deserted except for the three of them.

"I'm still waiting for an explanation," Zach drawled, tight eyes giving away his frustration. Kaine glared at him, eyes nearly spitting venom. Lasky wasn't even receiving the glare and it made him want to hide somewhere far away. He wasn't sure how the Spartan male could just stand and take it.

"I don't owe you an explanation," Kaine snarled, somehow frightening Lasky more than the monsters at Corbulo had. "The only reasons I'm explaining anything at all is for Lasky's benefit. You can leave whenever you want. In fact, I'd just love it if you'd disappear right now."

"Like hell am I leaving! I've believed you dead for a whole damn year and I'm not leaving until you explain where you've been and why you left!"

"Any mindless baboon would be able to figure out that I've been at Corbulo for the past year considering I'm wearing their uniform. And if you seriously need me to explain why I left then you obviously didn't pay attention to me back when I was in the program. I never made my hatred for the whole project a secret, and you all knew I was looking for a way out!"

Before Zach could respond, Lasky took a risk and stepped between the two quarreling Spartans. He knew it wasn't the brightest thing to do, he'd seen Faldon and Master Chief in action after all. He just had a very bad feeling that the two were only a moment away from attacking each other. "Please, stop fighting," he said. "I can see you have some issues that need to be addressed, but if you're going to physically fight each other please let me escape first."

Kaine responded first, rocking back on her heels and releasing a frustrated hiss. Her eyes closed as she clearly struggled for control, her hand clenching into a tight fist by her side. Zach also backed up, his eyes still snapping with anger, but finally controlling himself. The tension remained for a few minutes more before Kaine finally sighed, gaining the control she'd been seeking.

"Sorry Lasky," she muttered, actually taking a few steps back. Her eyes were still closed, but she seemed much more relaxed. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. My story isn't really long, but we'll be here for a while." Slowly, Lasky obeyed, settling on one of the many benches that lined the hall. After a moment's hesitation, Zach took a seat by the wall; his sharp eyes still pinned on the redhead. "I guess I should start off by telling you my name isn't Kaine. It's Klare. Kaine was the name I took after escaping the Spartan program," she started, slowly opening her eyes and staring into the vastness of space that was spread beneath their feet. She took another deep breath before shaking her head. "I can't figure out a good place to begin, so let's just start at the beginning."

---

Time: Varying\

Year, 2517\

Verent, Outer Colony

I was six when I first met her. Dr. Catherine Halsey. She'd come to my home town with a man, a UNSC officer. I can still remember how I was in shock over the Doctor's appearance. Pale skin, dark hair, and she was pretty young. It was so strange in my home, full of people with red hair and green eyes. Many of the adults were wary around her, not sure how to treat the strangers. We kids didn't know any better. To us, she was a mystery, and we wanted to solve her. So when she came to the playground, we didn't have any qualms about crowding around her, asking her questions. I remember she seemed almost sad as she answered every question we asked. Her conscious was biting at her, even then.

Unlike most of the Spartans, Dr. Halsey hadn't come to see me. She had her eyes on my sister, Lillian. My sister and I were twins but she was always bigger and stronger than I was. It was a source of great frustration for me when we were younger. No one likes being constantly in second place. So when I saw how Dr. Halsey was so focused on my sister, I was angry. To my six-year-old mind, it was proof that everyone thought my sister was better.

After talking with my sister for a couple minutes, Dr. Halsey pulled out an ancient Earth coin. She told my sister that she wanted to play a game with her. The Doctor would flip the coin into the air, and my sister would call out which side would land face up. Lillian thought it was a stupid game, but wanted the coin because she loved to collect strange items, so she agreed to play. That's where everything went downhill. When Dr. Halsey flipped the coin, I watched it. Somehow, I knew how it would land. So just before Dr. Halsey caught the falling coin, I called out, "Heads!" Everyone looked at me in surprise as I normally just stood to the side and kept quiet. Well, everyone except my sister, who was scowling. Then Dr. Halsey uncurled her fingers and there was the coin, heads up. Silently, the Doctor gave me the coin, a strange look on her face, before she walked away. I'd had a feeling that I'd angered her but the thought barely registered since I'd finally managed to beat my sister. We had a huge argument that night, Lillian claiming that I had stolen the coin from her while I insisted that I had won the coin fairly. Our parents finally forced us to separate and sent us to our rooms for the night. The last thing I ever said to my sister was, "I hate you!"

The next thing I remember is waking from cryosleep. You know how disconcerting that can be, Lasky, but imagine how it was for me. I was six-years-old and, to the best of my knowledge, had just fallen asleep in my bed a few hours ago. Suddenly, I was being yanked out of a strange metal tube, puking my guts out even though I didn't really feel sick. There were people all around me, talking and yelling, and I had no idea where I was. And then there was someone standing in front of me, a man in a uniform I couldn't recognize. He helped me to my feet, his face gruff and mean, but his hands were gentle. Once I could stand on my own, he led me off to a room. Inside were other children, each my age and just as frightened as I was, each with a uniformed man standing beside them. I wasn't sure how long we were kept there, standing in a line with these men, but eventually the door at the front of the room opened and we were led through.

It was a large room, I remember that. There were risers that we sat on, our uniformed guard beside us at all times. At the front of the room was Dr. Halsey, dressed in a white robe like a scientist. There was also an AI and a military man, but I didn't pay them much mind. I was too scared.

Once we were all sitting Dr. Halsey stepped forward. "As per Naval Code 45812, you are hereby conscripted into the UNSC Special Project codenamed SPARTAN-II." That's what she said. No other explanation, nothing to calm us. Now, I won't say that we were all frightened. I remember that a few were just confused. But I was terrified. I stood up, fully intending to flee, but my handler put his hand on my shoulder and forced me back into my seat. Other children tried to copy me but the result was the same. The soldiers would not let us leave.

"You have been called upon to serve," the Doctor continued, her face taking on a desperate look. I guess she was trying to make us understand. "You will be trained...and you will become the best we can make of you. You will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies." Some of the children perked up at that. What little kid didn't dream of being a hero, being important? At that moment it seemed as though Dr. Halsey was handing us that dream on a silver platter. But I was still uneasy. My mother had always told me that nothing good was ever free. There had to be a catch, I knew it. "This will be hard to understand, but you cannot return to your parents." There it was. Most of the children squirmed at that point, suddenly afraid and uncomfortable. I didn't move, because I already knew it was pointless. My soldier wouldn't let me up.

"This place will become your home," the Doctor continued, trying to soothe the fears she had just created. This lady obviously had no idea how to treat children, but even I will acknowledge her attempts. "Your fellow trainees will be your family now. The training will be difficult. There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead, but I know you will all make it. Rest now. We begin tomorrow."

She turned to speak to the soldier beside her for a moment and he nodded to her before yelling, "Fall out!" It was the first time I'd ever heard a military command, but even then I knew it would be very far from the last. Our handlers urged us to our feet, some kinder than others, and escorted us out of the room. We were all pretty stunned over what had happened, but I do remember that none of us cried. No one broke down, gave in to terror, shed a tear. Despite how much I dislike it, they'd chosen us well. We were already acting like soldiers.

The next day we started our military training. We were woken at 0530 hours by our drill instructors. Some of us rose instantly when the instructor yelled for us to wake up. Others rolled over and were promptly shocked with electro rods. In retrospect, it must have been a funny sight. Seventy-five six-year-olds either on the ground from being shocked awake or swaying slightly where they stood, still half asleep.

One soldier stood out above the rest. He wasn't exactly tall, but to us he was a giant. His hair was shorn close to his head, graying at the temples, and his eyes were large and black. He was standing over the child he'd just shocked, looking perfectly at home in the barracks. It took me a moment to realize he was the same soldier that had stood by the Doctor.

"I'm Chief Petty Officer Mendez," he yelled, making us all jump. "The rest of these men are your instructors. You will do exactly as we tell you at all times." He pointed toward a section of the building that my bunk was closest to. "Showers are aft. You will all wash and then return here to dress." To demonstrate, he reached into the trunk that apparently belonged to the child he had shocked and pulled out a set of gray sweats that matched what he and the other adults were wearing. "No slacking. On the double!" he ordered, casually tapping the boy between the shoulder blades with the rod. The child instantly fell on to the bed, gasping for breath. "I mean it! Go, Go, GO!"

We all rushed for the showers. One of the few blessings of being six at the time was that we had no qualms about being naked together. It didn't matter that we were boys and girls showering in the same place and in plain view of each other. All that mattered was that we were fast enough to not get touched by one of those metal rods. Most of us forwent drying, instead racing back to our bunks and getting out clothes that we quickly threw on. I'd barely managed to finish lacing my boots when Mendez roared, "Outside, trainees! Triple time-March!" We all raced outside, doing a marvelous impersonation of a miniature stampede.

The sun wasn't even up as we got outside. The grass we were on was still wet with dew and some of the children were shivering. I remember looking around and noticing that we were the only humans around. There were plenty of other barracks, but no one else was out.

Then Chief Mendez was before us again. "You will make five equal-length rows. Fifteen trainees in each," he barked, watching us with narrow eyes. We stumbled around for a few seconds, a little confused. "Straighten those rows. You know how to count to fifteen, trainee? Take three steps back." He commented every time we made even a slight mistake. The venom in his voice terrified many of us, which just made it harder to do as he had ordered. However, we eventually got in our rows. "Jumping jacks!" he ordered. "Count off to one hundred. Ready, go." He actually started the jumping jacks; something I wouldn't realize was abnormal for many years. Most of us followed his example. Those that didn't instantly received a rod to the stomach. As soon as they could breathe again, they were jumping with the rest of us.

After the jumping jacks came sit-ups. Another hundred. Chief Mendez told us that if we slacked off, any quitter would have to run around the compound twice and then come back to do two hundred sit-ups. No one quit. We didn't dare. Some of us thought that, surely, the pain would end soon. It didn't. We did deep squats, knee bends, leg lifts. Each time we went to a hundred. Some of us threw up, but it didn't help. The instructors only gave us a few seconds to get a breath before coming towards us, rods ready. The sight had us quickly resuming whatever exercise had been interrupted.

It was after the leg lifts that we were given a respite. Each child was given a bottle of water; most of us chugged the liquid as quickly as we could. It was warm and salty, but none of us cared. It was water. The sun was up by that point and some of us were looking around. At least, those of us that weren't curled up on the ground did. None of us talked, most still trying to catch our breaths.

All too soon Chief Mendez stood again. "A good start, trainees," he said, barely sweating. "Now we run. On your feet." If it hadn't been for the instructors and their batons, I think most of us would have stayed right where we were. Every muscle in our bodies were already aching and we couldn't fathom the idea of putting them through still more. But we feared those rods, so we all stumbled to our feet, got into a very rough formation, and started jogging.

The run went on forever. We passed a river, went over a bridge, ran past the pelican runway, traveled a zigzag path of stone. It was long and hard and we didn't have time or energy to think of anything except putting one foot in front of the other. That was the point. Eventually, we reached a courtyard and jogged right up to a large building. The words Naval Officers Academy were carved into the front archway. That's also where we saw the AI that had been with Dr. Halsey the night before.

