DISCLAIMER AND A/N: I DO NOT OWN HALO...:( IT BELONGS TO BUNGIE AND IN THIS STORY ERIC NYLUND! WELL I DO OWN CLYDE :)
Sorry if I haven't updated in a while. If you've been to my awesome, cool profile you would've known that I lost all my data but I got it all back again. YAY ME!! claps hands together NOW ONTO THE STORY!
CHAPTER 4
0630 Hours, July 12, 2519 (Military Calendar)
Epsilon Eridani System, Reach Military Wilderness, Training Preserve, planet Reach
John and the other trainees held on to their chairs in the drop ship. Again Clyde was not with them. He never was during missions like this. Mendez started to explain the rules and handed a stack of papers to Kelly. He had ordered her to give them out. John and the other children looked curiously at their papers. It looked like some sort of incomplete map.
"These are portions of the map of the nearby region. You'll be set down by yourselves and your mission is to navigate back to the extraction point." Mendez explained. Seemed easy enough, thought John, but you could never tell with the chief. "One more thing the last trainee to make it to the extraction point will be left behind. I think it's quite a far walk from here," he added looking at the horizon.
John didn't like this. He didn't wan anyone to be left behind, especially Sam and Kelly.
"First drop three minutes! Trainee 117 you're up first!" Mendez yelled out.
"Sir! Yes, sir!" John glanced out the window and found mountains, a forest and a river…that fed to a lake. He nudged Sam and pointed to the lake and signaled him to tell the rest. Sam told Kelly and the two of them moved down the line of trainees. The ship decelerated and John felt his stomach rise.
"Trainee 117, front and center!" John walked up to Mendez and looked back the others. They nodded and John knew they all got the message. He left and started to run to the meeting point.
He had marched a long way and was lost in his thoughts. He didn't want anyone to be left behind so what was he going to go? There had to be a way to counter Mendez. Mendez had taught him many things and so had Déjà. Mendez had taught him how to be both physically and mentally strong. Then his thoughts turned to Clyde. Clyde was different from the others. He never went on missions like this, he always stayed behind. Was there something wrong with him? John didn't think so. Clyde was the strongest, fastest and smartest of them all. Sometimes he thought that Clyde was even smarter than Déjà and stronger and faster than Mendez. Soon John had arrived at the edge of the lake. He heard and owls hoot and walked towards the sound. Sam popped out of one of the bushes.
"Hey owl," John greeted.
"That's Chief Owl to you trainee," Sam said giggling. The other children followed and they put their pieces together. There were pieces left over, extras and pieces that didn't belong. They discarded the unneeded pieces.
"Let's move out!" John barked. No one argued and moved behind Kelly while Sam scouted ahead. He had the best eyes out of the children there. Soon he dropped back.
"This is way too easy. Not like the chief's other exercises." John nodded in agreement to Sam's statement.
"I want to know something," Fhajad said. Who's getting left behind?"
"No one," John answered. "We're all getting back."
"How, Mendez said—"
"I know what Mendez said, but there has to be a way. If there's a will there's a way right? Even if one were to get left behind it would be me." John said interrupting Kelly's statement. Soon they were close to the extraction point. John and Sam scouted ahead.
"Look there's the drop ship," John whispered. "You think those men are on our side?"
"Don't know, I mean look, they're out of uniform if they are." Sam answered.
"Let's go back then," John said turning around. Sam followed his lead. They explained to the others what they saw and had decided to lure the man to the clearing then gang up on him.
"I'll be the rabbit!" Kelly exclaimed. They nodded knowing she was the fastest out of all of them. She ran to the men out of uniform and called out to them.
"Hey I'm starving! You mind giving me some food? Wait, I dropped my jacked over there, I'll be back!" She ran back to the group hoping they'd follow her. All of the men started to walk towards her but one of them said he could take her on his own.
Meanwhile John and the others prepared, Fhajad scraped his leg with a rock to make it look like he was injured.
"They're coming!" Kelly called out. The rest of the children hid in the bushes rocks in their hands waiting for the man. As soon as he came into view they threw the rocks. The man collapsed, unconscious and bruised.
"What about the others?" Sam asked.
"They'll come soon enough," John answered. "As soon as they realize this one was taking too long to get a bunch of kids they'll come." Soon, just as John had said, the other four men came to the clearing. Finding their comrades' body on the ground unconscious they tried to help him but, just as their comrade, were pelted with rocks.
