Dena found herself slowly waking up from a very deep sleep she was in. How she ended up like this she didn't remember. All she could remember was the brief image of a spartan staring at her with his emotionless helmet. When she woke her eyes up, she found that her vision was blurry. Almost immediately she felt a far pain all over her along with the feeling of coming on her good arm, her very bad broken leg, her ribs, and her mouth. Her vision was too blurry for her to make out anything but at least she was able to hear.
From the sounds of heart beat meter closeby and the feeling of liquid entering her veins, she could guess she was in a hospital room. When she took a few breaths, she realized she had a breathing mask on her wanted to move but the pain from moving prevented her from doing so. Not too mention her vision was to blurry so moving anyrate would not be wise on her part. At least the bed she was in was very soft.
"Well sleepyhead. Glad you're finally awake."
Her eyes jumped up in fear and alert. She moved her head frantically for who said that. Her vision was getting better but it was still very blurry. When she looked at the far corner, she saw a large image the shape of a human, a Spartan.
She panicked and fear hit her hard as she tried struggling to get out of the bed she was in but found that everytime she moved it hurt like hell all over her. Despite this, it did not stop her from desperately trying to get out.
"Hey. Relax. We're not here to hurt you. We just rescued you. So relax." Lex approaches slowly
She felt a hand gently push down on her to keep her in the bed. With the Spartan this close she was finally able to see him clearly. It sounded like the spartan that stuck her with whatever, but he wore a different armor. His appearance still scared as she gulped and whimpered slightly "Please don't hurt me…"
"I'm not gonna hurt you okay?" He takes off his helmet revealing his face to her.
She wasn't able to see his face clearly but she knew that he took his helmet off. Since he haven't hurt her yet and since of her current condition, she had no choice but to relax and trust this Spartan.
"Trust me. We're only here to help you. Please don't be scared."
"Where...where am I?" she asked weakly.
"You're in a UNSC medic bay. You nearly died." Lex answers.
It was in that moment she realized that she was not in her armor. To think about it she wasn't wearing anything except some medical robe and the bed's blanket to cover her. She blushed a purple color and looked down the blanket.
"Where are my armor and clothes?" she asked somewhat scared.
"Damaged from the crash you took. Couldn't let you wear that damaged armor."
"Who undressed me?" she asked.
"Just some nurses, relax they and no one saw anything." He answers.
Dena sighs and lays her head back down on the pillow. Staring at the ceiling while her vision slowly returned to her normally.
"May I ask you something?" Lex asks.
Dena gulps nervously. "Yes you may."
"What's your name?" He asks.
Dena tried lifting her head to look at him. With her vision mostly returned she was able to see his real face now. He wasn't anything she imagined a Spartan to look like without his or her helmet. Despite his rough and battle hardened militaristic look, he had a soft smile on his face and his eyes had a kindness to them that for some reason made her think she could trust him.
"Dena 'Veryanee." she answered with a small blush.
"I'm John Lexington. I'm guessing you already know I'm a Spartan."
She lays her head back down on the pillow. "Yes…"
"Is something wrong?" He asks.
"I just feel so weak and hurt…"
"Well the crash did mess you up heavily. So it would be wise not to move."
"What happened, all I remember was being put to sleep by you, followed by the sounds of Covenant coming."
"The Brutes were looking for you. But we stopped them at their tracks. For now anyways."
"The Brutes?" she asked almost surprised.
"Yes they were looking for you but for what? I don't know."
"I don't know what Brutes are doing in this. But I have to speak to someone in charge it's of the highest importance."
Lex taps on his comm "Of course. Commander Alexander, the Sangheili wants to speak to you."
(through mic) "Understood, on my way."
"He's on his way up here right now."
Dena sighs and relaxes a little. After a few minutes of waiting, Alex arrives to the medic bay.
"Ma'am I'm Commander Alex, I'm the Spartan in charge of this base. My lieutenant here says you wanted to talk to me. So what do you have in mind?" Alex asks Dena.
"Of course." She answers.
Alex and Lex take a seat as Alex turns on his recorder. "Go ahead."