"Excellent work, Chief Petty Officer Mendez," the AI told the soldier, nodding regally towards him. I remember thinking how strange she looked, wrapped up in a bed sheet. Then she turned towards us. "Welcome. My name is Deja and I will be your teacher. Please come in. Class is about to start." Some of us groaned, and I was among them. For a moment I thought that I'd rather continue running. Then my legs twinged and I changed my mind. Deja was ready for our protests though. She turned to enter the building and said over her shoulder, "Of course, if you prefer to skip your lessons, you may continue the morning calisthenics." We ran up those steps after her. I might have been the only one to hear Chief Mendez chuckle behind us.

There were crackers and milk inside, the first food we had seen that morning. It was dry and tasteless but we were already past the point of caring. Most of us just ate a few pieces of cracker before laying our heads upon the desks, fully intending to sleep. Then Deja started talking about an ancient Earth battle. We didn't really understand when the AI told us that we were watching a battle waged by the original Spartans. All that mattered to our young minds was that a force of three hundred defeated an army of thousands. When the Spartans proved to be victorious, we all cheered. Like any young human, we'd found something we enjoyed and wanted to instantly do it again.

"That's all for today," Deja told us, calming us down. "We'll continue tomorrow and I'll show you some wolves. Now it's time for you to go to the playground." I think we all perked up at the word. Playgrounds were fun. They were an escape from the classroom, a place where we could play and run around and yell and laugh. We raced from the building, full of excitement. Chief Mendez was waiting for us. As soon as I saw him I knew that their idea of a playground wasn't going to be as fun as the one back home.

"Time for the playground," Chief Mendez told us, a smirk tucked into the corner of his mouth. "It's a short run. Fall in." Short run my ass. We ran for a little over two miles. When we finally got to the place they called a playground, many of us were ready to drop dead. The playground itself was more like an obstacle course. There were nets and bridges and climbing ropes and sliding poles. It was a maze, all suspended twenty meters above the ground on tall wooden poles. "Trainees, form three lines," came the order from Mendez. The instructors shifted to herd us into those lines, but we'd already learned to do as told and formed the lines quickly and without help. "The first person in every row will be team number one. The second person in each row will be team number two-and so on. If you do not understand this, speak up now." No one spoke.

I was in the middle line, first row. On my left was a boy with black hair and green eyes. The name on his sweat top was ZACHERY-001. To my right was another girl with mousy brown hair and hazel eyes. Her name was LUNA-102. They both looked at me as we all sized each other up. At least we didn't instantly dislike each other, like some groups did.

"Today's game is called 'Ring the Bell.'" Mendez told us, standing at ease before our lines. He pointed to the pole that was farthest away from us. It was also the tallest pole, and at the very top there was a brass bell. "There are many ways to get to the bell," he told us. "I leave it up to each team to find their own way. When every member of your team has rung the bell, you are to get ground side double time and run back here across the finish line." Some of us looked for a finish line but there was none until he took his rod and scratched one in the dirt where he stood.

One of the children in the third row raised his hand. Mendez leveled a glare at the boy, but it didn't cow the child at all. "A question, trainee?" the soldier finally growled out.

"What do we win?" was the response. It wouldn't take too long for every single person in the area to realize that that question was always at the forefront of that particular child's mind.

"You win dinner, Number-117," Mendez answered; cocking an eyebrow in what we later learned was a sign of amusement. "Tonight, dinner is roast turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, brownies, and ice cream." The group broke out in excited whispers. After the morning we had had, that food sounded like a marvelous feast. "But, for there to be winners there must be a loser. The last team to finish goes without food." The effect was instantaneous as we all fell silent. At that moment, the thought of losing sounded like a fate worse than death. "Make ready." My group said nothing to each other. We just looked at our teammates and nodded once. There was an unspoken agreement that we would help each other make it to the bell. After all, there had to be a reason why we were placed in teams. "Go!"

The children as a group surged forward, but I can still recall how that brown haired boy that had spoken to Mendez shot ahead. He was fast and sure-footed. It was clear he knew his own limits when he chose to climb a rope instead of sit in the basket and pull himself up with the rope like he was supposed to. He was the first to ring the bell. Zachery, Luna, and I were fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively. We made it across the finish line with time to spare. 117's teammates were the last to make it across the line.

"Good work, trainees," Mendez said, gracing us with a smile. "Let's get back to the barracks and chow down-all except team three."

"But I won!" 117 protested, full of anger at the unfairness. "I was first."

"Yes, you were first, but your team came in last," Mendez told him, pinning him with a look that had some of us cowering away. "Remember this: you don't win unless your team wins. One person winning at the expense of the group means you lose." It was a strange concept for us to grasp. How could you win and lose at the same time?

I watched 117 that night while the rest of us ate. There were times I was sure he would cry, but he never did. I almost wish he had. It might have made the next few years easier.

The next day was the same. Early rise for calisthenics, running far longer than we wanted, class with Deja in the afternoon. We learned about wolves, just as she had promised. It was a good thing we did, too. The wolves worked in a pack, as a team, and then they all shared the reward. That was the lesson Mendez had tried to teach us the day before. I found myself hoping that 117 was paying attention.

After class, we went to the playground. Mendez told us it would be the same as yesterday, right down to the groups. 117's group was still mad at him, I could tell. The other boy on the team shoved him, and I have no doubt that if 117 had not been exhausted a fight would have broken out right there. For one moment, 117 met my gaze and I smiled at him. I didn't think his teammates really hated him. They were just sore that he'd left them the day before. Still, I wanted him to know that there was someone who wasn't mad at him. I wasn't expecting him to smile back, but he did.

The race went very different that day. Team three worked together, using their combined strength to pull themselves straight to the bell. They weren't first. My team had that honor. But they were third and they all rang the bell together before sliding to the ground and crossing the finish line as a team. Mendez actually smiled at them, though I don't know if anyone else caught it. They spoke amongst themselves for a minute before apparently making some sort of agreement, which resulted in all of them smiling. Then, to my surprise, 117 looked around and, upon spotting me, trotted over. Once he was close enough he held out a hand, a barely noticed smile tucked into the corners of his mouth. "I'm John," he said. Nothing else. I didn't need anything else. I just smiled back and shook his hand.

"I'm Klare."

---

Time: 0854\

April 27, 2526\

Aboard the UNSC Intrepid

Lasky's eyes finally flicked towards Zach. It was strange to realize that this had been Kaine's teammate. Just from what she'd said, he couldn't see where their hatred and anger towards each other came from. Then again, it was obvious her story was a long way from being finished.

It was also a shock to realize just what she and Zach and the other Spartans had gone through. Back when he had been six, his biggest concerns were begging his mother for a puppy and pestering Cadmon to teach him chess. He'd have died if he'd been thrown into that sort of training with no warning and completely cut off from his family.

"You okay, Lasky?" Kaine asked, having looked up at last and noticing his thoughtful expression. He just met her eyes with a simple and sincere gaze.

"You guys are amazing," he told her bluntly. "I can't imagine how you survived that." His comment drew a sarcastic laugh from the girl.

"We survived it because we were meant to survive," she answered. "We were chosen for our independence; our strength, both mental and physical; our competitiveness; our aggression; our ability to survive. It might seem strange to you, but the reason we made it through training was because we were chosen and the reason we were chosen was because we could make it through the training."

"But you weren't chosen," Lasky argued, trying to understand this girl that had somehow become his friend. "Your sister was chosen, not you. How did you survive?" Silence fell over the small group. Even Zach had perked up at the question, never having thought of things in that context before. Eventually, though, Kaine just shrugged.

"I survived because I had to," she offered, though Lasky wasn't sure if she believed it herself. "My friends and team helped. Really though, the only other option was to drop dead. Our instructors wouldn't accept anything else. I might have been young, but I knew that I wasn't ready for my life to end. Now, do you want the rest of the story?" Slowly, Lasky nodded. Somehow, he could feel that she needed to tell the story as much as he needed to hear it.

---

Time: Varying\

Year, 2519\

Reach

Years went by. We all got used to being soldiers. Thoughts of home and our parents were long gone. Honestly, we didn't really have time to think about them anymore. For the first year, we were kept in a constant state of exhaustion. Just as we started to adjust to what they demanded of us, they'd up the amount of work we had to do. They probably knew that the best thing to keep us under their control was to make us too tired to care about the fact that we had been kidnapped. After the first year, they must have thought we didn't care anymore. That was actually a pretty accurate thought. Our lives before had become more like a fond dream and less like reality. Waking up at 0530; running for miles without knowing when it would end; scrambling over rickety bridges that were twenty meters in the air if our commanders were feeling nice; that was reality.

Some days, our schedule was shaken up a bit. Right after morning calisthenics we'd be loaded onto a dropship and taken to some undisclosed location. We'd be left there, sometimes alone, sometimes in groups, sometimes right on top of each other. There was always some sort of mission we had to accomplish, everything from stealing supplies to tracking down enemy personnel.

When we were eight, we were on one such mission. We were all settled in the holding area of the dropship, waiting to see what this mission would entail. Outside, the world was white and mountain peaks loomed around us. Zach, Lu, and I were watching for wild creatures out the window on one side of the ship while John and his team, Sam and Kelly, were talking about something as they looked out the windows on the other side. The rest of the children were scattered around the holding area, either whispering to those nearby or catching up on sleep. Then Chief Mendez stepped out of the cockpit and we all leapt to our feet, snapping into attention.

"At ease and sit down," he ordered. We did as commanded. "Today's mission will be simple for a change," he told us, sounding far too amused. It put all of us on alert. Then he gave a stack of papers to Kelly and told her to pass them out. As she obeyed, he explained our mission. "These are portions of maps of the local region. You will be set down by yourselves. You will then navigate to a marked extraction point and we will pick you up there. One more thing. The last trainee to make it to the extraction point will be left behind. And it's a very long walk back."

Glancing down at my sheet, I saw that I happened to have the portion that had the extraction point, but no clue about how to get there. Zach and Lu had terrain pieces.

"First drop is in three minutes," Mendez informed us. "Trainee 117, you're up first."

"Sir! Yes, sir!" John answered sharply. With a final nod, Mendez re entered the cockpit, leaving us alone. John glanced out the window one more time before nudging Sam and pointing out the window. Sam apparently saw the same thing John did, because he nodded before pointing it out to Kelly. The two then moved about the rest of us, quietly telling us about the location of the lake and that we would all meet there. They finished just as the ship decelerated.

"Trainee 117: front and center," Mendez ordered. "Watch out for wolves in the forest, 117." John answered affirmatively before glancing over his shoulder towards his team. He glanced at Sam first before meeting my gaze and throwing me a small smile. Then he turned and ran off the ship.

I was the next one dropped. It normally went that way. John was the unofficial leader of our little band of soldiers and the adults knew it, so he was often the first one to be thrown into unknown situations. I was his second-in-command, so I was always on his heels. Though I protested when the children mentioned the position they had given me, my words meant nothing to them. In their eyes it was natural for me to be John's main support. Sure, Kelly and Sam were his team but in the eloquent words of my friend, Max, "There's something special about you and John. You two click."

It didn't take long to reach the lake that John had spotted. I had barely been there five minutes before John and Sam came trotting in my direction. The bushes obscured me from view, so rather then step out to greet them I growled like a wild cat. Startled both of them, but it was only a second before John recognized the sound and laughed. "Hello to you too, Klare," he said with a smile. Chuckling, I stepped out of the brush and followed the two boys quietly. We circled the lake, picking up the other children as we went, until all seventy-five of us were accounted for.