"Let's go!" John said. They ran to the dropship, quickly hoping the men wouldn't wake.
"Déjà," John said getting to the controls.
"Yes Trainee 117 do you need help with a homework question?" John shook his head.
"I'm in a dropship and I don't know how to pilot it. Can you teach me?"
"I can't do that but if you press the button over there I will have full control of the ship." John did as he was told. "There now I can take you home."
"Wait," John said running out of the ship. "C'mon everyone inside!"
"Who's getting left behind?" someone asked.
"No one, I'm going to get on last so if anyone is left behind it's going to be me." John replied. Once everyone was inside Déjà started to pilot the ship back to their base.
"What do you think?" Halsey asked Clyde. "What can you do about their chances?"
"I'm not sure… maybe if I do this…then maybe…" Clyde started to mumble to himself. "Phwee what a challenge. I think I can get it to a better percentage, about ninety percent…maybe."
"What's your percentage for getting it to ninety percent?" Halsey asked. Clyde shrugged.
"Some of these chemicals and drugs are unnecessary if you look at it in another point of view like this one and this one." Clyde said pointing to his computer screen. "Even if I were to higher the percentage some of them would still…"
"Die." Mendez said finishing Clyde's sentence and closing the room's door behind him. Clyde nodded slowly. They were in a dark room lit only by the computer screens. A mix of Rock, Hip-Hop, Techno and R&B music played in the background.
"This music helps you to concentrate?" Halsey asked rubbing her temples.
"Mm-hmm," Clyde replied nodding his head, his eyes moving constantly reading the information before him and picking out things that were unnecessary. "If you don't like it you're free to leave the room."
"Oh no," Mendez said ruffling the young boy's hair. "Might cause some trouble if we leave you here." Clyde chuckled and started to type at amazing speeds, deleting and adding information.
"Still don't trust me eh chief?" Clyde asked.
"Not a chance." Clyde stopped typing for a while and flexed his fingers. He turned his chair around to stare at Mendez and Halsey. Mendez got a better look of the boy who was out of uniform, as usual. Today he wore blue top and black pants that went to his ankles. He wore a watch on his right hand. Bandages were wrapped around his ankles and he was bare-foot. Mendez and Halsey stared back at the boy's mix-matched eyes.
"They're back," he declared. "All seventy-five of them."
"Seventy-five? How do you know they're back?" Mendez asked. Clyde pointed at a screen to his left showing a ship landing and dropping off children.
"Duh…"
"How do you know its seventy-five?"
"Do you really think they'll leave on person behind?"
"Well those were my instructions… What about the guards?"
"Probably knocked them unconscious…" Clyde said turning back to the screens and continuing to type. "They're capable of doing that, and if I am correct you left the guards out of uniform… on purpose." Mendez smiled. The boy knew his strategy. "Aren't you going to greet them?" Clyde asked. "Give me a bit of privacy?" Mendez sighed and left the room. Halsey followed behind him soon after. Clyde smiled. I think I'm sort of glad I didn't try to run away this time…
John stood in attention in Mendez's office. No one had ever been in here except Clyde, Halsey and Mendez himself. Inside smelled heavily of cigar smoke and the wood paneling's made him feel claustrophobic.
Dr. Halsey soon entered the room. Mendez stood and gave her a nod.
"Hello John." she greeted.
"Ma'am," John said saluting. She was the only adult who ever called him by his first name. It was weird.
"Trainee 117," Mendez snapped. "Explain to me again why you stole UNSC property… and why you attacked the guards I posted to guard it."
"Sir, the men were out of uniform. No insignias. They failed to identify themselves, sir!"
"Hmm…" mused Mendez. "So it seems… what about the ship?"
"I took my squad home sir. I was the last onboard so if anyone should have been left behind it—" he was cut off by Mendez.
"I didn't ask for a passenger list," his voice turned into a soft growl. "What are we going to do with this one?" he asked Halsey.
"Do?" She pushed her glasses higher on her nose. "Why the only thing we should do. Make him a squad leader.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? I RECENTLY GOT MY MEMORY BACK SO I CAN WRITE AGAIN! HAPPY FACE :) SO...(DRUMS ROLL FOR COMMONLY USED CATCH PHRASE) LIKE IT? HATE IT? RATE IT!