"Dena, we've found your ship crash landed at Morning Lake. Can you tell us why you crash landed on UNSC grounds and why the Covenant where after you?" Lex asks.
"I only came here because I have crucial information from my database. I only crash landed because I was attacked by them. I didn't mean bring them here." Dena answers.
"Can you tell us what this crucial information is?" Alex asks next.
"I seem not to have it with me. It must be in my armor."
"We're having some people at the lab take a look at your armor. They'll get the information if it is in there. But can you tell us why you, an Elite General of Jul's Covenant wanted to give us the UNSC this information?" Lex asks next.
"I wanted to give you this information because I was tired of this misleading organization. It has sicken me since the Fall of Reach. I couldn't bare it anymore. So I stole information from Jul's Covenant to support the UNSC and other Swords of Sangheili."
Alex looks at Lex. "Sensors show she's telling the truth." Alex looks back at Dena. "Do you have any idea what the information is, can you tell us anything about it that you may have read when you stole it?"
"I do not know. It was something far more highly advanced than the technology not even the Brutes understand. It was something… Promethean."
"Promethean huh?" Lex comments.
"I see, can you tell us your name?" Alex asks next.
"Dena Veryanee is my name."
"Alright." Alex turns the recording off. "Ma'am I'm going to let you rest for the moment. Lex will be back to give you update on what we find and what we're going to do with you. However we thank you for this info and rest assured you are now in good hands."
"Of course Commander. I would like to thank you for not neutralizing me."
Alex and Lex get up and exit the room, leaving Dena to close eyes, lay her head on her pillow and rest.
Lex follows Alex into a room.
"Well Lex, I'm not sure what to think but I guess I'm glad she's on our side."
"How can we be sure?" He asks.
"Well the sensors say she wasn't lying. But on another hand. We just got another set of orders on what to do with her." Alex calmly crosses his arms behind his back.
"Alright then but I'm keeping my eyes on her. Incase if she tries anything."
"Oh don't worry son, you're going to be keeping more than just eyes on her. I reported this to Infinity. And as much as it seriously pissed Commander Sarah Palmer off. Captain Lasky has ordered that Oracle team is now in charge of keeping an eye on her and to make sure that the Covenant are not to take her back. And to make sure this is done, they've sent a representative from Infinity to be your group's new handler."
"And who's that sir?"
"He's right behind you."
Lex quickly turns around to see a Spartan wearing a dark GEN 2 Venator Spartan armor with light blue markings and a silver colored visor. He was laying back in dark the far corner of wall with his arms crossed. He was barely visible from the darkness in the room.
"The hell?" Lex asked in confusion.
"Lex this is Special Agent Joseph of the UNSC Infinity. As of right now, he's going to be observing Oracle Team's mission with Dena." Alex introduced Joseph.
"He'll be observing us?" Lex asks.
"From both in and out of the shadows rather you guys know it or not. He's the top Hand-to-hand and Long-Range Combat specialist within the UNSC's Spartan program."
"Very well then. I'm guessing you're the silent treatment kind."
Joseph does not respond.
"Yeah he doesn't talk much." Alex told Lex.
"I can see. Hopefully he doesn't shoot me in the back."
"That would be up to you if he does or not." Alex pats Lex on the shoulder and exits the room. Leaving Lex alone with Joseph.
"Okay. Very awkward."
Joseph does not respond.
"I'm gonna go now and let my team know of the situation." Lex while Joseph looks at Lex and watches him leave.
Lex arrives at his team's barracks. He saw Hogan and Jared playing a card game while White was busy taking a nap on the couch closeby. All three of their helmets were off. Hogan was of caucasian descent with short dark red hair and red eyes. Jared was of African diaspora with a short bound beard, a dreadlock braid tied with a band and brown eyes.
"So Jared, any ideas what they're going to do with the female elite general?" Hogan asked as he looked at his hand of cards.
"I don't know. Seeing her in that condition. She's probably desperate for help."
Hogan sighs as he throws his hand of cards down. White notices Lex entering and stands in attention.
"Squad leader on deck." she salutes as Hogan and Jared get up and do the same.