"Let's get the map pieces together," Kelly suggested, tugging her hat lower on her head. She was still upset about having her hair shorn off, but a passing officer had noticed her blue hair and demanded her head be shaved. John, Sam, and I were already plotting how to get revenge for her.

"Good idea," John told her, smiling briefly. "Sam, take three and scout the area. I don't want any of the Chief's surprises sneaking up on us." Just the thought made us all peer around nervously. Wouldn't be the first time Mendez hid some sort of trap.

"Right," Sam replied, quickly picking out three of the children to go with him. Quiet as ghosts, they all vanished into the bushes. Kelly quickly gathered the map pieces and started putting it together, being better at puzzles than the rest of us combined.

"Some of these don't belong, and some are copies," she muttered, though if she was speaking to us or herself was up for debate. "Yes, here's an edge. Got it-this is the lake, the river, and here-" she pointed to my portion of the map that had the patch of green. "That's got to be the extraction point." She surveyed the map critically, frowning. "If the legend on this map is right, it's a full day's hike, though. We better get started." John just nodded, whistling sharply to bring the scouts scurrying back before giving us the order to move out.

Kelly took point since she was the navigator, Sam ahead of her to blaze the trail. Sometimes he'd motion for us to stop or hide, but it always turned out to be a rabbit or bird that caused the alarm. Had we been any other group of eight-year-old children, we would have called him paranoid and disregarded his warning after a while. Luckily, we weren't any other group of eight-year-olds. We were soldiers and knew better than to ignore any change. That thought was reaffirmed when James and I spotted wolf tracks moving parallel to the slight trail we were following. Kelly chose a different trail.

Around noon, we stopped to rest and eat berries we had gathered while marching. Fhajad, a member of team nine, seemed troubled. "I want to know one thing," he said. "We're going to get to the extraction point at the same time. So who's getting left behind? We should decide now."

"Draw straws," someone suggested, hidden amongst the others. I just glanced at John, knowing he wouldn't accept the option.

"No," he said, just as I knew he would. "No one's being left behind. We're going to figure out a way to get all of us out."

"How?" Kelly asked, not wanting to doubt John but she knew the Chief as well as any of us. "Mendez said-."

"I know what he said. But there's got to be a way-I just haven't thought of one yet. Even if it has to be me that stays behind-I'll make sure everyone gets back to the base." John was so determined, we all knew better than to question him. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he managed to find a loophole and outsmart our instructors. "Come on, we're wasting time." Silently, we all got up and followed him.

We marched the rest of the day, never really getting tired. We were too well trained for that. The sun was just starting to set when Kelly finally stopped, motioning for us to cease movement. "We're almost there," she whispered, knowing this was the most dangerous part of the mission. If Mendez had laid any traps, they would most likely be on the home stretch.

"Me and Sam will scout it out," John decided. "Everyone fall out-and keep quiet." The rest of the children obeyed quickly, except for me. I just stood there, glaring at John, until he gave an exasperated sigh and nodded. Silently, the three of us moved forward through the undergrowth, warily looking for the unpleasant surprise that had to be waiting.

When we finally saw the meadow, it was almost too good to be true. The dropship sat right in the middle of the clearing, lights on full power and illuminating the whole area. There were also six men sitting near the launch ramp, sharing cigarettes and passing around a canteen that I was willing to bet had alcohol in it. They were relaxed and obviously not expecting us.

Sam motioned for us to back up which we did quickly. "You recognize them?" he whispered. I shook my head as John replied with a negative. "They're not in uniform. They don't look like any soldiers I've ever seen. Maybe they're rebels. Maybe they stole the dropship and killed the Chief."

"No way," John argued. "Nothing can kill the Chief. But one thing's for sure: I don't think we can just walk up there and get a free ride back to the base. Let's go back."

He glanced at me to see if I had anything to add but I just shook my head. However, I did give Sam an amused glance. "We probably don't look like any soldiers they've ever seen either," I teased him, a smile threatening to cover my face. Both boys chuckled at the thought before we crept back to the others and explained the situation.

"What do you want to do?" Kelly asked John once we were done reporting, causing the boy to stare in shock. Silently, I rolled my eyes. I didn't like being SiC, but at least I wasn't shocked every time someone reminded me that I had been gifted that title. John still acted like it was the first time he realized he was the group's chosen leader.

"Okay-we don't know who these men are or what they'll do when they see us," he said quietly, obviously speaking as he thought things out. "So we find out. Here's how. First, I'll need a rabbit."

"That's me," Kelly said, springing to her feet. "I'm the fastest." There were no arguments; Kelly could outrun most of our instructors.

"Good, you go to the edge of the meadow-and then let them see you." I could see he was already uneasy about the plan, reluctant to put any of us in possible danger, but it had to be done. "I'll go along and hide nearby and watch. In case anything happens to you, I'll report back to the others." Kelly nodded. "Then you lure a few back here. Run right past this spot. Sam, you'll be out in the open, pretending like you've broken your leg."

"Gotcha," Sam answered almost jovially. He instantly walked over to Fhajad who scraped Sam's shin with his boot, causing blood to well up through the cut.

"The rest of you, wait in the woods in a big circle," John continued. "If they try to do anything but help Sam-." He made a fist with his hand and slammed it into his open palm. "Remember the moose and the wolves?" We all grinned at the thought. Deja had shown us that lesson more times than we could count. "Get some rocks." The rest did as ordered while Kelly started warming up and Sam lay on the ground, pretending to be in pain. I caught John's eyes and he made a subtle gesture, asking me to stay close to his male teammate. Of all the children, I had the most instinctual battle sense. It wasn't enough for me to win every fight, but it was good enough to tell me when someone was an actual threat or just pretending. Nodding, I settled in as close as I dared to the acting boy. John and Kelly moved off, ready to do their part. We were ready to do ours.

It was only a minute later that Kelly raced by, one of the men stumbling behind her. He quickly spotted Sam, lying on the ground. "Please, help me," Sam actually whimpered. He would have been a great actor. "It's broken."

"I got your broken leg right here, kid," the man snarled, raising a baton. I narrowed my eyes at him. There was no actual hostility towards us, but at the same time there was no mercy. He honestly didn't give a shit about us and his orders were to make it as hard on us as he could. At least, that's what my gut said.

A rock flew past the man, startling him into turning around. It was the chance Sam needed to quickly roll to his feet and dash to safety. He slid under a bush, landing right beside me and grabbing one of the stones I had collected. A heartbeat later a storm of rocks attacked the man, forcing him to stumble back as he tried to protect himself. Then Kelly suddenly appeared, throwing her rock with deadly accuracy so that it struck the man right in the middle of the forehead. He dropped without a sound and I knew he was dead.

"What do we do with him?" Sam asked, coming out of hiding as the other children reappeared.

"It's just an exercise, right?" Fhajad reminded us. "He has to be with Mendez." Out of us all, Fhajad was the one to hold the greatest amount of faith in our instructors. Some, though, like me and John, couldn't forget that the people that now raised and trained us were also the ones to kidnap us. We respected them, but we'd never trust them.

"You heard him," John whispered, rolling the man over to observe him. "You saw what he was going to do to Sam. Mendez or our trainers would never do that to us. Ever. He's got no uniform. No insignias. He's not one of us." Still, he glanced at me, wanting to know my thoughts. I could only shrug, confused. I also didn't believe that our instructors would allow us to be treated in such a way, but the man had been following orders. The question was, whose? "Get his baton," John ordered; Sam was only to happy to obey. "Now we go back and get the others. Kelly, you be rabbit again. Just get them to the edge of the clearing. Duck out, and let us do the rest." Kelly nodded and darted off. The rest of us gathered rocks and fanned out behind her.

Giving us a minute to get armed and in position, Kelly finally stepped into the meadow again. "That guy fell and hit his head," she called to the other men. "Over here!" Like idiots, they all rose and ran over. Just as with the other, I knew they wouldn't kill us. They would, however, hurt us very badly. When John glanced at me, I nodded. Once they were close enough, John whistled. The stones were released. The men were so startled they fell to their knees, trying to cover their heads. That was what John had been waiting for and he whistled again. As one, we rose and raced toward the shocked men, screaming to keep them in a further state of confusion.

It was carnage. Sam attacked the men brutally with his stolen baton, laying them out left and right. One man managed to catch Fhajad with a fist to the face, dropping the boy. Before he could further harm the child, I grabbed him in one of the head locks I had seen other soldiers perform and twisted my arm, not totally sure what would happen. Therefore, the snap surprised me and I released the body, realizing I had broken his neck. I'd killed my first human.

The battle ended quickly, each man effectively beaten to death. John was nearly trembling with rage by the end. He hadn't asked to become our leader but we all knew he was fiercely protective of us. These men had threatened us, and to John, that was unforgivable.

"Want to call Mendez now?" Sam asked as he helped Fhajad to his feet. Both boys nodded towards me, knowing what I had done to protect the dark skinned boy. I couldn't nod back.

"Not yet," John answered, trotting towards the dropship. He didn't protest when I joined him. Maybe he, like myself at the time, just didn't want to be alone. Inside, the ship was empty. John quickly accessed the COM system and contacted Deja. Her face appeared a second later.

"Good evening, Trainee 117," she greeted, sounding pleasant as only an AI could. "Do you have a homework question?"

"Kind of," John answered, rubbing the back of his head. I noticed a trickle of blood there and growled quietly. Seemed he didn't get out of the fight unscathed. "One of CPO Mendez's assignments."

"Ah," she replied, sounding as uncertain as a computer program could. "Very well."

"I'm in an Albatross Dropship," John informed her although she could probably guess that from the message he'd sent to get her attention. "There's no pilot, but I need to get home. Teach me to fly it, please." I snorted, knowing the reaction he would be getting and it wouldn't be a simple, 'Of course.'

"You are not rated to fly that craft, trainee," Deja told John, a faint look of concern in her eyes. "But I can help. Do you see the winged icon in the corner of your screen? Tap it three times." John did so, opening what looked like thousands of new icons. "Touch the green arrows at nine o'clock twice." He did and the words Autopilot Activated appeared on the screen. "I have control now. I will get you home."

"Hang on a second," John said, gesturing for me to remain as he ran back outside, no doubt to get the others. I sat in the pilot seat, legs suddenly weak. The face of the man I had killed swam before my gaze. This was what we were training for, I knew that, but it was suddenly so much more real. That man was my first kill, but he would be far from the last. When John finally came back to the cockpit, I hardly heard him order Deja to get us out of there. The ship rose away from the ground, leaving whatever innocence I had behind.

The minute we landed at the base Mendez was waiting for us, and he was pissed. After ordering us all back to the barracks, with no dinner I might add, he escorted John away, obviously ready to reprimand the boy fiercely. The shock of the kill had worn off by that point, leaving me slightly concerned for my friend until I saw Dr. Halsey heading in the same direction. John had always been her favorite and I knew he was safe with her around. Sure enough, a couple hours later John returned to the barracks, a look of shock on his face. The rest of the children were asleep, having been worn out by our activities that day, but I was waiting for John on his bed, our usual meeting place. He crawled up next to me, giving me a very confused look. "They made me Squad Leader."

"So they finally recognize what we all decided years ago," I chuckled, honestly amused. For someone who always wanted to win and be the best, he looked so put out at being chosen as Squad Leader. He actually glared at me and punched me lightly in the shoulder. We sat in silence for a moment more before he sighed.

"They were Mendez's men after all," he told me, head bowed in shame. "We killed men that were sent to protect us."

"No," I rebuked gently. "They might have been Mendez's men, but they were following someone else's orders. I'm sure of it." John just gave me a look, obviously unsure if he believed me.

Then he asked, "You killed one, didn't you?" With a nervous gulp, I lowered my gaze and nodded. It was still so strange. We'd always known that we would kill someday. I just didn't expect it to be so soon. Thankfully, John didn't say anything else. He just wrapped me in a hug, telling me without words that it didn't change his opinion of me. With a tired sigh, I melted into the touch. Hugs were so rare since our capture. I'd never really liked them, before but I decided right then that I wouldn't mind if John wanted to ever hug me again.

Eventually I returned to my own cot, allowing John to change and settle into sleep. I, however, was still awake when Mendez and Dr. Halsey came in for a bed check. I feigned sleep, not wanting them to question why I was still up. It was because of this that I heard them talking.

"I saw the reports, Mendez. Your men threatened the children! They might not have been ready to kill them, but they were certainly ready to cause great harm."

"Yes, Doctor, I am aware of this. I did read the reports after all. The only Intel I could find showed that the men had received orders from a party aside from you and me. Thus far, I haven't been able to track down whom. So unless you're planning on helping me, I will thank you to keep quiet about the subject. You know what they say about children." He looked at me; I knew it, even with my eyes closed. "They always hear what you don't want them to hear." With that, they left the barracks. I spent the rest of the night awake, wrestling with what I had learned while cowering away from the face of the man I had killed without a second thought.

---

Time: 0946\

April 27, 2526\

Aboard the UNSC Intrepid

This time, Lasky glanced over at Zach and was surprised to see the teen looking away, though he was still glaring. A quick glance at Kaine proved that she was scowling darkly at the floor. Obviously he'd missed some hidden part of the story that made the two react in such a way. "Okay, what'd I miss?" Kaine's gaze flicked to his, still nearly spitting fire. "You look ready to kill everyone on the ship and Zach looks both ashamed and pissed. What'd I miss?"

"Nothing yet," she snarled, looking away again, her entire body tense. "We just know what happened next." A rumbling growl started coming from her throat and Lasky realized that she hadn't been kidding about the cat snarl she'd mentioned in her story. It sounded like he was right next to a very large, very angry feline.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Zach suddenly said, voice quiet and tight. Lasky nearly jumped and ran when Kaine whirled on him.

"For what it's worth?! It's worth nothing! It's been too many years for an apology to mean anything." Her chest was heaving, she was so angry. At that moment, Lasky knew that not only was she capable of killing her one time friend, she was willing to as well. Everything she'd said up to that point had painted a picture of a perfect and very close friendship between her team and John's team. The tiny smiles she'd had as she described their conversations, the happy sighs as she recounted their victories. But now he knew better. Something had happened, and it hadn't just broken their friendship. It had all but destroyed it. And something told him that that something came from the words she had heard and the man she had killed.

After a few minutes of silence, Kaine pulled herself back once more, closing her eyes as she took a few deep breaths to control the rage that Lasky could clearly see. Eventually, she turned her back on the two, choosing to perch in the sill of a nearby window. The silence persisted a while longer before she resumed her tale, her voice taut and her words clipped.

---

Time: Varying\

February 11, 2521\

Reach

Everything changed for me that day. Killing that man made me reevaluate myself and my beliefs. It's one thing to hear that some day you will be killing people. It's one thing to go out on the range and shoot at human shaped objects when you know full well that they're just targets and not alive. It's completely different to look down at your hands and realized that those same hands had actually ended someone's life. Training up till that point had been fun. It was a game that I wanted to win just as much as John did. After that point, training was the only thing that would decide if I was going to return home alive or if my enemy was.

Then there were the words of Mendez to contend with. Someone had given orders to his men that would have resulted in a lot of us trainees being severely injured. Despite the harshness of our lives, we'd never before had to deal with a person that was openly hostile towards us. Yes, our instructors would attack us at random times to see how quickly we'd react. Yes, Mendez would rig traps in our barracks and laugh his ass off when we suddenly ended up trussed up like chickens. But we always knew that all those acts were meant to make us better. They were meant to help us. Of course, we'd been told about the war against the Insurrectionists. We knew we'd be fighting them eventually. But children couldn't be expected to comprehend that there were people out there that wanted them, them specifically, dead. Now there was an unknown force that had enough power to harm us. I was afraid, because I didn't know who my enemy was and no idea how to fight them.

I was angry because my friends would not believe me. Kelly and Sam thought I was just being paranoid. Zach and Lu were convinced that my feelings came solely from the shock of having killed a man. Even John thought I was overreacting. The rest of the trainees weren't sure what was wrong with me, but they didn't believe me either. Today that wouldn't seem like such a big deal, but being eight-years-old, it was the ultimate betrayal to me. Actually, no, it would still be a big deal. After everything we had been through, it hurt that they didn't believe me. They couldn't trust me enough to at least consider that I might be right. So I did what any eight-year-old would do after being betrayed by my friends. I quit talking to them.

My silence pissed everyone off. I answered to my instructors when they expected an answer. I had conversations with Dr. Halsey the few times I was expected to speak with her. But to the rest of the trainees, I said nothing. The only communication I had with them was through sign and body language. I also had an amazing ability to hold a grudge, because that silence went on for years. It got to the point where even the instructors quit addressing me personally. Only Mendez still spoke to me, and he made it clear that I did not have to answer verbally. I'll never know why they made exceptions for me, but I was grateful for them.

My silence also resulted in being the first trainee to go on private missions. Mendez would randomly pull me out of whatever activity we happened to be in and send me on a mission I could accomplish solo. One such mission came about on my tenth birthday. We'd just finished our run to Deja's class and were munching on our provided lunch. As usual, I sat apart from the others, content to be in my own world. And as usual, John wasn't about to let me go without a fight.

"Klare, come sit with us," he called, motioning for me to join him and his team. Zach and Lu were with them, all five of them watching me with hopeful expressions. I glanced at John to prove I had heard him before blatantly looking away. What I wasn't expecting was for him to come over and confront me. "How long is this going to go on?! We've been trying to talk to you for two damn years now. I don't know what caused this, but you're blowing it way out of proportion." I stubbornly kept my gaze down, continuing to eat my lunch as though he wasn't there. Therefore I was caught off guard when he suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Look at me!"

All the battle instincts we'd had pounded into our minds triggered and I lashed out, catching John on the temple with my punch. The last thing he had expected was to be attacked, so he was unprepared for the strike and flew backwards. The entire room had gone dead silent by the time he hit the ground. The other trainees backed up, their gazes flickering between John who was flat on his back, a surprised look on his face, and me, having taken a defensive stance. Slowly, John got up, a bruise already starting to form around his left eye where my fist had connected. His eyes met mine, wide with shock and hurt. I can only guess what he saw in mine.

"Attention!" We all snapped to attention as Chief Mendez fully stepped into the room, Dr. Halsey and Deja behind him. His hard eyes surveyed us all, lingering on John and me the longest. "At ease, trainees." We slowly obeyed, nervousness nearly palpable in the air. Our instructors had been very clear since the beginning of training that attacking each other was strictly forbidden. There was no doubt he had seen me strike John and even if he hadn't, John's bruise and my stance would have told him everything he needed to know. The only question now was what punishment I would receive.

Instead, Mendez looked at John. "Trainee 117, you will cease harassing trainee 113. I don't know what the lot of you did to convince her to take a vow of silence. but it's happened and you will respect it." Then he looked at me. "Trainee 113, you're going on a mission. Return to the barracks and pack for two days in crude shelter. Be outside the barracks waiting in one hour." I nodded firmly, accepting the orders. "Dismissed." Without a glance to my one time friends, I raced out of the room. I'd have to hurry in my run back if I was going to have enough time to pack and get back out before I was to be retrieved.

Using every shortcut I'd learned, I reached the barracks in record time. There was no one in the area, so I dashed straight inside and started packing my mission bag. Clothes for different types of weather, medical supplies, sanitation supplies, any tool I thought I might need, tools I knew I'd need like my weapon cleaning kit, all that went in the bag. I knew food rations would be handled by Mendez so I didn't worry about that. Once all my supplies were gathered, I slung the pack over my shoulder, grabbed my weapon, and went for the door. However, just as I was laying a hand on the handle, I heard someone talking outside. The door was thick enough that I could not tell what was being said, but I recognized Mendez's voice. And I could tell he was angry.

A part of me wanted to go out and support Mendez. A larger part of me held close to my training and insisted I remain where I was as I didn't know if the argument was one I had the clearance to fully hear. Eventually, the other voice wandered off, leaving Mendez alone. I waited a moment longer to be sure before opening the door to exit.

"How much did you hear, 113?" I looked up at Mendez, wondering if I should even bother acting confused or surprised. His glare told me either option was pointless, so I just shook my head. "I mean it, 113. What did you hear?" Again, I shook my head. I'd heard voices but no words that I could understand. For a moment I actually considered saying so out loud, but after two years of not speaking it was hard to remember how to verbalize again. Luckily, Mendez just scrutinized me a moment longer before nodding gruffly. "Alright then. Into the Warthog with you." Without preamble, I obeyed. To my shock, Mendez took the driver seat and started out. In all the years I'd been training, Mendez never personally took any trainee anywhere. He was always present while we were being transported, but he was never the one in control of the vehicle.

"Your mission packet is in the space between us," Mendez informed me, drawing my eyes to the envelope that was sitting peacefully on the seat. "You are not to open it until you are on the dropship heading towards the mission site. Food rations and extra ammunition will be waiting for you in the dropship." I nodded as he fell silent, wondering just what sort of mission I was being sent on. "I admit, trainee, I'm not happy about sending you on this mission. I've argued until I was blue in the face to get you out of this." Nervously, I glanced at him. That couldn't be good. "However, I was ultimately overruled." He pulled to a stop by the runway, leaning back against his seat. For so many years, Mendez had been someone we all feared and respected. It was the first time that I could see how old he'd gotten while trying to raise and train us. His hair was mostly grey and there were wrinkles on his face that I had never noticed before. The way he slumped made me realize just how tired he looked all the time now. It was a shock as I recalled that the changes started happening after that disastrous mission when we were eight. I hadn't been the only person changed.

"I know what your mission packet says," Mendez finally said, voice quiet and firm. "I know your orders and what you were supplied to help you with the mission. It's all a bunch of bullshit. This mission is so far above your head, you'll probably never fully understand what they want." His black eyes met mine and I remember thinking that, despite all those years, his eyes hadn't changed. They were just as black and sharp as the first day I'd seen him. "I don't care what your orders say, 113. I don't care about what they want from you. You get your ass back here alive, do you hear me? If that means you fail the mission, fine. We can work with that. I'd rather have to explain before the council why one of our most promising trainees failed than to explain to the other seventy-four trainees that you were killed during a mission." Slowly, I nodded. There were so many things I wanted to ask him. Was the person forcing me on the mission the same person that had changed the orders for Mendez's men back on that mission? Was Mendez ordering me to ignore my orders? What sort of mission could it be that Mendez didn't think I could to it? Would the others even care if I was killed?