"At ease Spartans."
"Nice armor sir." Jared comments.
"Yeah how do I get a new set of armor?" Hogan asks.
"Doing a shit ton of missions that's all I'll say. Alright grab a seat we got a lot to talk about."
Lex and the team all take a seat.
"What's this about sir?" White asks.
"Well you see have you ever felt like you're being watched?" Lex asks.
"Yes sir, I feel like I'm always being watched, when I eat, sleep, fight, and even take a shit sir." Jared joked.
"Well it seems since we've retrieved the Sangheili general were kind of being watched from here on out. By another Spartan."
"What now sir?" Hogan asked.
Suddenly, Joseph enters the room. Everyone turns to look at him as he stares at them calmly almost without emotion.
"Guys. This is special agent Joseph of the Infinity. As of now he's going to be watching and reporting everything we do with the female elite general from both in and out of the shadows, rather we know it or not." Lex states.
"So he's gonna be watching us? All the time?" White asks.
"Yes all the time for the entire duration of the mission with keeping watch on the Female Elite general." Lex answers.
"Well ain't this gonna a show for him." Hogan jokes.
Joseph does not respond.
"Silent treatment?" Jared asks.
Joseph does not respond.
"Figures." White crosses her arms with a less impressed look.
Joseph does not respond.
"So what now, Lex?" Jared asks.
"Now for our mission. We've been assigned to guard and keep watch on the Elite general. I found out that her name is "Dena 'Veryanee. So far she's defected from the Covenant to join us and any who oppose them. Claims she tired of their ruthless pointless killing. I'm not sure if she's to be trusted but the sensors say she's not lying. Also she brought vital information which the lab guys are currently looking into. It was this vital information that almost got her killed in the attempt to bring to us." Lex answers.
"Do we know what it is?" Hogan ask.
"Not yet."
"So what do we do now? Just sit around and do nothing?" White asks.
"Until they find the info or until Dena wakes up, we sit and do nothing for the moment."
"Alright then. Let's just hope she heals nicely. By the way… full house. You owe $30 now." Jared Comments.
Hogan looks at the cards and sighs. "Cheating bastard." he grumbles as he pulls out thirty dollars from his locker."
Joseph suddenly begins walking off to the far end of the room, takes a seat and observes everyone quietly.
"Um Lex, permission to speak privately." White requests.
"Sure." Lex walks with White into another room as she shuts the door.
"I like to state I am not very comfortable having a special agent breathing down my neck rather I know he's there or not recording and reporting every single thing I do." White crosses her arms.
"Trust me White. I don't like this anymore than you do."
"Then why don't you do something about it? You're the team leader you should be able to state the grounds rules of personal privacy."
"I can't. It's out of my hands."
White rubs her face. "Shit…"
"Yeah I know. I wish this didn't have to happen."
"Why does he have to record and report everything we do as long this mission with the elite general is on. Do they not trust us to handle an elite by ourselves?"
"White. If you been in the Human-Covenant War much longer than I've had. You would know the grudges held against the Sangheili's."
White pauses.
Lex gets a call from Alex. "Hey Lex, the general lady is awake. See if you can talk to her more since she's gotten used to you the most."
"Alright on my way."
Lex cuts the mic off. "Well I'm off to go see Dena again, keep an eye on the squad and our...watcher." Lex requests as he walks off.
White sighs and goes back in the room. She takes a seat with jared and Hogan as they noticed Joseph watching them closeby.
"That guy is starting to give me the creeps I shit you not guys." Hogan whispers.
"Yeah I know that feeling." Jared agreeing.
"So White, any ideas how we can Mr. Nosey off our backs?" Hogan whispers to White.
"I don't know but maybe something can distract him. Got anything to distract him?" White asks.
"Jared?" Hogan asks.
"I got something." Jared gets up and walks over to Joseph who does not respond.
"What do you have in mind?" White asks.
Jared walks to Joseph and smirk.
"So, special agent Joseph for Infinity. Assigned to observe our team. In a way, that makes you a new member. But before you can have the right to walk with us. You got to prove your worth and beat me in a hand to hand face to face no hold bars fight. Got the balls?" Jared's smirk grows.