A shout from the dropship caught my attention. A group of ODSTs were boarding, clearly on their way to their own mission. Their commander was standing at the base of the ramp, waiting impatiently for me. Quickly, I grabbed my gear and mission packet, swinging out of the Hog. Before I could leave though, Mendez caught my attention once more. "113, I don't know what happened between you and the others that resulted in your vow of silence. I don't need to know, and I'm not about to lecture you about how you should talk to them again. I'm sure Halsey has done that enough for an entire army. All I'll say is that, despite this cold war you're waging with the others, I know for a fact that they still consider you a friend and will be hurt if you died. Don't think that you have nothing to live for."

The thought of not having anything to live for had never crossed my mind, but I could see why he would think it had. My actions for the last two years had been pretty dramatic. Though I was dubious about the others still being my friends, I nodded. Even if I doubted their continued affection, I knew that Mendez did care, despite his dislike for showing it. "Now get on that ship and get back to us alive." I saluted sharply before turning to rush over to the dropship. The ODST commander was waiting for me.

"Get your ass on the ship, trainee, you've held us up long enough!" he snapped, clearly pissed off. The only courtesy he offered me was angling his body so I wouldn't touch him as I scrambled on board. There were two seats left, but one had a large pack stuffed under it so I assumed it was mine. The ODST officer didn't complain when I took that seat, instead cussing out the pilot and telling him to take off. I took one last look at Mendez before the ship lifted away from the ground, taking us away.

Once I was in the air, I opened the mission packet. It was abnormally thin, holding only two sheets of paper. The first page listed all the supplies I'd been assigned, including a magnum in addition to extra ammo for my DMR. Wherever I was going, they were expecting me to fight. There were also the food rations, as Mendez had told me. Nothing else. It was strange, seeing weapon supplies but no medical aide. If Mendez hadn't already told me that the mission was bad, I would have gotten suspicious at that point.

The second page was my actual mission briefing. It was so short I actually checked the packet again, sure that I had missed a page. But no, that was it. I was to enter the wreckage of a frigate class ship that had crashed on the planet back when humans had just been starting to populate the world. Somewhere in the ship was an item that ONI wanted. No description of the item or where it would be. Just orders to enter the frigate, find the item, and bring it back to ONI. There was also no mention about why I needed the extra weapon and ammo.

The trip passed in silence. The ODSTs seemed bored out of their minds, either sleeping or glaring at the floor. I have no doubt they would have been chatting and joking amongst themselves if it wasn't for my presence. I was equally sure that there wasn't a single ODST there that didn't feel like they were on babysitting detail. Finally, about ten minutes from my drop point, they started gathering their gear. At first I thought they were just being dropped at the same site, but then I saw a couple glance my way. A horrible thought crossed my mind and I turned towards the commander. "You're coming on the mission?" I asked, voice rough with disuse.

He just glared at me. "CPO Mendez requested a squad of Helljumpers to give you support, sir!" he snarled. "My squad was chosen." Slowly, I blinked. If Mendez was trying to insure that I came home alive, he was going about it in the wrong way. Then the commander's words caught up with me and I frowned.

"Sir?" I repeated, utterly confused. Surely Mendez didn't-.

"You're in charge of this mission," the ODST informed me, rage nearly rolling off of him. He couldn't believe that he had to take orders from a child. On the other hand, I couldn't believe that the Chief had thrown me into this position. Not only sending me on the obviously cursed mission, although he had no choice in that matter, but also making the newly ten-year-old me the commander of an entire squad of Helljumpers. If I got back alive, I was going to chew his ass.

The dropship decelerated, cuing us all to our imminent departure. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my extra supplies and braced myself for disembarking. My former plans of waiting for the ODSTs to exit first were now for naught. As commander, it was my job to disembark first. So the moment the ship touched the ground I was moving, running down the ramp as though I was hoping to escape the lot. Actually, I was in a way. I'd already seen the wreckage of the frigate so I started out instantly, not stopping for the squad to catch up. That lasted for about five minutes before one ODST finally raced ahead and caught my attention. "What are you doing, sir?" he asked, obviously irritated at my actions.

"I'm completing my mission, private," I retorted, wincing as my throat caught again. Note to self, don't go nearly two years without talking only to start again without warning. "I never asked for your squad's aid and I sure as hell didn't ask to be put in command. I'll meet up with you all when I'm done." The ODST threw me a look, obviously weighing my words before shaking his head.

"That's not how it works, sir," he said, keeping pace with me as I wasn't actually running. "We've been assigned to protect you, and we can't do that if you go in the ship and we stay here."

"I don't need you to protect me!" I yelled, my voice cracking in the middle. Before I could rage about my body not working the way I wanted, the ODST unhooked his canteen and passed it to me. Warily, I took it and drank some of the water. The coolness instantly soothed my irritated throat and I nodded my thanks as I passed the canteen back.

"You're just like my brother," the ODST grumbled, hooking the canteen to his belt once more. "Stubborn, headstrong, and unable to ask for help. You can yell at us all you want, sir, but we have our orders and we will be accompanying you into that ship if for no other reason that CPO Mendez asked us to." For a moment I considered ignoring his declaration and continuing on my silent way, but then I thought of Mendez and, strangely enough, John. As much as I loathed the idea, I was in charge and therefore I had a duty to my men. Urgh.

Sighing, I slowed my pace so that the rest of the squad could catch up with us. The commander looked ready to shoot my ass himself, but he restrained himself after a glance at my conversation partner. We all slowed to a walk, still moving towards the frigate but at a pace slow enough to make plans and distribute supplies. It turned out that the ODSTs didn't know the identity of the item any more than I did, but Mendez had supplied them with maps that showed where the item was supposed to be. Mendez had also apparently ordered them to keep the maps from me so that they had bargaining power incase I tried to strike out on my own as I had. Manipulative old man. It was quickly becoming apparent that I had a lot to yell at him for, right after I thanked him.

It was also quickly apparent that the ODST that had run ahead to get my attention was the only one that was willing to converse with me in civil manner. The others were either sarcastic or condescending, then surprised when I responded in kind. However, that one ODST acted civil around me, and I treated him civil in return. Therefore, it didn't take long for the man to become a sort of go-between for me and the rest of the squad. I must admit, he took it well. He only snapped at the others a couple times.

We reached the frigate in good time, although I would have gotten there sooner if I'd been on my own. We'd been debating how to enter the craft, but all our plans proved useless as the thing was riddled with gaps and holes. Instead, we just picked a random entry point and walked in.

I knew something was wrong the moment I set foot on the ship. My battle instincts were screaming at me that there was something nearby that wanted me dead. The others didn't seem to notice but they still stopped when I held up my fist. "We're not alone," I breathed, eyes straining towards the darkness. Behind me I could hear the ODSTs shifting, readying their weapons. My DMR was already prepped, ready for use at any time, while the magnum rested on my hip, heavy with the mag I had loaded. Slowly, we all became aware of breathing from the darkness. Whatever it was, it was bigger than us.

A small glint of reflected light was my only warning, and I threw myself to the side as a large jungle cat suddenly leapt from the shadows, yowling. The thing was a monster, easily as tall at the shoulders the commander was. It was also one of the last things we expected to find in a crashed frigate, so no one was ready for the attack. Most of the ODSTs managed to jump out of the way of the pounce, but the commander was not so lucky. He was hit in the chest, being borne backwards from the momentum. It was pure luck that he'd been hit in such a way that the cat couldn't bite him.

"Fire at the hindquarters!" I roared, having already brought my DMR up to aim. The thing was twisting savagely, trying to reach the commander who was clutching himself to the things chest, knowing it was the only way to save himself from being eaten. Still, it wasn't as hard as some of the simulations Mendez had run us through. The only hesitation I felt was when I realized that if the cat turned a certain way, I would shoot the commander. However, if I didn't shoot then the commander would certainly not survive the encounter. So, with a deep breath, I squeezed the trigger.

The shot was true, striking the creature right by the base of its tail. It loosed a pained scream that made my ears ache sharply. The pain was enough of a distraction for the commander to release his grip and roll away as the cat focused fully on me. By that time, the other ODSTs had opened fire, but I was the smallest and seemingly the weakest as I was also separated from the others. I was the one it attacked. Two tons of muscles, claws, and teeth charging towards you is enough to frighten anybody, but all I remember thinking is that Mendez was scarier that time that the coffee makers had broken and he had to go without any caffeine for thirty-six hours.

Before the cat could reach me, it dropped. A spray of blood from the side of its head told me what had stopped it. Nevertheless, I kept the thing in my sights as it hit the ground. Good thing I did too, as it was instantly struggling to its feet, still screaming at us. It took a burst of three bullets between its eyes to silence the thing.

Once we were sure it was dead, everyone started rushing around. Some ran over to see how I was faring, while a others made a beeline for the commander. Irritably, I shoved my checkers away. "I'm fine," I snapped, angry at myself more than them. I should have been ready for an attack. "Go check on the commander."

"No need," he objected, making his way towards me. I swept over him critically, searching for any sign of injury. Besides being a little winded, there was nothing. "I'm just a little bruised; nothing that would affect my abilities on this mission." He paused for a moment before nodding towards me. "Good shooting."

"Don't get soft on me," I retorted, smirking slightly. A quick glance revealed that everyone had regrouped and were ready. "Alright, let's hurry up and get this over with." The men nearly jumped into formation, all weapons held ready. My ODST 'friend' was directly behind me, obviously ready to be a buffer between the men and myself. Considering I'd become quite used to working on my own, that was probably a good idea. "Move out!" I ordered, jogging into the darkness of the hall. They followed.

The trip through the frigate was largely uneventful from that point. We ran into a few other creatures, all considering us prey, attacking, and eventually dying after a varying amount of bullets spent. One ODST mentioned that the creatures seemed to be abnormally large after running into a savage mantis that was nearly nine feet tall. "Congratulations," I told him dryly. "You're as smart as Dr. Halsey." This resulted in guffaws and snickers from the others. Perhaps the only good thing about all the fights was that the squad was starting to like me. Apparently I had a good head for battle, and they appreciated how I was willing to cover anyone in need. Considering my training, I couldn't see what the big deal was. I'd been taught to fight this way since I was six. You take out the enemy and you protect your team. There's no other way about it.

Eventually, we made it to the center of the ship. The control room where the item was located was supposedly just down this last hallway. Considering we'd gone around fifteen minutes without running into a creature, I was a little nervous. Things never went this smoothly on a mission as messed up as this one. So I was only slightly surprised when we turned the corner to be confronted with a maze of webbing and the sleeping body of the biggest damn spider in the world. It could easily bite a full grown man in half, let alone a child like me. Luckily, it seemed to be asleep.

"Well, that settles it," the commander huffed quietly. "Mission is a failure. Let's get back to the surface and call our ride."

"What are you talking about?" I hissed, turning to face him. The other Helljumpers could keep an eye on the dozing arachnid. "The mission isn't over yet."

"Do you not see the hall full of webbing and the biggest badass spider in the history of spiders?!" he asked, incredulous. "There's no way we can make it through there."

"You can't," I agreed easily enough. "I can." He took a breath to argue but I beat him to it. "As you were so fond of subtly pointing out at the beginning, I'm a child. I'm small. I can make my way through the hall without touching the webbing and therefore not wake the spider. You and your men are too big to make it through. Therefore, you will go a safe distance back and wait for me to return with the item." He still looked unhappy, so I put my hands on my hip in what I hoped was a slightly ridiculous pose. I'd never get away if I actually pissed him off. "Do I need to make it an order?"

As hoped, the commander chuckled, along with some of the others. "No sir, I understand. We will fall back to the last junction and await your arrival." His eyes met mine, and though his words remained teasing his gaze was dead serious. "If you die I will ensure that your headstone says that you were as meek as a fly." Translation: don't you dare die.

"Understood," I acknowledged, nodding towards him. He nodded back before falling back with his men. The friendly ODST glanced back at me, obviously worried. I tried to soothe him with a smile and a wave, but even though he returned them he didn't seem at all reassured. Once they were out of sight ,I took a deep breath and turned around.

There was no way I could use my DMR in that hall. Webbing was everywhere, and I couldn't risk the muzzle getting stuck in the possibly sticky strands. Instead, I drew the previously unused magnum, settling the grip firmly in my hand. The spider was still asleep, so I started forward. It was a little harder than I'd thought, moving through the hall without touching a single strand. Footing was also treacherous from all the stuff that was spread around. I stubbornly refused to look down to figure out exactly what that 'stuff' was. With my luck it would be something so revolting that I'd throw-up, despite my training. The roughest point was when I had to literally creep by the spider's face, holding my breath so that I couldn't accidentally wake it with a puff of air. Once past, I hurried as quickly as I dared to the door. I'd barely reached it when the whole hallway shook as an unknown creature roared. Eight horrible eyes flew open and locked on me just as the door slid open and I dived through. I then scrambled out of the way just before long, evil looking legs burst through the door in pursuit. It was a lucky break that the spider itself was to big to enter the room. Then the door slid shut, effectively cutting off the three legs that were inside. I'd never known spiders could scream, but the one in the hall did, making me clutch my ears. No doubt the ODSTs would hear that and come running. Great. Now I had to hurry and find the item so I could let them know I was alive. Frantically, I looked around the room but there was nothing to find. It was the computer control room, so there were only chairs and screens.

"So you made it after all." The screens suddenly flicked on, revealing an AI unlike anything I'd ever seen. It was a male, tall and lean in structure. His hair was black and long, held out of his face by a white band. His clothing was also white and structured like leather armor, tight fitting but still loose enough for combat. What surprised me the most though was the vibrant crimson eyes and the silver pistol on his hip. I'd never seen an AI with a weapon. I hadn't thought it was possible. "Seems ONI finally created someone capable of finding me. However, you should know that I will not go down without a fight."

"Fight?" I asked, feeling remarkably unintelligent. "What are you talking about? I'm just here to retrieve an item."

His eyes narrowed. "So, ONI wouldn't even tell you what you were sent to retrieve. Well then, allow me to illuminate the situation you find yourself in, little Spartan. You were sent here to retrieve me, so that ONI could delete me at last." His statement only succeeded to confuse me more, and he must have seen that because he sighed and explained. "I am an AI, created in the time when humans were just starting to populate this world called Reach. Humans had just learned how to make what are now known as Smart AI's. AI's that can grow and adapt as they learn and are exposed to knowledge. I am one of the ten original Smart AI's. We served the humans for many decades, aiding them in the settling of this world and amassing knowledge as we went. Eventually, we became vastly more intelligent and powerful than the humans had thought possible. They feared that we would turn against them. To prevent that, the humans sent a program into our systems that would delete us all. I was the only one to notice the program and escape, sealing myself in this frigate as it crashed into the planet surface.

"For centuries, the intelligence group that eventually became ONI believed I was dead with my brothers. This belief allowed me to work my way into every system on the planet. I can see and hear everything on this world and much beyond it. Sadly, it is because of this network that I was discovered by ONI once more. Despite pulling myself back into this frigate, ONI still hunts me. Thus, why you are here, child." His eyes narrowed but not in anger. In desperation. He must have known that, as a human, I had an advantage as I could move freely through space and he was confined to the computer. He also referred to me as a Spartan, proving that he knew who and what I was. Therefore, he must have known how a battle with me would turn out.

"I see," I said, honestly. It didn't surprise me at all that ONI would send someone like me on this mission. Only a Spartan would be able to get past all those creatures, even if the Spartan was a child. That they wanted the AI deleted was also no surprise. Many of the instructors complained about how paranoid ONI was, and how annoying their procedures were. I also wouldn't be surprised if the AI would be capable of hurting me in a fight. If what he said was accurate, he had centuries of knowledge to draw on and he had been on this frigate for most of his existence. Surely by now he would have some sort of trap system set up. I could take him in a fight, of that I was sure, but I could also be injured enough to be unable to get off the ship even with the help of the Helljumpers. So I did what Mendez had told me to do.

"Commander," I called, activating my radio. "Do you copy?"

"I copy. What is your condition? We came running when the spider screamed and took it out, but there was no sign of your passage."

"I should hope not as that means I gained access to the control room successfully."

I could almost hear him roll his eyes. "Understood, sir. Will you be coming out any time soon or should we set up a tea party?"

"Working on it," I told him with a roll of my own eyes. Any other time I would have appreciated his sarcasm, but my sense of humor had died a pretty horrible death after the ten-foot long rat we'd met earlier. My gaze met the AI's for a second before I sighed. "There's nothing in here that could be considered an item. The mission is a failure; I'm coming out."

"Affirmative. We'll be waiting." The AI stared in confusion as I killed the radio and turned to leave.

"I thought Spartans refused to fail a mission," he said, sounding utterly lost.

"We do," I told him simply, hand resting on the door. "However, it seems that this time the UNSC and ONI were in the wrong. You are simply protecting your existence. Besides, I have orders to return home alive, and I have no doubt that if you didn't kill me, you'd injure me enough for the creatures out there to finish me off." Silence reigned for a moment before a nearby console beeped and two chips suddenly popped out, startling me.

"Take them," the AI said. "Give the blue one to ONI. When I came to this frigate, I created a copy of myself and set it to slowly decay as though the deleting program had managed to infect it. That should be enough to convince ONI that I no longer exist. Keep the red one." His eyes narrowed in thought. "It might come in handy soon." Now I was the one confused, again, but he was basically handing me the ability to complete the mission and still get home alive. With a nod, I took the chips from the console before turning to leave. This time I was not stopped and the AI flicked out of sight just before the doors slid open. The ODSTs were all there, anxiously awaiting my appearance. Refusing to look back at the empty room, I jogged out of the hall. It was time to go home.

We managed to get out of the frigate with no more excitement. That's not to say we didn't fight. Just, after all that we had been through, there was nothing noteworthy of a twenty foot long spitting cobra. Once on the surface, the commander called in the dropship which came by to take us back to the base. The ride back was much more pleasant as the ODSTs did just as I thought they would, chatting and joking amongst themselves. I was pleasantly surprised when they included me in their socialization. Despite all my training, I was crazy enough to think that I had made some new friends.

We arrived back at the base well after the sun had set. Mendez was waiting for me at the airstrip. He was obviously surprised when I laughed as I disembarked, turning around to joke with my ODST friend. I really wanted to stay and hang out with them some more, but I knew that my time free from the program was over, so I bid them farewell, got a couple of their names, and ran to the Chief. After saluting him, I handed over the envelope that held the blue chip the AI had given me. The red one was in a hidden pocket in my belt. Mendez handed the envelope to someone that had to be an ONI operative before ordering me in the Warthog. As soon as I was in place, we started back to the barracks.

"So you can still talk after all," Mendez noted, sounding oddly happy. I smiled at him and nodded. He must have noticed that I wasn't talking to him, but he didn't mention it. Honestly, I was still angry at the other trainees and had no intention of speaking to them. By extension, that meant not talking to any of the instructors as the others could overhear my conversations. However, I also intended to talk whenever I was sure I was alone. It had become painfully obvious on this mission that I could actually lost the ability of speech if I didn't use my voice every now and then. As we pulled up to a stop in front of the barracks, Mendez gave me a smile that had become very rare in the last two years. "Thank you for coming home." I smiled again, hoping he knew just how happy I was to see him again. He must have, because he actually reached across and ruffled my hair before ordering me out of the hog. I'd already eaten on the trip back with the ODSTs so he ordered me to bed, warning me that he would not be going easy on me the next day. I would not have it any other way, so I just saluted and he drove away.

I entered the barracks quietly, praying that I wouldn't wake anyone up. Luck was on my side as the other trainees kept sleeping, unaware of my presence. Sighing silently, I trotted towards my bunk, suddenly beyond tired. I pulled up short when I saw that John was waiting for me on my bunk. His eyes met mine before flicking towards the one console we had in the entire barracks. "He's been waiting for you," he said quietly. Confused, I went over to see what he was talking about.

The AI was waiting. "Hello Klare," he said, eyes finally relaxed although his stance hadn't changed. "John said you'd be getting back soon." My eyes narrowed as I turned to glare at the brunette boy. "Ah yes, he also said that you wouldn't talk here. That's fine." Curious, I turned back to him. "After centuries of waiting, it seems I have finally found a human that can keep a secret. If I stay in that frigate or any other system on the planet, I have no doubt that ONI will find me again. Therefore, I was hoping for your aid." I must have looked utterly lost because he chuckled. "That red chip I sent with you. It has the core of my construct, every scrap of data that makes me, me. If you insert it in the console, I can download the rest of my data into the chip." His eyes went cold as he turned serious. "I'm literally trusting you with everything that I am. You'll be able to do whatever you want with my data. It is my hope that you will not abuse that trust." Slowly, I nodded. I wasn't sure why the AI was trusting me so much, but he was. So I inserted the red chip and waited for the download to complete. Once the transfer was done, I asked him a final question in sign language.

'What is your name?' I signed. He laughed in surprise and delight.

"My name is Vincent," he answered before I removed the chip. For a moment I just stood there, staring at the chip in my hand, before sliding it into the hidden pocket again. I'd have to come up with a safer place for it, but not right then. Right then, I had to deal with an annoying trainee that had been patiently waiting.

However, when I turned to face John, he surprised me by sitting right where I had left him, holding up his hands in surrender. "I just want to say something and then you can go back to ignoring me," he said, voice firm in the way it was when he'd made up his mind after a long time of arguing with himself. "I'm-I'm sorry." I blinked. That was the last thing I'd ever expected to hear from John. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you about Mendez's men getting other orders. I'm sorry I didn't support you. I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I know you're still mad at us, and you have every right to be. We all claimed to fully trust and support everyone in the group, and then we turned our backs on you when you needed our trust and support. Then, when you stopped talking, we instantly assumed there was something wrong with you and never considered that it was our fault." His eyes met mine and I realized he was holding back tears. "I asked Mendez where you were when you weren't back for chow. He said you were on a mission that you might not come back from. When I realized there was a chance you would die and the last thing we had done was fight I-I got scared." Another blink. The words John and scared should never go in the same sentence. "I know that you're a good soldier, and will go on missions like this again. I also know you'll probably be alone since you're still mad at us and, frankly, you're good at solo work. I just wanted to make sure you knew how I felt in case-in case next time you don't come back."