Joseph does not respond.
"I'm sure he can. With the silent treatment I'm sure he'll kick your ass." Hogan comments.
"Piss off rookie. I kicked your ass in poker I can kick his ass in a cqc fight."
Joseph suddenly got up and motioned his hand for Jared to lead the way.
"Well ain't this gonna be fun." White says with an interested look and follows them.
Lex finally made it back to the med bay at Dena's room to see that she was awake. Before he entered he saw that she was nervous about something. Which he could only guess it maybe because of some people may not like her being here. Lex's knocks on her door before entering.
"Come in…" she said softly.
Lex walks in and sees her nervous. "Hello Dena."
"H...hello Lex…" she answered nervously.
"How are you feeling now?" He asks.
"Not any better then when you last left a few hours ago after questioning me."
"I'm sorry it made you uncomfortable."
"No, it's...I just...I know there are probably people in this base that are not very happy with me being here."
"Trust me I understand how you're feeling right now."
She looks up. "You do?"
"Yes, I do." Lex leans against a table and crosses his arms.
"How?"
"The way people are looking at you because of you coming from the Covenant. They're judging you for your status as a general and during your time on Reach." Lex answers.
"But how do you understand?"
"Well...it may not look it but the human race has a long, long, long history of judging others for what they are and not for who they are. I've experienced it somewhat during my time. Yeah I was a super soldier. But even though people would never admitted it, they would call me a freak and other stuff behind my back. Because unlike most of the current Spartans, I was one of the few originals that was taken as a child and subjugated to it all from the very beginning of my childhood." Lex answered.
"Human's abducting their young for science experiments? That's an abomination." Dena replies.
"Well you could say the Covenant forced humanity to result to that. But if you ask me, I think they just used the Covenant war as an excuse to go through with it. Either way it never does make sense to me. But I understand how your feeling." Lex answers.
Dena sighs and lays back some more. "Oh thank you for your concern. I appreciate your thought."
"Well, I got orders from command. For now we are to watch and guard you until they say otherwise. So you and I are going to get very well acquainted."
"How long will this be?"
"Until they say otherwise, could be a day, week, month, year. Who knows. Its untill they say otherwise. Be advice they sent this creepy stalker Spartan to observe and report everything we do with you. So there's gonna be a guy watching you and us rather we know it or not for now."
"You mean that Spartan that hasn't said a word?"
"Yeah how do you know him?"
"He's on the T.V. about to fight another spartan." Dena motions for the T.V. as it shows Joseph and Jared in the combat arena. He along with White and Hogan had their helmets back on. Hogan and White stand in the gather crowd of soldiers as they all cheered for Jared.
"What?" Lex looks at the T.V. and runs out the room to the combat arena observe room. He approaches White and Hogan. "What's going on?"
"Were about to watch Jared gets his ass kicked by Joseph." White answers.
In the combat arena. Jared gets pumped up as he listens to the chants of the crowed while the music of Bad To The Bone - George Thorogood played. Joseph just stood emotionlessly still and made not a single movement.
"Alright. Let's put on a show. Come on Joseph. Give it all you got."
Joseph does not respond.
Jared charges at him as right hooks but Joseph ducks his punch. Joseph got back up and did just stood quietly.
"How is he this quick?" Jared asks himself.
Joseph just stood quietly.
Jared takes another charge at him again with another swing at him and a high kick. Joseph easily dodges all of Jared's attacks and just stands calmly still.
"Will you hit me already?" Jared asks.
Joseph does not respond.
Jared charges once again but one he got close Joseph dodges another punch and does a counter hook punch so hard he knock Jared helmet flying right off and send him hitting the ground hard. When the helmet came falling down, Joseph caught the helmet and tossed it over to Jared.
The entire scene silenced the crowd and shocked everyone.
"Well at least I know what I'm up against." Lex comments from Dena's room.
Jared got up and puts his helmet back on. "Lucky shot." he popped his neck.
Joseph didn't respond.
"Come on. Let's go." Jared taunts.