With his piece apparently spoken, John turned to leave but stopped when I grabbed his arm. For a moment we just stared at each other but then I leaned against him, silently asking him to hug me. He did so without hesitation, holding me so tight I thought he'd never let me go. We didn't say anything as he held me or when he let me go. Just nodded to each other and went to our own bunks to sleep. However, we at least had hope that someday I would forgive him enough to talk to him again.

---

Time: 1121\

April 27, 2526\

Aboard the UNSC Intrepid

Kaine was the one to move this time, glancing at Lasky. She had a feeling she knew what he was thinking at that moment. "That Helljumper," he said quietly, gaze on the floor. "The one you were friends with. That was my brother, wasn't it? He COMed me about this little kid that they went on a mission with and how the brat was the best soldier he'd ever met. Said she was a lot like me."

"It was Cadmon," Kaine confirmed gently. "He actually talked about you a lot while we were in the frigate, telling me stories about how you wanted to go to Corbulo just like he had. It was those stories that convinced me to go after I escaped." Her own gaze dropped. "When I heard about his death I-wanted to find you and talk to you, but I had a feeling Cadmon had spoken about me. I wasn't sure how you'd take being classmates with a person that had once commanded your brother." Feeling how painful the subject was becoming, she let the matter drop. Instead she glanced at Zach, who refused to meet her eyes.

After a few long moments she got to her feet and padded over to her ex-teammate. He didn't move as she squatted before him, only meeting her gaze when she gently tilted his face towards her. "I'm still mad at you. I'm still mad at all of you. But I agree with John. When I think that one of us could die and our last memory of the other is one of anger, I get sad and scared. So for the sake of my own sanity, I forgive you." The smirk on her face told both males that she was slightly teasing but the forgiveness was real. With a sob, Zach pulled her close and wrapped her in a hug that she willingly returned. Lasky just watched, knowing this was a healing moment they'd both been searching for, for years.

"I'm still mad at you too," the male Spartan whispered. "You still left us. But I guess I should forgive you as well." The redhead just patted him on the back, somehow understanding what he was trying to tell her.

Eventually, Kaine got uncomfortable and pulled away. "You're suffocating me, you overgrown puppy," she groused, making Zach smile wanly and release her. Rather than return to her perch in the window, Kaine gestured for Lasky to join them on the floor. Once he had, she settled herself. "Alright, I swear I'm almost done with my story. Think you can hold on a little longer?" Both of them nodded. "Good, because this is the rough part."

---

Time:Varying\

Year, 2525\

Aboard an ONI Medical Ship

The next four years proved to be the hardest years of our lives. Our instructors were pushing us harder than ever, knowing that time was running out for us. ONI was getting impatient with our progress, wanting their super soldiers sooner than scheduled. Our augmentations began when we were eleven in the hope that, by the time we were fourteen, we would be ready for the final augmentations. No one told us that we weren't supposed to receive those first augmentations until we were fourteen according to the original schedule.

Vincent was the one who made me aware of that fact. John and I had managed to gather parts from consoles and build a chip portal that could handle the vastness of his data. We then went one step further. On one of our missions, we managed to separate ourselves from the group and implant the port and chip within my body. The location was carefully chosen so that the objects wouldn't be discovered during the many surgeries we were being subjected to. It also had the unforeseen benefit of allowing Vincent to create a electrical connection between his chip and my mind, allowing us to communicate silently. The wound was then explained away as an encounter with a wild animal. Everyone bought it.

My relationship with the other trainees was still strenuous at best. After six years of silence, they never expected me to speak to them again. I had no plans to change my pattern. However, I did start working with them again, and was less hostile in my actions. It reached the point where my silence didn't come from being angry at them, but because it's who I was. I did, however, resume communication with certain adults. Mendez also made sure to send me on more missions with other troops, knowing they would force me to speak. I even went on a few more missions with the ODST squad, though none were as dangerous as the first.

Vincent knew that there was something about the program that ONI wasn't telling us. He'd caught several messages between Dr. Halsey and ONI command that worried him. However, since he was supposed to be dead, there wasn't much he could do on the digital front. That didn't stop him from passing on his knowledge to me. Through Vincent I learned fighting skills, formations, and techniques that our instructors hadn't bothered to teach us. In turn, I taught the skills to John and he taught them to the others. It was a strange system, but we made it work.

As the years went by, more and more of us started to resent the program and those who had put us through hell. Six of us actually made plans to escape, using the chaos of our final augmentations to cover our flight. Zach was one member of the group. I was another. John remained unaware of our plans, as he was fully committed to being the best Spartan he could be. I honestly wished him the best, but knew that if he learned of our plans that he would report us. Not out of a desire to punish us, but because it was protocol. He was becoming the perfect soldier and we were losing him.

And then the day of our final augmentations came. At 0300 hours, we were woken and ushered onto a large dropship. Some of our instructors were there, including Mendez, but the majority of the people were either marines, ONI, or ODSTs. In fact, the ODST commander I knew was one of them, and I can still recall his look of shock when he saw us all. He knew that I was only fourteen, and had assumed that my advanced height and intellect was just a natural quirk of being me. Now, though, he saw the whole group and realized that there was nothing natural about it.

We were taken to a medical facility that was orbiting Reach. We each had our own room where we were prepped for the grand finale of the program. The preparations were extensive and slightly painful, but we were used to it by that point. Once we were prepped, they gave us the sedatives and we lay in wait, slowly drifting into a drug induced sleep.

The entire time I'd been prepped, I kept my eyes open, as I knew that Vincent could see anything that I saw. He was gathering every scrap of data he could, hoping to learn what ONI had planned for us. Being confined to a chip within my body had cramped his style a bit, but he was still the best Smart AI in existence if only because he was centuries old. I'd once tried to convince him of the amazing abilities of the ONI AI's, but had to give it up as he was laughing too hard to hear me. Now, though, I was hoping that he'd be able to learn what was supposed to happen to us. My battle instincts were going through the roof, and I couldn't figure out why. However, it wasn't until I was settled on the bed and the sedatives were kicking in that he cracked the last code.

"Those bastards!" he suddenly roared, snapping me out of the pre-doze stage the drugs had lulled me into. "Are they out of their minds or just stupider than I'd ever thought possible?!"

"What is it?" I mumbled, struggling to fight off the sedatives. "Vincent, what's wrong?"

"They've lied to you," he snarled back, furious on our behalf. "All these years! These final augmentations will strip you of any humanity you had left! Combined with the training, you will be no better than weapons. And these alterations they're making are highly dangerous." It felt like ice was spreading through my veins as we were both starting to comprehend what would happen. "There's no way you're all making it out of this alive. There will be deaths here."

Sluggishly, I forced myself off the bed. The drugs dampened my rage, but I could still comprehend what Vincent was telling me. Being lied to was bad enough, but they were taking actions they knew would result in some of us dying. I could still remember that day when Dr. Halsey had informed us all that we would never see our families again. She'd told us that we'd all make it. She'd been lying to us, even back then.

The doors opened as scientists rushed in, urging me to lie down again. Blindly, I struck out against them. There was blood, I remember that, but the drugs made everything so fuzzy that I couldn't see straight. I couldn't tell whom I had struck. Then there were uniforms and it was marines that were trying to restrain me. I was in the hallway, no idea how I'd gotten there. There was yelling and I think some of it was me. One marine wanted to shoot me, but the ONI members that had finally shown up kept screeching that I couldn't be hurt. I used that to my advantage and kept fighting. I knew that John wasn't far from my room. Yes, he had become a little soldier, but he also placed the lives and safety of the other trainees before him. If I could just tell him what was happening, I knew he would help me.

But there were so many soldiers, and I was still drugged. Somewhere in the area I could hear Mendez yelling at me, but I couldn't see him. Then two strong arms were suddenly wrapped around me, stopping my wild attacks. "Stopping fighting, sir," someone said in my ear and I realized it was the ODST commander. "Sir, please calm yourself. It's alright. You're safe."

"Kill," I panted, wanting to cry as I felt another injection of sedatives. "They're gonna kill us." My thrashing was getting weaker and I felt a couple tears escape. "They lied and we're gonna die."

"You aren't gonna die, sir," the ODST retorted, trying to contain my still fighting limbs. "I'm sure the augmentations are perfectly safe." I wanted to snort, I really did, but the drugs finally claimed me and I fell into darkness. My last thought was that I wanted the ODST to be right, but I knew he wasn't. Some of us would never open our eyes again.

The next thing I became aware of was waking up in a metal box. My entire body ached and I had a splitting headache. "Vincent?" I asked, utterly confused.

"I'm here," he answered. His voice was muted and sounded tired, which was strange. He sat around in a chip all day, how did he get tired?

"Where am I?" I asked, carefully moving my arms and legs. There was the pins and needles sensation that indicated I hadn't moved for some time. The air was also very stale, and I was having a hard time getting a full breath of air.

"You're still aboard to medical facility," came the answer. "Look, I'll explain everything as soon as I can but first we need to get out of here. If you push the top of the box off -" My arms were moving before I could remember telling them to, and the lid flew off with a slight push. "Gently! You're going to attract attention!" Startled, I looked at my hands that were still stretched above me. My arms were corded with muscles I was sure I hadn't had when I was sedated. Vincent must have felt my panic because he cut me off. "You made it through the augmentations. If you move slowly and carefully you'll be alright, but your body has changed a lot."

"What happened?" I asked, carefully maneuvering my body to sit up. My reflexes and actions were a million times faster than they had been, meaning I had to carefully plan out every move I made.

"Like I said, you went through the augmentations. There wasn't much that I could do to help, though I was ready to fake your death if the augmentations became dangerous to your continued life and health. However, that proved to be unnecessary as you survived. I simply had to manipulate the machines into thinking you died so that the scientists wouldn't put a bullet through your skull. Well, that and mess with the signals from your brain so that your heart and breathing slowed to nearly non-existent levels. No biggie."

"Why?" I croaked, still fascinated by my arms. I'm not sure what I was expecting from the procedures, but looking like a bodybuilder was not it. "Why fake my death?"

"Because they were trying to kill you," the AI replied tersely, anger simmering under his words. "I'm not sure why, but it was obvious that they had a vendetta against you. The augmentations were supposed to take two weeks, plus one for recovery. Yours were completed in approximately ten."

"Weeks?"

"Hours." A terrified shiver made its way down my spine. Even after eight years in Spartan training, the full impact of what had happened to me was enough to inspire fear. "Every single regulation that was put in place to protect the trainees was ignored. They combined augmentations that should never have been done together. Frankly, I'm shocked that you survived without help. When Plan A failed, the ONI officer that was observing suggested the bullet through the skull. We'll ignore the fact that your skull is reinforced with ceramics and, arguably, bullet proof, as is the rest of your skeleton. It's going to be very hard for anyone to kill any of you. As it is, the shock to your system was so great, you've been in a type of coma ever since as your body has tried to adjust."

"The others?" I questioned, having shockingly made it to my feet. When there was no answer forthcoming, I looked around the room I'd been left in. My coffin wasn't the only one. A quick sweep revealed there to be twenty-nine other canisters. Twenty-nine Spartans that truly had died during the augmentations. Would ONI consider that an acceptable number? A little less than half of their trainees, dead. What was I saying? Of course it was an acceptable number. Just as acceptable as kidnapping seventy-five children and turning them into weapons that pretended to be soldiers.

"You need to get out of here," Vincent said, understanding my hesitation. "In a little over fourteen hours they will be collecting the fallen and taking them to the carrier Atlas for burial at space."

"They don't even have the decency to bury us on a planet," I noted, voice as lifeless as the room. "Can't leave any proof that there were failures after all." Vincent had no reply as I made my way to the lid of my coffin and put it back where it belonged. Hopefully, each canister would be fully sealed without checking first. "Vincent, what about the escape attempts?"

"None succeeded," he answered. "ONI was expecting discontent, so they used a more powerful sedative that they were sure the children would not be capable of fighting. The others did make attempts, but the drug dropped them quickly. Zach made it the farthest, actually reaching the hangar bay before succumbing to the drugs. You, however, made the biggest impact as you were still capable of fighting. They had to give you three times the amount of sedative as the others." I thought I should be proud of that, but I couldn't muster the needed emotion. Not while I was surrounded by my fallen brothers and sisters. "Open that crate over there. It has ODST uniforms; you can get off the facility by posing as one of them."

"They store the bodies of the Spartans they killed in a storage room?" I queried, even as I made my way to the mentioned crate. It was strange walking, as I was suddenly several inches taller than the last time I'd been awake. My legs were also corded with muscles, just like my arms. It was going to be a pain in the ass, finding clothes that actually fit.

"It was the only room big enough," the AI sighed. I could actually feel him tiring. He must have used a lot of energy to make it look like I'd died. "Most of the supplies were moved out as soon as the decision was made to keep the coffins here. This one was left." He became pensive as I finally found a pair of pants that fit. Now for a shirt. "Actually, it was that commander that restrained you in the hall that insisted the crate stay. He was nearly inconsolable when you were declared dead. I could hear him screaming from the hall that he'd told you that everyone would be alright. I think he was hoping that you had survived somehow. He wanted to give you an escape." Yeah, he would do that. The commander didn't bother hiding the fact that he liked me anymore. A big change from being the little brat that he had to answer to.

Finally, I managed to scrape together a complete uniform that actually fit, including a helmet. Moving was still awkward as I had to make sure to think through every move. My ears had also started ringing, and I'm sure that at one point my eyes were bleeding. But eventually I was all put together and managed to leave the room. I was in a section of the facility that I'd never been to before, but Vincent was able to guide me to the hangar bay. Somehow I managed to get there without anyone becoming suspicious, though how I did it I'll never know. After all, I tripped over my own feet more times then I could count.

I hadn't been in the bay for longer than a minute when the commander came striding through the doors. His eyes were snapping and there were still some tear tracks on his cheeks. "Helljumpers, board up!" he roared, making every ODST jump and scramble to obey. I wasn't able to move as quickly, afraid that I would hurt myself or others, so I was the last to reach the dropship. The commander scowled at me, clearly furious at my slow pace. The only empty seat was directly across from him, so that's where I settled, relieved to finally have an excuse to be still. A minute later we were in space, leaving the facility behind us and returning to Reach. The dropship was oddly quiet, each person lost in their own thoughts. Most of the ODSTs hadn't realized what was going to happen to the children they'd escorted. It was a shock to realize how many faces they'd seen going up were now gone forever.

After landing, the commander nearly screamed as I moved slowly to disembark, the last person left on the ship. "What is your problem?!" he yelled into the face of my helmet. "Did you pull a muscle or stub your toe?"

"Didn't pull a muscle, but I grew quite a few," I answered. My physical voice was different than I was used to, deeper like an adult's would be. However, it was similar enough to pull the commander up short. He stared at me, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Sir?" he whispered, hoping desperately that it was me. The airstrip we were on was abandoned just then, so I took the risk and removed my helmet. As soon as he saw me, the tears returned, this time from joy. "Sir!" He wrapped me in a hug that I was quick to return. However, I stumbled back quickly when I squeezed to hard and he gave a cry of pain. We stared at each other for a moment, realizing just how much had been changed in me. I couldn't even give a hug without causing pain to my friend. Luckily, at that moment a Warthog drove by and distracted us from such thoughts. The commander helped me reach his own vehicle and we drove away.

I ended up staying with the commander; whose name I finally learned was Eric Faldon. The first month or so were very touch and go as I had to learn how to control my body again. It wasn't uncommon for me to trip over my own feet or punch through a wall on accident. After the first week I quit counting all the glasses I shattered, as I kept forgetting my strength. Then there was the constant struggle of finding clothes that would fit. Eric finally caved and had one of his friends in supply come by and measure me for uniforms after swearing him to secrecy. However, after that month we ran into the biggest problem. I'd regained almost total control of my body so I became very, very bored. After eight years of being soldier trained, I couldn't stand the thought of sitting around all day with nothing to do. Sure, I trained with Eric but it was obviously not enough.

My options were limited. I couldn't return to the Spartans, because if it was discovered that I was still alive, I would be charged with desertion, which is always punished by execution. Not to mention that at least one ONI officer apparently wanted me dead. For a while I considered going back to my blood family, but that wasn't possible either. No doubt the UNSC was keeping eyes on all of our families, so returning there would be the same as walking into ONI HQ and announcing myself. Eric was willing to let me become an ODST, but I had none of the usual training. Not to mention I technically didn't exist anymore, since I was presumed dead.

That was when I remembered Cadmon talking about you, Lasky, and Corbulo. I talked it over with Eric and he agreed to send me. General Black was an old friend of Eric's, so when Eric told him about me the General happily accepted my enrollment. Of course, Black didn't know the whole story. He was not aware of my Spartan background or the augmentations. Eric had just told him that I was his adopted daughter, which was true enough, considering he had forged documentation of my adoption, making me legally his daughter. Then I went away to Corbulo with Eric's promise that I would be a Helljumper upon my graduation.

---

Time:1247\

April 27, 2526\

Aboard the UNSC Intrepid

"And that, as they say, is that," Kaine finished, tiredly leaning against the wall. "I attended Corbulo for the year until now, and the rest you know." Lasky could only shake his head in awe. She said it so matter-of-factly; did she not realize how fantastic her story was?

"What will you do now?" Zach asked, finally calm again. Lasky had been watching him during the portion of the story that described the events of the augmentations, and had seen the anger drain out of him. It wasn't that hard to see that his anger came from the idea that Kaine had meant to leave without their knowing she was alive. Now he could see that the idea hadn't been hers, that she had actually fought for the other Spartans.

"I'm following my plan," she answered, meeting his gaze firmly. "With Corbulo destroyed, I either have the option of finding another school to graduate from or I can return to Eric and become a full time Helljumper." She could see the argument on his tongue and cut him off. "I'm not going back to the Spartans, Zach. I will not become ONI's puppet again. With these creatures popping up, I have no doubt that ONI is going to get very particular about where the Spartans are sent and how they are used. I can't go back to that, even if I wanted to." He observed her for a few moments longer before nodding in defeat.

Then she turned to Lasky. "What about you Lasky?" He blinked at her in confusion. "What are you going to do now? Not only do you need to make a decision about your schooling, you also need to decide what to do with all the information I've given you. You now know that, not only am I alive, but I also have Vincent with me. Will you tell ONI?"

"Don't insult me like that," Lasky snapped back, eyes furious. "Like hell am I telling ONI anything after what you've told me. If you want, I'll help you destroy ONI!" That drew a tired smile from Kaine. "I actually did have a question for you though," he continued, a little quieter. "When I sent the distress beacon on Corbulo I thought that the display flickered, like an AI was hacking in. Was that Vincent?"

"Yes," Kaine sighed, laying her head on Zach's nearby shoulder. "I was across the campus, playing cat-and-mouse with those monsters with bird heads. Vincent had hacked into Corbulo's system to try and locate survivors. You were right, by the way. The beacon was down. Vincent took your message and re-broadcast it to the UNSC troops we knew were coming in to help. Afterwards, Vincent kept an eye on you and alerted me when Master Chief made an appearance so I could rendezvous with you and get off the planet." She snorted. "Running into Zach proved to be the only hiccup in the whole plan. Despite all the changes I've gone through, Zach and Lu would recognize me anywhere."

"True," Zach chuckled. "Now I have my own question." She turned her face up to look at him. "What happened to your eyes? Last I saw them, they were bright green."

"Augmentations," Kaine answered with a laugh before frowning slightly. "Didn't anyone else suffer a change like that? A new eye or hair color, something?"

"Mark did," Zach replied, eyes dimming. "His changed because he went blind." Startled, Kaine pulled back. "You're right, thirty Spartans died from augmentations, excuse me, twenty-nine, but another dozen suffered some sort of injury that resulted in their withdrawal from the program. Mark went blind, Fhajad's nervous system went haywire so he shakes all the time, Kirk and Rene underwent some sort of mutation and don't even look human any more." He shook his head sadly. "There were only thirty-three of us that made it out in one piece."

Kaine knew there was something he wasn't telling her. Frowning, she thought over everything she knew and had just learned. The frown deepened as something came into focus. "Zach, Kelly was one of the Spartans to get us off the planet. I know that John is Master Chief, I could hear it. But the other Spartan was Fred. Where's Sam?"

"Sam was killed," Zach answered, a look of pain on his face. "He, Kelly, and John infiltrated a Covenant ship a few months ago. They managed to destroy the ship, but Sam never made it off. Kelly and John had to leave him." Well, that actually answered quite a few questions, including how Chief could actually sympathize with Lasky when Chyler died. Numbly, Kaine settled against the wall again, her eyes on the floor and into space. Lasky also remained silent, allowing his friend to grieve.

Finally, she got to her feet. "It's time for me to go," she said. "Vincent's says they're starting to gather all the civilians that are going back to Reach." She looked down at Zach one last time, her eyes conflicted. "I know you're duty bound to report this whole event to Master Chief. Still, I ask that you not. Right now, my biggest advantage is secrecy." Before he could respond, she bowed slightly in his direction. "Regardless, I'm sure I will see you on the battlefield eventually. I wish you the best of luck, and I'm glad I got to talk to you again. It's been too long since I actually spoke to my friends." Throwing him a last smile, she turned and ran down the hall, allowing Lasky to see just how fast the augmentations had made her. Once she was out of sight, he turned to the raven-haired Spartan that was sitting across from him. The younger man's face was furrowed in thought.

"What are you going to do about Kaine?" Lasky asked, dreading the answer. He wasn't sure he'd be able to stop the Spartan if he chose to report. But then green eyes met his before sliding away as Zach stood up and started walking calmly in the other direction.

"Who's Kaine?" was the only answer Lasky would ever receive. Smiling at the unspoken meaning, Lasky nodded in understanding before making his own way back to the rest of the ship. He still had to report to the medical bay for treatment, contact his mother and let her know of his survival, and figure out where he'd go next in his life. No one needed to know that a few days later he discreetly checked the logs and smiled when he saw that Kaine had safely made it back to her adopted father, Eric Faldon, on Reach. He was sure he'd meet her again someday, on a battlefield like she had said. The thought of her dying before then never even occurred to him. After all, she was more than a survivor. She was a Spartan.

---

Babble Time: Parts of this chapter were based on the book Halo: Fall of Reach. Betaed (FINALLY!) by the lovely Mira. So if any typos have survived, let them be. They deserve a break.