Suddenly Joseph dashed at jared and jump kneed him right in the chin before following up with a scissors kick to the neck and throw him to the ground. Just as Jared got up, Joseph did a spin heel kick to his face and follows up with a backflip kick to knock him back a few feet.
The attacks really did hurt Jared but he shrugged them off and charged at Joseph and does a series of punches. Joseph easily dodges them before catching one of his punches with one hand. Jared was unable to move his fist back in time for Joseph to twist his wrist in a wrist lock before doing a wrist throw to throw Jared hard on the ground.
"Holy shit this dude is kicking his ass." Hogan comments.
The wrist throw actually snapped Jared's wrist but he snaps it back in place and turns to Joseph. Joseph just stood their calmly and emotionlessly.
"I'm not done yet!" Jared yells.
Joseph does not respond.
Jared charges again like a bull and actually got his hit on Joseph in the face. However Joseph acted like he was unfaced or hurt from the ordeal, and simply grabbed Jared's wrist and does a painful wrist lock before doing a outside wrist throw followed by an arm bar to snap jared's arm in two.
Joseph kip ups to his feet while Jared snapped his arm back in place. Once Jared got to his knees, Joseph elbow smashes the top of his followed by uppercutting punching him in the chin. Joseph does a spin side kick to his face before grabbing the back of his head and smashing him hard back on the ground.
"Hey Jared." Hogan calls out.
Jared looks at Hogan.
"He's a more serious badass then you.' Hogan explains.
"Shut up!" Jared yells at him.
Joseph took a few steps back to allow Jared to get back up.
"What's the matter, huh? Not gonna finish me?!" He taunts again.
Joseph does not respond.
"Come on. Don't just stand there!"
Joseph does not respond. Jared charges at him, he boosts towards him as his punch misses him. Joseph suddenly grabs Jared by the arm and uses his momentum to throw him off onto his back. Joseph prepares to do a powerful punch that made Jared flinch. However when Jared did not feel anything, he opened his eyes to see Joseph had stopped his punch by mere inches. After that, Joseph stood up and walked off quietly.
"Where are you going? Aren't you gonna finish me?" Jared asks.
Joseph does not answer, he just continues walking off not saying a word.
"Jared, that's enough." Lex speaks through the mic.
"Sir I can beat him just let me get another shot at him." Jared requested.
"No. Enough of your childish ways."
Jared sighed in defeat. "Yes sir, sorry sir, just trying to get him off our backs sir."
"Look he's gonna observe us either you like it or not."
"Yes sir." Jared gets up while Hogan and White help him up.
"Looks like you owe me back my thirty dollars." Hogan comments.
Jared hands him back his money he won earlier. "Asshole."
Back at Dena's room, Lex sighed seeing Jared stopped. When he looked back at Dena she seemed even more nervous almost frightened by what she saw.
"That's going to be the Spartan who watches our every move?"
"Yes. Every move we make."
Dena gulped nervously in fear.
"Don't worry. I won't let him hurt you."
"I haven't seen anything of such terrifying skill since the Demon himself." Dena comments.
"What demon?"
"You know the Demon, the Spartan who stopped the Prophets from activating Halo. The one who brought down the original Covenant with the help of the Arbiter."
"You mean John-117."
"He is also known as the Master Chief yes."
"Yes that's correct but he's no demon."
"I know, it's just the name all Elites have come to know him by. You could say it's a title or something, as a sign of respect."
"Well it's not really."
Dena remains silent for a moment.
"Still, I haven't seen anything that dangerous since the Demon. How can you stop something that dangerous?" she asked.
"I honestly don't know but I won't let him touch you."
Dena sighs.
"I swear my life on it. I was ordered to guard you and I promise to keep that."
Dena remains silent.
"Try getting some more sleep it looks like you haven't been sleeping at all."
"Can you stay please."
Lex raises an eyebrow. "I'm sorry."
"Please stay, I'm not in the condition to defend myself if something to happen. And it's what keeps me from sleeping. Please stay." Dena asks.
"Well I don't see why not."
Lex takes a seat next to her. She smiles and closes her eyes knowing he's close by.